Malik related to me from Abu'z-Zinad from al-Araj from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Do not go out to meet the caravans for trade, do not bid against each other, outbidding in order to raise the price, and a townsman must not buy on behalf of a man of the desert, and do not tie up the udders of camels and sheep so that they appear to have a lot of milk, for a person who buys them after that has two recourses open to him after he milks them. If he is pleased with them, he keeps them and if he is displeased with them, he can return them along with a sa of dates."

Malik said, "The explanation of the words of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, according to what we think - and Allah knows best - 'do not bid against each other,' is that it is forbidden for a man to offer a price over the price of his brother when the seller has inclined to the bargainer and made conditions about the weight of the gold and he has declared himself not liable for faults and such things by which it is recognised that the seller wants to make a transaction with the bargainer. This is what he forbade, and Allah knows best."

Malik said, "There is no harm, however, in more than one person bidding against each other over goods put up for sale."

He said, "Were people to leave off haggling when the first person started haggling, an unreal price might be taken and the disapproved would enter into the sale of the goods. This is still the way of doing things among us."

Malik related to me that he had heard that a slave-girl came to Umar ibn al-Khattab (who had been beaten by her master with a red hot iron) and he set her free.

Malik said, "The generally agreed- on way of doing things among us is that a man is not permitted to be freed while he has a debt against him which exceeds his property. A boy is not allowed to be set free until he has reached puberty. The young person whose affairs are managed cannot set free in his property, even when he reaches puberty, until he manages his property."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu'z-Zinad from Sulayman ibn Yasar that a slave was set free by one of the people on hajj and his master had abandoned the right to inherit from him. The ex-slave then killed a man from the Banu A'idh tribe. An A'idhi, the father of the slain man came to Umar ibn al-Khattab seeking the blood-money of his son. Umar said, "He has no blood-money." The A'idhi said, "What would you think if it had been my son who killed him?" Umar said, "Then you would pay his blood-money." He said, "He is then like the black and white Arqam snake. If it is left, it devours and if it is killed, it takes revenge."

The Prophet said to those who were involved in a case of Lian, "Your accounts are with Allah. One of you two is a liar. You (husband) have right on her (wife)." The husband said, "My money, O Allah's Apostle!" The Prophet said, "You are not entitled to take back any money. If you have told the truth, the Mahr that you paid, was for having sexual relations with her lawfully; and if you are a liar, then you are less entitled to get it back."

While Hudhaita was at Mada'in, he asked for water. The chief of the village brought him a silver vessel. Hudhaifa threw it away and said, "I have thrown it away because I told him not to use it, but he has not stopped using it. The Prophet forbade us to wear clothes of silk or Dibaj, and to drink in gold or silver utensils, and said, 'These things are for them (unbelievers) in this world and for you (Muslims) in the Hereafter.' "

I never felt so jealous of any woman as I did of Khadija, though she had died three years before the Prophet married me, and that was because I heard him mentioning her too often, and because his Lord had ordered him to give her the glad tidings that she would have a palace in Paradise, made of Qasab and because he used to slaughter a sheep and distribute its meat among her friends.

`Imran bin Husain said: The Prophet said, "Haya' (pious shyness from committing religeous indiscretions) does not bring anything except good." Thereupon Bashir bin Ka`b said, 'It is written in the wisdom paper: Haya' leads to solemnity; Haya' leads to tranquility (peace of mind)." `Imran said to him, "I am narrating to you the saying of Allah's Apostle and you are speaking about your paper (wisdom book)?"

Allah's Apostle gave the judgment that a male or female slave should be given in Qisas for an abortion case of a woman from the tribe of Bani Lihyan (as blood money for the fetus) but the lady on whom the penalty had been imposed died, so the Prophets ordered that her property be inherited by her offspring and her husband and that the penalty be paid by her Asaba.

Allah's Apostle gave a verdict regarding an aborted fetus of a woman from Bani Lihyan that the killer (of the fetus) should give a male or female slave (as a Diya) but the woman who was required to give the slave, died, so Allah's Apostle gave the verdict that her inheritance be given to her children and her husband and the Diya be paid by her 'Asaba.

The Prophet said, "O `Abdur-Rahman! Do not seek to be a ruler, for if you are given authority on your demand then you will be held responsible for it, but if you are given it without asking (for it), then you will be helped (by Allah) in it. If you ever take an oath to do something and later on you find that something else is better, then you should expiate your oath and do what is better."

Allah's Apostle said, "When anyone of you dies, he is shown his place both in the morning and in the evening. If he is one of the people of Paradise; he is shown his place in it, and if he is from the people of the Hell-Fire; he is shown his place there-in. Then it is said to him, 'This is your place till Allah resurrect you on the Day of Resurrection."

The Prophet ordered me to supervise the (slaughtering) of Budn (Hadi camel) and to distribute their meat, skins and covering sheets in charity and not to give anything (of their bodies) to the butcher as wages for slaughtering.

Allah's Apostle said, "The seller and the buyer have the right to keep or return goods as long as they have not parted or till they part; and if both the parties spoke the truth and described the defects and qualities (of the goods), then they would be blessed in their transaction, and if they told lies or hid something, then the blessings of their transaction would be lost."

The Prophet aid, "The buyer and the seller have the option to cancel or to confirm the deal, as long as they have not parted or till they part, and if they spoke the truth and told each other the defects of the things, then blessings would be in their deal, and if they hid something and told lies, the blessing of the deal would be lost."

Allah's Apostle said, "Both the buyer and the seller have the option of canceling or confirming the bargain, as long as they are still together; and unless they separate or one of them gives the other the option of keeping or returning the things and a decision is concluded then, in which case the bargain is considered final. If they separate after the bargain and none of them has rejected it, then the bargain is rendered final."

From his father, that the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: "I had indeed forbidden you from using containers, but the container does not make anything lawful nor unlawful, rather every intoxicant is unlawful."

[Abu 'Eisa said:] This Hadith is Hasan Sahih.

Khallas al-Hujari reported: Aisha said: I and the Messenger of Allah (saws) used to pass night in one (piece of) cloth (on me) while I menstruated profusely. If anything from me (i.e. blood) smeared him (i.e. his body), he would wash that spot and would not exceed it (in washing), then he would offer prayer with it.

The Prophet (saws) said: It is necessary for every adult (person) to go for (saying) Friday (prayer), and for everyone who goes for Friday (prayer) washing is necessary.

Abu Dawud said: If one takes bath after sunrise, even though he washes because of seminal emission, that will be enough for him for his washing on Friday.

Abu Huraira reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) gave judgment in case of the abortion of a woman of Banu Lihyan (that the offender and near relative should give compensation in the form of) good quality of a slave or a slave-girl. And the woman about whom the judgment was given for compensation died and thereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) gave judgment that her inheritance goes to her sons and her husband, and the payment of the blood-wit lies with the family of (one who struck her).

That the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: "Three will not be spoken to by Allah on the Day of Judgement, nor will they be purified, and for them is a painful torment: A man that gave a pledge to an Imam, and if he gives to him he fulfills it, and if he does not give to him he does not fulfill not fulfill it."

[Abu 'Eisa said:] This Hadith is Hasan Sahih.

"The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: meaning: Allah Mighty and Sublime is He says: 'The Mujahid in My cause, he has guarantee fro Me. If I I seize him, I cause him to inherit Paradise, and if I return him, I return him with a reward or spoils of war.'"

[He said:] This Hadith is Gharib Sahih from this route.

Whenever a meal was brought to Allah's Apostle, he would ask whether it was a gift or Sadaqa (something given in charity). If he was told that it was Sadaqa, he would tell his companions to eat it, but if it was a gift, he would hurry to share it with them.

When the Prophet called the people (Sadqa, a sub-narrator, said, 'Most likely that happened on the day of Al-Khandaq) Az-Zubair responded to the call (i.e. to act as a scout). The Prophet) called the people again and Az-Zubair responded to the call. The Prophet then said, "Every prophet had a disciple and my disciple is Zubair bin Al-`Awwam."

Allah's Apostle said, "Many amongst men reached (the level of) perfection but none amongst the women reached this level except Asia, Pharaoh's wife, and Mary, the daughter of `Imran. And no doubt, the superiority of `Aisha to other women is like the superiority of Tharid (i.e. a meat and bread dish) to other meals."

I did not feel jealous of any of the wives of the Prophet as much as I did of Khadija (although) she died before he married me, for I often heard him mentioning her, and Allah had told him to give her the good tidings that she would have a palace of Qasab (i.e. pipes of precious stones and pearls in Paradise), and whenever he slaughtered a sheep, he would send her women-friends a good share of it.

On the day of Al-Ahzab (i.e. clans), Allah's Apostle said, 'Who will bring us the news of the people (i.e. the clans of Quraish infidels)?" Az-Zubair said, "I." The Prophet again said, "Who will bring us the news of the people?" AzZubair said, "I." The Prophet again said, "Who will bring us the news of the people?" Az-Zubair said, "I." The Prophet then said, "Every prophet has his Hawari (i.e. disciplespecial helper); my disciple is Az-Zubair.

Abu Dawud said: The word "and that" (wa an) remained hidden to me.

Whenever the Prophet finished the (morning) prayer, he would face us and ask, "Who amongst you had a dream last night?" So if anyone had seen a dream he would narrate it. The Prophet would say: "Ma sha'a-llah" (An Arabic maxim meaning literally, 'What Allah wished,' and it indicates a good omen.) One day, he asked us whether anyone of us had seen a dream. We replied in the negative. The Prophet said, "But I had seen (a dream) last night that two men came to me, caught hold of my hands, and took me to the Sacred Land (Jerusalem). There, I saw a person sitting and another standing with an iron hook in his hand pushing it inside the mouth of the former till it reached the jawbone, and then tore off one side of his cheek, and then did the same with the other side; in the meantime the first side of his cheek became normal again and then he repeated the same operation again. I said, 'What is this?' They told me to proceed on and we went on till we came to a man Lying flat on his back, and another man standing at his head carrying a stone or a piece of rock, and crushing the head of the Lying man, with that stone. Whenever he struck him, the stone rolled away. The man went to pick it up and by the time he returned to him, the crushed head had returned to its normal state and the man came back and struck him again (and so on). I said, 'Who is this?' They told me to proceed on; so we proceeded on and passed by a hole like an oven; with a narrow top and wide bottom, and the fire was kindling underneath that hole. Whenever the fire-flame went up, the people were lifted up to such an extent that they about to get out of it, and whenever the fire got quieter, the people went down into it, and there were naked men and women in it. I said, 'Who is this?' They told me to proceed on. So we proceeded on till we reached a river of blood and a man was in it, and another man was standing at its bank with stones in front of him, facing the man standing in the river. Whenever the man in the river wanted to come out, the other one threw a stone in his mouth and caused him to retreat to his original position; and so whenever he wanted to come out the other would throw a stone in his mouth, and he would retreat to his original position. I asked, 'What is this?' They told me to proceed on and we did so till we reached a well-flourished green garden having a huge tree and near its root was sitting an old man with some children. ...

By Allah, we did not know whether we should take off the clothes of the Messenger of Allah (saws) as we took off the clothes of our dead, or wash him while his clothes were on him. When they (the people) differed among themselves, Allah cast slumber over them until every one of them had put his chin on his chest.

Then a speaker spoke from a side of the house, and they did not know who he was: Wash the Prophet (saws) while his clothes are on him. So they stood round the Prophet (saws) and washed him while he had his shirt on him. They poured water on his shirt, and rubbed him with his shirt and not with their hands. Aisha used to say: If I had known beforehand about my affair what I found out later, none would have washed him except his wives.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) forbade us to eat horse-flesh, the flesh of mules and of asses. The narrator Haywah added: Every beast of prey with a fang.

Abu Dawud said: This view is held by Malik.

Abu Dawud said: There is no harm in (eating) horse-flesh and this tradition is not practised.

Abu Dawud said: This tradition has been abrogated. A body of Companions of the Prophet (saws) had eaten horse-flesh. OF them are: Ibn al-Zubair, Fudalah bin 'Ubaid, Anas bin Malik, Asma' daughter of Abu Bakr, Suwaid bin Ghaflah, 'Alqamah; the Quraish used to slaughter them (horses) during the time of the Messenger of Allah (saws).