I was resting at (the house of) 'A'isha that she said: O Abu 'A'isha (kunya of Masruq), there are three things, and he who affirmed even one of them fabricated the greatest lie against Allah. I asked that they were. She said: He who presumed that Muhammad (may peace be upon him) saw his Lord (with his ocular vision) fabricated the greatest lie against Allah. I was reclining but then sat up and said: Mother of the Faithful, wait a bit and do not be in a haste. Has not Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said:" And truly he saw him on the clear horizon" (Al-Qur'an, Surat at-Takwir, 81:23) and" he saw Him in another descent" (Al-Qur'an, Surat Najm 53:13)? She said: I am the first of this Ummah who asked the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) about it, and he said: Verily he is Gabriel. I have never seen him in his original form in which he was created except on those two occasions (to which these verses refer); I saw him descending from the heaven and filling (the space) from the sky to the earth with the greatness of his bodily structure. She said: Have you not heard Allah saying: "Eyes comprehend Him not, but He comprehends (all) vision. and He is Subtle, and All-Aware" (Al-Qur'an, Surat al-An`am 6:103)? (She, i.e. 'A'isha, further said): Have you not heard that, verily, Allah says: "And it is not for any human being that Allah should speak to him except by revelation or from behind a partition or that He sends a messenger to reveal, by His permission, what He wills. Indeed, He is Most High and Wise." (Al-Qur'an, Surat ash-Shura, 42:51) She said: He who presumes that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) concealed anything from the Book of Allah fabricates the greatest lie against Allah. Allah says: "O Messenger, announce that which has been revealed to you from your Lord, and if you do not, then you have not conveyed His message. And Allah will protect you from the people. Indeed, Allah does not guide the disbelieving people." (Al-Qur'an, Surat al-Ma'idah, 5:67). She said: He who presumes that he would inform about what was going to happen tomorrow fabricates the greatest lie against Allah. And Allah says "Say, 'None in the heavens and earth knows the unseen except Allah , and they do not perceive when they will be resurrected.'" (Al-Qur'an, Surat an-Naml, 27:65).

I asked the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him): Did you see thy Lord? He said: (He is) Light; how could I see Him?

The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) was standing amongst us and he told us five things. He said: Verily the Exalted and Mighty God does not sleep, and it does not befit Him to sleep. He lowers the scale and lifts it. The deeds in the night are taken up to Him before the deeds of the day, and the deeds of the day before the deeds of the night. His veil is the light. In the hadith narrated by Abu Bakr (instead of the word "light" ) it is fire. If he withdraws it (the veil), the splendour of His countenance would consume His creation so far as His sight reaches.

When those deserving of Paradise would enter Paradise, the Blessed and the Exalted would ask: Do you wish Me to give you anything more? They would say: Hast Thou not brightened our faces? Hast Thou not made us enter Paradise and saved us from Fire? He (the narrator) said: He (God) would lift the veil, and of things given to them nothing would he dearer to them than the sight of their Lord, the Mighty and the Glorious.

The people said to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him): Messenger of Allah, shall we see our Lord on the Day of Resurrection? The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Do you feel any trouble in seeing the moon on the night when it is full? They said: Messenger of Allah, no. He (the Messenger) further said: Do you feel any trouble in seeing the sun, when there is no cloud over it? They said: Messenger of Allah. no. He (the Holy Prophet) said: Verily you would see Him like this (as you see the sun and the moon). God will gather people on the Day of Resurrection and say: Let every people follow what they worshipped. Those who worshipped the sun would follow the sun, and those who worshipped the moon would follow the moon, and those who worshipped the devils would follow the devils. This Ummah (of Islam) alone would be left behind and there would be hypocrites too amongst it. Allah would then come to them in a form other than His own Form, recognisable to them, and would say: I am your Lord. They would say: We take refuge with Allah from thee. We will stay here till our Lord comes to us. and when our Lord would come we would recognise Him. Subsequently Allah would come to them in His own Form, recognisable to them, and say: I am your Lord. They would say: Thou art our Lord. And they would follow Him, and a bridge would be set over the Hell; and I (the Holy Prophet) and my Ummah would be the first to pass over it; and none but the messengers would speak on that day, and the prayer of the messengers on that day would be: O Allah! grant safety, grant safety. In Hell, there would be long spits like the thorns of Sa'dan He (the Holy Prophet) said: Have you seen Sa'dan? They replied: Yes, Messenger of Allah. He said: Verily those (hooks) would be like the thorns of Sa'dan, but no one knows their size except Allah. These would seize people for their misdeeds. Some of them would escape for their (good) deeds, and some would be rewarded for their deeds till they get salvation. When Allah would finish judging His bondsmen and because of His mercy decide to take out of Hell such people as He pleases. He would command the angels to bring out those who had not associated anything with Allah; to whom Allah decided to show mercy. those who would say: There is no god but Allah. They (the angels) would recognise them in the Fire by the marks of prostration, for Hell-fire will devour everything (limb) of the sons of Adam except the marks of prostration. Allah has forbidden the fire to consume the marks of prostration. They will be taken out of the Fire having been burnt, and the water of life would be poured over them, and they will sprout as seed does In the silt carried by flood. Then Allah would finish judging amongst His bondsmen; but a man who will be the last to enter Paradise will remain facing Hell and will say: O my Lord I turn my face away from Hell, for its air has poisoned me ard its blaze has burnt me. He will then call to Allah as long as Allah would wish that he should call to Him. Then Allah, Blessed and Exalted, would say: If I did that, perhaps you would ask for more than that. He would say: I would not ask You more than this, and he would give his Lord covenants and agreements as Allah wished, and so He would turn his face away from the Fire When he turns towards the Paradise and sees it, he will remain silent as long as Allah wishes him to remain so. He will then say: O my Lord I bring me forward to the gate of the Paradise. Allah would say to him: Did you not give covenants and agreements that you would not ask for anything besides what I had given you. Woe to thee! O son of Adam, how treacherous you are! He would say: O my Lord! and would continue calling to Allah till He would say to him: If I grant you that, perhaps you will ask for more. He will reply: No, by Thy greatness, and he will give His Lord promises and covenants as Allah had wished. He would then bring him to the gate of the Paradise, and when he would stand at the gate of the Paradise, it would lay open before him. and he would see the bounty and the joy that there is in it. He would remain quiet as long as Allah would desire him to remain silent. He would then say: O my Lord, admit me to Paradise. Allah. Blessed and Exalted, would say: Did you not give covenants and agreements that you would not ask for anything more than what I had granted you? Woe to you! son of Adam, how treacherous you are! And he would say: O my Lord, I do not wish to be the most miserable of Thy creatures. He would continue calling upon Allah till Allah, Blessed and Exalted, would laugh. When Allah would laugh at him, He would say: Enter the Paradise. When he would enter, Allah would say: State your wish. He would express his wishes till Allah would remind him (the desire of) such and such (things). When his desires would be exhausted Allah would say: That is for thee and, besides it, the like of it also. 'Ata' b. Yazid said: Abu Sa'id al-Khudri was with Abu Huraira and be did not reject anything from the hadith narrated by him, but when Abu Huraira narrated:" Allah said to that man; ind its like along with it," Abu Sa'id said:" Ten like it along with it," O Abu Huraira. Abu Huraira said: I do not remember except the words:" That is for you and a similar one along with it." Abu Sa'id said: I bear witness to the fact that I remembered from the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) his words:" That is for thee and ten like it." Abu Huraira said: That man was the last of those deserving of Paradise to enter Paradise.

Verily the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Allah will admit into Paradise those deserving of Paradise, and He will admit whom He wishes out of His Mercy, and admit those condemned to Hell into the Fire (of Hell). He would then say: See, he whom you find having as much faith in his heart as a grain of mustard, bring him out. They will then be brought out burned and turned to charcoal, and would be cast into the river of life, and they would sprout aj does a seed in the silt carried away by flood. Have you not seen that it comes out yellow (fresh) and intertwined?

The (permanent) inhabitants of the Fire are those who are doomed to it, and verily they would neither die nor live in it (al-Qur'an, xx. 47; lxxxvii. 13). But the people whom the Fire would afflict (temporarily) on account of their sins, or so said (the narrator)" on account of their misdeeds," He would cause them to die till they would be turned into charcoal. Then they would be granted intercession and would be brought in groups and would be spread on the rivers of Paradise and then it would be said: O inhabitants of Paradise, pour water over them; then they would sprout forth like the sprouting of seed in the silt carried by flood. A man among the people said: (It appears) as if the Messenger of Allah lived in the steppe.

I know the last of the inhabitants of Paradise to enter it and the last of the inhabitants of Hell to come out of it. He is a man who would be brought on the Day of Resurrection and it will be said: Present his minor sins to him, and withhold from him his serious sins. Then the minor sins would be placed before him, and it would be said: On such and such a day you did so and so and on such and such a day you did so and so. He would say: Yes. It will not be possible for him to deny, while he would be afraid lest serious sins should be presented before him. It would be said to him: In place of every evil deed you will have a good deed. He will say: My Lord! I have done things I do not see here. I indeed saw the Messenger of Allah laugh till his front teeth were exposed.

Then the people would be summoned along with their idols whom they worshipped, one after another. Then our Lord would come to us and say: Whom are you waiting for? They would say: We are waiting for our Lord. He would say: I am your Lord. They would say: (We are not sure) till we gaze at Thee, and He would manifest Himself to them smilingly, and would go along with them and they would follow Him; and every person, whether a hypocrite or a believer, would be endowed with a light, and there would be spikes and hooks on the bridge of the Hell, which would catch hold of those whom Allah willed. Then the light of the hypocrites would be extinguished, and the believers would secure salvation. and the first group to achieve it would comprise seventy thousand men who would have the brightness of full moon on their faces, and they would not be called to account. Then the people immediately following them would have their faces as the brightest stars in the heaven. This is how (the groups would follow one after another). Then the stage of intercession would come, and they (who are permitted to intercede) would intercede, till he who had declared:" There is no god but Allah" and had in his heart virtue of the weight of a barley grain would come out of the Fire. They would be then brought in the courtyard of Paradise and the inhabitants of Paradise would begin to sprinkle water over them till they would sprout like the sprouting of a thing in flood water, and their burns would disappear. They would ask their Lord till they would be granted (the bounties) of the world and with it ten more besides it.

The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: I would be the first among people to intercede in the Paradise and amongst the apostles I would have the largest following (on the Day of Resurrection).

Verity the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: There is for every apostle a (special) prayer with which he would pray. I wish I could reserve, my prayer for intercession of my Ummah on the Day of Resurrection.

The Prophet of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: There is for every apostle a prayer which is granted, but every prophet showed haste in his prayer. I have, however, reserved my prayer for the intercession of my Ummah on the Day of Resurrection, and it would be granted, if Allah so willed, in case of everyone amongst my Ummah provided he dies without associating anything with Allah.

Verily the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: There is for every apostle a prayer with which he prays (to Allah) for his Ummah. I have reserved my prayer for the intercession of my Ummah on the Day of Resurrection.

When this verse was revealed:" And warn thy nearest kindred (al-Qur'an, xxvi. 214), the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) called the Quraish; so they gathered and he gave them a general warning. Then he made a particular (reference to certain tribes) and said: O sons of Ka'b b. Luwayy, rescue yourselves from the Fire; O sons of Murra b. Ka'b, rescue yourselves from the Fire: O sons of Abd Shams, rescue yourselves from the Fire; 0 sons of Abd Manaf rescue yourselves from the Fire; O sons of Hashim, rescue yourselves from the Fire; 0 sons of Abd al-Muttalib, rescue yourselves from the Fire; O Fatimah, rescue thyself from the Fire, for I have no power (to protect you) from Allah in anything except this that I would sustain relationship with you.

When (this verse) was revealed to him:" Warn your nearest kinsmen." the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: O people of Quraish, buy yourselves from Allah, I cannot avail you at all against Allah; O sons of Abd al-Muttalib. I cannot avail you at all against Allah; 0 Abbas b. 'Abd al- Muttalib, I cannot avail you at all against Allah; O Safiya (aunt of the Messenger of Allah), I cannot avail you at all against Allah; 0 Fatima, daughter of Muhammad, ask me whatever you like, but I cannot avail you at all against Allah.

When this verse was revealed:" And warn thy nearest kindred," the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) set off towards a rock of the hill and ascended the highest of the rocks and then called: 0 sons of 'Abd Manaf! I am a warner; my similitude and your similitude is like a man who saw the enemy and went to guard his people, but, being afraid they might get there before him, he shouted: Be on your guard!

" And warn thy nearest kindred" (and thy group of selected people among them) the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) set off till he climbed Safa' and called loudly: Be on your guard! They said: Who is it calling aloud? They said: Muhammad. They gathered round him, and he said: O sons of so and so, O sons of so and so, O sons of 'Abd Manaf, O sons of 'Abd al-Muttalib, and they gathered around him. He (the Apostle) said: If I were to inform you that there were horsemen emerging out of the foot of this mountain, would you believe me? They said: We have not experienced any lie from you. He said: Well, I am a warner to you before a severe torment. He (the narrator) said that Abu Lahab then said: Destruction to you! Is it for this you have gathered us? He (the Holy Prophet) then stood up, and this verse was revealed:" Perish the hands of Abu Lahab, and he indeed perished" (cxi. 1). A'mash recited this to the end of the Sura.

Messenger of Allah, have you benefited Abu Talib in any way for he defended you and was fervent in your defence? The Messenger of Allah (may peace he upon him) said: Yes; he would be in the most shallow part of the Fire and were not for me, he would have been in the bottom-most depth of Hell.

I heard the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) say: the least suffering for the inhabitants of Hell on the Day of Resurrection would be for the man under whose soles would be placed two embers and his brain would boil on account of them.

Seventy thousand (persons) of my Ummah would enter Paradise without rendering an account. Upon this a person said: Messenger of Allah. pray to Allah that He make me one of them. He (the Holy Prophet) said: O Allah! make him one of them. Then another stood up and said: Messenger of Allah, pray to Allah that He make me one of them. He (the Holy Prophet) said: 'Ukkasha has preceded you in this matter.

Seventy thousand people of my Ummah would be admitted into Paradise without rendering any account. They (the companions) said: Who would be of those (fortunate persons)? He (the Holy Prophet) said: Those who do not cauterise and practise charm, but repose trust in their Lord, 'Ukkasha then stood up and said: Supplicate (before) Allah that He should make me one among them. He (the Holy Prophet) said: Thou art one among them He (the narrator) said: A man stood up and said: Apostle of Allah, supplicate (before) Allah that He should make me one among them. He (the Holy Prophet said: 'Ukkasha has preceded you (in this matter).

I was with Sa'id b. Jubair when he said: Who amongst you saw a star shooting last night? I said: It was I; then I said: I was in fact not (busy) in prayer, but was stung by a scorpion (and that is the reason why I was awake and had a glimpse of the shooting star). He said: Then what did you do? I said: I practised charm. He said: What urged you to do this? I said: (I did this according to the implied suggestion) of the hadith which al-Shu'ba narrated. He said: What did al-Shu'ba narrate to you? I said: Buraida b. Husaib al-Aslami narrated to us. The charm is of no avail except in case of the (evil influence) of an eye or the sting of a scorpion. He said: He who acted according to what he had heard (from the Holy Prophet) acted rightly, but Ibn 'Abbas narrated to us from the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) that he said: There were brought before me the peoples and I saw an apostle and a small group (of his followers) along with him, another (apostle) and one or two persons (along with him) and (still another) apostle having no one with him. When a very large group was brought to me I conceived as if it were my Ummah. Then it was said to me: It is Moses and his people. You should look at the horizon, and I saw a very huge group. It was again said to me: See the other side of the horizon, and there was (also) a very huge group. It was said to me: This is your Ummah, and amongst them there were seventy thousand persons who would be made to enter Paradise without rendering any account and without (suffering) any torment. He then stood up and went to his house. Then the people began to talk about the people who would be admitted to Paradise without rendering any account and without (suffering) any torment. Some of them said: They may be those who (have had the good fortune of living) in the company of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) and some of them said: They be those who were born in Islam and did not associate anything with Allah. Some people mentioned other things. Thereupon came forth the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) before them and he said: What was that which you were talking about? They informed him. He said: They are those persons who neither practise charm, nor ask others to practise it, nor do they take omens, and repose their trust in their Lord. Upon this 'Ukkasha b. Mihsan stood up and said: Supplicate for me that He should make me one among them. Upon this he (Messenger of Allah) said: Thou are one among them. Then another man stood up and said: Supplicate before Allah that He should make me one among them. Upon this he said: 'Ukkisha has preceded you.

The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) addressing us said: Aren't you pleased that you should constitute one-fourth of the inhabitants of Paradise? He (the narrator) said: We glorified (our Lord, i. e. we called aloud Allah-o Akbar, Allah is the Greatest). He, then, again said: Aren't you pleased that you should constitute one-third of the inhabitants of Paradise? He (the narrator) said: We glorified (our Lord) and he (the Holy Prophet) then again said: I hope that you would constitute half of the inhabitants of Paradise and I shall explain to you its (reason). The believers among the unbelievers would not be more than a white hair on (the body of a) black ox or a black hair on (the body of a) white ox.

The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Allah, the High and Glorious, would say: O Adam I and he would say: At Thy service, at thy beck and call, O Lord, and the good is in Thy Hand. Allah would say: Bring forth the group of (the denizens of) Fire. He (Adam) would say: Who are the denizens of Hell? It would be said: They are out of every thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine. He (the Holy Prophet) said: It is at this juncture that every child would become white-haired and every pregnant woman would abort and you would see people in a state of intoxication, and they would not be in fact intoxicated but grievous will be the torment of Allah. He (the narrator) said: This had a very depressing effect upon them (upon the companions of the Holy Prophet) and they said: Messenger of Allah, who amongst us would be (that unfortunate) person (who would be doomed to Hell)? He said: Good tidings for you, Yajuj Majuj would be those thousands (who would be the denizens of Hell) and a person (selected for Paradise) would be amongst you. He (the narrator) further reported that he (the Messenger of Allah) again said: By Him in Whose Hand is thy life, I hope that you would constitute one-fourth of the inhabitants of Paradise. We extolled Allah and we glorified (Him). He (the Holy Prophet) again said: BY Him in Whose Hand is my life, I wish you would constitute one-third of the inhabitants of Paradise. We extolled Allah and Glorified (Him). He (the Holy Prophet) again said: By Him in Whose Hand is my life, I hope that you would constitute half of the inhabitants of Paradise. Your likeness among the people is the likeness of a white hair on the skin of a black ox or a strip on the foreleg of an ass.

When anyone amongst us (amongst the wives of the Holy Prophet) menstruated, the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) asked her to tie a waist-wrapper over her (body) and then embraced her.

When the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) was in I'tikaf, he inclined his head towards me and I combedhis hair, and he did not enter the house but for the natural calls (for relieving himself).

The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said to me: Get me the mat from the mosque. I said: I am menstruating. Upon this he remarked: Your menstruation is not in your hand.

I was one whose prostatic fluid flowed readily and I was ashamed to ask the Apostle (may peace be upon him) about it, because of the position of his daughter. I, therefore, asked Miqdad. b. al-Asad and he inquired of him (the Holy Prophet). He (the Holy Prophet) said: He should wash his male organ and perform ablution.

Whenever the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) intended to sleep after having sexual intercourse, he performed ablution as for the prayer before going to sleep.

Umar said: Is one amongst us permitted to sleep in a state of impurity (i. e. after having sexual intercourse)? He (the Holy Prophet) said: Yes, after performing ablution.

I asked 'A'isha about the Witr (prayer) of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) and made mention of a hadith, then I said: What did he do after having sexual intercourse? Did he take a bath before going to sleep or did he sleep before taking a bath? She said: He did all these. Some- times he took a bath and then slept, and sometimes he performed ablution only and went to sleep. I (the narrator) said: Praise be to Allah Who has made things easy (for human beings).

Umm Sulaim went to the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) and said: Apostle of Allah, Allah is not ashamed of the truth. Is bathing necessary for a woman when she has a sexual dream? Upon this the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Yes, when she sees the liquid (vaginal secretion). Umm Salama said: Messenger of Allah, does a woman have sexual dream? He (the Holy Prophet) said: Let your hand be covered with dust, in what way does her child resemble her?

Umm Sulaim, the mother of Bani Abu Talha, came to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him), and a hadith (like that) narrated by Hisham was narrated but for these words. A'isha said: I expressed disapproval to her, saying: Does a woman see a sexual dream?

When Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) bathed because of sexual intercourse, he first washed his hands: he then poured water with his right hand on his left hand and washed his private parts. He then performed ablution as is done for prayer'. He then took some water and put his fingers and moved them through the roots of his hair. And when he found that these had been properly mois- tened, then poured three handfuls on his head and then poured water over his body and subsequently washed his feet.

I placed water near the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) to take a bath because of sexual intercourse. He washed the palms of his bands twice or thrice and then put his hand In the basin and poured water over his private parts and washed them with his left hand. He then struck his hand against the earth and rubbed it with force and then performed ablution for the prayer and then poured three handfuls of water on his head and then washed his whole body after which he moved aside from that place and washed his feet, and then I brought a towel (so that he may wipe his body). but he returned it.

The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) washed himself with water from a vessel (measuring seven to eight seers) because of sexual intercourse.

I and the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) took a bath from the same vessel, after sexual intercourse.

The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) took a bath with one Sa` of water because of sexual intercourse and performed ablution with one Mudd.

The people contended amongst themselves in the presence of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) with regard to bathing. Some of them said: We wash our heads like this and this. Upon this the Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: As for me I pour three handfuls of water upon my head.

I said: Messenger of Allah, I am a woman who has closely plaited hair on my head; should I undo it for taking a bath, because of sexual intercourse? He (the Holy Prophet) said: No, it is enough for you to throw three handfuls of water on your head and then pour water over yourself, and you shall be purified.

A woman asked the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) how to wash herself after menstruation. She mentioned that he taught her how to take bath and then told her to take a piece of cotton with musk and purify herself. She said: How should I purify myself with that? He (the Holy Prophet) said: Praise be to Allah, purify yourself with it, and covered his face, Sufyan b. 'Uyaina gave a demonstration by covering his face (as the Holy Prophet had done). 'A'isha reported: I dragged her to my side for I had understood what the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) intended and, therefore, said: Apply this cotton with musk to the trace of blood. Ibn 'Umar in his hadith (has mentioned the words of 'A'isha thus): Apply it to the marks of blood.

Fatimah b. Abu Hubaish came to the Apostle (may peace be upon him) and said: I am a woman whose blood keeps flowing (even after the menstruation period). I am never purified; should I, therefore, abandon prayer? He (the Holy Prophet) said: Not at all, for that is only a vein, and is not a menstruation, so when menstruation comes, abandon prayer, and when it ends wash the blood from yourself and then pray.

Umm Habiba b. Jahsh thus asked for a verdict from the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him): I am a woman whose blood keeps flowing (after the menstrual period). He (the Holy Prophet) said: That is only a vein, so take a bath and offer prayer; and she took a bath at the time of every prayer. Laith b. Sa'd said: Ibn Shihab made no mention that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) had ordered her to take a bath at the time of every prayer, but she did it of her own accord. And in the tradition transmitted by Ibn Rumh there is no mention of Umm Habiba (and there is mention of the daughter of Jahsh only.)

A woman asked 'A'isha: Should one amongst us complete prayers abandoned during the period of menses? 'A'isha said: Are you a Haruriya? When any one of us during the time of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) was in her menses (and abandoned prayer) she was not required to complete them.

I went to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) on the day of the conquest (of Mecca) and found him take a bath. while his daughter Fatimah was holding a curtain around him.

The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: A man should not see the private parts of another man, and a woman should not see the private parts of another woman, and a man should not lie with another man under one covering, and a woman should not lie with another woman under one covering.

When the Ka'ba was constructed the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) and Abbas went and lifted stones. Abbas said to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him): Place your lower garment on your shoulder (so that you may protect yourself from the roughness and hardness of stones). He (the Holy Prophet) did this, but fell down upon the ground in a state of unconciousness and his eyes were turned towards the sky. He then stood up and said: My lower garment, my lower garment; and this wrapper was tied around him. In the hadith transmitted by Ibn Rafi', there is the word:" On his neck" and he did not say:" Upon his shoulder."

I went to Quba' with the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) on Monday till we reached (the habitation) of Banu Salim. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) stood at the door of 'Itban and called him loudly. So he came out dragging his lower garnment. Upon this the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: We have made this man to make haste 'Itban said: Messenger of Allah, if a man parts with his wife suddenly without seminal emission, what is he required to do (with regard to bath)? The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: It is with the seminal emission that bath becomes obligatory.

I arked the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) about a man who has sexual intercourse with his wife, but leaves her before orgasm. Upon this he (the Holy Prophet) said: He should wash the secretion of his wife, and then perform ablution and ofier prayer.

What is your opinion about the man who has sexual intercourse with his wife, but does not experience orgasm? Uthman said: He should perform ablution as he does for prayer, and wash his organ. 'Uthmin also said: I have heard it from the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him).

The Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: When a man has sexual intercourse, bathing becomes obligatory (both for the male and the female). In the hadith of Matar the words are: Even if there is no orgasm. Zuhair has narrated it with a minor alteration of words.

The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) took (meat of) goat's shoulder and offered prayer and did not perform ablution.

I saw the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) take slices from goat's shoulder, and then eat them, and then offer prayer without having performed ablution.

The Apostle (may peace be upon him) took milk and then called for water and rinsed (his mouth) and said: It contains greasiness.

The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) dressed himself, and then went out for prayer, when he was presented with bread and meat. He took three morsels out of that, and then offered prayer along with other people and did not touch water.

A man asked the Messenger of Allah (may peace he upon him) whether he should perform ablution after (eating) mutton. He (the Messenger of Allah) said: Perform ablution it you so desire, and if you do not wish, do not perform it. He (again) asked: Should I perform ablution (after eating) camel's flesh? He said: Yes, perform ablution (after eating) camel's flesh. He (again) said: May I say prayer in the sheepfolds? He (the Messenger of Allah) said: Yes. He (the narrator) again said: May I say prayer where camels lie down? He (the Holy Prophet) said: No.

Why did you not take off its skin? You could put it to use, after tanning it. They (the Companions) said: It was dead. Upon, this he (the Messenger of Allah) said: Only its eating is prohibited. Abu bakr and Ibn Umar in their narrations said: It is narrated from Maimuna (may Allah be pleased with her).

I heard the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) say: When the skin is tanned it becomes purified.

We went with the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) on one of his journeys and when we reached the place Baida' or Dhat al-jaish, my necklace was broken (and fell somewhere). The Messenger of Allah (way peace be upon him) along with other people stayed there for searching it. There was neither any water at that place nor was there any water with them (the Companions of the Holy Prophet). Some persons came to my father Abu Bakr and said: Do you see what 'A'isha has done? She has detained the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) and persons accompanying him, and there is neither any water here or with them. So Abu Bakr came there and the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) was sleeping with his head on my thigh. He (Abu Bakr) said: You have detained the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) and other persons and there is neither water here nor with them. She ('A'isha) said: Abu Bakr scolded me and uttered what Allah wanted him to utter and nudged my hips with his hand. And there was nothing to prevent me from stirring but for the fact that the messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) was lying upon my thigh. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) slept till it was dawn at a waterless place. So Allah revealed the verses pertaining to tayammum and they (the Holy Prophet and his Companions) performed tayammum. Usaid b. al-Hudair who was one of the leaders said: This is not the first of your blessings,0 Family to Abu Bakr. 'A'isha said: We made the came) stand which was my mount and found the necklace under it.

I was sitting in the company of Abdullah and Abu Musa when Abu Musa said: 0 'Abd al-Rahman (kunya of 'Abdullah b. Mas'ud), what would you like a man to do about the prayer if he experiences a seminal emission or has sexual intercourse but does not find water for a month? 'Abdullah said: He should not perform tayammum even if he does not find water for a month. 'Abdullah said: Then what about the verse in Sura Ma'ida:" If you do not find water, betake yourself to clean dust"? 'Abdullah said: If they were granted concession on the basis of this verse, there is a possibility that they would perform tayammum with dust on finding water very cold for themselves. Abu Musa said to Abdullah: You have not heard the words of 'Ammar: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) sent me on an errand and I had a seminal emission, but could find no water, and rolled myself in dust just as a beast rolls itself. I came to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) then and made a mention of that to him and he (the Holy Prophet) said: It would have been enough for you to do thus. Then he struck the ground with his hands once and wiped his right hand with the help of his left hand and the exterior of his palms and his face. 'Abdullah said: Didn't you see that Umar was not fully satisfied with the words of 'Ammar only?

The Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) came out of the privy, and he was presented with some food, and the people reminded him about ablution, but he said: Am I to say prayer that I should perform ablution?

When the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) entered the privy, and in the hadith transmitted by Hushaim (the words are): When the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) entered the lavatory, be used to say: O Allah, I seek refuge in Thee from wicked and noxious things.

(The people) stood up for prayer and the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) was whispering to a man, and in the narration of 'Abd al-Warith (the words are): The Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) was having a private conversation with a man, and did not start the prayer till the people dozed off.

Bilal was commanded (by the Apostle of Allah) to repeat (the phrases of) Adhan twice and once in Iqama. The narrator said: I made a mention of it before Ayyub who said: Except for saying: Qamat-is-Salat [the time for prayer has come].

The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) had two Mu'adhdhins, Bilal and 'Abdullah b. Umm Maktum, who (latter) was blind.

Ibn Umm Maktum used to pronounce Adhan at the behest of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) (despite the fact) that he was blind.

When Satan hears the call to prayer, he runs away to a distance like that of Rauha. Sulaimin said: I asked him about Rauha. He replied: It is at a distance of thirty-six miles from Medina.

When Satan hears the call to prayer, he turns back and breaks the wind so as not to hear the call being made, but when the call is finished he turns round and distracts (the minds of those who pray), and when he hears the Iqama, he again runs away so as not to hear its voice and when it subsides, he comes back and distracts (the minds of those who stand for prayer).

I saw the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) raising his hands apposite the shoulders at the time of beginning the prayer and before bowing down and after coming back to the position after bowing. but he did not raise them between two prostrations.

Abu Huraira led prayer for them and recited takbir when he bent and raised himself (in ruku' and sujud) and after completing (the prayer) he said: By Allah I say prayer which has the best resemblance with the prayer of the Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him) amongst you.

He who does not recite Fatihat al-Kitab is not credited with having observed the prayer.

The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: One is not credited with having observed the prayer without the recitation (of al-Fatiha). So said Abu Huraira: (The prayer in which) the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) recited in a loud voice, we also recited that loudly for you (and the prayer in which) he recited inwardly we also recited inwardly for you (to give you a practical example of the prayer of the Holy Prophet).

The Messenger of Allah (may peace beupon him) led us In Zuhr or 'Asr prayer (noon or the afternoon prayer). (On concluding it) he said: Who recited behind me (the verses): Sabbih Isma Rabbik al-a'la (Glorify the name of thy Lord, the Most High)? There upon a person said: It was I, but I in- tended nothing but goodness. I felt that some one of you was disputing with me in it (or he was taking out from my tongue what I was reciting), said the Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him).

I observed prayer along with the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) and with Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman (may Allah be pleased with all of them), but I never heard any one of them reciting Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Rahim loudly.

One day the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) was sitting amongst us that he dozed off. He then raised his head smilingly. We said: What makes you smile. Messenger of Allah? He said: A Sura has just been revealed to me, and then recited: In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful. Verily We have given thee Kauthar (fount of abundance). Therefore turn to thy Lord for prayer and offer sacrifice, and surely thy enemy is cut off (from the good). Then he (the Holy Prophet) said: Do you know what Kauthar is? We said: Allah and His Messenger know best. The Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him) said: It (Kauthar) is a canal which my Lord, the Exalted and Glorious has promised me, and there is an abundance of good in it. It is a cistern and my people would come to it on the Day of Resurrection, and tumblers there would be equal to the number of stars. A servant would be turned away from (among the people gathered there). Upon this I would say: My Lord, he is one of my people, and He (the Lord) would say: You do not know that he innovated new things (in Islam) after you. Ibn Hujr made this addition in the hadith:" He (the Holy Prophet) was sitting amongst us in the mosque, and He (Allah) said: (You don't know) what he innovated after you"

While observing prayer behind the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) we used to recite: Peace be upon Allah, peace be upon so and so. One day the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said to us: Verily Allah is Himself Peace. When any one of you sits during the prayer, he should say: All services rendered by words, by acts of worship, and all good things are due to Allah. Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and Allah's mercy and blessings. Peace be upon us and upon Allah's upright servants, for when he says this it reaches every upright servant in the heavens and the earth. (And say further): I testify that there is no god but Allah and I testify that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. Then he may choose any supplication which pleases him and offer it.

The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) used to teach us tashahhud just as he used to teach us a Surah of the Qur'an, and he would say: All services rendered by words, acts of worship, and all good things are due to Allah. Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and Allah's mercy and blessings. Peace be upon us and upon Allah's upright servants. I testify that there is no god but Allah, and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. In the narration of Ibn Rumh (the words are): "As he would teach us the Qur'an."

Ka'b b. 'Ujra met me and said: Should I not offer you a present (and added): The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) came to us and we said: We have learnt how to invoke peace upon you; (kindly tell us) how we should bless you. He (the Holy Prophet) said: Say:" O Allah: bless Muhammad and his family as Thou didst bless the family of Ibrahim. Verily Thou art Praiseworthy and Glorious, O Allah."

The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) was ill and we said prayer behind him and he was sitting. And Abu Bakr was making audible to the people his takbir. As he paid his attention towards us he saw us standing and (directed us to sit down) with a gesture. So we sat down and said our prayer with his prayer in a sitting posture. After uttering salutation he said: You were at this time about to do an act like that of the Persians and the Romans. They stand before their kings while they sit, so don't do that; follow your Imams. If they say prayer standing, you should also do so, and if they say prayer sitting, you should also say prayer sitting.

I visited 'A'isha and asked her to tell about the illness of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him). She agreed and said: The Apostle (may peace be upon him) was seriously ill and he asked whether the people had prayed. We said: No, they are waiting for you, Messenger of Allah. He (the Holy Prophet) said: Put some water in the tub for me. We did accordingly and he (the Holy Prophet) took a bath;and, when he was about to move with difficulty, he fainted. When he came round, he again said: Have the people said prayer? We said: No, they are waiting for you, Messenger of Allah. He (the Holy Prophet) again said: Put some water for me in the tub. We did accordingly and he took a bag, but when he was about to move with difficultyhe fainted. When he came round, he asked whether the people had prayed. We said: No, they are waiting for you, Messenger of Allah. He said: Put some water for me in the tub. We did accordingly and he took a bath and he was about to move with difficulty when he fainted. When he came roundhe said: Have the people saidprayer? We said: No, they are waiting for you, Messenger of Allah. She ('A'isha) said: The people were staying in the mosque and waiting for the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) to lead the last (night) prayer. She ('A'isha) said: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) sent (instructions) to Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer. When the messenger came, he told him (Abd Bakr): The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) has ordered you to lead the people in prayer. Abu Bakr who was a man of very tenderly feelings asked Umar to lead the prayer. 'Umar said: You are more entitled to that. Abu Bakr led the prayers during those days. Afterwards the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) felt some relief and he went out supported by two men, one of them was al-'Abbas, to the noon prayer. Abu Bakr was leading the people in prayer. When Abu Bakr saw him. he began to withdraw, but the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) told him not to withdraw. He told his two (companions) to seat him down beside him (Abu Bakr). They seated him by the side of Abu Bakr. Abu Bakr said the prayer standing while following the prayer of the Apostle (may peace be upon him) and the people Bald prayer (standing) while following the prayer of Abu Bakr. The Apostle (may peace be upon him) was seated. Ubaidullah said: I visited 'Abdullah b. 'Abbas, and said: Should I submit to you what 'A'isha had told about the illness of the Apostle (may peace be upon him)? He said: Go ahead. I submitted to him what had been transmitted by her ('A'isha). He objected to none of it, only asking whether she had named to him the man who accompanied al-'Abbas. I said: No. He said: It was 'Ali.

The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) breathed his last on that very day.

The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) went to the tribe of Bani Amr b. Auf in order to bring reconciliation amongst (its members), and It was a time of prayer. The Mu'adhdhin came to Abu Bakr and said: Would you lead the prayer in case I recite takbir (tahrima, with which the prayer begins)? He (Abu Bakr) said: Yes. He (the narrator) said: He (Abu Bakr) started (leading) the prayer. The people were engaged in observing prayer when the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) happened to come there and made his way (through the people) till he stood in a row. The people began to clap (their hands), but Abu Bakr paid no heed (to it) in prayer. When the people clapped more vigorously, he (Abu Bakr) then paid heed and saw the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) there. (He was about to withdraw when) the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) signed to him to keep standing at his place. Abu Bakr lifted his hands and praised Allah for what the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) had commanded him and then Abu Bakr withdrew himself till he stood in the midst of the row and the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) stepped forward and led the prayer. When (the prayer) was over, he (the Holy Prophet) said: 0 Abu Bakr, what prevented you from standing (at that place) as I ordered you to do? Abu Bakr said: It does not become the son of Abu Quhafa to lead prayer before the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him). The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said (to the people) around him: What is it that I saw you clapping so vigorously? (Behold) when anything happens in prayer, say: Subha Allah, for when you would utter it, it would attract the attention, while clapping of hands is meant for women.

The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Glorification of Allah is for men and clapping of hands is meant for women (if something happens in prayer). Harmala added in his narration that Ibn Shihab told him: I saw some of the scholars glorifying Allah and making a gesture.

Perform bowing and prostration well. By Allah, I see you even if you are behind me, or he said: (I see you) behind my back when you bow or prostrate.

The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) came to us and said: "How is it that I see you lifting your hands like the tails of headstrong horses? Be calm in prayer." He (the narrator) said: He then again came to us and saw us (sitting) in circles. He said: "How is it that I see you in separate groups?" He (the narrator) said: He again came to us and said: "Why don't you draw yourselves up in rows as angels do in the presence of their Lord?" We said: Messenger of Allah, how do the angels draw themselves up in rows in the presence of their Lord? He (the Holy Prophet) said: "They make the first rows complete and keep close together in the row."

When we said prayer with the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him), we pronounced: Peace be upon you and Mercy of Allah, peace be upon you and Mercy of Allah, and made gesture with the hand on both the sides. Upon this the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him said: What do you point out with your hands as if they are the tails of headstrong horses? This is enough for you that one should place one's hand on one's thigh and then pronounce salutation upon one's brother on the right side and then on the left.

The Messenger of Allah (may peace he upon him) used to touch our shoulders in prayer and say: Keep straight, don't be irregular, for there would be dissension in your hearts. Let those of you who are sedate and prudent be near me, then those who are next to them, then those who are next to them. Abu Mas'ud said: Now-a-days there is much dissension amongst you.

I heard the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) say: Straighten your rows, or Allah would create dissension amongst you.

The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) saw (a tendency ) among his Companions to go to the back, so he said to them: Come forward and follow my lead, and let those who come after you follow your lead. People will continue to keep back till Allah will put them at the back.

The best rows for men are the first rows, and the worst ones the last ones, and the best rows for women are the last ones and the worst ones for them are the first ones.

When women ask permission for going to the mosque, do not prevent them.

The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: When any one of you (women) participates in the 'Isha' prayer, she should not perfume herself that night.

I heard 'A'isha, the wife of the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him). say: If the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) had seen what new things the women have introduced (in their way of life) he would have definitely prevented them from going to the mosque, as the women of BaniIsra'il were prevented.

" And utter not thy prayer loudly, not be low in it" (xvii. 110) relate to supplication (du'a').

" Move not thy tongue therewith" (Ixxv. 16) that when Gabriel brought revelation to him (the Holy Prophet) he moved his tongue and lips (with a view to committing it to memory instantly). This was something hard for him and it was visible (from his face). Then Allah, the Exalted. revealed this a" Move not thy tongue therewith to make haste (in memorising it). Surely on us rests the collecting of it and the reciting of it" (ixxv. 16), i. e. Verily it rests with Us that We would preserve it in your heart and (enable you) to recite it You would recite it when We would recite it and so follow its recitation, and He (Allah) said:" We revealed it, so listen to it attentively. Verily its exposition rests with Us. i. e. We would make it deliver by your tongue." So when Gabriel came to him (to the Holy Prophet), he kept silence, and when he went away he recited as Allah had promised him.

I asked 'Alqama if Ibn Mas'ud was present with the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) on the night of the Jinn (the night when the Holy Prophet met them). He (Ibn Mas'uad) said: No, but we were in the company of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) one night and we missed him. We searched for him in the valleys and the hills and said. He has either been taken away (by jinn) or has been secretly killed. He (the narrator) said. We spent the worst night which people could ever spend. When it was dawn we saw him coming from the side of Hiri'. He (the narrator) reported. We said: Messenger of Allah, we missed you and searched for you, but we could not find you and we spent the worst night which people could ever spend. He (the Holy Prophet) said: There came to me an inviter on behalf of the Jinn and I went along with him and recited to them the Qur'an. He (the narrator) said: He then went along with us and showed us their traces and traces of their embers. They (the Jinn) asked him (the Holy Prophet) about their provision and he said: Every bone on which the name of Allah is recited is your provision. The time it will fall in your hand it would be covered with flesh, and the dung of (the camels) is fodder for your animals. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Don't perform istinja with these (things) for these are the food of your brothers (Jinn).

The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) led us in prayer and recited in the first two rak'ahs of the noon and afternoon prayers Surat al-Fitiha and two (other) surahs. And he would sometimes recite loud enough for us the verses. He would prolong the first rak'ah more than the second. And he acted similarly in the morning prayer.