that he saw the Prophet holding a shoulder piece of mutton in his hand and cutting part of it with a knife. Then he was called for the prayer whereupon he put down the shoulder piece and the knife with which he was cutting it, and then stood for prayer without performing ablution again.

A thief's hand was not cut off for stealing something worth less than the price of a shield, whether a Turs or Hajafa (two kinds of shields), each of which was worth a (respectable) price.

The Prophet cutoff the hand of a thief for stealing a shield that was worth three Dirhams.

The hand of a thief was not cut off during the lifetime of the Prophet except for stealing something equal to a shield in value.

A similar hadith is narrated from `Aisha through another chain.

Some people asked Allah's Apostle, "Whose Islam is the best? i.e. (Who is a very good Muslim)?" He replied, "One who avoids harming the Muslims with his tongue and hands."

Allah's Apostle came to us at noon and water for ablution was brought to him. After he had performed ablution, the remaining water was taken by the people and they started smearing their bodies with it (as a blessed thing). The Prophet offered two rak`at of the Zuhr prayer and then two rak`at of the `Asr prayer while a short spear (or stick) was there (as a Sutra) in front of him.

While the Prophet was delivering the Khutba on a Friday, a man stood up and said, "O, Allah's Apostle! The livestock and the sheep are dying, so pray to Allah for rain." So he (the Prophet) raised both his hands and invoked Allah (for it).

I saw the Messenger (saws) perform ablution. He had a Qutri turban. He inserted his hand beneath the turban and wiped over the forelock, and did not untie the turban.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said to Bilal: Do not call adhan until the dawn appears clearly to you in this way, stretching his hand in latitude.

Abu Dawud said: Shaddad did not see Bilal.

Jabir b. Abdullah reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying. My example and your example is that of a person who lit the fire and insects and moths began to fall in it and he would be making efforts to take them out, and I am going to hold you back from fire, but you are slipping from my hand.

During the time of the Messenger of Allah (saws) a man used to buy (goods), and he was weak in his intellect. His people came to the Prophet of Allah (saws) and said: Prophet of Allah, stop so-and-so (to make a bargain) for he buys (goods), but he is weak in his intellect. So the Prophet (saws) called on him and forbade him to make a bargain. He said: Prophet of Allah, I cannot keep away myself from business transactions. Thereupon the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: If you cannot give up making a bargain , then say: Take , and give, and there is no attempt to deceive.

I was sitting in a gathering in which there was Sa`d bin Malik and Ibn `Umar. `Abdullah bin Salam passed in front of them and they said, "This man is from the people of Paradise." I said to `Abdullah bin Salam, "They said so-and-so." He replied, "Subhan Allah! They ought not to have said things of which they have no knowledge, but I saw (in a dream) that a post was fixed in a green garden. At the top of the post there was a handhold and below it there was a servant. I was asked to climb (the post). So I climbed it till I got hold of the handhold." Then I narrated this dream to Allah's Apostle. Allah's Apostle said, "`Abdullah will die while still holding the firm reliable handhold (i.e., Islam).

This hadith is transmitted on the authority of Abu Muawiya (but With a slight change of words).

AbuNadrah reported: An old man of Tufawah said to me: I was a guest of AbuHurayrah at Medina. I did not find any one of the companions of the Prophet (saws) more devoted to worship and more hospitable than AbuHurayrah.

One day I was with him when he was sitting on his bed. He had a purse which contained pebbles or kernels. A black slave-girl of his was sitting below. Counting them he was glorifying Allah. When the pebbles or the kernels in the purse were finished, she gathered them and put them again in the purse, and gave it to him. He said: Should I not tell you about me and about the Messenger of Allah (saws)?

I said: Yes. He said: Once when I was laid up with fever in the mosque, the Messenger of Allah (saws) came and entered the mosque, and said: Who saw the youth of ad-Daws. He said this three times.

A man said: Messenger of Allah, there he is, laid up with fever on one side of the mosque. He moved, walking forward till he reached me. He placed his hand on me. He had a kind talk with me, and I rose. He then began to walk till he reached the place where he used to offer his prayer. He paid his attention to the people. There were two rows of men and one row of women, or two rows of women and one row of men (the narrator is doubtful).

He then said: If Satan makes me forget anything during the prayer, the men should glorify Allah, and the women should clap their hands. The Messenger of Allah (saws) then prayed and he did not forget anything during the prayer.

He said: Be seated in your places, be seated in your places. The narrator, Musa, added the word "here". He then praised Allah and exalted Him, and said: Now to our topic.

The agreed version begins: He then said: Is there any man among you who approaches his wife, closes the door, covers himself with a curtain, and he is concealed with the curtain of Allah?

They replied: Yes. He said: later he sits and says: I did so-and-so; I did so-and-so. The people kept silence. He then turned to the women and said (to them): Is there any woman among you who narrates it? They kept silence. Then a girl fell on one of her knees. The narrator, Mu'ammil, said in his version: a buxom girl. She raised her head before the Messenger of Allah (saws) so that he could see her and listen to her.

She said: Messenger of Allah, they (the men) describe the secrets (of intercourse) ...

By Allah except Whom none has the right to- be worshipped, (sometimes) I used to lay (sleep) on the ground on my liver (abdomen) because of hunger, and (sometimes) I used to bind a stone over my belly because of hunger. One day I sat by the way from where they (the Prophet and his companions) used to come out. When Abu Bakr passed by, I asked him about a Verse from Allah's Book and I asked him only that he might satisfy my hunger, but he passed by and did not do so. Then `Umar passed by me and I asked him about a Verse from Allah's Book, and I asked him only that he might satisfy my hunger, but he passed by without doing so. Finally Abu-l-Qasim (the Prophet ) passed by me and he smiled when he saw me, for he knew what was in my heart and on my face. He said, "O Aba Hirr (Abu Huraira)!" I replied, "Labbaik, O Allah's Apostle!" He said to me, "Follow me." He left and I followed him. Then he entered the house and I asked permission to enter and was admitted. He found milk in a bowl and said, "From where is this milk?" They said, "It has been presented to you by such-and-such man (or by such and such woman)." He said, "O Aba Hirr!" I said, "Labbaik, O Allah's Apostle!" He said, "Go and call the people of Suffa to me." These people of Suffa were the guests of Islam who had no families, nor money, nor anybody to depend upon, and whenever an object of charity was brought to the Prophet, he would send it to them and would not take anything from it, and whenever any present was given to him, he used to send some for them and take some of it for himself. The order of the Prophet upset me, and I said to myself, "How will this little milk be enough for the people of As- Suffa? though I was more entitled to drink from that milk in order to strengthen myself", but behold! The Prophet came to order me to give that milk to them. I wondered what will remain of that milk for me, but anyway, I could not but obey Allah and His Apostle so I went to the people of As-Suffa and called them, and they came and asked the Prophet's permission to enter. They were admitted and took their seats in the house. The Prophet said, "O Aba-Hirr!" I said, "Labbaik, O Allah's Apostle!" He said, "Take it and give it to them." So I took the bowl (of milk) and started giving it to one man who would drink his fill and return it to me, whereupon I would give it to another man who, in his turn, would drink his fill and return it to me, and I would ...

Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa that his father used to say, "For the female of wild animals a cow is given and for the female of gazelles a sheep."

Anas reported that the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) was not accustomed to raice his hands in any supplication he made except when praying for rain. (He would then raise [his hands] high enough) that the whiteness of his armpits became visible. 'Abd al-A'la said that (he was in doubt whether it was) the whiteness of his armpit or armpits.

My father said, "I saw Allah's Apostle at a place called Al-Abtah. Bilal came and informed him about the prayer and then came out with a short spear (or stick) and planted it in front of Allah's Apostle at Al-Abtah and pronounced the Iqama."

The people were ordered to place the right hand on the left forearm in the prayer. Abu Hazim said, "I knew that the order was from the Prophet ."

The Prophet said, "I have been ordered to prostrate on seven bones i.e. on the forehead along with the tip of the nose and the Prophet pointed towards his nose, both hands, both knees and the toes of both feet and not to gather the clothes or the hair."

I took `Abdullah bin Abu Talha to Allah's Apostle to perform Tahnik for him. (Tahnik was a custom among the Muslims that whenever a child was born they used to take it to the Prophet who would chew a piece of date and put a part of its juice in the child's mouth). I saw the Prophet and he had an instrument for branding in his hands and was branding the camels of Zakat.

I was with Marwan and Abu Huraira and heard Abu Huraira saying, "I heard the trustworthy, truly inspired one (i.e. the Prophet ) saying, 'The destruction of my followers will be brought about by the hands of some youngsters from Quraish." Marwan asked, "Youngsters?" Abu Huraira said, "If you wish, I would name them: They are the children of so-and-so and the children of so-and-so."

We used to say in the prayer: 'AsSalam be on Allah, As-Salam be on so-and so.' So one day the Prophet said to us, "Allah Himself is As-Salam; when anyone of you sits during his prayer, he should say: 'at-tah, iyyatu-li l-lahi,' up to 'As-Salihin,' (All the compliments are for Allah ...righteous people) for when he recites this, then he says his Salam to all the righteous people present in the heavens and on the earth. Then he should say, 'I testify that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and His Apostle,' and then he can select whatever he likes to celebrate (Allah's) Praises."