"I accompanied the Prophet (SAW) on a journey. One day I was near him while we were moving so I said: 'O Messenger of Allah! Inform me about an action by which I will be admitted into Paradise, and which will keep me far from the Fire.' He said: 'You have asked me about something great, but it is easy for whomever Allah makes it easy: Worship Allah and do not associate any partners with Him, establish the Salat, give the Zakat, fast Ramadan and perform Hajj to the HOuse.' Then he said: 'Shall I not guide you to the doors of good? Fasting is a shield, and charity extinguishes sins like water extinguishes fire - and a man's praying in depths of the night.'" He said: "Then he recited: 'Their sides forsake their beds to call upon their Lord.' Until he reached: 'What they used to do.' [32:16-17] Then he said: 'Shall I not inform you about the head of the entire matter, and its pillar, and its hump?' I said: 'Of course O Messenger of Allah! He said: 'The head of the matter is Islam, and its pillar is the Salat, and its hump is Jihad.' Then he said: 'Shall I not inform you about what governs all of that?' I said: 'Of course O Messenger of Allah!'" He (SAW) said: "So he grabbed his tongue. He said 'Restrain this.' I said: 'O Prophet of Allah! Will we be taken to account for what we say?' He said: 'May your mother grieve your loss O Mu'adh! Are the people tossed into the Fire upon their faces, or upon their noses, except because of what their tongues have wrought'"

The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) visited Sa'd bin 'Ubadah during his illness. He was accompanied by 'Abdur-Rahman bin 'Auf, Sa'd bin Abu Waqqas and 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud (May Allah be pleased with them). When they entered his house, they found him unconscious. The Messenger of Allah asked, "Has he died?" They replied: "No, O Messenger of Allah." Hearing this the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) began to weep. When his Companions saw this, they also began to weep too. He said, "Listen attentively: Allah does not punish for the shedding of tears or the grief of the heart, but takes to task or show mercy because of the utterances of this (and he pointed to his tongue)."

[Al- Bukhari and Muslim].

A man came to the Messenger of Allah (saws) and said: Teach me to read the Qur'an, Messenger of Allah.

He said: Read three surahs which begin with A.L.R. He said: My age is advanced, my mind has become dull (i.e. memory has grown weak), and my tongue has grown heavy). So he said: Then read three surahs which begin with H.M. He repeated the same words. So he said: Read three surahs which begin with the "Glorification of Allah". But he repeated the same excuse. The man then said: Teach me a comprehensive surah, Messenger of Allah. The Prophet (saws) taught him Surah (99). "When the Earth is shaken with her earthquake". When he finished it, the man said: By Him Who sent you with truth, I shall never add anything to it. Then man then went away.

The Prophet (saws) said twice: The man received salvation.

To Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth and whether you disclose that which is in your mind or conceal it, Allah will call you to account according to it. Then He forgives whom He pleases and chastises whom He Pleases; and Allah is over everything Potent" (ii. 284). the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) felt it hard and severe and they came to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) and sat down on their knees and said: Messenger of Allah, we were assigned some duties which were within our power to perform, such as prayer, fasting, struggling (in the cause of Allah), charity. Then this (the above-mentioned) verse was revealed unto you and it is beyond our power to live up to it. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Do you intend to say what the people of two books (Jews and Christians) said before you:" We hear and disobey"? You should rather say:" We hear and we obey, (we seek) Thy forgiveness, our Lord! and unto Thee is the return." And they said:" We hear and we obey, (we seek) Thy forgiveness, Our Lord! and unto Thee is the return." When the people recited it and it smoothly flowed on their tongues, then Allah revealed immediately afterwards:" The Apostle believes in that which is sent down unto him from his Lord, and so do the believers. Each one believes in Allah and His Angels and His Books and His Apostles, saying: We differentiate not between any of His Apostles and they say: We hearken and we obey: (we seek) Thy forgiveness, our Lord! and unto Thee is the return" (ii. 285). When they did that, Allah abrogated this (verse) and the Great, Majestic Allah revealed:" Allah burdens not a soul beyond its capacity. It gets every good that it earns and it suffers every ill that it earns. Our Lord, punish us not if we forget or make a mistake." (The Prophet said: ) Yes, our Lord! do not lay on us a burden as Thou didst lay on those before us. (The Prophet said: ) Yes, our Lord, impose not on us (burdens) which we have not the strength to bear (The Prophet said: ) Yes, and pardon us and grant us protection! and have mercy on us. Thou art our Patron, so grant us victory over the disbelieving people" (ii. 286). He (the Lord) said: Yes.

I heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) say, “Whosoever of you sees an evil, let him change it with his hand; and if he is not able to do so, then [let him change it] with his tongue; and if he is not able to do so, then with his heart — and that is the weakest of faith.” [Muslim]

The tradition mentioned above (No. 4243) has also been transmitted by Ibn Mas'ud through a different chain of narrators.

Ibn Mas'ud said: I heard the Prophet (saws) say: He then mentioned a portion of the tradition narrated by AbuBakrah (No. 4243).

This version adds: He (the Prophet) said: All their slain will go to Hell. I (Wabisah) asked: When will this happen Ibn Mas'ud?

He replied: This is the period of turmoil (harj) when a man will not be safe from his associates.

I asked: What do you command me (to do) if I happen to live during that period? He replied: You should restrain your tongue and hand and stay at home.

When Uthman was slain, I recollected this tradition. I then rode (on a camel) and came to Damascus. There I met Khuraym ibn Fatik and mentioned this tradition to him. He swore by Allah, there was no god but He, he had heard it from the Messenger of Allah (saws), as Ibn Mas'ud transmitted it to me (Wabisah).

I asked the Messenger of Allah (PBUH): "Inform me of an act which will cause me to enter Jannah and keep me far from Hell." He (PBUH) replied, "You have asked me about a matter of great importance, but it is easy for one for whom Allah makes it easy." He added, "Worship Allah, associate nothing with Him in worship, offer As-Salat (the prayer), pay the Zakat, observe Saum (fasting) during Ramadan and perform Hajj (pilgrimage) to the House of Allah, if you can afford it." He (PBUH) further said, "Shall I not guide you to the gates of goodness? Fasting is a screen (from Hell), charity extinguishes (i.e., removes) the sins as water extinguishes fire, and standing in prayers by a slave of Allah during the last third part of the night." Then he recited: "Their sides forsake their beds, to invoke their Rabb in fear and hope, and they spend (in charity in Allah's Cause) out of what We have bestowed on them. No person knows what is kept hidden for them of joy as a reward for what they used to do." (32:16-17) Then he added, "Shall I tell you of the root of the matter, its pillar and its highest point?" I replied: "Yes! Certainly, O Prophet of Allah." He said, "The root of this matter (foundation) is Islam, its pillar (mainstay is) As-Salat (the prayer) and its highest point is Jihad (fighting in the Cause of Allah)." Then he asked, "Shall I tell you of that which holds all these things?" I said: "Yes, O Messenger of Allah." So he took hold of his tongue and said, "Keep this in control." I asked: "O Messenger of Allah! Shall we really be accounted for what we talk about?" He replied, "May your mother lose you! People will be thrown on their faces into the Hell on account of their tongues."

Al-Bara’ b. ‘Azib told of a desert Arab who came to the Prophet and said, "Teach me an action which will bring me into paradise.” He replied, "You have asked a large question in few words. Emancipate, a man and set free a slave." He asked if the two were not the same thing, and he replied, "No; emancipating a man is doing it by yourself, and setting free a slave is contributing towards his price. You must also lend for milking a she-camel which has much milk and be well disposed towards a relative who does wrong. If you cannot do that, feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, recommend what is reputable and forbid what is disreputable. And if you cannot do that, restrain your tongue from everything but what is good.” Baihaqi transmitted it in Shu'ab al-iman.

I came to Medina and asked God to grant me a good companion to sit with and He granted me Abu Huraira. I sat with him and told him I had asked God to grant me a good companion to sit with and that he suited me. He asked where I came from and I replied that I belonged to al-kafa and had come desiring and seeking good. He then said, "Do you not have among you Sa'd b. Malik whose prayers are answered, Ibn Mas'ud who looked after God's messenger's water for ablution and his sandals, Hudhaifa who was God's messenger's confidant, `Ammar to whom God gave protection from the devil at the tongue of His Prophet, and Salman who was a believer in the two Books?" meaning the Injil and the Quran. Tirmidhi transmitted it.

I observed prayer with Abu Musa al-Ash`ari and when he was in the qa`dah, one among the people said: The prayer has been made obligatory along with piety and Zakat. He (the narrator) said: When Abu Musa had finished the prayer after salutation he turned (towards the people) and said: Who amongst you said such and such a thing? A hush fell on the people. He again said: Who amongst you has said such and such a thing? A hush fell on the people. He (Abu Musa) said: Hattan, it is perhaps you that have uttered it. He (Hattan) said No. I have not uttered it. I was afraid that you might be annoyed with me on account of this. A person amongst the people said: It was I who said it, and in this I intended nothing but good. Abu Musa said: Don't you know what you have to recite in your prayers? Verily the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) addressed us and explained to us all its aspects and taught us how to observe prayer (properly). He (the Holy Prophet) said: When you pray make your rows straight and let anyone amongst you act as your Imam. Recite the takbir when he recites it and when he recites: Not of those with whom Thou art angry, nor of those who go astray, say: Amin. Allah would respond you. And when he (the Imam) recites the takbir, you may also recite the takbir, for the Imam bows before you and raises himself before you. Then the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: The one is equivalent to the other. And when he says: Allah listens to him who praises Him, you should say: O Allah, our Lord, to Thee be the praise, for Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, has vouchsafed (us) through the tongue of His Apostle (may peace be upon him) that Allah listens to him who praises Him. And when he (the Imam) recites the takbir and prostrates, you should also recite the takbir and prostrate, for the Imam prostrates before you and raises himself before you. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: The one is equivalent to the other. And when he (the Imam) sits for Qa`da (for tashahhud) the first words of every one amongst you should be: All services rendered by words, acts of worship and all good things are due to Allah. Peace be upon you, O Apostle, and Allah's mercy and blessings. Peace be upon us and upon the upright servants of Allah. I testify that there is no god but Allah, and I testify that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger.

Hittan ibn Abdullah ar-Ruqashi said: AbuMusa al-Ash'ari led us in prayer.

When he sat at the end of his prayer, one of the people said: Prayer has been established by virtue and purity.

When AbuMusa returned (from his prayer or finished his prayer), he gave his attention to the people, and said: Which of you is the speaker of such and such words? The people remained silent. Which of you is the speaker of such and such words? The people remained silent. He said: You might have said them, Hittan. He replied: I did not say them. I was afraid you might punish me. One of the people said: I said them and I did not intend by them (anything) except good.

AbuMusa said: Do you not know how you utter (them) in your prayer? The Messenger of Allah (saws) addressed us, and taught us and explained to us our way of doing and taught us our prayer.

He said: When you pray a (congregational) prayer, straighten your rows, then one of you should lead you in prayer. When he says the takbir (Allah is Most Great), say the takbir, and when he recites verses "Not of those upon whom is Thy anger, nor of those who err" (i.e. the end of Surah i.), say Amin; Allah will favour you. When he says "Allah is most great," and bows, say "Allah is most great" and bow, for the imam will bow before you, and will raise (his head) before you.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: This is for that. When he says "Allah listens to the one who praises Him," say: "O Allah, our Lord, to Thee be praise, Allah be praised," Allah will listen to you, for Allah, the Exalted, said by the tongue of His Prophet (saws): "Allah listens to the one who praises Him." When he says "Allah is most great" and prostrates, say: "Allah is most great" and prostrate, for the imam prostrates before you and raises his head before you.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: This is for that. When he sits, each one of you should say "The adorations of the tongue, all good things, and acts of worship are due to Allah. Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and Allah's mercy and His blessings. Peace be upon us and upon Allah's upright servants. I testify that there is no god but Allah, and I testify that Muhammad is His servant and Apostle."

This version of Ahmad does not mention the words "and His blessings" nor the phrase "and I testify"; instead, it has the words "that Muhammad."

"I came to Al-Madinah, so I asked Allah to make it easy for me to sit with one who is righteous. He made Abu Hurairah accessible to me, so I sat with him and said to him: 'Indeed, I asked Allah to make it easy for me to sit with one who is righteous, and it is to you that I was guided.' So he said to me: 'From where are you?' I said: 'From the people of Al-Kufah, I came to search out good and to seek it.' So he said: 'Is there not among you Sa'd bin Malik whose supplication is answered, Ibn Mas'ud, the one who used to carry the water for purification and the sandals of the Messenger of Allah (SAW), and Hudhaifah, the keeper of the secrets of the Messenger of Allah (SAW), and 'Ammar whom Allah has guarded from Shaitan upon the tongue of His Prophet, and Salman the companion of the Two Books?'"

Abu Huraira reported God’s messenger as saying, “If anyone applies collyrium he should do it an odd number of times. If one does so he has done well, but if not, there is no harm. If anyone cleanses himself with stones he should make use of an odd number. If one does so he has done well, but if not, there is no harm. If anyone eats he should throw away what he removes with a toothpick and swallow what he removes with his tongue. If one does so he has done well, but if not, there is no harm. If one goes to relieve himself he should conceal himself, and if all he can do is to collect a heap of sand he should sit with his back to it, for the devil makes sport with the posteriors of the children of Adam. If one does so he has done well, but if not, there is no harm.” Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah and Darimi transmitted it.

‘Abdallāh b. ‘Amr told of a man coming to the Prophet and asking him to teach him to recite. On being told to recite three of the sūras with A. L. R (Qur’ān, 10, 11, 12, 14, and 15) he replied, “I am old, my heart has difficulty in remem­bering, and my tongue is sluggish.” When told that in that case he should recite three with Hā’ Mīm (Qur’ān, 40 to 46) he gave the same reply and then asked God’s messenger to teach him to recite a comprehensive sūra. He taught him to recite “When is shaken” (Qur’ān, 99) up to the end, and the man said, “I swear by Him who has sent you with the truth that I shall never recite more than that.” Then when the man turned away God's messenger said twice, “The little man has come into a state of felicity.” Ahmad and Abū Dāwūd transmitted it.

Ibn ‘Abbas told that the Prophet used to say when making supplication, "My Lord, help me and do not give help against me; grant me victory and do not grant victory over me; plan on my behalf and do not plan against me; guide me and make right guidance easy for me; grant me victory over those who act wrongfully towards me. My Lord, make me grateful to Thee, mindful of Thee, full of fear towards Thee, devoted to Thy obedience, humble before Thee, earnest in supplication, and penitent. My Lord, accept my repentance, wash away my sin, answer my supplication, clearly establish my evidence, make true my tongue, guide my heart, and draw out the malice in my breast.” Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah transmitted it.

When we prayed with the Prophet we said,* “Peace be to God before it is supplicated for His servants; peace be to Gabriel; peace be to Michael; peace be to so and so.” When the Prophet finished he turned his face to us and said: Do not say, “Peace be to God”, for God Himself is Peace. When one of you sits during the prayer he should say, “The adorations of the tongue, acts of worship and all good things are due to God. Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and God’s mercy and blessings. Peace be upon us and upon God’s upright servants (for when he says that it reaches every upright servant in heaven and earth). I testify that there is no god but God, and I testify that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.” Then he may choose any supplication which pleases him and offer it. * I.e. at the tashahhud. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

The Prophet said: "Whoever uses stones to clean himself, let him use an odd number of stones. Whoever does that has done well, and whoever does not, there is no harm in it. Whoever uses a tooth stick should spit out (whatever he removes) and whoever removes (the particle of food) by dislodging it with his tongue should swallow it. Whoever does that has done well, and whoever does not, tere is no harm in it. Whoever goes to the toilet should conceal himself, and if he cannot find anything except a pile of sand (behind which to conceal himself), then he should use that, for the Shaitan plays with the backside of the son of Adam. Whoever does that has done well, and whoever does not, there is no harm in it."

'Abdullah ibn 'Amr reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "If a Muslim man persists in two actions, he will enter the Garden. They are easy, but those who do them are few.' He was asked, 'What are they, may Allah bless him and grant him peace?' He said, 'That you say "Allahu akbar" ten times, "al-hamdu lillah" ten times, and "Subhana'llah" ten times after every prayer. That is 150 on the tongue and 1500 in the balance.' I saw the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, counting them with his hand. Then he said, 'When you go to bed, you should say, "Subhana'llah", "al-hamdu lillah", and "Allahu akbar". That is 100 on the tongue and 1000 in the balance. Who among you can do 2500 bad actions morning and night?' He was asked, 'Messenger of Allah, how is it that they are not counted?' He said, 'Shaytan comes to one of you while he is praying and reminds him of something he has to do such-and-such and such-and-such, so he does not remember to do it.'"

“Marwan brought out the pulpit on the day of ‘Eid, and he started with the sermon before the prayer. A man said: ‘O Marwan, you have gone against the Sunnah. You have brought out the pulpit on this day, and it was not brought out before, and you have started with the sermon before the prayer, and this was not done before.’ Abu Sa’eed said: ‘As for this man, he has done his duty. I heard the Messenger of Allah (saw) say: ‘Whoever among you sees an evil action and can change it with his hand (by taking action), let him change it with his hand. If he cannot do that, then with his tongue (by speaking out); and if he cannot do that, then with his heart (by hating it and feeling that it is wrong), and that is the weakest of faith.’”

‘Abdallah b. ‘Amr b. al-‘As reported God’s messenger as saying there are two characteristics which will not be retained by any Muslim without his entering paradise. While they are easy, those who act upon them are few. One should say ‘Glory be to God’ ten times after every prayer, ‘Praise be to God’ ten times and ‘God is most great’ ten times. (He said he had seen God’s messenger counting them on his hand, and saying, “That is a hundred and fifty on the tongue, but one thousand five hundred in the scale”).[The three phrases each said ten times after the five times of prayer makes a hundred and fifty, and as a good deed gets a ten-fold reward the total is treated as one thousand five hundred.] When he goes to his bed he should say ‘Glory be to God,’ ‘God is most Great’ and ‘Praise be to God’ a hundred times, for that is a hundred on the tongue, but a thousand in the scale. He asked them which of them could commit two thousand five hundred sins in a day and a night.* He was asked how they could not retain these characteristics, and told them that the devil comes to a man while he is engaged in prayer, calling such and such and such and such to his memory until he turns away and perhaps may not do it. He also comes to him on his bed and keeps on making him sleep till he falls asleep. *The thousand plus the preceding fifteen hundred make two thousand five hundred good deeds with which the man who observes the two characteristics mentioned is credited, and as one could hardly commit as many sins in a day and a night there is a balance in his favour. Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud and Nasa’i transmitted it. In Abu Dawud's version he said, “Two qualities or two characteristics will not be adhered to by a Muslim ...” And also in his version after saying “One thousand five hundred in the scale” he said, “When he goes to his bed he should say ‘God is most great’ thirty-four times, ‘Praise be to God’ thirty-three times and ‘Glory be to God’ thirty-three times.” In most texts of al-Masabih it is given on the authority of ‘Abdallah b. ‘Umar.

the Messenger of Allah wrote a letter to the people of Yemen, included in which were the rules of inheritance, the sunan and the (rules concerning) blood money. He sent it with 'Arm bin Hazm and it was read to the people of Yemen, Its contents were as follows: "From Muhammad the Prophet to Shurahbil bin 'Abd Kulal, Nu'aim bin 'Abd Kulal, Al-Harith bin' Abd Kulal, Qail dhil-Ru'ain, Mu'afir and Hamdan. To precede" - And in this letter it said that whoevewrkills a believer for no just reason is to be killed in return, unless the heirs of the victim agree to pardon him. For killing a person, the Diyah is one hundred camels. For the nose, if it is cut off completely, diyah must be paid, for the tongue, diyah must be paid; for the lips, Diyah must be paid; for the testicles, Diyah must be paid; for the ends, Diyah must be paid; for the backbone, Dynamist be paid; for the eyes, Diyah must be paid; for one leg, half the Diyah must be paid; for a blow to the head that reaches the brain, one-third of thediyah must be paid; for a stab wound that penetrates deeply into the body, one-third of the diyah must be paid; for a blow that breaks the bone, fifteen camels must be given; for every digit of the hands or feet, ten camels must be given; for a tooth five camels must be given; for an injury that exposes the bone, five camels must be given. A man may be killed in return for (killing) a woman and those who deal in gold must pay one thousand dinars. (Daif)

Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "The first defect (in religion) which affected the Children of Israel in the way that man would meet another and say to him: 'Fear Allah and abstain from what you are doing, for this is not lawful for you.' Then he would meet him the next day and find no change in him, but this would not prevent him from eating with him, drinking with him and sitting in his assemblies. When it came to this, Allah led their hearts into evil ways on account of their association with others." Then he (PBUH) recited, "Those among the Children of Israel who disbelieved were cursed by the tongue of Dawud (David) and 'Isa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary). That was because they disobeyed (Allah and the Messengers) and were ever transgressing beyond bounds. They used not to forbid one another from the Munkar (wrong, evildoing, sins, polytheism, disbelief) which they committed. Vile indeed was what they used to do. You see many of them taking the disbelievers as their Auliya' (protectors and helpers). Evil indeed is that which their own selves have sent forward before them; for that (reason) Allah's wrath fell upon them and in torment will they abide. And had they believed in Allah and in the Prophet (Muhammad (PBUH)) and in what has been revealed to him, never would they have taken them (the disbelievers) as Auliya' (protectors and helpers); but many of them are the Fasiqun (rebellious, disobedient to Allah)." (5:78-81)

Then he (PBUH) continued: "Nay, by Allah, you either enjoin good and forbid evil and catch hold of the hand of the oppressor and persuade him to act justly and stick to the truth, or, Allah will involve the hearts of some of you with the hearts of others and will curse you as He had cursed them".

[Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi, who categorized it as Hadith Hasan].

The wording in At-Tirmidhi is: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "When the Children of Israel became sinful, their learned men prohibited them but they would not turn back. Yet, the learned men associated with them and ate and drank with them. So, they were cursed at the tongues of Dawud and 'Isa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), because they were disobedient and were given to transgression." At this stage Messenger of Allah (PBUH) who was reclining on a pillow sat up and said, "No, By Him in Whose Hand my soul is, there is no escape for you but you persuade them to act justly."

"The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: 'When the Children of Isra'il fell into decline, a man among them would see his brother committing a sin, and prohibit them from it. The next day, what he saw him doing would not prevent him from eating with him, drinking with him, and associating with him. So Allah pitted their hearts against each other, and He revealed about them in the Qur'an, He said: Those among the Children of Isra'il who disbelieved were cursed by the tongue of Dawud and 'Eisa, son of Mariam. That was because they disobeyed and were ever transgressing.' And he recited until he reached: 'And had they believed in Allah, and in the Prophet, and in what has been revealed to him, never would they have taken them as friends; but many of them are rebellious (5:78-81).' He said: "And Allah's Prophet (SAW) was reclining, so he sat up and said: 'No! Not until you take the hand of the wrong-doer and incline him toward the truth.'"

"In the creation of the heavens and earth" [3:190] to the end of the surah. Then he stood up and prayed two rak'ahs in which he prolonged the standing, bowing, and prostrations. He then uttered turned away and slept till he bagan to snore. This he did three times. This made six rak'ahs in all. He would use tooth-stick, then perform ablution, and recite those verses. He then observed the witr prayer. The version of 'Uthman has: with three rak'ahs. The mu'adhdhin then came to him and he went out for prayer. The version of Ibn 'Isa adds: He then observed witr prayer ; then Bilal came to him and called him for prayer when the dawn broke. He then prayed the two rak'ahs of the dawn prayer. He then went out for prayer. Then both the narrators were agreed: He beagan to supplicate saying: O Allah, place light in my heart, light in my tongue, light in my hearing, light in my eyesight, light on my right hand, light on my left hand, light in front of me, light behing me, light below me, O Allah, give me abundant light.

Abu'l-'Anbas said, "I visited 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr at al-Waht (some land of his in Ta'if). He said, 'The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, pointed his finger towards us and said, "Kinship (rahim) us derived from the All-Merciful (Rahman). When someone maintains the connections of ties of kinship, they maintain connection with him. If someone cuts them off, they cut him off. They will have an unfettered, eloquent tongue on the Day of Rising."'"

I came to God's messenger and asked, “Who is associated with you in this matter, messenger of God?” He replied, “Both freeman and slave.” I asked what Islam was and he said, I “Pleasant speech and the provision of food.” I asked what faith was and he said, “Endurance and benevolence.” I asked what aspect of Islam was most excellent, and he replied that it was to be seen in him from whose tongue and hand the Muslims were safe. I asked what aspect of faith was most excellent, and he replied that it was a good disposition. I asked what feature of prayer was most excellent, and he replied that it consisted in standing for a long time in [silent] humility. I asked him what aspect of emigration (hijra) was most excellent, and he replied, “Abandoning (an tahjura) what your Lord abhors.” I asked what aspect of jihad was most excellent, and he replied that it was when a man’s steed was wounded and his blood was shed. I asked him which hour was most excellent, and he replied that it was towards the end of the darkest part of the night. Ahmad transmitted it.

“When God decrees a matter in heaven the angels move their wings in submission to His word which is like a chain on a smooth stone. Then when their hearts are delivered from fear they say, ‘What did your Lord say?’ and receive the reply, ‘That which He said is the truth and He is the Most High and the Most Great.’ Then those who listen by stealth hear it, and they are thus, some above others (Sufyan* illustrating it with the palm of his hand, turning it and separating the fingers). Then one hears the word and passes it on to the one who is below him and the other passes it on to the one who is below him, and so on till one passes it on the tongue of the magician or the kahin. Often a flame catches him before he passes it on,** but often he passes it on before it catches him, and he tells a hundred lies along with it. People ask whether he did not say such and such on such and such a day, and he is believed because of that word which was heard from heaven." Bukhari transmitted it. * i.e, Sufyan b. ‘Uyaina through whom the tradition was transmitted. ** Cf. Qur’an, 15: 18

"The Messenger of Allah (SAW) addressed us and taught us our Sunnahs and our prayer. He said: 'Make your rows straight, then let one of you lead the others. When he says the takbir, then say the takbir; when he says: "Wa lad-dallin" then say "Amin" and Allah (SWT) will answer you. When the Imam says the takbir and bows, then say the takbir and bow, for the Imam bows before you and stands up before you.' The Prophet of Allah (SAW) said: 'This makes up for that. When he says: 'Sami Allahu liman hamidah (Allah hears the one who praises Him), say: "Rabbana wa lakal-hamd (Our Lord, to You be praise)," Allah (SWT) will hear you, for indeed Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, has said on the tongue of His Prophet (SAW): "Allah hears the one who praises Him." Then when the Imam says the takbir and prostrates, say the takbir and prostrate, for the Imam prostrates before you and rises before you.' The Prophet of Allah (SAW) said: 'This makes up for that. Then when you are sitting, let the first thing that any one of you says be: At-tahiyyatu lillahi was-salawatu wat-tayyibat, as-salamu 'alaika ayyuhan-Nabiyyu wa rahmatAllahi wa baraktuhu. As-salamu 'alaina wa 'ala 'ibad illahis-salihin, ashahdu an la illaha ill-Allah wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan 'abduhu wa rasuluhu (Allah compliments, prayers and pure words are due to Allah. Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and the mercy of Allah (SWT) and his blessings. Peace be upon us and upon the righteous slaves of Allah (SWT). I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger)."

"The Messenger of Allah (SAW) addressed us and taught us our Sunnahs and our prayer. He said: 'When you stand for the prayer, make your rows straight, then let one of you lead the others. When he says the takbir, then say the takbir; when he says : "Wa lad-dallin" then say "Amin" and Allah (SWT) will answer you. Then when he says the takbir and bows, then say the takbir and bow, for the Imam bows before you and stands up before you.' The Prophet of Allah (SAW) said: "This makes up for that. When he says: 'Sami' Allahu liman hamidah (Allah hears the one who praises Him),' say: 'Allahumma, Rabbana wa lakal-hamd (O Allah, our Lord, to You be praise),' Allah will hear you, for indeed Allah (SWT), the Mighty and Sublime, has said on the tongue of His Prophet: "Allah hears the one who praises Him." Then when he says the takbir and prostrates, say the takbir and prostrate, for the Imam prostrates before you and rises before you.' The Prophet of Allah (SAW) said: 'This makes up for that. Then when you are sitting, let the following be among what one of you says: At-tahiyyatu lillahi wasalawatu wat-tayibaat, as-salamu 'alaika ayah-Nabiyyu wa rahmatAllahi wa baraktuhu. As-salamu 'alaina a 'ala ibad illahis-salihin, ashadu an la ilaha ill Allah, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan 'abduhu wa rasuluhu. (All compliments, prayers and pure words are due to Allah. Peace be upon you O Prophet, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. Peace be upon us and upon the righteous slaves of Allah. I bear witness that that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and messenger.)"

Abu Hurayra said, "The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was asked, 'Messenger of Allah! A certain woman prays in the night, fasts in the day, acts and gives sadaqa, but injures her neighbours with her tongue.' The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'There is no good in her. She is one of the people of the Fire.' They said, 'Another woman prays the prescribed prayers and gives bits of curd as sadaqa and does not injure anyone.' The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'She is one of the people of the Garden.'"

from Anas who said: "Hudhaifah bin Al-Yaman came to 'Uthman, at the time when the people of Ash-Sham and the people of Al-'Iraq were waging war to conquer Arminiyah and Adharbijan. Hudhaifah saw their (the people of Ash-Sham and Al-'Iraq) different forms of recitation of the Qur'an. So he said to 'Uthman: 'O Commander of the Believers! Save this nation before they differ about the Book as the Jews and the Christians did before them.' So he ('Uthman) sent a message to Hafsah (saying): 'Send us the manuscripts so that we may copy them in the Musahif (plural of Mushaf: a written copy of the Qur'an) then we shall return it to you.' So Hafsah sent the manuscripts to 'Uthman bin 'Affan. 'Uthman then sent order for Zaid bin Thabit, Sa'eed bin Al-'As, 'Abdur-Rahman bin Al-Harith bin Hisham, and 'Abdullah bin Az-Zubair to copy the manuscripts in the Musahif. 'Uthman said to the three Quraish men: 'In case you disagree with Zaid bin Thabit on any point in the (recitation dialect of the) Qur'an, then write it in the dialect of Quraish for it was in their tongue.' So when they had copied the manuscripts, 'Uthman sent one Mushaf from those Musahif that they had copied to every province." Az-Zuhri said: "Kharijah bin Zaid [bin Thabit] narrated to me that Zaid bin Thabit said: 'I missed an Ayah of Surat Al-Ahzab that I heard the Messenger of Allah (SAW) reciting: Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah, of them some have fulfilled their obligations, and some of them are still waiting (33:23) - so I searched for it and found it with Khuzaimah bin Thabit, or Abu Khuzaimah, so I put it in its Surah.'" Az-Zuhri said: "They differed then with At-Tabut and At-Tabuh. The Quraish said: At-Tabut while Zaid said: At-Tabuh. Their disagreement was brought to 'Uthman, so he said: 'Write it as At-Tabut, for it was revealed in the tongue of the Quraish.'" Az-Zuhri said: "'Ubaidullah bin 'Abdullah bin 'Utbah informed me that 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud disliked Zaid bin Thabit copying the Musahif, and he said: 'O you Muslim people! I am removed from recording the transcription of the Mushaf and it is overseen by a man, by Allah, when I accepted Islam he was but in the loins of a disbelieving man' - meaning Zaid bin Thabit - and it was regarding this that 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud said: 'O people of Al-'Iraq! Keep the Musahif that are with you, and conceal them. For indeed Allah said: And whoever conceals something, he shall come with what he concealed on the Day of Judgement (3:161). So meet Allah with the Musahif.'" Az-Zuhri said: "It was conveyed to me that some men amongst the most virtuous of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (SAW) disliked that view of Ibn Mas'ud."

God most high gave Muhammad superiority over the prophets and the inhabitants of heaven. On being asked, "In what respect, Abu 'Abbas[1], has God given him superiority over the inhabitants of heaven?'' he replied that God most high said to the inhabitants of heaven, "If any of them says, `I am a god apart from Him,' We shall recompense that one with jahannam. Thus we recompense the evildoers."[2] And God most high said to Muhammad, "We have certainly given you a clear victory, that God may forgive you your former and latter sins[3]." He was asked the nature of his superiority over the prophets and replied that God most high said, "We have sent no messenger who, did not use the tongue of his people to make matters clear to them; then God leads astray those whom He will...[4]" And God most high said to Muhammad, "We have sent you only to all mankind[5]." Then He sent him to jinn and men. This is the kunya of 'Abdallah b. al-'Abbas. Quran; 21:29 Quran; 48:1 f. Quran; 14:4 Quran; 34:28 (Darimi).

Sahl ibn AbuUmamah said that he and his father (AbuUmamah) visited Anas ibn Malik at Medina during the time (rule) of Umar ibn AbdulAziz when he (Anas ibn Malik) was the governor of Medina. He was praying a very short prayer as if it were the prayer of a traveller or near it.

When he gave a greeting, my father said: May Allah have mercy on you! Tell me about this prayer: Is it obligatory or supererogatory?

He said: It is obligatory; it is the prayer performed by the Messenger of Allah (saws). I did not make a mistake except in one thing that I forgot.

He said: The Messenger of Allah (saws) used to say: Do not impose austerities on yourselves so that austerities will be imposed on you, for people have imposed austerities on themselves and Allah imposed austerities on them. Their survivors are to be found in cells and monasteries. (Then he quoted:) "Monasticism, they invented it; we did not prescribe it for them."

Next day he went out in the morning and said: will you not go out for a ride, so that you may see something and take a lesson from it?

He said: Yes. Then all of them rode away and reached a land whose inhabitants had perished, passed away and died. The roofs of the town had fallen in.

He asked: Do you know this land? I said: Who acquainted me with it and its inhabitants? (Anas said:) This is the land of the people whom oppression and envy destroyed. Envy extinguishes the light of good deeds, and oppression confirms or falsifies it. The eye commits fornication, and the palm of the hand, the foot, body, tongue and private part of the body confirm it or deny it.

Messenger of Allah (PBUH) sent us in an expedition under the command of Abu 'Ubaidah (May Allah be pleased with him) to intercept a caravan of the Quraish. He provided us with a bag of dates, apart from which he found nothing for us. Abu 'Ubaidah (May Allah be pleased with him) gave each of us one date (every day). He (the narrator) was asked: "What did you do with that?" He said: We sucked that just like a baby and then drank water over that, and it was sufficient for us for the day until night. We beat off leaves with the help of our sticks, then drenched them with water and ate them. We then went to the seaside, when there appeared before us something like a big mound. We came near it and we found that it was a beast called Al-Anbar. Abu 'Ubaidah (May Allah be pleased with him) said: "It is dead (so it useless for us)." He then said: "No (but it does not matter), we have been sent by Messenger of Allah (PBUH) in the way of Allah and you are hard-pressed (on account of the scarcity of food), so you can eat that." We, three hundred in number, stayed there for a month until we fattened up (having plenty to eat of that fish). He (Jabir) said: I saw how we extracted pitcher after pitcher full of fat from the cavity of its eye, and sliced from it compact piece of meat equal to a bull or almost like a bull. Abu 'Ubaidah (May Allah be pleased with him) called thirteen men from us and he made them sit in the cavity of its eye, and he held one of its ribs and raised it erect and then saddled the biggest of the camels we had with us and it passed through it (the arched rib), and we carried large pieces of meat for use in our journey. When we came back to Al-Madinah we went to Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and told him about that, whereupon he said, "That was a sustenance Allah had brought forth for you. Do you have any piece of meat left with you, for us to eat." Jabir (May Allah be pleased with him) said: We sent to Messenger of Allah (PBUH) some of that (meat) and he ate it.

[Muslim].

“When the Children of Isral became deficient in religious commitment, a man would see his brother committing sin and would tell him not to do it, but the next day, what he had seen him do did not prevent him from eating or drinking with him, or mixing with him. So Allah made the hearts of those who did not commit sin like the hearts of those who did, and He revealed Qur’an concerning them and said: “Those among the Children of Israel who disbelieved were cursed by the tongue of David and ‘Eisa, son of Maryam” until he reached: “And had they believed in Allah, and in the Prophet and in what has been revealed to him, never would they have taken them (the disbelievers) as their friends; but many of them are disobedient (to Allah).”[5:78-81] The Messenger of Allah (SAW) sat up and said: "No, not until they take the hand of the wrongdoer (i.e. restrain him] and force him to follow the right way."

Yahya related to me from Malik that he asked Ibn Shihab about the one-eyed man who gouged out the eye of a healthy person. Ibn Shihab said, "If the healthy person wants to take retaliation from him, he can have his retaliation. If he prefers, he has blood-money of one thousand dinars, twelve thousand dirhams."

Yahya related to me from Malik that he heard that full blood- money was payable for both of a pair of anything in a man that occurred in pairs, and the tongue had full blood-money. The ears, when their hearing departed, had full blood-money, whether or not they were cut off, and a man's penis had full blood-money and the testicles had full blood-money.

Yahya related to me from Malik that he heard that the breasts of a woman had full blood-money.

Malik said, "The least of that are the eyebrows and a man's breasts."

Malik said, "What is done in our community when a man is injured in his extremities to an extent that obliges payment of more than the amount of his full blood-money, is that it is his right. If his hands, feet, and eyes are all injured, he has three full blood-moneys."

Malik said about the sound eye of a one-eyed man when it is accidentally gouged out, "The full blood-money is payable for it."

“The Prophet (saws) used to supplicate, saying: “My Lord, aid me and do not aid against me, and grant me victory and do not grant victory over me, plot for me and do not plot against me, guide me and facilitate guidance for me, grant me victory over those who transgress against me. My Lord, make me ever-grateful to You, ever-remembering of You, ever-fearful of You, ever-obedient to You, ever-humble to You, oft-turning and returning to You. My Lord, accept my repentance, wash my sin, answer my call, make firm my proof, make firm my tongue, guide my heart, and remove the treachery of my chest (Rabbi a`innī wa lā tu`in `alayya, wanṣurnī wa lā tanṣur `alayya, wamkur lī wa lā tamkur `alayya, wahdinī wa yassiril-huda lī, wanṣurnī `alā man baghā `alayya. Rabbij`alnī laka shakkāran, laka dhakkāran, laka rahhāban, laka miṭwā`an, laka mukhbitan, ilaika awwāhan munība. Rabbi taqabbal tawbatī, waghsil ḥawbatī, wa ajib da`watī, wa thabbit ḥujjatī, wa saddid lisānī, wahdi qalbī, waslul sakhīmata ṣadrī).”

Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "While a man was walking on his way he became extremely thirsty. He found a well, he went down into it to drink water. Upon leaving it, he saw a dog which was panting out of thirst. His tongue was lolling out and he was eating moist earth from extreme thirst. The man thought to himself: 'This dog is extremely thirsty as I was.' So he descended into the well, filled up his leather sock with water, and holding it in his teeth, climbed up and quenched the thirst of the dog. Allah appreciated his action and forgave his sins". The Companions asked: "Shall we be rewarded for showing kindness to the animals also?" He (PBUH) said, "A reward is given in connection with every living creature".

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

In the narration of Al-Bukhari, the Prophet (PBUH) is reported to have said: "Allah forgave him in appreciation of this act and admitted him to Jannah".

Another narration says: "Once a dog was going round the well and was about to die out of thirst. A prostitute of Banu Israel happened to see it. So she took off her leather sock and lowered it into the well. She drew out some water and gave the dog to drink. She was forgiven on account of her action".

I went to Damascus, and when I had prayed two rak'as I asked God to provide me with a good companion. I then came to some people and sat with them, and an old man came and sat down beside me. When I had asked who was he and was told that he was Abud Darda' I said, "I asked God to provide me with a good companion and He has provided me with you." He asked me who I was, and when I told him I belonged to al-Kufa he said, "Do you not have among you Ibn Umm `Abd who looked after the sandals, cushion and ablution i.e., vessel[1], and the one whom God protected from the devil at the tongue of his Prophet (meaning `Ammar[2])? And do you not have among you the one who was entrusted with the Prophet's secrets which no one but he knew" (meaning Hudhaifa[3])? 1. The suggestion lying behind the words is that one who was in close attendance on the Prophet must have had opportunities of becoming well-versed in fiqh. 2. 'Ammar b. Yasir, who was sent to Kufa by 'Umar in 21 A.H. The meaning is that the Prophet prayed God to protect him from the devil. 3. Hudhaifa b. al-Yaman. Bukhari transmitted it.

Al-Bara' said, "A bedouin came and said, 'Prophet of Allah! Teach me an action which will enable me to enter the Garden.' He said, "The question is a broad one, even though you have asked it in only a few words. Free someone. Set a slave free.' He said, 'Are they not the same thing?' 'No,' he replied, 'Freeing someone is setting someone free yourself. Setting a slave free is to contribute to the price of setting him free. Lend an animal for milking which has a lot of milk and treat your relatives kindly. If you cannot do that, then command the good and forbid the bad. If you cannot do that, then restrain your tongue from everything except what is good."

Ash-Sha'bi said, "A man came to 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr when there were some people sitting with him. He stepped over them in order to reach him. They stopped him and 'Abdullah said, 'Leave the man.' He approached until he sat with him and then said, 'Tell me something which you heard from the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.' 'Abdullah said, 'I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, "A Muslim is the one from whose tongue and hand the Muslims are safe. An emigrant (muhajir) is someone who abandons what Allah has forbidden."'"

“I accompanied Shaddad bin Aws [may Allah be pleased with him] on a journey, so he said: ‘Should I not teach you what the Messenger of Allah used to teach us? That you say: “O Allah, I ask You for steadfastness in the affair and I ask You for determination upon guidance, and I ask You to make me grateful for Your favor, and excellence in worshiping You, and I ask You for a truthful tongue and a sound heart, and I seek refuge in You from the evil of what You know, and I ask You for the good of what You know, and I seek Your forgiveness for that which You know. Verily, You are the Knower of all that is hidden (Allāhumma innī as’alukath-thabāta fil-amri, wa as’aluka `azīmatar-rushdi, wa as’aluka shukra ni`matika, wa ḥusna `ibādatika, wa as’aluka lisānan ṣādiqan wa qalban salīman, wa a`ūdhu bika min sharri mā ta`lamu, wa as’aluka min khairi mā ta`lamu, wa astaghfiruka mimmā ta`lamu innaka anta `allāmul-ghuyūb).’” He said: ‘The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: “There is no Muslim who lays down to sleep while reciting a Surat from Allah’s Book, except that Allah entrusts an angel, so that nothing approaches him to harm him until he awakens, whenever he awakens.”

"I passed by the Masjid when the people were absorbed in story-telling. So I entered upon 'Ali and said: 'O Commander of the believers! Do you not see the people are becoming engrossed in story-telling?' He said: 'They have been consumed with it?' I said: "Yes.' He said: 'As for me, I heard the Messenger of Allah (SAW) saying: "Indeed there comes a Fitnah" So I said: "What is the way out from it O Messenger of Allah?" He said: "Allah's book. In it is news for what happened before you, and information about what comes after you, and judgement for what happens between you. It is the Criterion (between right and wrong) without jest. Whoever among the oppressive abandons it, Allah crushes him, and whoever seeks guidance from other than it, then Allah leaves him to stray. It is the firm rope of Allah, it is the wise remembrance, it is the straight path, and it is the one that the desires can not distort, nor can the tongues twist it, nor can the scholars ever have enough of it, and it shall not become dull from reciting it much, and the amazement of it does not diminish. It is the one that when the Jinns hear it, they did not hesitate to say about it: 'Verily, we have heard a wonderful Recitation (this Qur'an)! 'It guides to the Right Path, and we have believed therein.' Whoever speaks according to it then he has said the truth, and whoever acts according to it he is rewarded, and whoever judges by it he has judged justly, and whoever invites to it then he guides to the straight path." Take this O A'war!'."

'O Allah, help me and do not help anyone against me. Devise for me and do not devise against me. Make guidance easy for me. Avert from me the one who attacks me. O Lord, make me grateful to You, remember You, fearful of You, obedient to You and humble to You, supplicating, penitent. Accept my repentance. Wash away my wrong actions and answer my supplication. Establish my proof and guide my heart. Make my tongue correct and make resentment flow out of my heart.'"

I was the leader of the delegation of Banu al-Muntafiq or (the narrator doubted) I was among the delegation of Banu al-Muntafiq that came to the Messenger of Allah (saws). When we reached the Prophet, we did not find him in his house. We found there Aisha, the Mother of the Believers. She ordered that a dish called Khazirah should be prepared for us. It was then prepared. A tray containing dates was then presented to us. (The narrator Qutaybah did not mention the word qina', tray).

Then the Messenger of Allah (saws) came. He asked: Has anything been served to you or ordered for you? We replied: Yes, Messenger of Allah. While we were sitting in the company of the Messenger of Allah (saws) we suddenly saw that a shepherd was driving a herd of sheep to their fold. He had with him a newly-born lamb that was crying.

He (the Prophet) asked him: What did it bear, O so and so? He replied: A ewe. He then said: Slaughter for us in its place a sheep. Do not think that we are slaughtering it for you. We have one hundred sheep and we do not want their number to increase. Whenever a ewe is born, we slaughter a sheep in its place.

(The narrator says that the Prophet (saws) used the word la tahsabanna, do not think).

I (the narrator Laqit) then said: Messenger of Allah, I have a wife who has something (wrong) in her tongue, i.e. she is insolent. He said: Then divorce her. I said: Messenger of Allah, she had company with me and I have children from her. He said: Then ask her (to obey you). If there is something good in her, she will do so (obey); and do not beat your wife as you beat your slave-girl.

I said: Messenger of Allah, tell me about ablution. He said: Perform ablution in full and make the fingers go through the beard and snuff with water well except when you are fasting.

Whenever he (mu’adh b. jabal) sat in a meeting for preaching, he would say: Allah is a just arbiter; those who doubt would perish. One day Mu’adh b. jabal said: In the times after you there would be trails in which riches would be abundant. During these trails the Quran would be easy so much so that every believer, hypocrite, man, woman, young, grown up, slave and free man will learn it. Then a man might say: What happened with the people that they do not follow me while I read the Quran? They are not going to follow me until I introduce a novelty for them other than it. So avoid that which is innovated (in religion), for whichever is innovated is an error. I warn you of the deviation of a scholar from right guidance, for sometimes Satan utters a word of error through the tongue of a scholar; and sometimes a hypocrites may speak a word of truth. I said to Mu’adh b. jabal: I am at a loss to understand may Allah have mercy on you that a learned man sometimes may speak a word of error and a hypocrite may speak a word of truth. He replied: Yes, avoid the speech of a learned man on distract you from him (the learned), for it is possible that he may withdraw (from these well-known things), and you get the truth when you hear it, for truth has light.

Abu Dawud said: In this tradition Ma’mar on the authority of al-Zuhrl said: The words “wa la yun iyannaka” instead of “wa la yuthniyannaka,” with the same meaning: “it may not distract you” salih b. Kaisan on the authority of al-Zurhrl said in this tradition the words “al-mushtaharat” (well-know things). He also said the word “La yuthniyannaka” as ‘Uqail mentioned. Ibn ishaq, on the authority of al-Zuhri, said: Yes, if you are doubtful about the speech of a scholar until you say: WHAT did he mean by this word?

While passing in the mosque I found the people engrossed in talk, so I went to visit ‘Alī and told him. He asked if that was really so, and when I assured him that it was, he said he had heard God’s messenger say, “Dissension will certainly come,” and asked him how it could be avoided, to which he replied, “God’s Book is the way, for it contains information of what has happened before you, news of what will happen after you, and a decision regarding matters which occur among you (This is explained as a reference to such matters as unbelief and faith, obedience and dis-obedience, what is lawful and what is forbidden, etc.). It is the distinguisher and is not jesting, (Qur’ān, 86:13). If any overweening person abandons it God will break him, and if anyone seeks guidance elsewhere God will lead him astray. It is God’s strong cord, it is the wise reminder, it is the straight path, it is that by which the desires do not swerve nor the tongues become confused, and the learned cannot grasp it completely.* It does not become worn out by repetition and its wonders do not come to an end. It is that of which the jinn did not hesitate to say when they heard it, ‘We have heard a wonderful recital which guides to what is right, and we believe in it,’ (Qur’ān, 72). He who utters it speaks the truth, he who acts according to it is rewarded, he who pronounces judgment according to it is just, and he who invites people to it guides to a straight path.” *The verb used is one ordinarily meaning 'to be satisfied'. Here it is used to indicate that the learned can never learn all there is to be known about the teaching and meaning of the Qur’ān, so that they should be satisfied and feel no need to continue their study of it. Tirmidhī and Dārimī transmit­ted it, Tirmidhī saying this is a tradition whose isnād is unknown, and al-Hārith is adversely criticised.

I spent a night with my maternal aunt Maimuna when the Prophet was with her. After talking to his family for a time he had a sleep, then when the last third of the night came, or a little later, he sat up, looked at the sky, and recited, “In the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of night and day there are indeed signs for people of understanding,"(Al-Qur’an; 3:190) to the end of the sura. Then getting up and going to the bucket, he loosened its cord and poured some water into a bowl, then performed a good ablution between the two extremes, not going to great length, and when he had done it fully he stood up and prayed. I got up, and when I had performed ablution I stood at his left side, whereupon he took me by the ear and made me go round to his right side. His prayer was altogether thirteen rak'as. Then he lay down and slept, and he snored as was his custom. When Bilal made the call to prayer for him he prayed without performing ablution, and his supplication included these words, “O God, place light in my heart, light in my eyesight, light in my hearing, light on my right hand, light on my left hand, light above me, light below me, light in front of me, light behind me, and grant me light." Some added, “and light in my tongue," and mentioned, “my joints, my flesh, my blood, my hair, my skin." (Bukhari and Muslim.) In a version by both of them he said, “Place light in my soul, and give me abundant light." In another by Muslim he said, “O God, give me light."

I and my father set out in search of knowledge to a tribe of the Ansar before their death (i. e. before the Companions of the Holy Prophet left the world) and I was the first to meet Abu Yasar, a Companion of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and there was a young man with him who carried the record of letters with him and there was a mantle prepared by the tribe of Ma'afiri upon him. And his servant too had a Ma'afiri mantle over him. My father said to him: My uncle, I see the signs of anger or that of agony on your face. He said: Yes, such and such person, the son of so and so, of the tribe of Harami owed me a debt. I went to his family, extended salutations and said: Where is he? They said: He is not here. Then came out to me his son who was at the threshold of his youth. I said to him: Where is your father? He said: No sooner did he hear your sound than he hid himself behind my mother's bedstead. I said to him: Walk out to me, for I know where you are. He came out. I said to him: What prompted you to hide yourself from me? He said: By God, whatever I would say to you would not be a lie. By Allah, I fear that I should tell a lie to you and in case of making promise with you I should break it, as you are the Companion of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him). The fact is that I was hard up in regard to money. I said: Do you adjure by Allah? He said: I adjure by Allah. I said: Do you adjure by Allah? He said: I adjure by Allah. I said: Do you adjure by Allah? He said: I adjure by Allah. Then he brought his promissory note and he wrote off (the debt) with his hand and said: Make payment when you find yourself solvent enough to pay me back; if you are not, then there is no liability upon you. These two eyes of mine saw, and he (Abu'I-Yasar) placed his fingers upon his eyes and these two ears of mine heard and my heart retained, and he pointed towards his heart that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: He who gives time to one who is financially hard up (in the payment of debt) or writes off his debt, Allah will provide him His shadow. I said to him: My uncle, if you get the cloak of your servant and you give him your two clothes, or take his two clothes of Ma'afir and give him your cloak, then there would be one dress for you and one for him. He wiped my head and said: O Allah, bless the son of my brother. O, son of my brother, these two very eyes of mine saw and these two ears of mine listened to and this heart of mine retained this, and he pointed towards the heart that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Feed them (the servants) and clothe them (the servants) what you wear, and if I give him the goods of the world, it is easy for me than this that he should take my virtues on the Day of Resurrection. We went on till we came to Jabir b. Abdullah in the mosque and he was busy in observing prayer in one cloth which he had joined at its opposite ends. I made my way through the people till I sat between him and the Qibla and I said: May Allah have mercy upon you. Do you observe prayer with one cloth on your body whereas your mantle is lying at your side? He pointed me with his hand towards my breast just like this and he separated his fingers and bent them in the shape of a bow. And (he said): I thought that a fool like you should come to me so that he should see me as I do and he should then also do like it. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) came to us in this very mosque and he had in his hand the twig of the palm-tree and he saw mucus towards the Qibla of the mosque and he erased it with the help of the twig. He then came to us and said: Who amongst you likes that Allah should turn His face away from him? We were afraid. He then again said: Who amongst you likes that Allah should turn His face away from him? We were afraid. He again said: Who amongst you likes that Allah should turn His face away from him? We said: Allah's Messenger, none of us likes it. And he said: If one amongst you stands for prayer, Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, is before him he should not spit in front of him, or on his right side, but should spit on his left side beneath his left foot and if he is impelled to do so all of a sudden (in spite of himself) he should then spit in his cloth and fold it in some part of it. (and he further said: ) Bring some sweet-smelling thing. A young man who belonged to our tribe stood up, went and brought scent in his palm. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) took that and applied it to the end of that twig and then touched the place where there had been mucus. Jabir said: This is why you should apply scent to your mosques. It is reported on the same authority: We set out along with Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) on an expedition of Batn Buwat. He (the Holy Prophet) was in search of al-Majdi b. 'Amr al-Juhani. (We had so meagre equipment) that five. six or seven of us had one camel to ride and so we mounted it turn by turn. Once there wan. the turn of an Ansari to ride upon the camel. He made it kneel down to ride over it (and after having. mounted it), he tried to raise it up but it hesitated. So he said. May there be curse of Allah upon you! Thereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Who is there to curse his camel? He said: Allah's Messenger, it' is I. Thereupon he said: Get down from the camel and let us not have in our company the cursed one. Don't curse your own selves, nor your children. nor your belongings. There is the possibility that your curse may synchronies with the time when Allah is about to confer upon you what you demand and thus your prayer may be readily responded. It is reported on the same authority: We set out on an expedition along with Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) until it was evening, and we had been near a. water reservoir of Arabia. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Who would be the person who would go ahead and set right the reservoir and drink water himself and serve us with it? Jabir said: I stood up and said: Allah's Messenger, it is I who am ready to do that. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Who is the person to accompany Jabir? And then Jabbar b. Sakhr stood up. So we went to that well and poured in that tank a bucket or two of water and plastered it with clay and then began to fill it (with water) until it was filled to the brim. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) was the first who appeared before us, and he said: Do you (both) permit me to drink water out of it? We said: Yea, Allah's Messenger. He led his camel to drink water and it drank. He then pulled its rein and it stretched its legs and began to urinate. He then took it aside and made it kneel down at another place and then came to the tank and performed ablution. I then got up and performed ablution like the ablution of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him), and Jabbar b. Sakhr went in order to relieve himself and Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) got up to observe prayer and there was a mantle over me. I tried to invert its ends but it was too short (to cover my body easily). It had its borders. I then inverted it (the mantle) and drew its opposite ends and then tied them at my neck. I then came and stood upon the left side of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him). He caught hold of me and made me go round behind him, until he made me stand on his right side. Then Jabbar b. Sakhr came. He performed ablution and then came and stood on the left side of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him). Then Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) caught hold of our hands together, pushed us back and made us stand behind him. Then Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) began to look upon me with darting looks, but I did not perceive that. After that I became aware of it and he pointed with the gesture of his hand that I should wrap my loin-cloth. When Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) had finished the prayer, he said: Jabir! I said: Allah's Messenger, at thy beck and call. He said: When the cloth around you is inadequate, then tie the opposite ends but when it is small, tie it over the lower body. Jabir reported: We set out on an expedition with Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and the only means of sustenance for every person amongst us was only one date for a day and we used to chew it. And we struck the leaves with the help of our bow and ate them until the sides of our mouths were injured. It so happened one day that a person was overlooked and not given a date. We carried that person and bore witness to the fact that he had not been given that date so he was offered that and he got up and received that. Jabir reported: We set out on an expedition along with Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) until we got down at a spacious valley and Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) went to relieve himself. I followed him with a bucket full of water and Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) looked about and he found no privacy but two trees at the end of the valley and Allah's Messenger (may. peace be upon him) went to one of them and took hold of one of its twigs and said: Be thou under my control by the permission of Allah, and so it came under his control like the camel who has its nosestring in the hand of its rider, and then he came to the second tree and took hold of a twig and said: Be thou under my control with the permission of Allah, and it came under his control, and when he came in the middle of the two trees he joined together the two twigs and said: join with the permission of Allah. Jabir said: I was afraid lest Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) should be aware of my nearness and go still farther. And Muhammad b. Abbad has used the word" faitab'd" and I began to talk to myself. And as I saw, I suddenly found Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) before me and the two trees were separated and each one of them was standing at its place. I saw Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) standing for a short time, nodding his head towards right and left. Isma'il pointed towards the right and left with the help of his head (in order to demonstrate how the Holy Prophet had pointed). Then he (the Holy Prophet) came to me and said: Jabir did you see my place where I was standing? I said: Allah's Messenger, yes. He then said: Then you should go to those two trees and cut a twig from each of them and go to that place with them where I was standing and stand there where I was standing and place a twig on the right and a twig on the left. Jabir said: I set out and took hold of a stone and broke it and sharpened it and then I came to those trees and cut a twig from each one of them. I then came dragging them until I stood at the place where Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) had been standing and placed a twig on the right and a twig on the left. Then I met him and said: Allah's Messenger, I have done that, but (kindly) explain to me the reason for it. Thereupon he said: I passed by two graves the occupants of which had been undergoing torment. I liked to make intercession for them so that the might be relieved of this torment y as long as these twigs remain fresh. Jabir said: We came back to the (camp of the) army and Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Jabir, call people for per- forming wudu. I cried: Come and perform wudu, come and perform wudu, come and perform wudu. I said: Allah's Messenger, there is not even a drop of water in the army camp, and there. was a person who used to cool the water for Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) in the old water-skin which kept hanging by the twig. He asked me to go to such and such Ansari and ask him to see if there was any water in that skin. I went to him and cast a glance in it but did not find anything but a drop in the mouth of that water-skin and if I were to draw that, the water-skin's,. dried part would suck it up. I came to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and said: Allah's Messenger, I have not found anything in it but a drop of water in the mouth of the water-skin and now if I were to draw that, it would be absorbed. He said: Go and bring that to me. I brought that to him. He took hold of it -and began to utter something which I could not understand and then pressed it with his hand and gave that to me and said: Jabir, announce for the tub to be brought. So I announced that the tub of the army (be brought). It was brought accordingly and I placed it before him (the Holy Prophet). Thereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) placed his hands in the tub like this: with his fingers stretched out, and then he placed his fingers at the bottom of the tub and said: Jabir, take it (that waters-skin) and pour water over me, by reciting Bismillah, and I poured water and I said: Bismillah, and found water sprouting out between the fingers of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him). Then that tub gushed forth until it was filled up and the Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Jabir, make an announcement to the effect: He who needs water should take that. Jabir said: The people came and got water until they were all satiated. I said: Is there anyone left who wants to get it? And Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) then lifted up his hand from that tub and it was still full. Then the people made a complaint to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) about hunger and he said: May Allah provide you food! We came to the bank of the ocean and the ocean was tossing and it threw out a big animal and we lit fire and cooked it and took it until we had eaten to our heart's content. Jabir said: I and such and such five persons entered Its socket and nobody could see us until we had come out, and we took hold of one of its ribs and twisted it into a sort of arch, then we called the tallest of the persons of the army and the hugest of the camels of the army and it had the big saddle over it, and it could easily pass through it without the rider having need to bend down.

I said, “O Messenger of Allah, tell me of an act which will take me into Paradise and will keep me away from the Hellfire.” He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “You have asked me about a great matter, yet it is easy for him for whom Allah makes it easy: worship Allah, without associating any partners with Him; establish the prayer; pay the zakat; fast in Ramadhan; and make the pilgrimage to the House.” Then he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Shall I not guide you towards the means of goodness? Fasting is a shield; charity wipes away sin as water extinguishes fire; and the praying of a man in the depths of the night.” Then he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) recited: “[Those] who forsake their beds, to invoke their Lord in fear and hope, and they spend (charity in Allah’s cause) out of what We have bestowed on them. No person knows what is kept hidden for them of joy as a reward for what they used to do.” [as-Sajdah, 16-17] Then he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Shall I not inform you of the head of the matter, its pillar and its peak?” I said, “Yes, O Messenger of Allah.” He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “The head of the matter is Islam, its pillar is the prayer and its peak is jihad.” Then he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Shall I not tell you of the foundation of all of that?” I said, “Yes, O Messenger of Allah.” So he took hold of his tongue and said, “Restrain this.” I said, “O Prophet of Allah, will we be taken to account for what we say with it?” He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “May your mother be bereaved of you, O Muadh! Is there anything that throws people into the Hellfire upon their faces — or: on their noses — except the harvests of their tongues?” It was related by at-Tirmidhi, who said it was a good and sound hadeeth.