The Prophet was of moderate height having broad shoulders (long) hair reaching his ear-lobes. Once I saw him in a red cloak and I had never seen a more handsome than him."

During the Pre-lslamic Period of ignorance the Quraish used to observe fasting on the day of 'Ashura', and the Prophet himself used to observe fasting on it too. But when he came to Medina, he fasted on that day and ordered the Muslims to fast on it. When (the order of compulsory fasting in ) Ramadan was revealed, fasting in Ramadan became an obligation, and fasting on 'Ashura' was given up, and who ever wished to fast (on it) did so, and whoever did not wish to fast on it, did not fast.

Once `Umar bin `Abdul `Aziz sat on his throne in the courtyard of his house so that the people might gather before him. Then he admitted them and (when they came in), he said, "What do you think of Al-Qasama?" They said, "We say that it is lawful to depend on Al-Qasama in Qisas, as the previous Muslim Caliphs carried out Qisas depending on it." Then he said to me, "O Abu Qilaba! What do you say about it?" He let me appear before the people and I said, "O Chief of the Believers! You have the chiefs of the army staff and the nobles of the Arabs. If fifty of them testified that a married man had committed illegal sexual intercourse in Damascus but they had not seen him (doing so), would you stone him?" He said, "No." I said, "If fifty of them testified that a man had committed theft in Hums, would you cut off his hand though they did not see him?" He replied, "No." I said, "By Allah, Allah's Apostle never killed anyone except in one of the following three situations: (1) A person who killed somebody unjustly, was killed (in Qisas,) (2) a married person who committed illegal sexual intercourse and (3) a man who fought against Allah and His Apostle and deserted Islam and became an apostate." Then the people said, "Didn't Anas bin Malik narrate that Allah's Apostle cut off the hands of the thieves, branded their eyes and then, threw them in the sun?" I said, "I shall tell you the narration of Anas. Anas said: "Eight persons from the tribe of `Ukl came to Allah's Apostle and gave the Pledge of allegiance for Islam (became Muslim). The climate of the place (Medina) did not suit them, so they became sick and complained about that to Allah's Apostle. He said (to them ), "Won't you go out with the shepherd of our camels and drink of the camels' milk and urine (as medicine)?" They said, "Yes." So they went out and drank the camels' milk and urine, and after they became healthy, they killed the shepherd of Allah's Apostle and took away all the camels. This news reached Allah's Apostle , so he sent (men) to follow their traces and they were captured and brought (to the Prophet). He then ordered to cut their hands and feet, and their eyes were branded with heated pieces of iron, and then he threw them in the sun till they died." I said, "What can be worse than what those people did? They deserted Islam, committed murder and theft." Then 'Anbasa bin Sa`id said, "By Allah, I never heard a narration like this of today." I ...

Two person of Bani Thaqif and one from Quarish (or two persons from Quraish and one from Bani Thaqif) who had fat bellies but little wisdom, met near the Ka`ba. One of them said, "Did you see that Allah hears what we say? " The other said, "He hears us if we speak aloud, but He does not hear if we speak in stealthy quietness (softly)." The third fellow said, "If He hears when we speak aloud, then He surely hears us if we speak in stealthy quietness (softly)." So Allah revealed the Verse:-- 'And you have not been screening against yourselves, lest your ears, and your eyes and your skins should testify against you..." (41.22)

Another chain reports a similar hadith.

that his father said, "In the year of Hajjatal-Wada`, the Prophet paid me a visit while I was suffering from an ailment that had brought me to the verge of death. I said, 'O Allah's Apostle! My sickness has reduced me to the (bad) state as you see, and I am a rich man, but have no heirs except one daughter. Shall I give 2/3 of my property in charity?' He said, 'No.' I said, 'Then 1/2 of it?' He said, 'Even 1/3 is too much, for, to leave your inheritors wealthy is better than to leave them in poverty, begging from people. And (know that) whatever you spend in Allah's Cause, you will get reward for it, even for the morsel of food which you put in your wife's mouth.' I said, 'O Allah's Apostle! Will I be left behind my companions (in Mecca)?' He said, 'If you remain behind, whatever good deed you will do for Allah's Sake, will raise and upgrade you to a higher position (in Allah's Sight). May be you will live longer so that some people may benefit by you, and some e others (pagans) may get harmed by you. O Allah! Complete the migration of my companions and do not turn them on their heels; But (we pity) the poor Sa`d bin Khaula (not the above mentioned Sa`d) (died in Mecca)" Allah's Apostle lamented (or pitied) for him as he died in Mecca. (See Hadith No. 693, Vol. 5)

While I was at Yemen, I met two men from Yemen called Dhu Kala and Dhu `Amr, and I started telling them about Allah's Apostle. Dhu `Amr said to me, "If what you are saying about your friend (i.e. the Prophet) is true, then he has died three days ago." Then both of them accompanied me to Medina, and when we had covered some distance on the way to Medina, we saw some riders coming from Medina. We asked them and they said, "Allah's Apostle has died and Abu Bakr has been appointed as the Caliph and the people are in a good state.' Then they said, "Tell your friend (Abu Bakr) that we have come (to visit him), and if Allah will, we will come again." So they both returned to Yemen. When I told Abu Bakr their statement, he said to me, "I wish you had brought them (to me)." Afterwards I met Dhu `Amr, and he said to me, "O Jarir! You have done a favor to me and I am going to tell you something, i.e. you, the nation of 'Arabs, will remain prosperous as long as you choose and appoint another chief whenever a former one is dead. But if authority is obtained by the power of the sword, then the rulers will become kings who will get angry, as kings get angry, and will be delighted as kings get delighted."

‘Asim said : I said : Abu ‘Uthman! Two men testified before you. Who are they? He said : One of them is the one who is first to shoot arrow in the path of Allah or in the path of Islam, that is to say : Sa’d b. Malik. The other is the one came from al-Taif with ten and some men on foot. He then mentioned his excellence.

Abu Dawud said : When al-Nufaili mentioned this tradition, he said : I swear by Allah, this is sweater with me than honey, that is no say, his way transmission.

Abu ‘Ali said : I heard Abu Dawud say : I heard Ahmad say : The people of Kufah have no light in their traditions. I did not see them like the people of Basrah. They learnt it from Shu’bah.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa from his father that A'isha, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "There was an eclipse of the sun in the time of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, led the people in prayer. He stood, and did so for a long time. Then he went into ruku, and made the ruku long. Then he stood again, and did so for a long time, though not as long as the first time. Then he went into ruku, and made the ruku long, though not as long as thefirst time. Then he rose, and went down into sajda. He then did the same in the second raka, and by the time he had finished the sun had appeared. He then gave a khutba to the people, in which he praised Allah and then said, 'The sun and the moon are two of Allah's signs. They do not eclipse for anyone's death nor for anyone's life. When you see an eclipse, call on Allah and say, "Allah is greater" and give sadaqa.' Then he said, 'O community of Muhammad! ByAllah, there is no-one more jealous than Allah of a male or female slave of his who commits adultery. O community of Muhammad! By Allah, if you knew what I knew, you would laugh little and weep much'."

The Prophet paid a visit to Um-Sulaim and she placed before him dates and ghee. The Prophet said, "Replace the ghee and dates in their respective containers for I am fasting." Then he stood somewhere in her house and offered an optional prayer and then he invoked good on Um-Sulaim and her family. Then Um-Sulaim said, "O Allah's Apostle! I have a special request (today)." He said, "What is it?" She replied, "(Please invoke for) your servant Anas." So Allah's Apostle did not leave anything good in the world or the Hereafter which he did not invoke (Allah to bestow) on me and said, "O Allah! Give him (i.e. Anas) property and children and bless him." Thus I am one of the richest among the Ansar and my daughter Umaina told me that when Al-Hajjaj came to Basra, more than 120 of my offspring had been buried.

We got the news of the migration of the Prophet while we were in Yemen, so we set out migrating to him. We were, I and my two brothers, I being the youngest, and one of my brothers was Abu Burda and the other was Abu Ruhm. We were over fifty (or fifty-three or fifty two) men from our people. We got on board a ship which took us to An-Najashi in Ethiopia, and there we found Ja`far bin Abu Talib and his companions with An-Najaishi. Ja`far said (to us), "Allah's Apostle has sent us here and ordered us to stay here, so you too, stay with us." We stayed with him till we all left (Ethiopia) and met the Prophet at the time when he had conquered Khaibar. He gave us a share from its booty (or gave us from its booty). He gave only to those who had taken part in the Ghazwa with him. but he did not give any share to any person who had not participated in Khaibar's conquest except the people of our ship, besides Ja`far and his companions, whom he gave a share as he did them (i.e. the people of the ship).

Anas bin Malik said to a woman of his family, "Do you know such-and-such a woman?" She replied, "Yes." He said, "The Prophet passed by her while she was weeping over a grave, and he said to her, 'Be afraid of Allah and be patient.' The woman said (to the Prophet). 'Go away from me, for you do not know my calamity.'" Anas added, "The Prophet left her and proceeded. A man passed by her and asked her, 'What has Allah's Apostle said to you?' She replied, 'I did not recognize him.' The man said, 'He was Allah's Apostle."' Anas added, "So that woman came to the gate of the Prophet and she did not find a gate-keeper there, and she said, 'O Allah's Apostle! By Allah. I did not recognize you!' The Prophet said, 'No doubt, patience is at the first stroke of a calamity.'"

The Prophet sent (an army unit under the command of) Khalid bin Al-Walid to fight against the tribe of Bani Jadhima and those people could not express themselves by saying, "Aslamna," but they said, "Saba'na! Saba'na! " Khalid kept on killing some of them and taking some others as captives, and he gave a captive to everyone of us and ordered everyone of us to kill his captive. I said, "By Allah, I shall not kill my captive and none of my companions shall kill his captive!" Then we mentioned that to the Prophet and he said, "O Allah! I am free from what Khalid bin Al-Walid has done," and repeated it twice.

Allah's Apostle said, "Noah will be brought (before Allah) on the Day of Resurrection, and will be asked, 'Did you convey the message of Allah?" He will reply, 'Yes, O Lord.' And then Noah's nation will be asked, 'Did he (Noah) convey Allah's message to you?' They will reply, 'No warner came to us.' Then Noah will be asked, 'Who are your witnesses?' He will reply. '(My witnesses are) Muhammad and his followers.' Thereupon you (Muslims) will be brought and you will bear witness." Then the Prophet recited: 'And thus We have made of you (Muslims) a just and the best nation, that you might be witness over the nations, and the Apostle a witness over you.' (2.143)

Yahya related to me from Malik from Rabia ibn Abi Abd ar-Rahman that Abu Said alKhudri returned from a journey and his family gave him some meat. He asked whether it was meat from the sacrifice. They replied that it was. Abu Said said, "Didn't the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, forbid that?" They said, "There has been a new command from the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, since you went away." Abu Said went out and made enquiries about it and was told that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, had said,"I forbade you before to eat meat of the sacrifice after three days, but now eat, give sadaqa and store up. I forbade you before to make nabidh (by soaking raisins or dates in water), but now make nabidh, but remember every intoxicant is haram .I forbade you to visit graves, but now visit them, and do not use bad language."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said that Said ibn al-Musayyab had said that Umar ibn al-Khattab said, "If a man marries a woman who is insane, or has leprosy or white leprosy, without being told of her condition by her guardian, and he has sexual relations with her, she keeps her bride-price in its entirety. Her husband has damages against her guardian."

Malik said, "The husband has damages against her guardian when the guardian is her father, brother, or one who is deemed to have knowledge of her condition. If the guardian who gives her in marriage is a nephew, a mawla or a member of her tribe who is not deemed to have knowledge of her condition, there are no damages against him, and the woman returns what she has taken of her bride-price, and the husband leaves her whatever amount is thought to be fair."

A man said to the Prophet "Tell me of such a deed as will make me enter Paradise." The people said, "What is the matter with him? What is the matter with him?" The Prophet said, "He has something to ask. (What he needs greatly) The Prophet said: (In order to enter Paradise) you should worship Allah and do not ascribe any partners to Him, offer prayer perfectly, pay the Zakat and keep good relations with your Kith and kin." (See Hadith No. 12, Vol 8).

It was said to the Prophet "Would that you see `Abdullah bin Ubai." So, the Prophet went to him, riding a donkey, and the Muslims accompanied him, walking on salty barren land. When the Prophet reached `Abdullah bin Ubai, the latter said, "Keep away from me! By Allah, the bad smell of your donkey has harmed me." On that an Ansari man said (to `Abdullah), "By Allah! The smell of the donkey of Allah's Apostle is better than your smell." On that a man from `Abdullah's tribe got angry for `Abdullah's sake, and the two men abused each other which caused the friends of the two men to get angry, and the two groups started fighting with sticks, shoes and hands. We were informed that the following Divine Verse was revealed (in this concern):-- "And if two groups of Believers fall to fighting then, make peace between them." (49.9)

I heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) say: If any of you can become like the man who had a faraq of rice, he should become like him. They (the people) asked: Who is the man who had a faraq of rice with him, Messenger of Allah ? Thereupon he narrated the story of the cave when a hillock fell on them (three persons), each of them said: Mention any best work of yours. The narrator said: The third of them said: O Allah, you know that I took a hireling for a faraq of rice. When the evening came, I presented to him his due (i.e. his wages). But he refused to take it and went away. I then cultivated it until I amassed cows and their herdsmen for him. He then met me and said: Give me my dues. I said (to him): Go to those cows and their herdsmen and take them all. He went and drove them away.

Zainab said: I visited Umm Habibah when her father AbuSufyan, died. She asked for some yellow perfume containing saffron (khaluq) or something else. Then she applied it to a girl and touched her cheeks.

She said: I have no need of perfume, but I heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) say: It is not lawful for a woman who believes in Allah and the Last Day to observe mourning for one who has died, more than three nights, except for four months and ten days in the case of a husband.

Zaynab said: I also visited Zaynab, daughter of Jahsh, when her brother died. She asked for some perfume and used it upon herself.

She then said: I have no need of perfume, but I heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) say when he was on the pulpit: It is not lawful for a woman who believes in Allah and the Last Day to observe mourning for one who has died, more than three nights, except for four months and ten days in the case of a husband.

Zaynab said: I heard my mother, Umm Salamah, say: A woman came to the Messenger of Allah (saws) and said: Messenger of Allah, the husband of my daughter has died, and she is suffering from sore eyes; may we put antimony in her eyes?

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: No. He said this twice or thrice. Each time he said: No. The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: The waiting period is now four months and ten days. In pre-Islamic days one of you used to throw away a piece of dung at the end of a year.

Humayd said: I asked Zaynab: What do you mean by throwing away a piece of dung at the end of a year.

Zaynab replied: When the husband of a woman died, she entered a small cell and put on shabby clothes, not touching perfume or any other thing until a year passed. Then an animal such as donkey or sheep or bird was provided for her. She rubbed herself with it. The animal with which she rubbed herself rarely survived. She then came out and was given a piece of dung which she threw away. She then used perfume or something else which she desired.

Abu Dawud said: The Arabic word "hafsh" means a small cell.

I spent a night with my maternal aunt Maymunah. The Prophet (saws) got up to pray at night. He prayed thirteen rak'ahs including two rak'ahs of the dawn prayer. I guessed that he stood in every rak'ah as long as one could recite Surah al-Muzzammil (73).

The Messenger of Allah (saws) gave judgment that a male or a female slave, or a horse or a mule should be paid for a miscarriage.

Abu Dawud said: Hammad b. Salamah and Khalid b. 'Abd Allah transmitted this tradition from Muhammad b. 'Amr, but they did not mention "or a horse or a mule"

The Prophet (saws) said: The Compassionate One has mercy on those who are merciful. If you show mercy to those who are on the earth, He Who is in the heaven will show mercy to you.

Musaddad did not say: The client of 'Adb Allah b. 'Amr. He said: The Prophet (saw) said.

Ibn ‘Abbas reported the Prophet (saws) as saying This is an ‘Umrah from which we have benefitted. Anyone who has brought sacrificial animal with him should take off ihram totally. ‘Umrah has been included in Hajj till the Day of Judgment.

Abu Dawud said This is a munkar (uncommon) tradition. This is in fact the statement of Ibn ‘Abbas himself.

The Prophet was asked about donkeys and he replied, "Nothing has been revealed to me regarding donkeys except this comprehensive Verse which includes everything: "So whoever does good equal to the weight of an atom (or a smallest ant) shall see it; And whoever, does evil equal to the weight of an atom or a smallest ant) shall see it.' (99.7-8)

I came to the Prophet while he was inside a red leather tent, and I saw Bilal taking the remaining water of the ablution of the Prophet, and the people were taking of that water and rubbing it on their faces; and whoever could not get anything of it, would share the moisture of the hand of his companion (and then rub it on his face).

The Prophet used to copy the people of the Scriptures in matters in which there was no order from Allah. The people of the Scripture used to let their hair hang down while the pagans used to part their hair. So the Prophet let his hair hang down first, but later on he parted it.

The Prophet said, "If anyone of you, when intending to have a sexual intercourse with his wife, says: 'Bismillah, Allahumma jannibna-sh-shaitan, wa jannibi-sh-shaitan ma razaqtana,' and if the couple are destined to have a child (out of that very sexual relation), then Satan will never be able to harm that child."

I would not feel sorry for one who dies because of receiving a legal punishment, except the drunk, for if he should die (when being punished), I would give blood money to his family because no fixed punishment has been ordered by Allah's Apostle for the drunk.

Whenever the Prophet was given an option between two things, he used to select the easier of the tow as long as it was not sinful; but if it was sinful, he would remain far from it. By Allah, he never took revenge for himself concerning any matter that was presented to him, but when Allah's Limits were transgressed, he would take revenge for Allah's Sake.

We poured medicine into the mouth of the Prophet during his ailment. He said, "Don't pour medicine into my mouth." (We thought he said that) out of the aversion a patient usually has for medicines. When he improved and felt better he said, "There is none of you but will be forced to drink medicine, except Al-`Abbas, for he did not witness your deed."

Allah's Apostle said, "If anyone of you, when intending to have a sexual relation (sleep) with his wife, says: Bismillah, Allahumma jannibna ashShaitan, wa Jannib ash-Shaitana ma razaqtana, Satan would never harm that child, should it be ordained that they will have one. (Because of that sleep).

The Prophet said, "Not to wish to be the like of except the like of two (persons): a man whom Allah has given the knowledge of the Qur'an and he recites it during the hours of the night and the hours of the day; and a man whom Allah has given wealth and he spends it (in Allah's Cause) during the hours of the night and during the hours of the day."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa that Zuyayd ibn as-Salt said, "I went with Umar ibn al-Khattab to Juruf and he looked down and noticed that he had had a wet dream and had prayed without doing ghusl. He exclaimed, 'By Allah I realise that I have had a wet dream and did not know it and have not done ghusl.' So he did ghusl and washed off whatever he saw on his garment, and sprinkled with water whatever he did not see.Then he gave the adhan or the iqama and prayed in the midmorning."

I brought my young son, who had not started eating (ordinary food) to Allah's Apostle who took him and made him sit in his lap. The child urinated on the garment of the Prophet, so he asked for water and poured it over the soiled (area) and did not wash it.

From As-Sa'b bin Jath-thama Al-Laithi that the latter presented an onager to Allah's Apostle while he was at Al-Abwa' or at Waddan, and he refused it. On noticing the signs of some unpleasant feeling of disappointment on his (As-Sab's) face, the Prophet said to him, "I have only returned it because I am Muhrim."

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

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

I poured water while the Prophet (saws) performed ablution in the battle of Tabuk. He wiped over the upper part of the socks and their lower part.

Abu Dawud said: I have been told that Thawr did not hear this tradition from Raja'.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: Ali, do not instruct the imam during the prayer.

Abu Dawud said: The narrator Abu Ishaq heard only for traditions from al-Harith, this tradition is not one of them.