Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab that Ubaydullah ibn Abdullah ibn Utba ibn Masud told him that Abdullah ibn Masud bought a slave-girl from his wife, Zaynab Ath Thaqafiyya. She made a condition to him, that if he bought her, she could always buy her back for the price that he paid. Abdullah ibn Masud asked Umar ibn al- Khattab about that and Umar ibn al-Khattab said, "Do not go near her while anyone has a condition concerning her over you."

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

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

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

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

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Amr ibn Hazm from his father from Abdullah ibn Amr ibn Uthman from Abu Amra al-Ansari from Zayd ibn Khalid al-Juhani that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Shall I not tell you who is the best of witnesses? The one who brings his testimony before he is asked for it, or tells his testimony before he is asked for it."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa that his father made all the teeth the same in the blood-money and did not prefer any kind over others.

Malik said, "What is done in our community is that the front teeth, molars, and eye-teeth have the same blood-money. That is because the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'The tooth has five camels.' The molar is one of the teeth and he did not prefer any kind over the others."

Allah's Apostle said, "The key of the Unseen are five: Verily with Allah (Alone) is the knowledge of the Hour He sends down the rain and knows what is in the wombs. No soul knows what it will earn tomorrow, and no soul knows in what land it will die. Verily, Allah is All-Knower, All-Aware." (31.34)

`Umar went to Sham and when he reached Sargh, he got the news that an epidemic (of plague) had broken out in Sham. `Abdur-Rahman bin `Auf told him that Allah's Apostle said, "If you hear that it (plague) has broken out in a land, do not go to it; but if it breaks out in a land where you are present, do not go out escaping from it."

I heard Khabbab, who had branded his `Abdomen with seven brands, saying, "Had Allah's Apostle not forbidden us to invoke Allah for death, I would have invoked Allah for death. The companions of Muhammad have left this world without taking anything of their reward in it (i.e., they will have perfect reward in the Hereafter), but we have collected of the worldly wealth what we cannot spend but on earth (i.e. on building houses).

A man came to the Prophet and said to him, "My sister vowed to perform the Hajj, but she died (before fulfilling it)." The Prophet said, "Would you not have paid her debts if she had any?" The man said, "Yes." The Prophet said, "So pay Allah's Rights, as He is more entitled to receive His rights."

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

[Al-Bukhari].

That he had divorced his wife during her menses. `Umar mentioned that to the Prophet. Allah's Apostle became angry and said, "He must take her back (his wife) and keep her with him till she becomes clean from her menses and then to wait till she gets her next period and becomes clean again from it and only then, if he wants to divorce her, he may do so."

Narrated Salim bin 'Abdullah from Ibn Umar: Allah's Apostle said, "Do not sell or buy fruits before their benefit was evident and do not sell fresh fruits (dates) for dried dates."

Abu Huraira said, "I heard Allah's Apostle saying, 'The reward of a prayer in congregation is twenty five times greater than that of a prayer offered by a person alone. The angels of the night and the angels of the day gather at the time of Fajr prayer.' " Abu Huraira then added, "Recite the Holy Book if you wish, for "Indeed, the recitation of the Qur'an in the early dawn (Fajr prayer) is ever witnessed." (17:78).

Only Um Hani told us that she had seen the Prophet (p.b.u.h) offering the Duha (forenoon prayer). She said, "On the day of the conquest of Mecca, the Prophet took a bath in my house and offered eight rak`at. I never saw him praying such a light prayer but he performed perfect prostration and bowing.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu'n-Nadr, the mawla of Umar ibn Ubaydullah that A'isha bint Talha told him that she was once with A'isha, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and her husband, who was fasting, came and visited her there. (He was Abdullah ibn Abd ar-Rahman ibn Abi Bakras-Siddiq.) A'isha said to him, "What's stopping you from coming close to your wife and kissing her and joking with her?" He said, "Can I kiss her when I am fasting?" She said, "Yes."

Malik related to me from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar would spend the night between the two trails in the valley of Dhu Tuwa when he was approaching Makka. Then he would pray subh, and after that he would enter Makka by the trail which is at the highest part of Makka. He would never enter Makka, if he was coming for hajj or umra, without doing ghusl beforehand when he was near Makka at Dhu Tuwa, and he would tell whoever was with him to do likewise.

Yahya related to me from Malik from 'Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Amr ibn Hazm from Abd al-Malik ibn Abi Bakr ibn al-Harith ibn Hisham from Khallad ibn as-Sa'ib al-Ansari from his father that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Jibril came to me and told me to tell my companions, or whoever was with me, to raise their voices when doing talbiya."

Yahya related to me from Malik that Yahya ibn Said said that Sulayman ibn Yasar told him that Abu Ayyub al-Ansari once set off to do hajj and then, when he reached an-Naziya, on the road to Makka, his riding beasts strayed. He reached Umar ibn al-Khattab on the day of sacrifice and told him what had happened and Umar said, "Do what someone doing umra would do, and then you can leave ihram, and then when the hajj next comes upon you, do it and sacrifice whatever animal is easy for you ."

The Prophet said, "Whoever possesses the following three qualities will have the sweetness (delight) of faith:

1. The one to whom Allah and His Apostle becomes dearer than anything else.

2. Who loves a person and he loves him only for Allah's sake.

3. Who hates to revert to Atheism (disbelief) as he hates to be thrown into the fire."

The Prophet said, "Amongst the trees, there is a tree, the leaves of which do not fall and is like a Muslim. Tell me the name of that tree." Everybody started thinking about the trees of the desert areas. And I thought of the date-palm tree. The others then asked, "Please inform us what is that tree, O Allah's Apostle?" He replied, "It is the date-palm tree."

(the wife of the Prophet) Allah's Apostle used to get up at night and pray while I used to lie across between him and the Qibla on his family's bed.

Allah's Apostle said, "Whoever could get one rak`a (of the Fajr prayer) before sunrise, he has got the (morning) prayer and whoever could get one rak`a of the `Asr prayer before sunset, he has got the (`Asr) prayer."

(the freed slave of Ibn `Abbas) Ibn `Abbas told me, "In the lifetime of the Prophet it was the custom to celebrate Allah's praises aloud after the compulsory congregational prayers." Ibn `Abbas further said, "When I heard the Dhikr, I would learn that the compulsory congregational prayer had ended."

Only Um Hani narrated to me that she had seen the Prophet offering the Duha prayer. She said, "On the day of the conquest of Mecca, the Prophet entered my house, took a bath and offered eight rak`at (of Duha prayers. I had never seen the Prophet offering such a light prayer but he performed bowing and prostrations perfectly .

(the wife of the Prophet) Once Allah's Apostle passed by (the grave of) a Jewess whose relatives were weeping over her. He said, "They are weeping over her and she is being tortured in her grave."

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

While the Prophet was performing Tawaf of the Ka`ba, he passed by a person who had tied his hands to another person with a rope or string or something like that. The Prophet cut it with his own hands and said, "Lead him by the hand."

When `Abdullah bin `Umar set out for Mecca intending to perform Umra, at the time of afflictions, he said, "If I should be prevented from reaching the Ka`ba, then I would do the same as Allah's Apostle did, so I assume the lhram for Umra as Allah's Apostle assumed the Ihram for Umra in the year of Hudaibiya."

(The tribe of) Quraish used to fast on the day of Ashura' in the Pre-Islamic period, and then Allah's Apostle ordered (Muslims) to fast on it till the fasting in the month of Ramadan was prescribed; whereupon the Prophet said, "He who wants to fast (on 'Ashura') may fast, and he who does not want to fast may not fast."

The Prophet vowed to keep aloof from his wives for a period of one month, and after the completion of 29 days he went either in the morning or in the afternoon to his wives. Someone said to him "You vowed that you would not go to your wives for one month." He replied, "The month is of 29 days."

Allah's Apostle said, "Do not fast continuously day and night (practice Al-Wisal) and if anyone of you intends to fast continuously day and night, he should continue till the Suhur time." They said, "But you practice Al-Wisal, O Allah's Apostle!" The Prophet said, "I am not similar to you;. during my sleep I have One Who makes me eat and drink."

`Umar bin Al-Khattab said, "O Allah's Apostle! I vowed in the Pre-Islamic period to perform I`tikaf in Al-Masjid-al-Haram for one night." The Prophet said, "Fulfill your vow." So, he performed I`tikaf for one night.

Muhajir came to the Prophet (saws) while he was urinating. He saluted him. The Prophet (saws) did not return the salutation to him until he performed ablution. He then apologised to him, saying: I disliked remembering Allah except in the state of purification.

Ibn Umm Maktum asked the Prophet (saws) saying: Messenger of Allah, I am a blind man, my house is far away (from the mosque), and I have a guide who does not follow me. Is it possible that permission be granted to me for saying prayer in my house? He asked: Do you hear summons (adhan)? He said: Yes. He said: I do not find any permission for you.

The Prophet (saws) said: There are three types of people whose prayer is not accepted by Allah: One who goes in front of people when they do not like him; a man who comes dibaran, which means that he comes to it too late; and a man who takes into slavery an emancipated male or female slave.

Allah's Apostle forbade the selling by Munabadha, i.e. to sell one's garment by casting it to the buyer not allowing him to examine or see it. Similarly he forbade the selling by Mulamasa. Mulamasa is to buy a garment, for example, by merely touching it, not looking at it.

`Abdullah bin `Umar said, "I knew that the land was rented for cultivation in the lifetime of Allah's Apostle ." Later on Ibn `Umar was afraid that the Prophet had forbidden it, and he had no knowledge of it, so he gave up renting his land.

That he was told by the most learned one amongst them (i.e. Ibn `Abbas) that the Prophet went towards some land which was flourishing with vegetation and asked to whom it belonged. He was told that such and such a person took it on rent. The Prophet said, "It would have been better (for the owner) if he had given it to him gratis rather than charging him a fixed rent.

Once `Umar gave a horse in charity to be used in holy fighting. It had been given to him by Allah's Apostle . `Umar gave it to another man to ride. Then `Umar was informed that the man put the horse for sale, so he asked Allah's Apostle whether he could buy it. Allah's Apostle replied, "You should not buy it, for you should not take back what you have given in charity."

That Abu Sufyan bin Harb Informed him that Heraclius called him and the members of a caravan from Quraish who had gone to Sham as traders, during the truce which Allah's Apostle had concluded with Abu Sufyan and the Quraish infidels.

The Prophet said, "The sun and the moon do not eclipse because of someone's death or life (i.e. birth), but they are two signs amongst the Signs of Allah. So, if you see them (i.e. eclipse) offer the (eclipse) prayer.

The Prophet said, "Allah will say to that person of the (Hell) Fire who will receive the least punishment, 'If you had everything on the earth, would you give it as a ransom to free yourself (i.e. save yourself from this Fire)?' He will say, 'Yes.' Then Allah will say, 'While you were in the backbone of Adam, I asked you much less than this, i.e. not to worship others besides Me, but you insisted on worshipping others besides me.' "

The Prophet (saws) as saying: I swear by Allah, I shall fight against the Quraish. The then said: If Allah wills. He again said: I swear by Allah, I shall fight against the Quraish if Allah wills. He again said: I swear by Allah, I shall fight against the Quraish. He then kept silence. Then he said: If Allah wills.

Abu Dawud said: Al-Walid b. Muslim said on the authority of Sharik: He then said: But he did not fight against them.

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that Abdullah ibn Umar would use the animal he was riding as a sutra when he prayed.

Yahya related to me from Malik that Abdullah ibn Abbas used to say, "You can eat anything that has had its jugular vein cut."

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that Abd ar- Rahman ibn Awf divorced his wife, and gave her compensation in the form of a slave-girl.

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that Abu Bakr as-Siddiq said, "If they withhold even a hobbling cord I will fight them over it."

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, once entered ihram at al-Jiirrana (near Makka) for an umra.

They said: Bier of Abdullah ibn Umayr. So I followed it. Suddenly I saw a man, who had a thin garment on riding his small mule. He had a piece of cloth on his head to protect himself from the sun. I asked: Who is this important man? People said: This is Anas ibn Malik.

When the bier was placed, Anas stood and led the funeral prayer over him while I was just behind him, and there was no obstruction between me and him. He stood near his head, and uttered four takbirs (Allah is Most Great). He neither lengthened the prayer nor hurried it. He then went to sit down. They said: AbuHamzah, (here is the bier of) an Ansari woman. They brought her near him and there was a green cupola-shaped structure over her bier. He stood opposite her hips and led the funeral prayer over her as he had led it over the man. He then sat down.

Al-Ala' ibn Ziyad asked: AbuHamzah, did the Messenger of Allah (saws) say the funeral prayer over the dead as you have done, uttering four takbirs (Allah is Most Great) over her, and standing opposite the head of a man and the hips of a woman?

He replied: Yes. He asked: AbuHamzah, did you fight with the Messenger of Allah? He replied: Yes. I fought with him in the battle of Hunayn. The polytheists came out and invaded us so severely that we saw our horses behind our backs. Among the people (i.e. the unbelievers) there was a man who was attacking us, and striking and wounding us (with his sword). Allah then defeated them. They were then brought and began to take the oath of allegiance to him for Islam.

A man from among the companions of the Prophet (saws) said: I make a vow to myself that if Allah brings the man who was striking us (with his sword) that day, I shall behead him. The Messenger of Allah (saws) kept silent and the man was brought (as a captive).

When he saw the Messenger of Allah (saws), he said: Messenger of Allah, I have repented to Allah. The Messenger of Allah (saws) stopped (for a while) receiving his oath of allegiance, so that the other man might fulfil his vow. But the man began to wait for the order of the Messenger of Allah (saws) for his murder. He was afraid of the Messenger of Allah (saws) to kill him. When the Messenger of Allah (saws) saw that he did not do anything, he received his oath of allegiance. The man said: ...

The first event of Qasama in the pre-lslamic period of ignorance was practiced by us (i.e. Banu Hashim). A man from Banu Hashim was employed by a Quraishi man from another branch-family. The (Hashimi) laborer set out with the Quraishi driving his camels. There passed by him another man from Banu Hashim. The leather rope of the latter's bag had broken so he said to the laborer, "Will you help me by giving me a rope in order to tie the handle of my bag lest the camels should run away from me?" The laborer gave him a rope and the latter tied his bag with it. When the caravan halted, all the camels' legs were tied with their fetters except one camel. The employer asked the laborer, "Why, from among all the camels has this camel not been fettered?" He replied, "There is no fetter for it." The Quraishi asked, "Where is its fetter?" and hit the laborer with a stick that caused his death (later on Just before his death) a man from Yemen passed by him. The laborer asked (him), "Will you go for the pilgrimage?" He replied, "I do not think I will attend it, but perhaps I will attend it." The (Hashimi) laborer said, "Will you please convey a message for me once in your life?" The other man said, "yes." The laborer wrote: 'When you attend the pilgrimage, call the family of Quraish, and if they respond to you, call the family of Banu Hashim, and if they respond to you, ask about Abu Talib and tell him that so-and-so has killed me for a fetter." Then the laborer expired. When the employer reached (Mecca), Abu Talib visited him and asked, "What has happened to our companion?" He said, "He became ill and I looked after him nicely (but he died) and I buried him." Then Abu Talib said, "The deceased deserved this from you." After some time, the messenger whom the laborer has asked to convey the message, reached during the pilgrimage season. He called, "O the family of Quraish!" The people replied, "This is Quraish." Then he called, "O the family of Banu Hashim!" Again the people replied, "This is Banu Hashim." He asked, "Who is Abu Talib?" The people replied, "This is Abu Talib." He said, "'So-and-so has asked me to convey a message to you that so-and-so has killed him for a fetter (of a camel)." Then Abu Talib went to the (Quraishi) killer and said to him, "Choose one of three alternatives: (i) If you wish, give us one-hundred camels because you have murdered our companion, (ii) or if you wish, fifty of your men should take ...

Allah's Apostle said, "Who is willing to kill Ka`b bin Al-Ashraf who has hurt Allah and His Apostle?" Thereupon Muhammad bin Maslama got up saying, "O Allah's Apostle! Would you like that I kill him?" The Prophet said, "Yes," Muhammad bin Maslama said, "Then allow me to say a (false) thing (i.e. to deceive Ka`b). "The Prophet said, "You may say it." Then Muhammad bin Maslama went to Ka`b and said, "That man (i.e. Muhammad demands Sadaqa (i.e. Zakat) from us, and he has troubled us, and I have come to borrow something from you." On that, Ka`b said, "By Allah, you will get tired of him!" Muhammad bin Maslama said, "Now as we have followed him, we do not want to leave him unless and until we see how his end is going to be. Now we want you to lend us a camel load or two of food." (Some difference between narrators about a camel load or two.) Ka`b said, "Yes, (I will lend you), but you should mortgage something to me." Muhammad bin Mas-lama and his companion said, "What do you want?" Ka`b replied, "Mortgage your women to me." They said, "How can we mortgage our women to you and you are the most handsome of the 'Arabs?" Ka`b said, "Then mortgage your sons to me." They said, "How can we mortgage our sons to you? Later they would be abused by the people's saying that so-and-so has been mortgaged for a camel load of food. That would cause us great disgrace, but we will mortgage our arms to you." Muhammad bin Maslama and his companion promised Ka`b that Muhammad would return to him. He came to Ka`b at night along with Ka`b's foster brother, Abu Na'ila. Ka`b invited them to come into his fort, and then he went down to them. His wife asked him, "Where are you going at this time?" Ka`b replied, "None but Muhammad bin Maslama and my (foster) brother Abu Na'ila have come." His wife said, "I hear a voice as if dropping blood is from him, Ka`b said. "They are none but my brother Muhammad bin Maslama and my foster brother Abu Naila. A generous man should respond to a call at night even if invited to be killed." Muhammad bin Maslama went with two men. (Some narrators mention the men as 'Abu bin Jabr. Al Harith bin Aus and `Abbad bin Bishr). So Muhammad bin Maslama went in together with two men, and sail to them, "When Ka`b comes, I will touch his hair and smell it, and when you see that I have got hold of his head, strip him. I will let you smell his head." Ka`b bin Al-Ashraf came down to them wrapped in his clothes, ...