The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) used to pray towards Bait-ul-Maqdis, that it was revealed (to him):" Indeed We see the turning of the face to heaven, wherefore We shall assuredly cause thee to turn towards Qibla which shall please thee. So turn thy face towards the sacred Mosque (Ka'ba)" (ii. 144). A person from Banu Salama was going; (he found the people) in ruk'u (while) praying the dawn prayer and they had said one rak'ah. He said in a loud voice: Listen! the Qibla has been changed and they turned towards (the new) Qibla (Ka'ba) in that very state.

While we said prayer with the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him), one among the people said: Allah is truly Great, praise be to Allah in abundance. Glory be to Allah in the morning and the evening. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon, him) said: Who uttered such and such a word? A person among the people said: It is I, Messenger of Allah (who have recited these words). He (the Holy Prophet) said: It (its utterance) surprised me, for the doors of heaven were opened for It. Ibn 'Umar said: I have not abandoned them (these words) since I heard the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) saying this.

The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) led us in the afternoon prayer. When he completed it, a person from Bani Salama came to him and said: Messenger of Allah, we intend to slaughter our came and we are desirous that you should also be present there (on this occasion). He (the Holy Prophet) said: Yes. He (the person) went and we also went along with him and we found that the camel had not been slaughtered yet. Then it was slaughtered, and it was cut into pieces and then some of those were cooked, and then we ate (them) before the setting of the sun. This hadith has also been narrated by another chain of transmitters.

Allah the Exalted and Great revealed (a verse) regarding those who were killed at Bi'r Ma'una, and we recited it, till it was abrogated later on (and the verse was like this):, convey to it our people the tidings that we have met our Lord, and He was pleased with us and we were pleased with Him".

Sadaqa is due on every joint of a person, every day the sun rises. Administering of justice between two men is also a Sadaqa. And assisting a man to ride upon his beast, or helping him load his luggage upon it, is a Sadaqa; and a good word is a Sadaqa; and every step that you take towards prayer is a Sadaqa, and removing of harmful things from the pathway is a Sadaqa.

It is a blessed stony ground. Musa (one of the narrators) said: Salim made his came) halt at the mosque where 'Abdullah made his camel halt as seeking the place of stay of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him). It is, in fact, situated at a lower plain than the mosque, which stands in the heart of the valley, and it is between it (the mosque) (and Qibla) that that place (where Allah's Apostle used to get down for rest and prayer) is situated.

Amirs will be appointed over you, and you will find them doing good as well as bad deeds. One who hates their bad deeds is absolved from blame. One who disapproves of their bad deeds is (also) safe (so far as Divine wrath is concerned). But one who approves of their bad deeds and imitates them (is doomed). People asked: Messenger of Allah, shouldn't we fight against them? He replied: No, as long as they say their prayer. (" Hating and disapproving" refers to liking and disliking from the heart.)

Offer a substitute for it (since it does not absolve you of the responsibility of sacrifice). Thereupon he said: Allah's Messenger. I have nothing with me but a goat of less than six months. Shu'ba (one of the narrators) said: I think he (al-Bara' b. 'Azib also) said: And it is better than a goat of one year. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Make it a substitute for that (and sacrifice it), but it will not suffice for anyone (as a sacrifice) after you.

Yahya related to me from Malik that Abu'z-Zubayr al-Makki said, "I saw the House deserted both after subh and asr, with no-one doing tawaf."

Malik said, "If someone does some of his circuits and then the subh or asr prayer is begun, he should pray with the imam and then complete the rest of his circuits but should not pray at all until the sun has either risen or set "

He added, "There is no harm in delaying the two rakas until after he has prayed maghrib."

Malik said, "There is no harm in someone doing a single tawaf after subh or after asr, not to do more than one group of seven circuits, and then as long as he delays the two rakas until after the sun has risen, as Umar ibn al-Khattab did, or he delays them until after the sun has set if it is after asr. Then when the sun has set he can pray them if he wants, or, if he wants, he can delay them until after he has prayed maghrib. There is no harm in that."

I never remained behind Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) from any expedition which he undertook except the Battle of Tabuk and that of the Battle of Badr. So far as the Battle of Badr is concerned, nobody was blamed for remaining behind as Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and the Muslims (did not set out for attack but for waylaying) the caravan of the Quraish, but it was Allah Who made them confront their enemies without their intention (to do so). I had the honour to be with Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) on the night of 'Aqaba when we pledged our allegiance to Islam and it was more dear to me than my participation in the Battle of Badr, although Badr was more popular amongst people as compared with that (Tabuk). And this is my story of remaining back from Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) on the occasion of the Battle of Tabuk. Never did I possess means enough and (my circumstances) more favourable than at the occasion of this expedition. And, by Allah, I had never before this expedition simultaneously in my possession two rides. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) set out for this expedition in extremely hot season; the journey was long and the land (which he and his army had to cover) was waterless and he had to confront a large army, so he informed the Muslims about the actual situation (they had to face), so that they should adequately equip themselves for this expedition, and he also told them the destination where he intended to go. And the Muslims who accompanied Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) at that time were large in numbers but there was no proper record of them. Ka'b (further) said: Few were the persons who wanted to absent themselves, and were under the impression that they could easily conceal themselves (and thus remain undetected) until revelations from Allah, the Exalted and Glorious (descended in connection with them). And Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) set out on an expedition when the fruits were ripe and their shadows had been lengthened. I had weakness for them and it was during this season that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) made preparations and the Muslims too along with them. I also set out in the morning so that I should make preparations along with them but I came back and did nothing and said to myself: I have means enough (to make preparations) as soon as I like. And I went on doing this (postponing my preparations) until people were about to depart and it was in the morning that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) set out and the Muslims too along with him, but I made no preparations. I went early in the morning and came back, but I made no decision. I continued to do so until they (the Muslims) hastened and covered a good deal of distance. I also made up my mind to march on and to meet them. Would that I had done that but perhaps it was not destined for me. After the departure of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as I went out amongst people, I was shocked to find that I did not find anyone like me but people who were labelled as hypocrites or the people whom Allah granted exemption because of their incapacity and Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) took no notice of me until he had reached Tabuk. (One day as he was sitting amongst the people in Tabuk) he said: What has happened to Ka'b b. Malik? A person from Banu' Salama said: Allah's Messenger, the (beauty) of his cloak and his appreciation of his sides have allured him and he was thus detained. Mua'dh b. Jabal said: Woe be upon that what you contend. Allah's Messenger, by Allah, we know nothing about him but good. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him), however, kept quiet. It was during that time that he (the Holy Prophet) saw a person (dressed in all white (garment) shattering the illusion of eye (mirage). Thereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: May he be Abu Khaithama and, lo, it was Abu Khaithama al-Ansari and he was that person who contributed a sa' of dates and was scoffed at by the hypocrites. Ka'b b. Malik farther said: When this news reached me that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) was on his way back from Tabuk I was greatly perturbed. I thought of fabricating false stories and asked myself how I would save myself from his anger on the following day. In this connection, I sought the help of every prudent man from amongst the members of my family and when it was said to me that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) was about to arrive, all the false ideas banished (from my mind) and I came to the conclusion that nothing could save me but the telling of truth, so I decided to speak the truth and it was in the morning that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) arrived (in Medina). And it was his habit that as he came back from a journey he first went to the mosque and observed two Rak'ahs of nafl prayer (as a mark of gratitude) and then sat amongst people. And as he did that, those who had remained behind him began to put forward their excuses and take an oath before him and they were more than eighty persons. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) accepted their excuses on the very face of them and accepted their allegiance and sought forgiveness for them and left their secret (intentions) to Allah, until I presented myself to him. I greeted him and he smiled and there was a tinge of anger in that. He (the Holy Prophet) then said to me: Come forward. I went forward until I sat in front of him. He said to me: What kept you back? Could you not afford to go in for a ride? I said: Allah's Messenger, by Allah, if I were to sit in the presence of anybody else from amongst the worldly people I would have definitely saved myself from his anger on one pretext (or the other) and I have also the knack to fall into argumentation, but, by Allah, I am fully aware of the fact that if I were to put forward before you a false excuse to please you Allah would definitely provoke your wrath upon me, and if I speak the truth you may be annoyed with me, but I hope that Allah would make its end well and, by Allah, there is no valid excuse for me. By Allah, I never possessed so good means, and I never had such favourable conditions for me as I had when I stayed behind you (failed to join the expedition). Thereupon, Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: This man told the truth, so get up until Allah gives a decision in your case. I stood up and some people of Banu' Salama followed me in hot haste, and they said to me: By Allah, we do not know about you that you committed a sin prior to this. You, however, showed inability to put forward an excuse before Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as those who stayed behind him have put forward excuses. It would have been enough for the forgiveness of your sin that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) would have sought forgiveness for you. By Allah, they continued to incite me until I thought of going back to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and contradict myself. Then I said to them: Has anyone else also met the same fate? They said: Yes, two persons have met the same fate as has fallen to you and they have made the sane statement as you have made, and the same verdict has been delivered in their case as it has been delivered in your case. I said: Who are they? They said: Murara b. ar-Rabi'a 'Amiri and Hilal b. Umayya al-Waqafi. They made a mention of these two pious persons to me who had participated in the Battle of Badr and there was an example for me in them. I went away when they named these two persons. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) forbade the Nluslims to talk with three of us from amongst those (persons) who had stayed behind him. The people began to avoid us and their attitude towards us underwent a change and it seemed as if the whole atmosphere had turned (hostile) against us and it was in fact the same atmosphere ot which I was fully aware and in which I had lived (for a fairly long time). We spent fifty nights in this very state and my two friends confined themselves withen their houses and spent (most of the) time in weeping, but as I was young and strong amongst them I got (out of my house), participated in congregational prayers, moved about in the bazar; but none spoke to me. I came to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as he sat amongst (people) after the prayer, greeted him and asked myself whether his lips stirred in response to my greetings (or not). Then I observed prayer beside him and looked at him with stealing glances and when I attended to my prayer, he looked at me and when I cast a glance at him he turned away his eyes from me. And when the harsh treatment of the Muslims towards me extended to a (considerable) length of time, I walked until I climbed upon the wall of the garden of Abu Qatada, and he was my cousin, and I had the greatest love for him. I greeted him but, by Allah, he did not respond to my greetings. I said to him: Abu Qatada, I adjure you by Allah, arn't you well aware of the fact that I love Allah and His Messenger (may peace be upon him) the most. He kept quiet. I again repeated saying: I adjure you by Allah. arn't you well aware of the fact that I love Allah and His Messenger (may peace be upon him) the most. He kept quiet. I again adjured him, whereupon he said: Allah and the Messenger (may peace be upon him) are best aware of it. My eyes began to shed tears and I came back climbing down from the wall and as I was walking in the bazar of Medina a Nabatean from amongst the Nabateans of Syria, who had come to sell foodgrains in Medina, asked people to direct him to Ka'b b. Malik. People gave him the indication by pointing towards me. He came to me and delivered to me a letter of the King of Ghassan and as I was a scribe I read that letter and it was written like this:" Coming to my point, it has been conveyed to us that your friend (the Holy Prophet) is subjecting you to cruelty and Allah has not created you for a place where you are to be degraded and where you cannot find your right place, so you come to us that we should accord you honour. As I read that letter I said: This is also a calamity, so I burnt it in the oven. When out of the fifty days, forty days had passed and Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) received no revelation, there came the messenger of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) to me and said: Verily, Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) has commanded you to remain separate from your wife. I said: Should I divorce her or what (else) should I do? He said: No, but only remain separate from her and don't have sexual contact with her. The same message was sent to my companions. So I said to my wife: You better go to your parents and stay there with them until Allah gives the decision in my case. The wife of Hilal b. Umayya came to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and said: Allah's Messenger, Hilal b. Umayya is a senile person, he has no servant. Do you disapprove of my serving him? He said: No, but don't go near him. She said: By Allah, he has no such instinct in him. By Allah, he spends his time in weeping from that day to this day. Some of the members of my family said to me: Were you to seek permission from Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) in regard to your wife as he has granted permission to the wife of Hilal b. Umayya to serve him. I said: I would not seek permission from Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him), for I cannot say what Allah's Apostle may say in response to seeking my permission. Moreover, I am a young man. It was in this state that I spent ten more nights and thus fifty nights had passed that (people) had observed boycott with us. It was on the morning of the fiftieth night that I observed my dawn prayer and was sitting on one of the roofs of our houses. And I was in fact sitting in that very state which Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, has described about us in these words:" Life had become hard for myself and the earth had compressed despite its vastness," that I heard the noise of an announcer from the peak of the hill of Sal' saying at the top of his voice: Ka'b b. Malik, there is glad tidings for you. I fell down in prostration and came to realise that there was (a message of) relief for me. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) had informed the people of the acceptance of our repentance by Allah as he offered the dawn prayer. So the people went on to give us glad tidings and some of them went to my friends in order to give them the glad tidings and a person galloped his horse and came from the tribe of Aslam and his horse reached me more quickly than his voice. And when he came to me whose sound I heard, he gave me the glad tidings. I took off my clothes and clothed him with them because of his bringing good news to me and, by Allah, I possessed nothing else (in the form of clothes) than these two on that occasion, and I asked one to lend me two clothes and dressed myself in them. I came to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and on my way I met groups of people who greeted me because of (the acceptance of) repentance and they said: Here is a greeting for you for your repentance being accepted by Allah. (I moved on) until I came to the mosque and Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) had been sitting there amongst persons. So Talha b. 'Ubaidullah got up and rushed towards me and he shook hands with me and greeted me and, by Allah, no person stood up (to greet me) from amongst the emigrants except he. Ka'b said that he never forgot (this good gesture of) Talha. Ka'b further said: I greeted Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) with Assalam-o-'Alaikam and his face was glistening because of delight, and he said: Let there be glad tidings and blessings for you, the like of which (you have neither found nor you will find, as you find today) since your mother gave your birth. I said: Allah's Messenger. is this acceptance of repentance from you or from Allah? He said: No, (it is not from ma), it is from Allah, and it was common with Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) that as he was happy his face brightened up and it looked like a part of the moon and it was from this that we recognised it (his delight). As I sat before him, I said: Allah's Messenger, am I allowed to give in charity my wealth for Allah's sake and for the sake of His Messenger (may peace be upon him)? Thereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Keep some property with you as it is better for you. I said: I shall keep with me that part (of my property) which fell to my lot (on the occasion of the expedition of) Khaibar. I said: Allah's Messenger, verily, Allah has granted me salvation because of truth and, therefore, (I think) that repentance implies that I should not speak anything but truth as long as I live. He said: By Allah, I do not know whether anyone amongst the Muslims was put to more severe trial than I by Allah because of telling the truth. And since I made a mention of this to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) up to this day I have not told any lie and, by Allah, I have decided not to tell a lie and I hope that Allah would save me (from trials) for the rest of my life and Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, revealed these verses:" Certainly, Allah has turned in Mercy to the Prophet and the emigrants and the helpers who followed him in the hour of hardship after the hearts of a part of them were about to deviate; then He turned to them in mercy. Surely, to them He is Compassionate, Merciful and (He turned in Mercy) to the three who were left behind until the earth despite its vastness became strait for them and their souls were also straitened to them." And this revelation reached up to the (words):" O you who believe, develop God consciousness, and be with the truthful" (ix. 117-118). Ka'b said: By Allah, since Allah directed me to Islam there has been no blessing more significant for me than this truth of mine which I spoke to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and if I were to tell a lie I would have been ruined as were ruined those who told lies, for in regard to those who told lies Allah used harshest words used for anyone as He descended revelation (and the words of Allah are):" They will swear by Allah to you when you return to them so that you may leave them alone. So leave them alone. Surely, they are unclean and their resort is Hell, recompense for what they earned. They will swear to you that you may be pleased with them but if you are pleased with them, yet surely Allah is not pleased with the transgressing people" (ix. 95-96). K'ab said that the matter of us three persons was deferred as compared with those who took an oath in the presence of Allahs Messenger (may peace be upon him) and he accepted their allegiance and sought forgiveness for them and Allah did not give any decision in regard to us. It was Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, Who gave decisions in our case, three who remained behind. (The words of the Qur'an)" the three who were left behind" do not mean that we remained back from Jihad but these imply that He kept our matter behind them who took oath and presented excuse before Him. This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Zuhri with the same chain of transmitters.

Some people came to Sahl b. Sa'd and began to differ about the wood of which the (Prophet's pulpit was made. He (Sahl b. Sa'd) said: By Allah, I know of which wood it is made and who made it, and the day when I saw the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) seated himself on it on the first day. I said to him: O Abu Abbas (kunyah of Sabl b. Sa'd), narrate to us (all these facts), He said: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) sent a person to a woman asking her to allow her slave, a carpenter, to work on woods (to prepare a pulpit) so that I should talk to the people (sitting on it). Abu Hazim said: He (Sahl b. Sa'd) pointed out the name of (that lady) that day. So he (the carpenter) made (a pulpit) with these three steps. Then the Messengerof Allah (may peace be upon him) commanded it to be placed here (where it is lying now). It was fashioned out of the wood of al-Ghaba. And I saw the Messenger of Allah (may peace he upon him) standing upon it and glorifying Allah and the people also glorified Allah after him, while he was on the pulpit. He then raised (his head from prostration) and stepped back (on his heels) till he prostrated himself at the base of pulpit, and then returned (to the former place and this movement of one or two steps continued) till the prayer was complete. He then turned towards the people and said: O people, I have done it so that you should follow me and learn (my mode of) prayer.

Is it you who said this? I said to him: Messenger of Allah, it is I who said that. Thereupon the Messenger of Allah may peace be upon him) said: You are not capable enough to do so. Observe fast and break it; sleep and stand for prayer, and observe fast for three days during the month; for every good is multiplied ten times and this is like fasting for ever. I said: Messenger of Allah. I am capable of doing more than this. Thereupon he said: Fast one day and do not fast for the next two days. I said: Messenger of Allah, I have the strength to do more than that. The Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him), said: Fast one day and break on the other day. That is known as the fasting of David (peace be upon him) and that is the best fasting. I said: I am capable of doing more than this. Thereupon the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: There is nothing better than this. 'Abdullah b. 'Amr (Allah be pleased with them) said: Had I accepted the three days (fasting during every month) as the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) had said, it would have been more dear to me than my family and my property.

The best of your rulers are those whom you love and who love you, upon whom you invoke God's blessings and who invoke His blessing upon you. And the worst of your rulers are those whom you hate and who hate you, who curse you and whom you curse. (Those present) said: Shouldn't we overthrow them at this? He said: No, as long as they establish prayer among you. No, as long as they establish prayer among you. Mind you! One who has a governor appointed over him and he finds that the governor indulges in an act of disobedience to God, he should condemn the governor's act, in disobedience to God, but should not withdraw himself from his obedience. Ibn Jabir said: Ruzaiq narrated to me this hadith. I asked him: Abu Miqdam, have you heard it from Muslim b. Qaraza or did he describe it to you and he heard it from 'Auf (b. Malik) and he transmitted this tradition of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him)? Upon this Ruzaiq sat upon his knees and facing the Qibla said: By Allah, besides Whom there is no other God, I heard it from Muslim b. Qaraza and he said that te had heard it from Auf (b. Malik) and he said that he had heard it from the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him).

I brought for Uthman b. 'Affan the ablution water. He performed ablution and then said: Verily the people narrate from the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) a hadith. I do not know what these are. but (I know this fact) that I saw the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) perform ablution like this ablution of mine and then he said: He who performed ablution like this, all his previous sins would be expiated and his prayer and going towards the mosque would have an extra reward. In the tradition narrated by Ibn 'Abda (the words are):" I came to Uthman and he performed ablution."

The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: When there is a call to prayer the devil runs back breaking the wind so that he may not hear the call, and when the call is complete he comes back. And when the takbir is pronounced he again runs back, and when takbir is over he comes back and distracts a man saying: Remember such and such, remember such and such, referring to something the man did not have in his mind. with the result that he does not know how much he has prayed; so when any one of you is not sure how much he has prayed. he should perform two prostrations while sitting (qa'da).

Messenger of Allah, for whom I would give my father and mother in ransom, what do you recite during your period of silence between the takbir and the recitation? He said: I say (these words):" O Allah, remove my sins from me as Thou hast removed the East from the West. O Allah purify me from sins as a white garment is purified from filth. O Allah! wash away my sins with snow, water, and ice."

The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said to me: 'Abdullah b. Amr, you fast continuously and stand in prayer for the whole of night. If you do like that, your eyes would be highly strained and would sink and lose sight. There is no (reward for) fasting (for him) who fasts perpetually. Fasting for three days during the month is like fasting, the whole of the month. I said: I am capable of doing more than this, whereupon he said: Observe the fast of David. He used to fast one day and break (the other) day. And he did not turn back in the encounter.

How many military expeditions did the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) undertake? He said: Nineteen expeditions. I asked him: On how many expeditions did you accompany him? He said: On seventeen expeditions. I asked: Which was the first expedition he led? He answered: Dhat-ul-, Usair or 'Ushair.

The best of your rulers are those whom you love and who love you, who invoke God's blessings upon you and you invoke His blessings upon them. And the worst of your rulers are those whom you hate and who hate you and whom you curse and who curse you. It was asked (by those present): Shouldn't we overthrow them with the help of the sword? He said: No, as long as they establish prayer among you. If you then find anything detestable in them. You should hate their administration, but do not withdraw yourselves from their obedience.

That is the place (of flinging pebbles of one) upon whom Surah al-Baqara was revealed.

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported that Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) married her when she was six years old, and he (the Holy Prophet) took her to his house when she was nine, and when he (the Holy Prophet) died she was eighteen years old

The sun eclipsed on one extremely hot day during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him). The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) prayed along with his Companions. He prolonged his qiyam (standing posture in prayer) till they (his Companions) began to fall down. He then observed a long ruku'. He raised his head (and stood up for long) and then observed a long ruku'. He then raised (his head and stood up) for a long time and then made two prostrations. He then stood up and did like this and thus he observed four ruku's and four prostrations (in two rak'ahs) and then said: All these things were brought to me in which you will be made to enter. Paradise was brought to me till (I was so close to it) that if I (had intended) to pluck a bunch (of grapes) out of it. I would have got it, or he (the Holy Prophet) said: I intended to get a bunch (out of that) but my hand could not reach it. Hell was also brought to me and I saw in it a woman belonging to the tribe of Israel who was tormented for a cat whom she had tied, but did not give it food nor set it free to eat the creatures of the earth; and I saw Abu Thumama 'Amr b. Malik who was dragging his intestines in Hell. They (the Arabs) used to say that the sun and the moon do not eclipse but on the death of some great person; but (in reality) both these (the sun and the moon) are among the signs of Allah which are shown to you; so when there is an eclipse, observe prayer till it (the sun or the moon) brightens. This hadith has been narrated by Hisham with the same chain of transmitters except this" I saw a dark woman with a tail stature and loud voice," but he made no mention of" from among Bani Israel".

I performed the household duties of Zubair and he had a horse; I used to look after it. Nothing was more burdensome for me than looking after the horse I used to bring grass for it and looked after it, then I got a servant as Allah's Apustle (may peace be upon him) had some prisoners of war in his possession. He gave me a female servant. She (the female servant) then began to look after the horse and thus relieved me of this burden. A person came and he said: Mother of 'Abdullah, I am a destitute person and I intend that I should start business under the shadow of your house. I (Asma') said: If I grant you permission, Zubair may not agree to that, so you come and make a demand of it when Zubair is also present there. He came accordingly find said: Mother of 'Abdullah. I am a destitute person. I intend to start t mall business in the shadow of your house. I said: Is there not in Medina (any place for starting the business) except my house? Zubair said: Why is it that you prohibit the destitute man to start business here? So he started business and he (earned so much) that we sold our slave-girl to him There came Zubair to me while the money was in my lap. He said: Give this to me. I said: (I intend) to spend it as charity.

I saw Uthman call for a vessel (of water) and poured water over his hands three times and then washed them. Then he put his right hand in the vessel and rinsed his mouth and cleaned his nose. Then he washed his face three times and his hands up to the elbow three times; then wiped his head, then washed his feet three times. Then he said that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) had said: He who performed ablution like this ablution of mine and offered two raka`ahs of prayer without allowing his thoughts to be distracted, all his previous sins would be expiated.

I was in the company of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) on a journey when he said: Mughira take hold of this jar (of water). I took hold of it and I went out with him. (I stopped but) the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) proceeded on till he was out of my sight. He relieved himself and then came back and he was wearing a tight-sleeved Syrian gown. He tried to get his forearms out. but the sleeve of the gown was very narrow, so he brought his hands out from under the gown. I poured water over (his hands) and he performed ablution for prayer, then wiped over his socks and prayed.

He saw the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) raising his hands at the time of beginning the prayer and reciting takbir, and according to Hammam (the narrator), the hands were lifted opposite to ears. He (the Holy Prophet) then wrapped his hands in his cloth and placed his right hand over his left hand. And when he was about to bow down, he brought out his hands from the cloth, and then lifted them, and then recited takbir and bowed down, and when (he came back to the erect position) he recited:" Allah listened to him who praised Him." And when he prostrated, he prostrated between his two palms.

There came to me two old women from the old Jewesses of Medina and said: The people of the grave are tormented in their graves. I contradicted them and I did not deem it proper to testify them. They went away and the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) came to me and I said to him: Messenger of Allah I there came to me two old women from the old Jewesses of Medina and asserted that the people of the graves would be tormented therein. He (the Prophet) said: They told the truth; they would be tormented (so much) that the animals would listen to it. She ('A'isha) said: Never did I see him (the Holy Prophet) afterwards but seeking refuge from the torment of the grave in prayer.

The Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) used to supplicate in prayer thus:" O Allah! I seek refuge with Thee from the torment of the grave, and I seek refuge with Thee from the trial of the Masih al-Dajjal (Antichrist) and I seek refuge with Thee from the trial of life and death. O Allah! I seek refuge with Thee from sin and debt." She ('A'isha) reported: Someone said to him - (the Holy Prophet): Messenger of Allah! why is it that you so often seek refuge from debt? He said: When a (person) incurs debt, (he is obliged) to tell lies and break promise.

I entered the mosque, when the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) had been sitting among people, and I also sat down among them. Upon this the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: What prevented you from offering two rak'ahs (of Nafl prayer) before sitting down? I said: Messenger of Allah, I saw you sitting and people sitting (around you and I, therefore, sat in your company). He (the Holy Prophet) then said: When anyone among you enters the mosque, he should not sit till he has observed two rak'ahs.

I turn my face (up to Thee), I am the first of the believers; and when he raised his head from ruku' he said: Allah listened to him who praised Him; O our Lord, praise be to Thee; and he said: He shaped (man) and how fine is his shape? And he (the narrator) said: When he pronounced salutation he said: O Allah, forgive me my earlier (sins), to the end of the hadith; and he did not say it between the Tashahhud and salutation (as mentioned above).

During the lifetime of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) I was shooting some of my arrows in Medina, when the sun eclipsed. I threw (the arrows) and said: By Allah, I must see how the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) acts in solar eclipse. So I came to him and he was standing in prayer, raising his hands, glorifying Him, praising Him, acknowledging His Oneness, declaring His greatness, and supplicating Him, till the sun cleared. When the eclipse was over, he recited two surahs and prayed two rak'ahs.

Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) one day in the course of his sermon made mention of a person among his Companions who had died and had been wrapped in a shroud not long (enough to cover his whole body) and was buried during the night. The Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) reprimanded (the audience) that a person was buried during the night (in a state that) funeral prayer could not be offered (over him by the Messenger of Allah). (And this is permissible only) when it becomes a dire necessity for a man. The Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) also said: When any one of you shrouds his brother, he should shroud him well.

I said to Sha'bi: Who narrated it to you? He said: An authentic one, 'Abdullah b. 'Abbas. This is the word of a hasan hadith. In the narration of Ibn Numair (the words are): The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) went to the grave which had been newly prepared and prayed over it, and they also prayed who were behind him and he recited four takbirs. I said to 'Amir: Who narrated it to you? He said: An authentic one who saw him, i e. Ibn 'Abbas.

The sun eclipsed during the lifetime of the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) ; so he felt perturbed and he, by mistake, took hold of the outer garment of a woman till he was given his own cloak. After this I satisfied my need and then came and entered the mosque. I saw the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) standing in prayer. I stood along with him. He prolonged his qiyam till I wished to sit down. Then I cast a glance towards an old woman. So I said: She is older than I. I, therefore, kept standing. He (the Holy Prophet) then observed ruku', and prolonged his ruku'. He then raised his head. He then prolonged his qiyam to such an extent that if a person happened to come he would have thought that he had not observed the ruku'.

When Mecca was conquered, he (the Holy Prophet) distributed the spoils among the Quraish. Upon this the Ansar said: It is strange that our swords are dripping with their blood, whereas our spoils have been given to them (to the Quraish). This (remark) reached the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him), and so he gathered them and said: What is this that has been conveyed to me about you? They said: (Yes) it is that very thing that, has reached you and they were not (the people) to speak a lie. Upon this he said: Don't you like that the people should return to their houses along with worldly riches, whereas you should return to your houses with the Messenger of Allah? If the people were to tread a valley or a narrow path, and the Ansar were also to tread a valley or a narrow path, I would tread the valley (along with the) Ansar or the narrow path (along with the) Ansar.

Never has Allah or His messengers (angels) ever broken their promise. Then he cast a glance (and by chance) found a puppy under his cot and said: 'A'isha, when did this dog enter here? She said: By Allah, I don't know He then commanded and it was turned out. Then Gabriel came and Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said to him: You promised me and I waited for you, but you did not come, whereupon he said: It was the dog in your house which prevented me (to come), for we (angels) do not enter a house in which there is a dog or a picture.

Allah's Messenger, you have done something in the state of your sleep which you never did before, Thereupon he said: Strange it is that some people of my Ummah would attack the House (Ka'ba) (for killing) a person who would belong to the tribe of the Quraish and he would try to seek protection in the House. And when they would reach the plain ground they would be sunk. We said: Allah's Messenger, all sorts of people throng the path. Thereupon he said: Yes, there would be amongst them people who would come with definite designs and those who would come under duress and there would be travellers also, but they would all be destroyed through one (stroke) of destruction. though they would be raised in different states (on the Day of Resurrection). Allah would, however, raise them according to their intention.

The Messenger of Allah (way peace be upon him) addressed us and said: You would travel In the evening and the might till (God willing) you would come in the morning to a place of water. So the people travelled (self absorbed) without paying any heed to one another, and the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) also travelled till It was midnight. I was by his side. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) began to doze and leaned (to one side) of his camel. I came to him and I lent him support without awaking him till he sat poised on his ride. He went on travelling till a major part of the night was over and (he again) leaned (to one side) of his camel. I supported him without awaking him till he sat" bed on his ride. and then travelled till it was near dawn. He (again) leaned which was far more inclined than the two earlier leanings and he was about to fall down. So I came to him and supported him and he lifted his head and said; Who is this? I said: it is Abu Qatida. He (the Holy Prophet again) said: Since how long have you been travelling along with me like this? I said: I have been travelling in this very state since the night. He said: May Allah protect you, as you have protected His Apostle (from falling down), and again said: Do you see that we are hidden from the people? - and again said: Do you see anyone? I said: Here is a rider. I again said: Here Is another rider till we gathered together and we were seven riders. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) stepped aside of the highway and placed his head (for sleep and said): Guard for us our prayers. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) was the first to wake up and the rays of the sun were falling on his back. We got up startled He (the Holy Prophet) said: Ride on So we rode on till the sun had (sufficiently) risen. He then came down from his camel and called for a jug of water which I had with me. There was a little water in that. He performed ablution with that which was less thorough as compared with his usual ablutions and some water of that had been left. He (the Holy Prophet) said to Abu Qatida: Keep a watch over your jug of water; it would have (a miraculous) condition about it. Then Bilal summoned (people) to prayer and then the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) observed two rak'ahs and then said the morning prayer as he said every day. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) (then) rode on and we rode along with him and some of us whispered to the others saying: How would there be compensation for omission in our prayers? Upon this he (the Apostle of Allah) said: Is there not in me (my life) a model for you? There is no omission in sleeping. The (cognizable) emission is that one should not say prayer (intentionally) till the time of the other prayer comes. So he who did like it (omitted prayer in sleep or due to other unavoidable circumstances) should say prayer when he becomes aware of it and on the next day he should observe it at its prescribed time. He (the Holy Prophet) said: What do you think the people would have done (at this hour)? They would have in the morning found their Apostle missing from amongst them and then Abu Bakr and 'Umar would have told them that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) must be behind you, he cannot leave you behind (him), but the people said: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) is ahead of you. So if you had obeyed Abu Bakr and Umar, you would have gone on the right path. So we proceeded on till we came up to the people (from whom we had lagged behind) and the day had considerably risen and everything became hot, and they (the Companions of the Holy Prophet) said: Messenger of Allah, we are dying of thirst. Upon this he (the Holy Prophet) remarked: There is no destruction for you. And again said: Bring that small cup of mine and he then asked for the jug of water to be brought to him. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) began to pour water (in that small cup) and Abu Qatida gave them to drink. And when the people saw that there was (a little) water in the jug, they fell upon it. Upon this the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Behave well; the water (is enough) to satiate all of you. Then they (the Companions) began to receive (their share of) water with calmness (without showing any anxiety) and the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) began to fill (the cap), and I began to serve them till no one was left except me and the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him). He then filled (the cup) with water and said to me: Drink it. I said: Messenger of Allah, I would not drink till you drink. Upon this he said: The server of the people Is the last among them to drink. So I drank and the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) also drank and the people came to the place of water quite happy and satiated. 'Abdullah b. Rabah said: I am going to narrate this hadith in the great mosque, when 'Imran b. Husain said: See, O young man, how will you narrate for I was also one of the riders on that night? I said: So you must be knowing this hadith well. He said: Who are you? I said: I am one of the Ansar. Upon this he said: You narrate, for you know your hadith better. I, therefore, narrated it to the people. 'Imran said: I was also present that night, but I know not anyone else who learnt it so well as you have learnt.

The Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: If anyone observes prayer in which he does not recite Umm al-Qur'an, It is deficient [he said this three times] and not complete. It was said to Abu Huraira: At times we are behind the Imam. He said: Recite it inwardly, for he had heard the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) declare that Allah the Exalted had said: I have divided the prayer into two halves between Me and My servant, and My servant will receive what he asks. When the servant says: Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the universe, Allah the Most High says: My servant has praised Me. And when he (the servant) says: The Most Compassionate, the Merciful, Allah the Most High says: My servant has lauded Me. And when he (the servant) says: Master of the Day of judg- ment, He remarks: My servant has glorified Me. and sometimes He would say: My servant entrusted (his affairs) to Me. And when he (the worshipper) says: Thee do we worship and of Thee do we ask help, He (Allah) says: This is between Me and My servant, and My servant will receive what he asks for. Then, when he (the worshipper) says: Guide us to the straight path, the path of those to whom Thou hast been Gracious not of those who have incurred Thy displeasure, nor of those who have gone astray, He (Allah) says: This is for My servant, and My servant will receive what he asks for. Sufyan said: 'Ala b. 'Abd al-Rahman b. Ya'qub narrated it to me when I went to him and he was confined to his home on account of illness, and I asked him about it.

Messenger of Allah, direct me to a deed by which I may be entitled to enter Paradise. Upon this he (the Holy Prophet) remarked: You worship Allah and never associate anything with Him, establish the obligatory prayer, and pay the Zakat which is incumbent upon you, and observe the fast of Ramadan. He (the bedouin) said: By Him in Whose hand is my life, I will never add anything to it, nor will I diminish anything from it. When he (the bedouin) turned his back, the Prophet (may peace be upon him) said: He who is pleased to see a man from the dwellers of Paradise should catch a glimpse of him.

While we were in the mosque with Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him), a desert Arab came and stood up and began to urinate in the mosque. The Companions of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Stop, stop, but the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Don't interrupt him; leave him alone. They left him alone, and when he finished urinating, Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) called him and said to him: These mosques are not the places meant for urine and filth, but are only for the remembrance of Allah, prayer and the recitation of the Qur'an, or Allah's Messenger said something like that. He (the narrator) said that he (the Holy Prophet) then gave orders to one of the people who brought a bucket of water and poured It over.