Anas told that God's messenger led them in prayer one day, then mounted the pulpit and, pointing to the qibla in the mosque, said, "I have just now been shown, since I led you in prayer, paradise and hell pictured in front of this wall, and I have never seen such good and evil as I have seen to-day." Bukhari transmitted it.

I was with God's messenger when some people of Tamim came to him. He said, "Receive the good news, B. Tamim," and they replied, "You have given us good news, so grant us something." Some of the people of the Yemen then entered and he said, "Receive the good news, people of the Yemen, since the B. Tamim have not accepted it." They replied, "We have accepted it. We have come to you to become versed in the religion and to ask you about what was the beginning of this matter." He said, "God existed and there was nothing before Him, His Throne being upon the water. He then created the heavens and the earth and inscribed everything in the memorial[*]." At that point a man came to me and said, "Catch up on your she-camel, `Imran," for it had gone away. I therefore went off to look for it, but I swear by God that I wish it had been lost and that I had not got up and left. *i.e., the Preserved Tablet. Bukhari transmitted it.

`Umar told that God's messenger stood up among them and told them about the beginning of creation up to the time when the inhabitants of paradise will enter their abodes and the inhabitants of hell will enter theirs, saying that some remembered that and others forgot. Bukhari transmitted it.

Abu Huraira told that he heard God's messenger say God most high had inscribed a document before bringing the creation into being, "My mercy has preceded my anger," and that it is written in His presence above the throne. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

`A'isha reported God's messenger as saying, "The angels were created from light, the jinn from smokeless fire[1], and Adam from what has been described to you[2]." Quran; 4:13, Quran; 3:59 (dust); 15:26, 28:33; 55:14 (crackling clay). Muslim transmitted it.

Anas reported God's messenger as saying, "When God fashioned Adam in paradise, He left him as long as God wished to leave him; then Iblis began to visit him and consider what kind of being he was, and when he saw that he had a hollow space within he recognised that he had been created as a being not possessed of self-control." Muslim transmitted it.

Abu Huraira reported God's messenger as saying, "Abraham the prophet circumcised himself with an axe[*] when he was eighty years old." *The Arabic is bil-qadum which has the meaning above. Another reading is bil-qaddum which is said to mean at al-Qaddum' (a village in Syria); but this version with the doubled letter is not considered correct. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

He reported God's messenger as saying, "Abraham told only, three lies two of which were for God's sake, his words, `I am indeed sick[1],' and `Nay, this largest one of them did it[2].' One day when he and Sarah came by a tyrant who was told that there was a man present accompanied by a most beautiful woman, he sent for him and asked him who she was, to which he replied that she was his sister. He then went to Sarah and told her that if this tyrant knew she was his wife he would take her away from him, so if he asked her, she must inform him she was his sister[3], she being his sister in Islam, for he and she were the only believers on the face of the earth. She was sent for arid brought to him and Abraham stood up and prayed. When she entered his presence, he was about to touch her with his hand, but he had a seizure (a variant saying that he choked) and kicked the ground with his feet. He asked her to supplicate God for him, saying he would do her no harm, and she did so; but when he was set free, he stretched out to touch her a second time and suffered a similar or a more severe seizure. He asked her to supplicate God for him, saying he would do her no harm, and she did so. He then called one of his chamberlains, and saying that it was not a human being but a devil he had brought him, he told him to give her Hagar as a servant. She came to Abraham while he was standing in prayer, and he made a sign with his hand indicating that he was asking what had happened. She told him that God had thrown back the infidel's scheme in his throat and given Hagar as a servant." Abu Huraira said, "That was your mother, B. Ma' as-Sama'.'?[4] Quran, 37: 89. Quran, 21: 63. Cf. Genesis, 12:11 ff. This is said to be a general term for the Arabs because they sought out places where rain fell. Ma' as-sama' means literally "the water of the sky." Ma' as-sama' was a laqab of Mawiya, mother of al-Mundhir III, king of al-Hira, but it is difficult to see how that has any connection here. Ma' as sama' is also said to be applied to Zamzam, which is traditionally said to be the well which the angel revealed to Hagar and her son Ishmael. That might justify the suggestion that Abu Huraira is here referring to the northern Arabs in particular. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

He reported God's messenger as saying, "We have more right to doubt than Abraham when he said, `My Lord, show me how Thou wilt raise the dead to life.'[1] God have mercy on Lot who sought refuge in a strong support[2]. If I had stayed in the prison as long as Joseph did, I would have responded to the summoner[3]." 1. Quran, 2:260. 2. Quran, 11:80 3. Quran, 12:50. (Bukhari and Muslim)

He reported God's messenger as saying, "Moses was a modest man who kept himself covered, none of his skin being seen because pf modesty. Some of the B. Isra'il annoyed him by saying that he concealed himself to this extent only because of some skin trouble such as leprosy or a scrotal hernia, but God wished to clear him. So, one day when he was alone having a bath, he placed his garment on a stone and the stone flew away with his garment. Moses raced after it saying, `My garment, stone; my garment, stone,' till he came to a company of the B. Isra'il who, seeing him naked in the most beautiful form God had created, said, `We swear by God that there is nothing wrong with Moses.' He took his garment and began to beat the stone, and I swear by God that there were three, four, or five scars on the stone from the effect of his beating." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

He reported-God's messenger as saying, "While Job was naked having a bath some golden locusts alighted on him and Job began to gather them in his garment. His Lord called to him, `Job, have I not enriched you from what you see?' and he replied, 'Certainly, by Thy might, but I cannot dispense with Thy blessing'." Bukhari transmitted it.

He told that a man among the Muslims and a man among the Jews reviled one another. The Muslim said, "By Him who chose Muhammad above the universe," and the Jew said, "By Him who chose Moses above the universe." Thereupon the Muslim raised his hand and struck the Jew on his face, and the Jew went to the Prophet and told him what had happened between him and the Muslim. The Prophet summoned the Muslim and asked him about that, and when he informed him, the Prophet said, "Do not make me superior to Moses, for mankind will swoon on the day of resurrection[1] and I shall swoon along with them. I shall be the first to recover and shall see Moses seizing the side of the Throne; and I shall not know whether he was among those who swooned and had recovered before me, or whether he was among those of whom God had made an exception." A version has "I shall not know whether he had his reckoning when he swooned on the day at at-Tur,[2] or was resurrected before me. And I do not say that anyone is more excellent than Jonah, son of Matta." In Abu Sa'id's version he said, "Do not make distinctions between the prophets." Abu Huraira's version has "Do not treat some of the prophets of God most high as superior to others." Quran, 39:68. Quran, 7:143. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Ubayy b. Ka'b reported God's messenger as saying, "The youth whom al-Khidr killed was given the nature of an infidel, and if he had lived, he would certainly have imposed on his parents insolence and unbelief[*]." *Cf. Quran, 28:80. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Abu Huraira reported the Prophet as saying, "The reason why al Khidr was so called was because he sat on some white waste land and it sprouted green (khadra') behind him." Bukhari transmitted it.

He reported God's messenger as saying, "The angel of death came to Moses, son of Imran and told him to answer his Lord's summons, whereupon Moses gave the angel of death a blow in the eye and knocked it out. The angel then returned to God most high and said, `Thou didst send me to a servant of Thine who does not wish to die, and he has put out my eye.' God restored his eye to him and said, `Go back to my servant and ask him if it is life he wants, then tell him that if he wants life he must place his hand on an ox's back, and he will live a year for every hair which covers his hand.' [Moses] asked what would happen after that, and when he was told that he would die he said, `Let it be now without delay. My Lord, bring me within a stone's throw of the holy land'." God's messenger said, "I swear by God that if I were there, I would show you his grave beside the road at the red mound.'[*] (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Jabir reported God's messenger as saying, "The prophets were presented before me and I saw Moses of a type which resembled one of the men of Shanu'a. I saw Jesus, son of Mary, and the nearest to him in appearance whom I have seen is `Urwa b. Mas'ud. I saw Abraham, and the nearest to him in appearance whom I have seen is your companion (meaning himself). I also saw Gabriel, and the nearest to him in appearance whom I have seen is Dihya b. Khalifa." Muslim transmitted it.

Ibn `Abbas reported the Prophet as saying, "On the night when I was taken up to heaven I saw Moses, a dark, tall, curly-headed man, looking as though he were one of the men of Shanu'a. I saw Jesus, a man of medium height, reddish fair, with long hair. And I saw Malik, the guardian of hell, and the dajjal (with signs which God showed him) *. Now do not be in doubt about meeting him." *The phrase in brackets is an insertion by the transmitter who tells that God showed Muhammad miracles which the dajjal will perform (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Abu Huraira reported God's messenger as saying, "On the night when I was taken up to heaven, I met Moses who may be described as a lanky man with somewhat curly hair who resembled one of the men of Shanu'a; I met Jesus who was of medium height and red as though he had come out of a dimas (i.e., a hot bath); and I saw Abraham to whom I am the one among his descendants who bears the closest resemblance. I was brought two vessels, one containing milk and the other wine, and was told to take whichever oi them I wished. I took the milk and drank it and was told I had been guided to the true religion, for if I had taken the wine my people would have gone astray." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

We travelled with God's messenger between Mecca and Medina, and when we passed a wadi he asked its name. On being told it was the wadi al-Azraq he said, "I can fancy myself looking at Moses (and he mentioned something about his colour and his hair) putting two fingers in his ears, making loud supplication to God saying, `At Thy service,' while passing this wadi.'' He said: We journeyed till we came to a mountain pass and he asked its name. On being told that it was Harsha, or Lift, he said, "I can fancy myself looking at Jonah on a red she-camel with a nose-rein of palm fibre, wearing a woolen mantle and saying `At Thy service' while passing this wadi. Muslim transmitted it.

Abu Huraira reported the Prophet as saying, "Recitation of Scripture was made easy for David, who would order his beasts to be saddled and recite the Scripture before they had been saddled; and he would eat only what his hands had earned.'' Bukhari transmitted it.

He reported the Prophet as saying, "There were two women both of whom had a son, and a wolf went off with the son of one of them. Her companion said, `It has gone off with your son,' but the other replied, `It is with your son it has gone off.' They took the case before David and he decided that the child belonged to the elder. They then went out to Solomon, son of David and told him, and he said, `Bring me, a knife and let me divide it between you.' The younger woman then said, `Don't do it, God have mercy on you; He is her son.' So, he decided that the child belonged to the younger woman.'' (Bukhari and Muslim.)

He reported God's messenger as telling that Solomon said, "I shall to-night visit ninety women (a version has a hundred) all of whom will give birth to a horseman who will fight in God's path." The angel told him to say, "If God will," but he forgot and did not say it. He visited them and none of them bore a child except one of them who gave birth to half a man. He added, "By Him in whose hand Muhammad's soul is, if he had said, `If God will,' they would all have striven as horsemen in God's path." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

He reported God's messenger as saying that Zechariah was a carpenter. Muslim transmitted it.

He reported God's messenger as saying, "I am the nearest of kin to Jesus, son of Mary in this world and the next. The prophets are brothers, sons of one father by co-wives. Their mothers are different, but their religion is one[*]. There has been no prophet between us." *This saying is explained as meaning that all prophets have the same religion, which is figuratively called their lather, but they differ in their law and in a number of regulations, these being figuratively called their mothers. Cf. Mirqat, 5:346. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

He reported God's messenger as saying, "All the descendants of Adam have their sides pierced by the devil with two of his fingers at birth, except the son of Mary. He went to pierce him, but pierced the membrane covering him." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Abu Musa reported the Prophet as saying, "Many men have been perfect, but among women only Mary the daughter of `Imran and Asiya the wife of Pharaoh were perfect; and `A'isha's superiority over women is like the superiority of tharid over other kinds of food." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

He reported God's messenger as saying, "Adam was sixty cubits tall and seven cubits broad."

Abu Razin told that he asked God's messenger, "Where was our Lord before He created the creation?" to which he replied, "He was in obscurity ('ama') with no air below Him and no air above Him, and He created His Throne on the water." Tirmidhi transmitted it. Yazid b. Harun[1] said `ama' means that there was nothing with Him[2]. Al-Wasiti (d.206), a highly estimated authority who appears in the course of the isnad. The word 'ama' presents difficulty. It commonly means `clouds', but this is felt to be inappropriate here unless figuratively in the sense of God being veiled. It is suggested that this means it is a matter which the mind cannot grasp. Cf. Mirqat, 5:349.

Al- `Abbas b. `Abd al-Muttalib asserted that he was sitting in al Batha'[*] with a company among whom God's messenger was sitting when a cloud passed. They looked at it and God's messenger asked, "What do you call this?" and received the reply "Clouds (sahab)." He said, "And rain-clouds (muzn)," to which they agreed. He said, "And clouds (`aman)," to which they agreed. He asked, "Do you know the distance between heaven and earth?" and when they replied that they did not, he 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 that between one heaven and the next. On their backs is the Throne the extent of which from top to bottom is like the distance between one heaven and the next. Then God is above that." *A stony valley at Mecca. Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Jubair b. Mut'im told that a nomadic Arab came to God's messenger and said, "People are suffering distress, the children are hungry, the crops are withered and the animals are perishing, so ask God to grant us rain, for we seek you as our intercessor with God and God as our intercessor with you." Thereupon the Prophet said, "Glory be to God, glory be to God," and he continued declaring God's glory till the effect of that was apparent in the faces of his companions. He then said, "Woe to you! God is not to be sought as intercessor with anyone. God's state is greater than that. Woe to you! Do you know how great God is? His Throne is above the heavens thus (indicating with his fingers something like a dome over him), and it groans on account of Him as a saddle does because of the rider." Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Jabir b. `Abdallah reported God's messenger as saying, "I have been permitted to tell about one of God's angels who bear the Throne that the distance between the lobe of his ear and his shoulder is a journey of seven hundred years." Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Zurara b. Aufa told that God's messenger asked Gabriel, "Have you seen your Lord?" Gabriel trembled and replied, "Between Him and me, Muhammad, there are seventy veils of light, and if I approached one of them I would be burned." Thus, it is given in al-Masabih. Abu Nu'aim transmitted it in al-Hilya on the authority of Anas, but did not mention that Gabriel trembled.

Ibn `Abbas reported God's messenger as saying, "God created Israfil who has been keeping his feet in line from the day he was created and not raising his glance. Between him and the Lord who is blessed and exalted there are seventy lights not one of which he could approach without being burned." Tirmidhi transmitted it and called it sahih.

Jabir reported the Prophet as saying that when God created Adam and his offspring the angels said, "O Lord, Thou hast created them eating, drinking, marrying and riding[*], so appoint the world for them and the next world for us." God most high replied, "I shall not make him whom I have created with My hand and in whom I have breathed of My spirit like one to whom I say `Be' and he comes into existence." *Mirqat, 5:333, says this refers to riding on animals and sailing on ships. The verb rakiba can have either meaning. Baihaqi transmitted it in Shu'ab al-lman.

Abu Huraira reported God's messenger as saying, "A believer is held by God in more honour than some of His angels." Ibn Majah transmitted it.

God's messenger took me by the hand and said, "God created the earth on Saturday, created the mountains in it on Sunday, created the trees on Monday, created what is objectionable on Tuesday, created the light on Wednesday, sent forth the animals in the earth on Thursday, and created Adam in the late afternoon on Friday, at the end of the creation and at the last hour of the day between the afternoon and the night." Muslim transmitted it.

He told that while God's prophet and his companions were sitting clouds came over them and God's prophet asked, "Do you know what these are?" On their replying that God and His messenger knew best, he said, "These are the clouds (`anan), these are the water-carriers of the earth which God drives to people who do not thank Him or call upon Him." He then asked, "Do you know what is above you?" On their replying that God and His messenger knew best, he said, "It is the firmament, a ceiling which is guarded and waves which are kept back." He then asked, "Do you know what is between you and it?" On their replying that God and His messenger knew best, he said, "Between you and it are five hundred years." He then asked, "Do you knew what is above that?" On their replying that God and His messenger knew best, he said, "Two heavens with a distance of five hundred years between them." He went on speaking like that till he counted seven heavens, the distance between each pair being like that between the heaven and the earth. He then asked, "Do you know what is above that?" On their replying that God and His messenger knew best, he said, "Above that is the Throne, and the distance between it and the [seventh] heaven is the same as that between each pair of heavens." He then asked, "Do you know what is below you?" On their replying that God and His messenger knew best, he said, "It is the earth." He then asked, "Do you know what is under that?" On their replying that God and His messenger knew best, he said, "Under it there is another earth with a journey of five hundred years between them," and so on till he had counted seven earths with a journey of five hundred years between each pair. He then said, "By Him in whose hand Muhammad's soul is, if you were to drop a rope[1] to the lowest earth it would not pass out of God's knowledge[2]." He then recited, "He is the First and the Last, the Outward and the Inward, and He is omniscient[3]." Ahmad and Tirmidhi transmitted it, Tirmidhi saying[4] that God's messenger's recitation of the verse indicates that it would go down within God's knowledge, power and authority, for God's knowledge, power and authority are everywhere, while He is on the Throne, as He described Himself in His Book[5]. This is the reading in the text on the margin of Mirqat. In Tirmidhi, in his book on Tafsir al Quran, the tradition occurs in his section on sura 57 (al-hadid), the reading being "if you were to drop a man ...

Abu Huraira reported God's messenger as saying, "I have been commissioned from among the best of the generations of Adam's descendants, generation after generation, till I came into being in the generation in which I have come." Bukhari transmitted it.

Abu Huraira reported God's messenger as saying, "I shall be preeminent among the descendants of Adam on the day of resurrection, the first from whom the grave will be cleft open, the first intercessor and the first whose intercession will be accepted." Muslim transmitted it.

Anas reported God's messenger as saying, "I am the prophet who will have the greatest number of followers on the day of resurrection, and I shall be the first to knock at the gate of paradise." Muslim transmitted it.

He reported God's messenger as saying, "I shall come to the gate of paradise on the day of resurrection and ask that it be opened. The keeper will ask who I am, and when I tell him that I am Muhammad he will reply that he has been given orders regarding me not to open to anyone before me." Muslim transmitted it.

He reported God's messenger as saying, "I shall be the first intercessor in paradise, no prophet having been believed to the extent I have. Among the prophets there is one who was believed by only one man out of his people." Muslim transmitted it.

Abu Huraira reported God's messenger as saying, "The way in which I may be compared with the prophets is by a castle which was beautifully constructed, but in which the place of one brick was left incomplete. Sightseers went round admiring the beauty of its construction with the exception of the place for that brick. Now I have filled up the place of that brick, in me the building is completed and in me the messengers are complete." A version has "I am the brick and I am the seal of the prophets." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

He reported God's messenger as saying, "No prophet has failed to be given a miracle which caused men to believe in him when it was seen What I have been given is simply a revelation which God gave to me and I hope I may be the one of them who will have the largest following on the day of resurrection." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

I have been helped by terror [being put in the hearts of enemies] as far as a month's journey away, the earth has been made for me a place of worship and ceremonially pure, so that when the time of prayer comes any man of my people may pray; spoils have been made lawful to me, but were not made lawful to anyone before me; I have been granted the right of intercession; and prophets were formerly sent to their people alone, whereas I have been sent to all mankind." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Rafi‘ b. Khadij said that one of the Ansar was killed at Khaibar and his relatives went to the Prophet and mentioned that to him. He asked, “Have you two witnesses who can testify to the murderer of your friend?" They replied, “Messenger of God, there was not a single Muslim present, but only Jews who sometimes have the audacity to do even greater crimes than this “He said, “Then choose fifty of them and demand that they take an oath;" but they refused and God’s Messenger paid his blood wit himself. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

‘Ikrima told that when some heretics were brought to ‘Ali he had them burned, and that when Ibn ‘Abbas heard of it he said that if it had been he, he would not have had them burned because of God’s Messenger's prohibition, “Do not inflict God’s punishment on anyone”, but would have had them killed on account of the statement made by God’s Messenger, “Kill those who change their religion.” Bukhari transmitted it.

When I we were on a journey with God’s Messenger and he had gone to relieve himself we saw a hummara* with two young ones and took the young ones, whereupon the hummara came and began to spread out its wings. Then when the Prophet came he said, “Who has pained this one by the loss of her young? Give her young ones back to her." He also saw an anthill which we had burned, and when he asked who had burned it and we replied that we had, he said, “It is not fitting that anyone but the Lord of the fire should punish with fire” Abu Dawud transmitted it. * A small bird like a sparrow, or a lark.

‘Abdallah b. ‘Abbas reported God’s Messenger as saying, “Only God punishes with fire.” Bukhari transmitted it.

‘Ali told that he heard God’s Messenger say, “In the last time people will come forth, young and foolish, speaking the finest words men speak, but their faith will not pass their throats. They will come out from the religion as an arrow does from the animal it is aimed at. Wherever you meet them kill them, for a reward for killing them will be given on the day of resurrection to those who kill them.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)