Allah's Apostle sent an army unit headed by Usama bin Zaid and the people criticized his leadership. The Prophet said (to the people), "If you are criticizing his leadership now, then you used to criticize his father's leadership before. By Allah, he (Usama's father) deserved the leadership and used to be one of the most beloved persons to me, and now his son (Usama) is one of the most beloved persons to me after him. " (See Hadith No. 745, Vol. 5)

The Prophet said, "Allah says: 'I am just as My slave thinks I am, (i.e. I am able to do for him what he thinks I can do for him) and I am with him if He remembers Me. If he remembers Me in himself, I too, remember him in Myself; and if he remembers Me in a group of people, I remember him in a group that is better than they; and if he comes one span nearer to Me, I go one cubit nearer to him; and if he comes one cubit nearer to Me, I go a distance of two outstretched arms nearer to him; and if he comes to Me walking, I go to him running.' "

Yahya related to me from Malik, from AIqama ibn Abi AIqama, from his mother, that A'isha, umm al-muminin, used to camp on the plain of Arafa at a place called Namira, and then later she changed to another place called al-Arak.

She said, ''A'isha, and those who were with her, would say the talbiya while she was at the place where they were camping, and then, when she had mounted and set out towards the place of standing, she would stop doing so."

She continued, ''A'isha used to do umra when she was in Makka after the hajj was over, in the month of Dhu'l-Hijja.Then she stopped doing that, and instead would set out before the new moon of Muharram for al-J uhfa, where she would stay until she saw the new moon, and then, when she had seen the new moon, she would go into ihram to do umra."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi from Abdullah ibn Umar that Umar ibn al-Khattab said, "No-one should leave the hajj until he has done tawaf of the House, and tawaf of the House is the final rite."

Malik said, commenting about Umar ibn al-Khattab's saying 'tawaf of the House is the final rite,' "In our opinion, and Allah knows best, that is because Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, says, 'Whoever exalts the rituals of Allah - that is from the taqwa of the hearts' (Sura 22 ayat 32), and He says, 'Then their halal place (of sacrifice) is at the Ancient House,' and the place of all the rituals and where they end is therefore at the Ancient House."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abd ar-Rahman ibn al-Qasim from his father that a man of Thaqif gave his wife command over herself, and she said, "You are divorced." He was silent. She said, "You are divorced." He said, "May a stone be in your mouth." She said, "You are divorced." He said, "May a stone be in your mouth." They argued and went to Marwan ibn al-Hakam. He took an oath that he had only given her control over one pronouncement, and then she returned to him.

Malik said that Abd ar-Rahman declared that this decision had amazed al-Qasim, who thought it the best that he had heard on the subject.

Malik added, "That is also the best of what I have heard on the subject."

Allah's Apostle said, "I have been given five things which were not given to any amongst the Prophets before me. These are: -1. Allah made me victorious by awe (by His frightening my enemies) for a distance of one month's journey. -2. The earth has been made for me (and for my followers) a place for praying and a thing to perform Tayammum. Therefore my followers can pray wherever the time of a prayer is due. -3. The booty has been made Halal (lawful) for me (and was not made so for anyone else). -4. Every Prophet used to be sent to his nation exclusively but I have been sent to all mankind. -5. I have been given the right of intercession (on the Day of Resurrection.)

The Prophet sent some horsemen to Najd and they brought a man called Thumama bin Uthal from Bani Hanifa. They fastened him to one of the pillars of the mosque. The Prophet came and ordered them to release him. He went to a (garden of) date-palms near the mosque, took a bath and entered the mosque again and said, "None has the right to be worshipped but Allah and Muhammad is His Apostle" (i.e. he embraced Islam).

One day the Prophet went out and offered the funeral prayers of the martyrs of Uhud and then went up the pulpit and said, "I will pave the way for you as your predecessor and will be a witness on you. By Allah! I see my Fount (Kauthar) just now and I have been given the keys of all the treasures of the earth (or the keys of the earth). By Allah! I am not afraid that you will worship others along with Allah after my death, but I am afraid that you will fight with one another for the worldly things."

Ibn `Abbas said, "Usama bin Zaid rode behind the Prophet from `Arafat to Al-Muzdalifa; and then from Al-Muzdalifa to Mina, Al-Fadl rode behind him." He added, "Both of them (Usama and Al-Fadl) said, 'The Prophet was constantly reciting Talbiya till he did Rami of the Jamarat-Al-`Aqaba."

Maymun al-Makki said: that he saw Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr leading in prayer. He pointed with his hands (i.e. raised his hands opposite to the shoulders) when he stood up, when he bowed and when he prostrated, and when he got up after prostration, he pointed with his hands (i.e. raised his hands).

The I went to Ibn Abbas and said (to him) I saw Ibn az-Zubayr praying that I never saw anyone praying. I then told him about the pointing with his hands (raising his hands). He said: If you like to see the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (saws) follower the prayer as offered by Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr.

We went out with the Messenger of Allah (saws) to Najd. When we reached Dhat ar-Riqa at Nakhl (or in a valley with palm trees) he met a group of the tribe of Ghatafan. The narrator then reported the tradition to the same effect, but his version is other than that of Haywah. He added to the words "when he bowed along with those who were with him and prostrated" the words "when they stood up, they retraced their footsteps to the rows of their companions". He did not mention the words "their back was towards the qiblah".

that Ibn `Abbas told him and `Ali bin `Abdullah to go to Abu Sa`id and listen to some of his narrations; So they both went (and saw) Abu Sa`id and his brother irrigating a garden belonging to them. When he saw them, he came up to them and sat down with his legs drawn up and wrapped in his garment and said, "(During the construction of the mosque of the Prophet) we carried the adobe of the mosque, one brick at a time while `Ammar used to carry two at a time. The Prophet passed by `Ammar and removed the dust off his head and said, "May Allah be merciful to `Ammar. He will be killed by a rebellious aggressive group. `Ammar will invite them to (obey) Allah and they will invite him to the (Hell) fire."

The Prophet returned to Khadija while his heart was beating rapidly. She took him to Waraqa bin Naufal who was a Christian convert and used to read the Gospels in Arabic Waraqa asked (the Prophet), "What do you see?" When he told him, Waraqa said, "That is the same angel whom Allah sent to the Prophet) Moses. Should I live till you receive the Divine Message, I will support you strongly."

My aunt took me to Allah's Apostle and said, "O Allah's Apostle! My nephew is sick"' The Prophet passed his hands over my head and blessed me. Then he performed ablution and I drank the remaining water, and standing behind him. A saw the seal in between his shoulders."

Allah's Apostle sent troops appointed Usama bin Zaid as their commander. The people criticized his leadership. Allah's Apostle got up and said, "If you (people) are criticizing his (i.e. Usama's) leadership you used to criticize the leadership of his father before. By Allah, he (i.e. Zaid) deserved the leadership indeed, and he used to be one of the most beloved persons to me, and now this (i.e. his son, Usama) is one of the most beloved persons to me after him."

I got a she-camel in my share of the war booty on the day (of the battle) of Badr, and the Prophet had given me a she-camel from the Khumus. When I intended to marry Fatima, the daughter of Allah's Apostle, I had an appointment with a goldsmith from the tribe of Bani Qainuqa' to go with me to bring Idhkhir (i.e. grass of pleasant smell) and sell it to the goldsmiths and spend its price on my wedding party. I was collecting for my she-camels equipment of saddles, sacks and ropes while my two shecamels were kneeling down beside the room of an Ansari man. I returned after collecting whatever I collected, to see the humps of my two she-camels cut off and their flanks cut open and some portion of their livers was taken out. When I saw that state of my two she-camels, I could not help weeping. I asked, "Who has done this?" The people replied, "Hamza bin `Abdul Muttalib who is staying with some Ansari drunks in this house." I went away till I reached the Prophet and Zaid bin Haritha was with him. The Prophet noticed on my face the effect of what I had suffered, so the Prophet asked. "What is wrong with you." I replied, "O Allah's Apostle! I have never seen such a day as today. Hamza attacked my two she-camels, cut off their humps, and ripped open their flanks, and he is sitting there in a house in the company of some drunks." The Prophet then asked for his covering sheet, put it on, and set out walking followed by me and Zaid bin Haritha till he came to the house where Hamza was. He asked permission to enter, and they allowed him, and they were drunk. Allah's Apostle started rebuking Hamza for what he had done, but Hamza was drunk and his eyes were red. Hamza looked at Allah's Apostle and then he raised his eyes, looking at his knees, then he raised up his eyes looking at his umbilicus, and again he raised up his eyes look in at his face. Hamza then said, "Aren't you but the slaves of my father?" Allah's Apostle realized that he was drunk, so Allah's Apostle retreated, and we went out with him.

I had a she-camel which I got in my share from the booty of the battle of Badr, and the Prophet had given me another she camel from the Khumus which Allah had bestowed on him that day. And when I intended to celebrate my marriage to Fatima, the daughter of the Prophet, I made an arrangement with a goldsmith from Bani Qainuqa 'that he should go with me to bring Idhkhir (i.e. a kind of grass used by gold-smiths) which I intended to sell to gold-smiths in order to spend its price on the marriage banquet. While I was collecting ropes and sacks of pack saddles for my two she-camels which were kneeling down beside an Ansari's dwelling and after collecting what I needed, I suddenly found that the humps of the two she-camels had been cut off and their flanks had been cut open and portions of their livers had been taken out. On seeing that, I could not help weeping. I asked, "Who has done that?" They (i.e. the people) said, "Hamza bin `Abdul Muttalib has done it. He is present in this house with some Ansari drinkers, a girl singer, and his friends. The singer said in her song, "O Hamza, get at the fat she-camels!" On hearing this, Hamza rushed to his sword and cut of the camels' humps and cut their flanks open and took out portions from their livers." Then I came to the Prophet, with whom Zaid bin Haritha was present. The Prophet noticed my state and asked, "What is the matter?" I said, "O Allah's Apostle, I have never experienced such a day as today! Hamza attacked my two she-camels, cut off their humps and cut their flanks open, and he is still present in a house along some drinkers." The Prophet asked for his cloak, put it on, and proceeded, followed by Zaid bin Haritha and myself, till he reached the house where Hamza was. He asked the permission to enter, and he was permitted. The Prophet started blaming Hamza for what he had done. Hamza was drunk and his eyes were red. He looked at the Prophet then raised his eyes to look at his knees and raised his eves more to look at his face and then said, "You are not but my father's slaves." When the Prophet understood that Hamza was drunk, he retreated, walking backwards went out and we left with him.

The night which the Messenger of Allah (saws) passed with me was the one that followed the day of sacrifice. He came to me and Wahb ibn Zam'ah also visited me. A man belonging to the lineage of AbuUmayyah accompanied him. Both of them were wearing shirts.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said to Wahb: Did you perform the obligatory circumambulation (Tawaf az-Ziyarah), AbuAbdullah?

He said: No, by Allah Messenger of Allah.

He (the Prophet) said: Take off your shirt. He then took it off over his head, and his companion too took his shirt off over his head.

He then asked: And why (this), Messenger of Allah? He replied: On this day you have been allowed to take off ihram when you have thrown the stones at the jamrahs, that is, everything prohibited during the state of ihram is lawful except intercourse with a woman. If the evening comes before you go round this House (the Ka'bah) you will remain in the sacred state (i.e. ihram), just like the state in which you were before you threw stones at the jamrahs, until you perform the circumambulation of it (i.e. the Ka'bah).

I was sitting in al-Batha with a company among whom the Messenger of Allah (saws) was sitting, when a cloud passed above them.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) looked at it and said: What do you call this? They said: Sahab.

He said: And muzn? They said: And muzn. He said: And anan? They said: And anan. AbuDawud said: I am not quite confident about the word anan. He asked: Do you know the distance between Heaven and Earth? They replied: We do not know. He then said: The distance between them is seventy-one, seventy-two, or seventy-three years. The heaven which is above it is at a similar distance (going on till he counted seven heavens). Above the seventh heaven there is a sea, the distance between whose surface and bottom is like that between one heaven and the next. Above that there are eight mountain goats the distance between whose hoofs and haunches is like the distance between one heaven and the next. Then Allah, the Blessed and the Exalted, is above that.

Yahya related to me from Malik that Zurayq ibn Hakim informed him that he had a runaway slave who had stolen. He said, "The situation was obscure for me, so I wrote to Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz to ask him about it. He was the governor at that time. I informed him that I had heard that if a runaway slave stole while he was a fugitive, his hand was not cut off. 'Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz wrote to contradict my letter, 'You wrote to me that you have heard that when the runaway slave steals, his hand is not cut off. Allah, the Blessed, the Exalted, says in His Book, 'The thief, male and female, cut off the hands of both, as a recompense for what they have earned, and an exemplary punishment from Allah. Allah is Mighty, Wise.' (Sura 5 ayat 41) When his theft reaches a quarter of a dinar, and upwards, his hand is cut off.' "

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that al- Qasim ibn Muhammad and Salim ibn Abdullah and Urwa ibn az-Zubayr said, "When a runaway slave steals something for which cutting off the hand is obliged, his hand is cut off."

Malik said, "The way of doing things amongst us about which there is no dispute is that when the runaway slave steals that for which cutting off the hand is obliged, his hand is cut off."

Abdullah (bin Mas'ud) said, "Whoever took a false oath in order to grab somebody's property will meet Allah while Allah will be angry with him." Allah revealed the following verse to confirm that:--"Verily! Those who purchase a small gain at the cost of Allah's covenant And their oaths...a painful torment." (3.77)

Al-Ash'ath bin Qais came to us and asked as to what Abu Abdur-Rehman (i.e. Ibn Mas'ud) was telling you." We related the story to him. On that he said, "He has told the truth. This verse was revealed about me. I had some dispute with another man regarding a well and we took the case before Allah's Apostle. Allah's Apostle said (to me), "Produce two witnesses (to support your claim); otherwise the defendant has the right to take an oath (to refute your claim).' I said, 'The defendant would not mind to take a false oath." Allah's Apostle then said, 'Whoever took a false oath in order to grab someone else's property will meet Allah, Allah will be angry with him.' Allah then revealed what Confirmed it." Al-Ash'ath then recited the following Verse:--"Verily! Those who purchase a small gain at the cost of Allah's covenant, And their oaths . . . (to) . . . they shall have a painful torment!' (3.77) (See Hadith No. 546)

Yahya related to me from Malik from Makhrama ibn Sulayman from Kurayb, the mawla of Ibn Abbas, that Abdullah ibn Abbas told him that he had spent a night at the house of Maimuna, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, who was also Ibn Abbas' mother's sister. Ibn Abbas said, "I lay down with my head on the breadth of the cushion, and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and his wife lay down with their heads on its length. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, slept, until, halfway through the night or a little before or after it, he awoke and sat up and wiped the sleep away from his face with his hand. Then he recited the last ten ayats of sura Ali Imran (Sura3). Then he got up and went over to a water-skin which was hanging up and did wudu from it, doing his wudu thoroughly, and then he stood in prayer."

Ibn Abbas continued, "I stood up and did the same and then went and stood by his side. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, put his right hand on my head and took my right ear and tweaked it. He prayed two rakas, then two rakas, then two rakas, then two rakas, then two rakas, then two rakas, and then prayed an odd raka. Then he lay down until the muadhdhin came to him, and then prayed two quick rakas, and went out and prayed subh ."

That he stayed overnight in the house of Maimuna the wife of the Prophet, his aunt. He added : I lay on the bed (cushion transversally) while Allah's Apostle and his wife lay in the lengthwise direction of the cushion. Allah's Apostle slept till the middle of the night, either a bit before or a bit after it and then woke up, rubbing the traces of sleep off his face with his hands. He then, recited the last ten verses of Sura Al-`Imran, got up and went to a hanging water-skin. He then Performed the ablution from it and it was a perfect ablution, and then stood up to offer the prayer. I, too, got up and did as the Prophet had done. Then I went and stood by his side. He placed his right hand on my head and caught my right ear and twisted it. He prayed two rak`at then two rak`at and two rak`at and then two rak`at and then two rak`at and then two rak`at (separately six times), and finally one rak`a (the witr). Then he lay down again in the bed till the Mu'adh-dhin came to him where upon the Prophet got up, offered a two light rak`at prayer and went out and led the Fajr prayer.

The Prophet said, "The example of Muslims, Jews and Christians is like the example of a man who employed laborers to work for him from morning till night for specific wages. They worked till midday and then said, 'We do not need your money which you have fixed for us and let whatever we have done be annulled.' The man said to them, 'Don't quit the work, but complete the rest of it and take your full wages.' But they refused and went away. The man employed another batch after them and said to them, 'Complete the rest of the day and yours will be the wages I had fixed for the first batch.' So, they worked till the time of `Asr prayer. Then they said, "Let what we have done be annulled and keep the wages you have promised us for yourself.' The man said to them, 'Complete the rest of the work, as only a little of the day remains,' but they refused. Thereafter he employed another batch to work for the rest of the day and they worked for the rest of the day till the sunset, and they received the wages of the two former batches. So, that was the example of those people (Muslims) and the example of this light (guidance) which they have accepted willingly.

When `Abdullah bin Salam heard the arrival of the Prophet at Medina, he came to him and said, "I am going to ask you about three things which nobody knows except a prophet: What is the first portent of the Hour? What will be the first meal taken by the people of Paradise? Why does a child resemble its father, and why does it resemble its maternal uncle" Allah's Apostle said, "Gabriel has just now told me of their answers." `Abdullah said, "He (i.e. Gabriel), from amongst all the angels, is the enemy of the Jews." Allah's Apostle said, "The first portent of the Hour will be a fire that will bring together the people from the east to the west; the first meal of the people of Paradise will be Extra-lobe (caudate lobe) of fish-liver. As for the resemblance of the child to its parents: If a man has sexual intercourse with his wife and gets discharge first, the child will resemble the father, and if the woman gets discharge first, the child will resemble her." On that `Abdullah bin Salam said, "I testify that you are the Apostle of Allah." `Abdullah bin Salam further said, "O Allah's Apostle! The Jews are liars, and if they should come to know about my conversion to Islam before you ask them (about me), they would tell a lie about me." The Jews came to Allah's Apostle and `Abdullah went inside the house. Allah's Apostle asked (the Jews), "What kind of man is `Abdullah bin Salam amongst you?" They replied, "He is the most learned person amongst us, and the best amongst us, and the son of the best amongst us." Allah's Apostle said, "What do you think if he embraces Islam (will you do as he does)?" The Jews said, "May Allah save him from it." Then `Abdullah bin Salam came out in front of them saying, "I testify that None has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is the Apostle of Allah." Thereupon they said, "He is the evilest among us, and the son of the evilest amongst us," and continued talking badly of him.

Yazid ibn Hurmuz said: Najdah wrote to Ibn Abbas asking him about such-and-such, and such-and-such, and he mentioned some things; he (asked) about a slave whether he would get something from the spoils; and he (asked) about women whether they used to go out (on expeditions) along with the Messenger of Allah (saws), and whether they would be allotted a share, Ibn Abbas said: Had I not apprehended a folly, I would not have written (a reply) to him. As for the slave, he was given a little of the spoils (as a reward from the booty); as to the women, they would treat the wounded and supply water.

A man was killed in the lifetime of the Prophet (saws). The matter was brought to the Prophet (saws). He entrusted him to the legal guardian of the slain. The slayer said: Messenger of Allah, I swear by Allah, I did not intend to kill him. The Messenger of Allah (saws) said to the legal guardian: Now if he is true and you kill him, you will enter Hell-fire. So he let him go. His hands were tied with a strap. He came out pulling his strap. Hence he was called Dhu an-Nis'ah (possessor of strap).

Al-Miqdam ibn Shurayh, quoting his father, said: I asked Aisha about living in the desert. She said: The Messenger of Allah (saws) used to go to the desert to these rivulets. Once he intended to go to the desert and he sent to me a she-camel from the camel of sadaqah which had not been used for riding so far. He said to me: Aisha! show gentleness, for if gentleness is found in anything, it beautifies it and when it is taken out from anything it damages it.

Ibn al-Sabbah said in his version: Muharramah means a mount which has not been used for riding.

The people asked: Tell us a word which we repeat in the morning, evening and when we rise.

So he commanded us to say: "O Allah! Creator of Heavens and Earth; Knower of all that is hidden and open; Thou art the Lord of everything; the angels testify that there is no god but Thee, for we seek refuge in Thee from the evil within ourselves, from the evil of the Devil accused and from the evil of his suggestion about partnership with Allah, and that we earn sin for ourselves or drag it to a Muslim."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa that his father said, "It used to be that a man would divorce his wife and then return to her before her idda was over, and that was alright, even if he divorced her a thousand times. The man went to his wife and then divorced her and when the end of her idda was in sight, he took her back and then divorced her and said, 'No! By Allah, I will not go to you and you will never be able to marry again.' Allah, the Blessed, the Exalted, sent down, 'Divorce is twice, then honourable retention or setting free kindly.' People then turned towards divorce in a new light from that day whether or not they were divorced or not divorced."

The Prophet said, "Whoever slaughtered the sacrifice before the `Id prayer, should repeat it (slaughter another one)." A man said "This is the day on which meat is desired." Then he mentioned the need of his neighbors (for meat) and the Prophet seemed to accept his excuse. The man said, "I have a Jadha'a which is to me better than two sheep." The Prophet allowed him (to slaughter it as a sacrifice). But I do not know whether this permission was general for all Muslims or not. The Prophet then went towards two rams and slaughtered them, and the people went towards their sheep and slaughtered them.

that he came to `Aisha and said to her, "O Mother of the Believers! There is a man who sends a Hadi to Ka`ba and stays in his city and requests that his Hadi camel be garlanded while he remains in a state of Ihram from that day till the people finish their Ihram (after completing all the ceremonies of Hajj)" (What do you say about it?) Masruq added, I heard the clapping of her hands behind the curtain. She said, "I used to twist the garlands for the Hadi of Allah's Apostle and he used to send his Hadi to Ka`ba but he never used to regard as unlawful what was lawful for men to do with their wives till the people returned (from the Hajj).

Whenever Allah's Apostle went to bed, he used to recite Surat-al-Ikhlas, Surat-al-Falaq and Surat-an- Nas and then blow on his palms and pass them over his face and those parts of his body that his hands could reach. And when he fell ill, he used to order me to do like that for him.

While the Prophet was delivering a sermon on a Friday, a man stood up and said, "O Allah's Apostle! Invoke Allah to bless us with rain." (The Prophet invoked Allah for rain.) So, the sky became overcast and it started raining till one could hardly reach one's home. It kept on raining till the next Friday when the same man or another man got up and said (to the Prophet), "Invoke Allah to withhold the rain from us, for we have been drowned (with heavy rain )." The Prophet said, "O Allah! Let it rain around us and not on us." Then the clouds started dispersing around Medina and rain ceased to fall on the people of Medina.