Allah's Apostle was asked, "Who are the most honorable of the people?" The Prophet said, "The most honorable of them in Allah's Sight are those who keep their duty to Allah and fear Him. They said, "We do not ask you about that." He said, "Then the most honorable of the people is Joseph, Allah's prophet, the son of Allah's prophet, the son of Allah's prophet, the son of Allah's Khalil i.e. Abraham) They said, "We do not ask you about that." The Prophet said, Do you ask about (the virtues of the ancestry of the Arabs?" They said, "Yes," He said, "Those who were the best amongst you in the Prelslamic Period are the best amongst you in Islam if they comprehend (the Islamic religion).

There was revealed: 'Not equal are those believers who sit (at home) and those who strive and fight in the Cause of Allah.' (4.95) The Prophet said, "Call Zaid for me and let him bring the board, the inkpot and the scapula bone (or the scapula bone and the ink pot)."' Then he said, "Write: 'Not equal are those Believers who sit..", and at that time `Amr bin Um Maktum, the blind man was sitting behind the Prophet . He said, "O Allah's Apostle! What is your order For me (as regards the above Verse) as I am a blind man?" So, instead of the above Verse, the following Verse was revealed: 'Not equal are those believers who sit (at home) except those who are disabled (by injury or are blind or lame etc.) and those who strive and fight in the cause of Allah.' (4.95)

(the wife of the Prophet) that while Allah's Apostle was with her, she heard a voice of a man asking permission to enter the house of Hafsa. `Aisha added: I said, "O Allah's Apostle! This man is asking permission to enter your house." The Prophet said, "I think he is so-and-so," naming the foster-uncle of Hafsa. `Aisha said, "If so-and-so," naming her foster uncle, "were living, could he enter upon me?" The Prophet said, "Yes, for foster suckling relations make all those things unlawful which are unlawful through corresponding birth (blood) relations."

The Prophet stayed for three days at a place between Khaibar and Medina, and there he consummated his marriage with Safiyya bint Huyay. I invited the Muslims to a banquet which included neither meat nor bread. The Prophet ordered for the leather dining sheets to be spread, and then dates, dried yogurt and butter were provided over it, and that was the Walima (banquet) of the Prophet. The Muslims asked whether Safiyya would be considered as his wife or as a slave girl of what his right hands possessed. Then they said, "If the Prophet screens her from the people, then she Is the Prophet's wife but if he does not screen her, then she is a slave girl." So when the Prophet proceeded, he made a place for her (on the camel) behind him and screened her from people.

I used to accompany Allah's Apostle to fill my stomach; and that was when I did not eat baked bread, nor wear silk. Neither a male nor a female slave used to serve me, and I used to bind stones over my belly and ask somebody to recite a Qur'anic Verse for me though I knew it, so that he might take me to his house and feed me. Ja`far bin Abi Talib was very kind to the poor, and he used to take us and feed us with what ever was available in his house, (and if nothing was available), he used to give us the empty (honey or butter) skin which we would tear and lick whatever was in it.

The Prophet said on the day of Nahr, "Whoever has slaughtered his sacrifice before the prayer, should repeat it (slaughter another sacrifice)." A man got up and said, "O Allah's Apostle! This is a day on which meat is desired." He then mentioned his neighbors saying, "I have a six month old ram which is to me better than the meat of two sheep." The Prophet allowed him to slaughter it as a sacrifice, but I do not know whether this permission was valid for other than that man or not. The Prophet then went towards two rams and slaughtered them, and then the people went towards some sheep and distributed them among themselves.

The Prophet said at Mina, "Do you know what day is today?" They (the people) replied, "Allah and His Apostle know better," He said "Today is 10th of Dhul-Hijja, the sacred (forbidden) day. Do you know what town is this town?" They (the people) replied, "Allah and His Apostle know better." He said, "This is the (forbidden) Sacred town (Mecca a sanctuary)." And do you know which month is this month?" They (the People) replied, "Allah and His Apostle know better." He said, ''This is the Sacred (forbidden) month ." He added, "Allah has made your blood, your properties and your honor Sacred to one another (i.e. Muslims) like the sanctity of this day of yours in this month of yours, in this town of yours." (See Hadith No. 797, Vol. 2.)

The Prophet was given a gift of a few silken cloaks with gold buttons. He distributed them amongst some of his companions and put aside one of them for Makhrama. When Makhrama came, the Prophet said, "I kept this for you." (Aiyub, the sub-narrator held his garment to show how the Prophet showed the cloak to Makhrama who had something unfavorable about his temper.)

that she said to `Urwa, "O, the son of my sister! We used to see three crescents in two months, and no fire used to be made in the houses of Allah's Apostle (i.e. nothing used to be cooked)." `Urwa said, "What used to sustain you?" `Aisha said, "The two black things i.e. dates and water, except that Allah's Apostle had neighbors from the Ansar who had some milch she-camels, and they used to give the Prophet some milk from their house, and he used to make us drink it."

Sa'd bin 'Ubada Al-Ansari sought the verdict of Allah's Apostle regarding a vow made by his mother who had died before fulfilling it. Allah's Apostle said, "Fulfill it on her behalf." Some people said, "If the number of camels reaches twenty, then their owner has to pay four sheep as Zakat; and if their owner gives them as a gift or sells them in order to escape the payment of Zakat cunningly before the completion of a year, then he is not to pay anything, and if he slaughters them and then dies, then no Zakat is to be taken from his property."

We entered upon 'Ubada bin As-Samit while he was sick. We said, "May Allah make you healthy. Will you tell us a Hadith you heard from the Prophet and by which Allah may make you benefit?" He said, "The Prophet called us and we gave him the Pledge of allegiance for Islam, and among the conditions on which he took the Pledge from us, was that we were to listen and obey (the orders) both at the time when we were active and at the time when we were tired, and at our difficult time and at our ease and to be obedient to the ruler and give him his right even if he did not give us our right, and not to fight against him unless we noticed him having open Kufr (disbelief) for which we would have a proof with us from Allah."

We were with the Prophet on a journey, and whenever we ascended a high place, we used to say, "Allahu Akbar." The Prophet said, "Don't trouble yourselves too much! You are not calling a deaf or an absent person, but you are calling One Who Hears, Sees, and is very near." Then he came to me while I was saying in my heart, "La hawla wala quwwatta illa billah (There is neither might nor power but with Allah)." He said, to me, "O `Abdullah bin Qais! Say, 'La hawla wala quwwata illa billah (There is neither might nor power but with Allah), for it is one of the treasures of Paradise." Or said, "Shall I tell you of it?"

Aisha

said, "A woman from Bani Makhzumiya committed a theft and the people said, 'Who can intercede with the Prophet for her?' So nobody dared speak to him (i.e. the Prophet) but Usama bin Zaid spoke to him. The Prophet said, 'If a reputable man amongst the children of Bani Israel committed a theft, they used to forgive him, but if a poor man committed a theft, they would cut his hand. But I would cut even the hand of Fatima (i.e. the daughter of the Prophet) if she committed a theft."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa that his father said, "A woman who bleeds as if menstruating only has to do one ghusl, and then after that she does wudu for each prayer."

Yahya said that Malik said, "The position with us is that when a woman who bleeds as if menstruating starts to do the prayer again, her husband can have sexual intercourse with her. Similarly, if a woman who has given birth sees blood after she has reached the fullest extent that bleeding normally restrains women, her husband can have sexual intercourse with her and she is in the same position as a woman who bleeds as if menstruating."

Yahya said that Malik said, "The position with us concerning a woman who bleeds as if menstruating is founded on the hadith of Hisham ibn Urwa from his father, and it is what I prefer the most of what I have heard about the matter."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Muslim ibn Abi Maryam that AIi ibn Abd ar-Rahman al-Muawi said, "Abdullah ibn Umar saw me playing with some small pebbles in the prayer. When I finished he forbade me, saying, 'Do as the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did.' I said, 'What did the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, do?' He said, 'When he sat in the prayer, he placed his right hand on his right thigh and he closed his fist and pointed his index finger, and he placed his left hand on his left thigh. That is what he used to do.' "

Yahya related to me from Malik that Muhammad ibn Uqba, the mawla of az Zubayr, asked al-Qasim ibn Muhammad whether he had to pay any zakat on a large sum given to him by his slave to buy his freedom. Al- Qasim said, "Abu Bakr as-Siddiq did not take zakat from anyone's property until it had been in his possession for a year."

Al- Qasim ibn Muhammad continued, "When Abu Bakr gave men their allowances he would ask them, 'Do you have any property on which zakat is due?' If they said, 'Yes,' he would take the zakat on that property out of their allowances. If they said, 'No,' he would hand over their allowances to them without deducting anything from them."

Once a Jew said to me, "O the chief of believers! There is a verse in your Holy Book Which is read by all of you (Muslims), and had it been revealed to us, we would have taken that day (on which it was revealed as a day of celebration." 'Umar bin Al-Khattab asked, "Which is that verse?" The Jew replied, "This day I have perfected your religion For you, completed My favor upon you, And have chosen for you Islam as your religion." (5:3) 'Umar replied,"No doubt, we know when and where this verse was revealed to the Prophet. It was Friday and the Prophet was standing at 'Arafat (i.e. the Day of Hajj)"

People say that I have narrated many Hadiths (The Prophet's narration). Had it not been for two verses in the Qur'an, I would not have narrated a single Hadith, and the verses are: "Verily those who conceal the clear sign and the guidance which We have sent down . . . (up to) Most Merciful." (2:159-160). And no doubt our Muhajir (emigrant) brothers used to be busy in the market with their business (bargains) and our Ansari brothers used to be busy with their property (agriculture). But I (Abu Huraira) used to stick to Allah's Apostle contented with what will fill my stomach and I used to attend that which they used not to attend and I used to memorize that which they used not to memorize.

Um-Salama said, "I got my menses while I was lying with the Prophet under a woolen sheet. So I slipped away, took the clothes for menses and put them on. Allah's Apostle said, 'Have you got your menses?' I replied, 'Yes.' Then he called me and took me with him under the woolen sheet." Um Salama further said, "The Prophet used to kiss me while he was fasting. The Prophet and I used to take the bath of Janaba from a single pot."

I asked Jabir bin `Abdullah about praying in a single garment. He said, "I traveled with the Prophet during some of his journeys, and I came to him at night for some purpose and I found him praying. At that time, I was wearing a single garment with which I covered my shoulders and prayed by his side. When he finished the prayer, he asked, 'O Jabir! What has brought you here?' I told him what I wanted. When I finished, he asked, 'O Jabir! What is this garment which I have seen and with which you covered your shoulders?' I replied, 'It is a (tight) garment.' He said, 'If the garment is large enough, wrap it round the body (covering the shoulders) and if it is tight (too short) then use it as an Izar (tie it around your waist only.)' "

In the mosque l asked Ibn Abi Hadrad to pay the debts which he owed to me and our voices grew louder. Allah's Apostle heard that while he was in his house. So he came to us raising the curtain of his room and said, "O Ka`b!" I replied, "Labaik, O Allah's Apostle!" He said, "O Ka`b! reduce your debt to one half," gesturing with his hand. I said, "O Allah's Apostle! I have done so." Then Allah's Apostle said (to Ibn Abi Hadrad), "Get up and pay the debt to him."

The Prophet (p.b.u.h) said, "The first thing that we should do on this day of ours is to pray and then return to slaughter the sacrifice. So anyone who does so, he acted according to our Sunna (tradition), and whoever slaughtered the sacrifice before the prayer, it was just meat which he presented to his family and would not be considered as Nusuk." A person from the Ansar named Abu Burda bin Niyyar said, "O Allah's Apostle! I slaughtered the Nusuk (before the prayer) but I have a young shegoat which is better than an older sheep." The Prophet I said, "Sacrifice it in lieu of the first, but it will be not sufficient (as a sacrifice) for anybody else after you."

One night Allah's Apostle offered the prayer in the Mosque and the people followed him. The next night he also offered the prayer and too many people gathered. On the third and the fourth nights more people gathered, but Allah's Apostle did not come out to them. In the morning he said, "I saw what you were doing and nothing but the fear that it (i.e. the prayer) might be enjoined on you, stopped me from coming to you." And that happened in the month of Ramadan.

Al-Fadl (his brother) was riding behind Allah's Apostle and a woman from the tribe of Khath'am came and Al-Fadl started looking at her and she started looking at him. The Prophet turned Al-Fadl's face to the other side. The woman said, "O Allah's Apostle! The obligation of Hajj enjoined by Allah on His devotees has become due on my father and he is old and weak, and he cannot sit firm on the Mount; may I perform Hajj on his behalf?" The Prophet replied, "Yes, you may." That happened during the Hajj-al-Wida (of the Prophet ).

`Umar said, O Allah! Grant me martyrdom in Your cause, and let my death be in the city of Your Apostle."

The Prophet was the most generous amongst the people, and he used to be more so in the month of Ramadan when Gabriel visited him, and Gabriel used to meet him on every night of Ramadan till the end of the month. The Prophet used to recite the Holy Qur'an to Gabriel, and when Gabriel met him, he used to be more generous than a fast wind (which causes rain and welfare).

From Qatadah, that Anas said: "The Messenger of Allah (saws) never ate on a table, nor on small plates, not did he eat thin bread." He (Yunus) said: "I asked Qatadah: 'So what did he eat on ?' He said: 'On these leather dining sheets.'"

[Abu 'Eisa said:] This Hadith is Hasan Gharib. Muhammad bin Bash-har said: "This Yunus is Yunus Al-Iskaf." And 'Abdul-Warith bin Sa'eed reported similarly from Sa'eed bin Abi 'Arubah, from Qatadah, from Anas [From the Prophet (saws)].

"We would prepare Nabidh for the Messenger of Allah (saws) in a water-skin which was fastened at the top and it has a small hole. We would prepare Nabidh in it during the morning, and drink it during the evening. And we would prepare Nabidh in it during the evening and drink it during the morning."

He said: There are narrations on this topic from Jabir, Abu Sa'eed, and Ibn 'Abbas.

[Abu 'Eisa said:] This Hadith is Gharib, we do not know of it as a narration of Yunus bin 'Ubaid except through this route. This Hadith has also been reported through routes other than this from 'Aishah.

I offered prayer behind the Messenger of Allah (saws). Rifa'ah sneezed. The narrator Qutaybah did not mention the name Rifa'ah (but he said: I sneezed). So I said: Praise be to Allah, praise much, good and blessed therein, blessed thereupon, as our Lord likes and is pleased. When the Messenger of Allah (saws) finished his prayer, he turned and said: Who was the speaker in prayer? He then narrated the rest of the tradition like that of Malik and completed it.