Today a man came to me and asked me a question which I did not know how to answer. He said, "Tell me, if a wealthy active man, well-equipped with arms, goes out on military expeditions with our chiefs, and orders us to do such things as we cannot do (should we obey him?)" I replied, "By Allah, I do not know what to reply you, except that we, were in the company of the Prophet and he used to order us to do a thing once only till we finished it. And no doubt, everyone among you will remain in a good state as long as he obeys Allah. If one is in doubt as to the legality of something, he should ask somebody who would satisfy him, but soon will come a time when you will not find such a man. By Him, except Whom none has the right to be worshipped. I see that the example of what has passed of this life (to what remains thereof) is like a pond whose fresh water has been used up and nothing remains but muddy water."

Allah's Apostles said to me, "Will you relieve me from Dhul-Khalasa? Dhul-Khalasa was a house (of an idol) belonging to the tribe of Khath'am called Al-Ka`ba Al-Yama-niya. So, I proceeded with one hundred and fifty cavalry men from the tribe of Ahmas, who were excellent knights. It happened that I could not sit firm on horses, so the Prophet , stroke me over my chest till I saw his finger-marks over my chest, he said, 'O Allah! Make him firm and make him a guiding and rightly guided man.' " Jarir proceeded towards that house, and dismantled and burnt it. Then he sent a messenger to Allah's Apostle informing him of that. Jarir's messenger said, "By Him Who has sent you with the Truth, I did not come to you till I had left it like an emancipated or gabby camel (i.e. completely marred and spoilt)." Jarir added, "The Prophet asked for Allah's Blessings for the horses and the men of Ahmas five times."

While I was fighting in the front file on the day (of the battle) of Badr, suddenly I looked behind and saw on my right and left two young boys and did not feel safe by standing between them. Then one of them asked me secretly so that his companion may not hear, "O Uncle! Show me Abu Jahl." I said, "O nephew! What will you do to him?" He said, "I have promised Allah that if I see him (i.e. Abu Jahl), I will either kill him or be killed before I kill him." Then the other said the same to me secretly so that his companion should not hear. I would not have been pleased to be in between two other men instead of them. Then I pointed him (i.e. Abu Jahl) out to them. Both of them attacked him like two hawks till they knocked him down. Those two boys were the sons of 'Afra' (i.e. an Ansari woman).

I heard `Aisha saying, "When the news of the martyrdom of Ibn Haritha, Ja`far bin Abi Talib and `Abdullah bin Rawaka reached, Allah's Apostle sat with sorrow explicit on his face." `Aisha added, "I was then peeping through a chink in the door. A man came to him and said, "O Allah's Apostle! The women of Ja`far are crying.' Thereupon the Prophet told him to forbid them to do so. So the man went away and returned saying, "I forbade them but they did not listen to me." The Prophet ordered him again to go (and forbid them). He went again and came saying, 'By Allah, they overpowered me (i.e. did not listen to me)." `Aisha said that Allah's Apostle said (to him), "Go and throw dust into their mouths." Aisha added, "I said, May Allah put your nose in the dust! By Allah, neither have you done what you have been ordered, nor have you relieved Allah's Apostle from trouble."

Abu Musa said, "I was with the Prophet when he was encamping at Al-Jarana (a place) between Mecca and Medina and Bilal was with him. A bedouin came to the Prophet and said, "Won't you fulfill what you have promised me?" The Prophet said, 'Rejoice (at what I will do for you).' The bedouin said, "(You have said to me) rejoice too often." Then the Prophet turned to me (i.e. Abu Musa) and Bilal in an angry mood and said, 'The bedouin has refused the good tidings, so you both accept them.' Bilal and I said, 'We accept them.' Then the Prophet asked for a drinking bowl containing water and washed his hands and face in it, and then took a mouthful of water and threw it therein saying (to us), "Drink (some of) it and pour (some) over your faces and chests and be happy at the good tidings." So they both took the drinking bowl and did as instructed. Um Salama called from behind a screen, "Keep something (of the water for your mother." So they left some of it for her.

Malik said, "Everyone leading an animal by the halter, driving it, and riding it is responsible for what the animal strikes unless the animal kicks out without anything being done to it to make it kick out. Umar ibn al-Khattab imposed the blood-money on a person who was exercising his horse."

Malik said, "It is more fitting that a person leading an animal by the halter, driving it, or riding it incur a loss than a person who is exercising his horse." (See hadith 4 of this book).

Malik said, "What is done in our community about a person who digs a well on a road or ties up an animal or does the like of that on a road used by muslims, is that since what he has done is included in that which he is not permitted to do in such a place, he is liable for whatever injury or other thing arises from that action. The blood-money of that which is less than a third of the full blood- money is owed from his own personal property. Whatever reaches a third or more, is owed by his tribe. Any such things that he does which he is permitted to do on the muslims' road are something for which he has no liability or loss. Part of that is a hole which a man digs to collect rain, and the beast from which the man alights for some need and leaves standing on the road. There is no penalty against anyone for this."

Malik spoke about a man who went down a well, and another man followed behind him, and the lower one pulled the higher one and they fell into the well and both died He said, "The tribe of the one who pulled him in is responsible for the blood-money."

Malik spoke about a child whom a man ordered to go down into a well or to climb a palm tree and he died as a result. He said, "The one who ordered him is liable for whatever befalls him, be it death or something else."

Malik said, "The way of doing things in our community about which there is no dispute is that women and children are not obliged to pay blood-money together with the tribe in the blood-moneys which the tribe must pay. The blood-money is only obligatory for a man who has reached puberty."

Malik said that the tribe could bind themselves to the blood-money of mawali if they wished. If they refused, they were people of the diwan or were cut off from their people. In the time of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, people paid the blood-money to each other as well as in the time of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq before there was a diwan. The diwan was in the time of Umar ibn al-Khattab. No one other than one's people and the ones holding the wala' paid blood- money for one because the wala' was not transferable and because the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The wala' belongs to the one who sets free."

Malik said, "The wala' is an established relationship."

Malik said, "What is done in our community about animals that are injured is that the person who causes the injury pays whatever of their value has been diminished."

Malik said about a man condemned to death and one of the other hudud befell him, "He is not punished for it. That is because the killing overrides all of that, except for slander. The slander remains hanging over the one to whom it was said because it will be said to him, 'Why do you not flog the one who slandered you?' I think that the condemned man is flogged with the hadd before he is killed, and then he is killed. I do not think that any retaliation is inflicted on him for any injury except killing because killing overrides all of that."

Malik said, "What is done in our community is that when a murdered person is found among the main body of a people in a village or other place, the house or place of the nearest people to him is not responsible. That is because the murdered person can be slain and then cast at the door of some people to shame them by it. No one is responsible for the like of that."

Malik said about a group of people who fight with each other and when the fight is broken up, a man is found dead or wounded, and it is not known who did it, "The best of what is heard about that is that there is blood-money for him, and the blood-money is against the people who argued with him. If the injured or slain person is not from either of the two parties, his blood-money is against both of the two parties together."

I taught some persons of the people of Suffah writing and the Qur'an. A man of them presented to me a bow. I said: It cannot be reckoned property; may I shoot with it in Allah's path? I must come to the Apostle of of Allah (saws) and ask him (about it). So I came to him and said : Messenger of Allah (saws), one of those whom I have been teaching writing and the Qur'an has presented me a bow, and as it cannot be reckoned property, may I shoot with it in Allah's path? He said: If you want to have a necklace of fire on you, accept it.

The version of ‘Uthman adds “Even if you are wronged”. Abu Kamil said in this version “Jarir said No collector of zakat returned from me since I heard this from the Messenger of Allah(saws), but he was pleased with me.”

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Urwa ibn az- Zubayr that A'isha umm al-muminin told him that Aflah, the brother of Abu'l-Quays came and asked permission to visit her after the veil had been lowered, and he was her paternal uncle by suckling. She said, "I refusedto give him permission to enter. When the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came, I told him about what I had done, and he ordered me to give him permission to enter."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu Hazim ibn Dinar from Sahl ibn Sad al-Ansari that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was brought a drink and he drank some of it. There was a boy at his right and some old men on his left. He said to the boy, "Will you give me permission to give it to these people?" The boy said, "No, Messenger of Allah, I will not prefer anyone to get my portion from you." He said, "So the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, placed it in his hand."

Malik related to me from Abdullah ibn Dinar saying, "Abdullah ibn Umar and I were at the house of Khalid ibn Uqba who was away at the market. A man came who wanted to speak to Abdullah ibn Umar and I was the only other person present Abdullah ibn Umar called another man so that we were four and said to me and the man whom he had called, 'Go a little way off together, because I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, "Two do not converse secretly to the exclusion of another.' "'

Allah's Apostle taught me the Tashah-hud as he taught me a Sura from the Qur'an, while my hand was between his hands. (Tashah-hud was) all the best compliments and the prayers and the good things are for Allah. Peace and Allah's Mercy and Blessings be on you, O Prophet! Peace be on us and on the pious slaves of Allah, I testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah, and I also testify that Muhammad is Allah's slave and His Apostle. (We used to recite this in the prayer) during the lifetime of the Prophet , but when he had died, we used to say, "Peace be on the Prophet."

Two old ladies from among the Jewish ladies entered upon me and said' "The dead are punished in their graves," but I thought they were telling a lie and did not believe them in the beginning. When they went away and the Prophet entered upon me, I said, "O Allah's Apostle! Two old ladies.." and told him the whole story. He said, "They told the truth; the dead are really punished, to the extent that all the animals hear (the sound resulting from) their punishment." Since then I always saw him seeking refuge with Allah from the punishment of the grave in his prayers.

The Prophet said (to his companions), "Do not fast Al-Wisal." They said, "But you fast Al-Wisail." He said, "I am not like you, for at night my Lord feeds me and makes me drink." But the people did not give up Al-Wisal, so the Prophet fasted Al-Wisal with them for two days or two nights, and then they saw the crescent whereupon the Prophet said, "If the crescent had delayed, I would have continued fasting (because of you)," as if he wanted to vanquish them completely (because they had refused to give up Al Wisal).

Yahya related to me from Malik from Yazid ibn Ziyad that Abdullah ibn Rafi, the mawla of Umm Salama, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, asked Abu Hurayra about the time of the prayer. Abu Hurayra said, "Let me tell you. Pray dhuhr when the length of your shadow matches your height, asr when your shadow is twice your height, maghrib when the sun has set, isha in the first third of the night, and subh in the very first light of dawn," i.e. when the dawn has definitely come.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Urwa ibn az- Zubayr that A'isha umm al-muminin used to say, "Someone performing hajj at-tamattu who does not have a sacrificial animal fasts (three days) from the time he enters ihram for the hajj till the Day of Arafa, and if he does not fast then, he fasts the days of Mina."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Salim ibn Abdullah that Abdullah ibn Umar used to say the same concerning that, as the words of A'isha, may Allah the Exalted be pleased with her.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that one time Abdullah ibn Umar wanted to sacrifice an animal at Madina. Nafi said, "He told me to buy him an excellent horned ram, then to sacrifice it on the Day of Sacrifice in the place where the people prayed." Nafi continued, "I did so and when the ram was sacrificed, it was carried to Abdullah ibn Umar who shaved his head. He was ill, and did not attend the Id with the people." Nafi added, "Abdullah ibn Umar used to say, 'Shaving the head is not obligatory for someone who sacrifices an animal.' Ibn Umar would do so however."

I asked `Aisha, "How is the prayer of Allah's Apostle during the month of Ramadan." She said, "Allah's Apostle never exceeded eleven rak`at in Ramadan or in other months; he used to offer four rak`at-- do not ask me about their beauty and length, then four rak`at, do not ask me about their beauty and length, and then three rak`at." Aisha further said, "I said, 'O Allah's Apostle! Do you sleep before offering the witr prayer?' He replied, 'O `Aisha! My eyes sleep but my heart remains awake'!"

When the adhan for the dawn prayer was initially introduced, the Prophet (saws) commanded me to call the adhan and I did so. Then I began to ask: Should I utter iqamah, Messenger of Allah? But he began to look at the direction of the east, (waiting) for the break of dawn, and said: No.

When the dawn broke, he came down and performed ablution and he then turned to me. In the meantime his Companions joined him. Then Bilal wanted to utter the iqamah, but the Prophet (saws) said to him: The man of Suda' has called the adhan, and he who calls the adhan utters the iqamah.

One day the Messenger of Allah (saws) prayed and gave the salutation while a rak'ah of the prayer remained to be offered. A man went to him and said: You forgot to offer one rak'ah of prayer. Then he returned and entered the mosque and ordered Bilal (to utter the Iqamah). He uttered the Iqamah for prayer. He then led the people in one rak'ah of prayer. I stated it to the people. They asked me: Do you know who he was? I said: No, but I can recognise him if I see him. Then the man passed by me, I said: It is he. The people said: This is Talhah ibn Ubaydullah.

'Imran b. Husain reported that a person bit the hand of a person. He withdrew his hand and his foretooth or foreteeth fell down. He (the man who lost his teeth) referred the matter to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and he said, What do you want me to do? Do you ask me that I should order him to put his hand in your mouth, and you should bite it as the camel bites? (If you want retaliation, then the only way out is) that you put your hand in his mouth (allow him) to bite that and then draw it away.

My father was martyred on the day (of the battle) of Uhud, and he was in debt. His creditors demanded their rights persistently. I went to the Prophet (and informed him about it). He told them to take the fruits of my garden and exempt my father from the debts but they refused to do so. So, the Prophet did not give them my garden and told me that he would come to me the next morning. He came to us early in the morning and wandered among the date-palms and invoked Allah to bless their fruits. I then plucked the dates and paid the creditors, and there remained some of the dates for us.

The Prophet said, "A group of Israelites were lost. Nobody knows what they did. But I do not see them except that they were cursed and changed into rats, for if you put the milk of a she-camel in front of a rat, it will not drink it, but if the milk of a sheep is put in front of it, it will drink it." I told this to Ka`b who asked me, "Did you hear it from the Prophet ?" I said, "Yes." Ka`b asked me the same question several times.; I said to Ka`b. "Do I read the Torah? (i.e. I tell you this from the Prophet.)"

We came to `Umar in a delegation (during his rule). He started calling the men one by one, calling each by his name. (As he did not call me early) I said to him. "Don't you know me, O chief of the Believers?" He said, "Yes, you embraced Islam when they (i.e. your people) disbelieved; you have come (to the Truth) when they ran away; you fulfilled your promises when they broke theirs; and you recognized it (i.e. the Truth of Islam) when they denied it." On that, `Adi said, "I therefore don't care."

Ibn ‘Awn said “I wrote to Nafi’ asking him about summoning the polytheists (to Islam) at the time of fighting. So, he wrote to me “This was in the early days of Islam. The Prophet of Allaah(saws) attacked Banu Al Mustaliq while they were inattentive and their cattle were drinking water. So their fighters were killed and the survivors (i.e., women and children) were taken prisoners. On that day Juwairiyyah daughter of Al Harith was obtained. ‘Abd Allaah narrated this to me, he was in that army.”

Abu Dawud said “This is a good tradition narrtted by Ibn ‘Awn from Nafi’ and no one shared him in narrating it.”

A woman said to the Prophet (saws): Invoke blessing on me as well as on my husband. The Prophet (saws) said: May Allah send blessing on you and your husband.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) demarcated a house with a bow at Medina for me. He said: I shall give you more. I shall give you more.

The Prophet (saws) read the Qur'anic verse: "Thou hast received (full) excuse from me (min ladunni)" and put tashdid (doubling of consonants) on nun (n).

Yahya related to me from Malik from Rabia ibn Abd ar-Rahman that al-Qasim ibn Muhammad would sell produce from his orchard and keep some of it aside.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar bought a female riding-camel for four camels and he guaranteed to give them in full to the buyer at ar-Rabadha.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab that A'isha, umm al-muminin and Sad ibn Abi Waqqas did not see any harm in a man drinking while standing.

Yahya related to me from Malik that he heard that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Sadaqa to the family of Muhammad is not halal. It is only people's impurities."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa that his father said, "The tribe is not obliged to pay blood-money for intentional murder. They pay blood-money for accidental killing."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar, when questioned about forgetfulness in the prayer, said, "If you think that you have forgotten part of the prayer, then pray it."

Yahya related to me from Malik that Yazid ibn Ruman said, "The people used to watch the night in prayer during Ramadan for twenty- three rakas in the time of Umar ibn al-Khattab."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Umar ibn al-Khattab said, "Any direction that is between east and west can be taken as a qibla if the person praying is face-on to the House."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Jafar ibn Muhammad from his father that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was washed in a long shirt.

Yahya related to me from Malik that Abdullah ibn Dinar said, "I asked Said ibn al-Musayyab about zakat on work-horses, and he said, 'Is there any zakat on horses ?' "

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu Jafar al-Qari that Abdullah ibn Ayyash ibn Abi Rabia al-Makhzumi sacrificed two camels, one of them a Bactrian.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar used to pray dhuhr, asr, maghrib and isha at al-Muhassab, and then enter Makka at night and do tawaf of the House.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar used to say, "The jamras should not be stoned during the three days until after the sun has passed the meridian."

The Prophet said to me, "Give up the prayer when your menses begin and when it has finished, wash the blood off your body (take a bath) and start praying."

My father said, "Allah's Apostle said, 'If the Iqama is pronounced, then do not stand for the prayer till you see me (in front of you) and do it calmly.' "