'Abdullah ibn as-Samit said, "I questioned my close friend Abu Dharr who said, 'I brought some water for wudu' to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. He shook his head and bit his lip. I said, "May my father and mother be your ransom, have I injured you?" "No," he replied, "but you will meet amirs ? or imams ? who will delay the prayer until it is past its time." "So what do you command me to do?" I asked. He replied, "Pray the prayer at the proper time. If you come across them, then pray with them and do not say, 'I have already prayed, so I will not pray again.'"'"

'Adi bin Hatim (RAA) narrated, 'The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said to me, "When you set off your dog, mention Allah's Name (Say Bismillah), and if it catched anything for you and come up to it while it is still alive slaughter it; if you come up to it when the dog has killed it but not eaten any of it, eat it. If you find another dog with yours and the game has been killed, do not eat, for you do not know which of them killed the animal. When you shoot your arrow, mention Allah's Name and if the game goes out of sight for a day and you find it without any marks except for that arrow, eat if you wish, but if you find it drowned in water do not eat it." Agreed upon, and the wording is from Muslim.

Allah's Messenger (SAW) said, "There are three to whom Allah will not speak to on the Day of Resurrection, not will He look at them, nor will He purify them, and they will have a painful punishment. (1) A man at a place with excess water in the desert and who withholds it from the travelers. (2) A man who sold a commodity to another person in the afternoon (or after the 'Asr prayer) and swore to him by Allah that he had bought it at such and such price and he (the buyer) believed him yet that was not the case. (3) And a man who pledged allegiance to an Imam only for the sake of the world (material gains). Hence, if the Imam bestowed on him something out of that (i.e. worldly riches) he stood by his pledge of allegiance, and if he did not give him, he did not fulfill the pledge of allegiance." [Agreed upon].

He told that while God's prophet and his companions were sitting clouds came over them and God's prophet asked, "Do you know what these are?" On their replying that God and His messenger knew best, he said, "These are the clouds (`anan), these are the water-carriers of the earth which God drives to people who do not thank Him or call upon Him." He then asked, "Do you know what is above you?" On their replying that God and His messenger knew best, he said, "It is the firmament, a ceiling which is guarded and waves which are kept back." He then asked, "Do you know what is between you and it?" On their replying that God and His messenger knew best, he said, "Between you and it are five hundred years." He then asked, "Do you knew what is above that?" On their replying that God and His messenger knew best, he said, "Two heavens with a distance of five hundred years between them." He went on speaking like that till he counted seven heavens, the distance between each pair being like that between the heaven and the earth. He then asked, "Do you know what is above that?" On their replying that God and His messenger knew best, he said, "Above that is the Throne, and the distance between it and the [seventh] heaven is the same as that between each pair of heavens." He then asked, "Do you know what is below you?" On their replying that God and His messenger knew best, he said, "It is the earth." He then asked, "Do you know what is under that?" On their replying that God and His messenger knew best, he said, "Under it there is another earth with a journey of five hundred years between them," and so on till he had counted seven earths with a journey of five hundred years between each pair. He then said, "By Him in whose hand Muhammad's soul is, if you were to drop a rope[1] to the lowest earth it would not pass out of God's knowledge[2]." He then recited, "He is the First and the Last, the Outward and the Inward, and He is omniscient[3]." Ahmad and Tirmidhi transmitted it, Tirmidhi saying[4] that God's messenger's recitation of the verse indicates that it would go down within God's knowledge, power and authority, for God's knowledge, power and authority are everywhere, while He is on the Throne, as He described Himself in His Book[5]. This is the reading in the text on the margin of Mirqat. In Tirmidhi, in his book on Tafsir al Quran, the tradition occurs in his section on sura 57 (al-hadid), the reading being "if you were to drop a man with a rope..." Literally, "it would fall upon God." Quran, 57:3. Tirmidhi says in the passage cited above, "some of the learned have expounded this tradition..." Cf. Quran; 7:54; 10:3, etc.

Umm ‘Atiyah (RAA) narrated, ‘The Messenger of Allah (P.B.U.H.) came to us when we were washing his daughter (Zainab) after she had died and said, “Wash her three times, five times or more if necessary, with water and lotus leaves (Sidr) and apply some camphor to the last washing.” When we finished making Ghusl for her, we informed the Messenger of Allah (P.B.U.H.) and he threw his Izar (a cloth, which he wore round his waist) to us and told us to wrap her in it as the first sheet of the shroud (next to her body).’ Agreed upon. In another narration, “Start by washing the organs on the right and those parts that are washed in ablution.” In the narration of Al-Bukhari, “We braided her hair in three braids and made them fall at her back.”

Yahya said that Malik said, concerning two associates, "If they share one herdsman, one male animal, one pasture and one watering place then the two men are associates, as long as each one of them knows his own property from that of his companion If someone cannot tell his property apart from that of his fellow, he is not an associate, but rather, a co-owner "

Malik said, "It is not obligatory for both associates to pay zakat unless both of them have a zakatable amount (of livestock). If, for instance, one of the associates has forty or more sheep and goats and the other has less than forty sheep and goats, then the one who has forty has to pay zakat and the one who has less does not. If both of them have a zakatable amount (of livestock) then both of them are assessed together (i.e the flock is assessed as one) and both of them have to pay zakat. If one of them has a thousand sheep, or less, that he has to pay zakat on, and the other has forty, or more, then they are associates, and each one pays his contribution according to the number of animals he has - so much from the one with a thousand, and so much from the one with forty.

Malik said, "Two associates in camels are the same as two associates in sheep and goats, and, for the purposes of zakat, are assessed together if each one of them has a zakatable amount (of camels). That is because the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'There is no zakat on less than five head of camels,' and Umar ibn al-Khattab said, 'On grazing sheep and goats, if they come to forty or more - one ewe.' "

Yahya said that Malik said, "This is what I like most out of what I have heard about the matter."

Malik said that when Umar ibn al-Khattab said, "Those separated should not be gathered together nor should those gathered together be separated in order to avoid paying zakat," what he meant was the owners of livestock.

Malik said, "What he meant when he said, 'Those separated should not be gathered together' is, for instance, that there is a group of three men, each of whom has forty sheep and goats, and each of whom thus has to pay zakat. Then, when the zakat collector is on his way ,they gather their flocks together so that they only owe one ewe between them. This they are forbidden to do. What he meant when he said, 'nor should those gathered together be separated,' is, for instance, that there are two associates, each one of whom has a hundred and one sheep and goats, and each of whom must therefore pay three ewes. Then, when the zakat collector is on his way, they split up their flocks so that they only have to pay one ewe each. This they are forbidden to do. And so it is said, 'Those separated should not be gathered together nor should those gathered together be separated in order to avoid paying zakat.' "

Malik said, "This is what I have heard about the matter."

I heard Ibn Hisham asking ‘Ata’ bin Abu Rabah about the Yemenite Corner, when he was performing Tawaf around the House. ‘Ata’ said: Abu Hurairah told me that the Prophet (saw) said: “Seventy angels have been appointed over it. Whoever says: Allahumma inni as’alukal-‘afwa wal-‘afiyah fid-dunya wal-akhirah; Rabbana atina fid-dunya hasanah, wa fil-akhirati hasanah, wa qina ‘adhaban-Nar (O Allah, I ask You for pardon and well-being in this world and in the Hereafter. Our Lord, give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter and protect us from the torment of the Fire), they say: Amin.” When he reached the Black Corner (where the Black Stone is), he said: O Abu Muhammad! What have you heard about this Black Corner? ‘Ata’ said: Abu Hurairah told me that he heard the Messenger of Allah (saw) say: “Whoever faces it is facing the Hand of the Most Merciful.’” Ibn Hisham said to him: O Abu Muhammad, what about Tawaf? ‘Ata’ said: Abu Hurairah told me that he heard the Prophet (saw) say: “Whoever performs Tawaf around the House seven times and does not say anything except: Subhan Allah wal-hamdu lillah, wa la ilaha illallah wa Allahu Akbar, wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah (Glory is to Allah, praise is to Allah, none has the right to be worshipping but Allah, and there is no power nor strength except with Allah), ten bad deeds will be erased from him, ten merits will be recorded for him, and he will be raised ten degrees in status. Whoever performs Tawaf and talks when he is in that situation, is wading in mercy like one who wades in water.”

Yahya said that Malik said, "The person who puts up the principal must not stipulate that he has something of the profit alone without the agent sharing in it, nor must the agent stipulate that he has something of the profit alone without the investor sharing. In qirad, there is no sale, no rent, no work, no advance, and no convenience which one party specifies to himself without the other party sharing unless one party allows it to the other unconditionally as a favour and that is alright to both. Neither of the parties should make a condition over the other which increases him in gold or silver or food over the other party."

He said, "If any of that enters the qirad, it becomes hire, and hire is only good with known and fixed terms. The agent should not stipulate when he takes the principal that he repay or commission anyone with the goods, nor that he take any of them for himself. When there is a profit, and it is time to separate the capital, then they divide the profit according to the terms of the contract. If the principal does not increase or there is a loss, the agent does not have to make up for what he spent on himself or for the loss. That falls to the investor from the principal. Qirad is permitted upon whatever terms the investor and the agent make a mutual agreement, of half the profit, or a third or a fourth or whatever."

Malik said, "It is not permitted for the agent to stipulate that he use the qirad money for a certain number of years and that it not be taken from him during that time."

He said, "It is not good for the investor to stipulate that the qirad money should not be returned for a certain number of years which are specified, because the qirad is not for a term. The investor loans it to an agent to use for him. If it seems proper to either of them to abandon the project and the money is coin, and nothing has been bought with it, it can be abandoned, and the investor takes his money back. If it seems proper to the investor to take the qirad loan back after goods have been purchased with it, he cannot do so until the buyer has sold the goods and they have become money. If it seems proper to the agent to return the loan, and it has been turned to goods he cannot do so until he has sold them. He returns the loan in cash as he took it."

Malik said, "It is not good for the investor to stipulate that the agent pay any zakat due from his portion of the profit in particular, because the investor by stipulating that, stipulates fixed increase for himself from the profit because the portion of zakat he would be liable for by his portion of the profit, is removed from him.

"It is not permitted for the investor to stipulate to the agent to only buy from so-and-so, referring to a specific man. That is not permitted because by doing so he would become his hireling for a wage."

Malik spoke about an investor in qirad who stipulated a guarantee for an amount of money from the agent, "The investor is not permitted to stipulate conditions about his principal other than the conditions on which qirad is based or according to the precedent of the sunna of the Muslims. If the principal is increased by the condition of guarantee, the investor has increased his share of the profit because of the position of the guarantee. But the profit is only to be divided according to what it would have been had the loan been given without the guarantee. If the principal is destroyed, I do not think that the agent has a guarantee held against him because the stipulation of guarantees in qirad is null and void."

Malik spoke about an investor who gave qirad money to a man and the man stipulated that he would only buy palms or animals with it because he sought to eat the dates or the offspring of the animals and he kept them for some time to use for himself. He said, "That is not permitted. It is not the sunna of the Muslims in qirad unless he buys it and then sells it as other goods are sold."

Malik said, "There is no harm in the agent stipulating on the investor a slave to help him provided that the slave stands to gain along with him out of the investment, and when the slave only helps him with the investment, not with anything else."

Abu Talhah (May Allah be pleased with him) said to (to his wife) Umm Sulaim(May Allah be pleased with her), "I noticed some weakness in the voice of Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and I feel it was due to hunger. Have you got any food?" She said, "Yes." So she brought out barley loaves, took off her head covering, in a part of which she wrapped these loaves and then put them beneath my mantle and covered me with a part of it. She then sent me to Messenger of Allah (PBUH). I set forth and found Messenger of Allah (PBUH) sitting in the mosque in the company of some people. I stood near them whereupon Messenger of Allah (PBUH) asked, "Has Abu Talhah sent you?" I said, "Yes." Thereupon he said to those who were with him to get up (and follow him). He went forth and so did I, ahead of them until I came to Abu Talhah and informed him. Abu Talhah said, "O Umm Sulaim, here comes Messenger of Allah (PBUH) along with the people and we do not have enough (food) to feed them." She said, "Allah and His Messenger know better." Abu Talhah went out (to receive him) until he met Messenger of Allah (PBUH), and he came forward along with him until they both (Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and Abu Talhah (May Allah be pleased with him) came in. Then Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "O Umm Sulaim, bring forth what you have with you." So she brought the bread. Messenger of Allah (PBUH) commanded that the bread be broken into small pieces and after Umm Sulaim (May Allah be pleased with her) had squeezed clarified butter out of a butter container and made it just like soup. Messenger of Allah (PBUH) recited over it what Allah wished him to recite. He then said, "Allow ten guests to come in." They ate until they had their fill. They then went out. He (Messenger of Allah (PBUH)) again said, "Allow ten (more to come in)", and he (the host) ushered them in. They ate to their fill. Then they went out. He (PBUH) again said, "Allow ten (more)," until all the people ate to their fill. They were seventy or eighty persons.

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Another narration is: Anas said: When all had eaten, the remaining food was collected. It was as much as there was in the beginning.

Yet another narration is: Anas said: The groups of ten people ate by turn. After eighty persons had eaten, Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and the family of that house ate, and there was still a quantity left over.

Another narration is: Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) said: I visited Messenger of Allah (PBUH) one day, and found him sitting in the company of his Companions, with a belt tied over his waist. I asked, "Why has Messenger of Allah (PBUH) tied the belt on his waist?" I was told, "Due to hunger." I went to Abu Talhah (May Allah be pleased with him) the husband of Umm Sulaim (May Allah be pleased with her) and said, "O father, I have seen Messenger of Allah (PBUH) with a belt tied over his waist. I asked one of his Companions about the reason of it and he said that it was on account of severe hunger." Abu Talhah (May Allah be pleased with him) went to my mother and asked, "Have you got anything?" She said, "Yes. I have a piece of bread and some dry dates. Were Messenger of Allah (PBUH) to come alone, we could feed him his fill, but if he comes along with others, there would not be enough food." Anas then narrated the Hadith in full.

I was with the Messenger of Allah (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and there came to him two men: one of them was complaining of penury (being very poor), while the other was complaining of brigandry (robbery). The Messenger of Allah (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: As for brigandry, it will be but a short time before a caravan will [be able to] go out of Mecca without a guard. As for penury, the Hour (Day of Judgement) will not arrive before one of you takes his charity around without finding anyone to accept it from him. Then (1) one of you will surely stand before Allah, there being no screen between Him and him, nor an interpreter to translate for him. Then He will say to him: Did I not bring you wealth? And he will say: Yes. Then He will say: Did I not send to you a messenger? And he will say: Yes. And he will look to his right and will see nothing but Hell-fire, then he will look to his left and will see nothing but Hell-fire, so let each of you protect himself against Hell-fire, be it with even half a date - and if he finds it not, then with a kind word. (1) i.e. at the time of the Hour. It was related by al-Bukhari.

Ibn Shihab told on the authority of Anas that Abu Dharr used to tell that God's messenger said, "The roof of my house was cleft when I was in Mecca and Gabriel descended and opened my breast, after which he washed it with Zamzam water. He then brought a gold dish full of wisdom and faith, and after emptying it into my breast he closed it up. Then taking me by the hand he ascended with me to heaven, and when I came to the lowest heaven Gabriel said to the guardian of heaven, `Open.' He asked who was there, and when he replied that it was Gabriel, he asked whether anyone was with him. When he replied that he had Muhammad with him he was asked whether he had been sent for and replied that he had. When the gate was opened, we went up into the lowest heaven and I saw a man sitting with people on his right and people on his left. When he looked to his right he laughed, and when he looked to his left he wept. He said, `Welcome to the good prophet and the good son.' I asked Gabriel who this was and he replied, `This is Adam, and these people on his right and his left are the souls of his descendants. Those of them on his right are the inhabitants of paradise and those on his left are the inhabitants of hell, so when he looks to his right he laughs and when he looks to his left he weeps.' He then took me up to the second heaven and said to its guardian, `Open,' and its guardian said to him the same as the first one had said." Anas said he mentioned that he had found in the heavens Adam, Idris, Moses, Jesus and Abraham, hut did not specify the nature of their abodes, except th a t he mentioned he had found Adam in the lowest heaven and Abraham in the sixth. Ibn Shihab said he was told by Ibn Hazm that Ibn `Abbas and Abu Habba al-Ansar! used to say that the Prophet said, "I was then taken up till I mounted a height in which I heard the scraping of the pens." Ibn Hazm and Anas told that the Prophet said, ``God then made fifty prayers obligatory for my people and I returned with that. When I passed Moses, he asked what God had made it obligatory for me to impose on my people, and when I told him He had made fifty I prayers obligatory he said, `Go back to your Lord, for your people are | not capable.' So, he sent me back and half of them were remitted, and i! when I returned to Moses and told him that half of them had been i remitted, he said, `Go back to your Lord, for your people are not capable.' I went back and repeated what I had said, and half of them were remitted. I then returned to him and he said, `Go back to your Lord, for your I people are not capable of that.' I went back to Him and He said, `They are five and at the same time fifty. What has been said is not changed with Me.' I then returned to Moses, and when he told me to go back to my Lord I replied, `I am ashamed to face my Lord.' He then travelled; with me till he brought me to the lote-tree of the boundary covered with colours, what they were I do not know. I was then brought into paradise and saw in it domes of pearls, and its soil was musk." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

“I was ever determined to ask Umar about the two women, among the wives of the Prophet, about whom Allah [the Mighty and Sublime] said: If you two turn in repentance, your hearts are indeed so inclined… until once when Umar performed Hajj, and I performed Hajj along with him. I poured water for his Wudu from a water holder, and I said: ‘O Commander of the Believers! Who are the two women among the wives of the Prophet, about whom Allah said: If your two turn in repentance, you hearts are indeed so inclined?’ He said to me: ‘I am astonished at you O Ibn Abbas!’” – Az-Zubair (one of the narrators) said: “By Allah! He disliked what he asked him, but he did not withhold it from him.” – “He said to me: ‘It was Aishah and Hafsah.’” He said: “Then he began narrating the Hadith to me. He said: ‘We, the people of the Quraish, used to have the upper hand over our women. So when we arrived in Al-Madinah, we found a people whose women had the upper hand over them. Our women began acquiring the habits of their women. One day I became angry with my wife when she started talking back to to me, she said: “What bothers you about that? By Allah! The wives of the Prophet talk back to him, and one of them may stay away from him a whole day until the night?’” “He said: ‘I said to myself: “Whoever among them has done that, then she has thwarted herself and lost.’” “He said: ‘My house was in Al-Awali among those of Banu Umayyah, and I had a neighbor among the Ansar, and he and I would take turns visiting the Messenger of Allah.’ He said: ‘One day I would visit him and bring the news of the Revealation, and other than that, and one day he would visit him and bring the same. We heard stories that Ghassan were preparing their horses to attack us. He said: ‘One day he came to me in the evening and knocked on my door, so I went out to him. He said: “A horrible thing has happened.” I said: “Ghassan has come?” He said: “Worse than that. The Messenger of Allah has divorced his wives.’” He said: ‘I said to myself: “Hafsah has thwarted herself and is a loser! I though this would happen some day.’” He said: ‘After we prayed Subh, I put on my clothes, then went to visit Hafsah. There I found her crying. I said: “Has the Messenger of Allah divorced (all of you)?” She said: “I do not know. He has secluded himself in the upper room.’” He said: ‘So I wen, and came upon a black slave, I said: “Seek permission for Umar.’” He said: ‘So he entered then came out to me. He said: “I mentioned you to him, but he did not say anything.’” He said: ‘So I went to the Masjid. There I found a group of people sitting around the Minhar weeping, so I sat down with them. Then it became too much for me, so I went to the slave and said: “Seek permission for Umar.” He went in, then he came out to me and said: “I mentioned you to him, but he did not say anything.’” He said: ‘So I went to the Masjid again, and sat there until I could not take it any more, and I went back to the slave and said: “Seek permission for Umar.” He went in, then he came out to me and said: “I mentioned you to him but he did not say anything.’” He said: ‘So I turned to leave, when the slave called me back. He said: “Enter for he has given you permission.’” He said: ‘So I entered, and found the Prophet reclining upon a woven mat, and I saw the marks it left on his side. I said: “O Messenger of Allah! Have you divorced your women?” He said: “No.” I said: “Allahu Akbar! IF you only saw us O Messenger of Allah! We the people of the Quraish used to have the upper hand over our women, but when we came to Al-Madinah we found a people whose women had the upper hand over them. Our women began acquiring the habits of their women. One day I became angry with my wife, so when she started talking back to me I rebuked her and she said: ‘What bothers you about that? By Allah! The wives of the Prophet talk back to him, and one of them may stay away from him a whole day until the night?’” He said: “I said to Hafsah: ‘Do you talk back to the Messenger of Allah?’ She said: ‘Yes, and one of us may stay away from him all day until the night.’” He said: “I said: ‘Whoever among them has done that, then she has thwarted herself and lost. So any of you feel so secure against Allah becoming angry with you because of the anger of the Messenger of Allah, then she will be ruined?’ He said: ‘So the Prophet smiled.’ He said: ‘So I said to Hafsah: “Do not talk back to the Messenger of Allah, and don’t ask him for anything. Ask me for whatever you want. And do not be tempted by the behavior of your companions, for she is more beautiful than you, and more loved by the Messenger of Allah.’” He said: ‘So he smiled again, I said: “O Messenger of Allah! May I speak candidily?” He said: “Yes.’” He said: ‘I raised my head and did not see in the house except for three hides. So I said: “O Messenger of Allah! Supplicate to Allah to make your followers prosperous. For verily, He has made the Persians and the Romans prosper, and they do not worship Him.” He then sat up and said: “Do you have some doubts O Ibn Al-Khattab? They are a people whose good has been hastened for them in this world’s life.’” He said: ‘He swore that he would not enter upon his women for a month. So Allah censured him for that, and he made the atonement of an oath.’” Az-Zuhri said: “Urwah informed me that Aishah said: “When twenty-nine days passed, the Prophet entered upon me first, and he said: “O Aishah! I am about to mention something to you, but do not be hasty in reply until you consult your parents.’” She said: ‘Then he recited this Ayah: “O Prophet! Say to your wives.” She said: ‘I knew by Allah! That my parents would not tell me to part with him.’ She said: ‘I said: “Is it about this that I should consult with my parents? Indeed I want Allah and His Messenger and the abode of the Hereafter.” Ma’mar (one of the narrators) said: “Ayyub informed me that Aishah said to him: ‘O Messenger of Allah! Do not inform your wives that I chose you.’ So the Prophet said: ‘Allah send me only as one who conveys (Muballigh), He did not send me as one causing hardship.’”

Abu Huraira told that the people asked, "Messenger of God, shall we see our Lord on the day of resurrection?" and then mentioned something to the same general effect as Abu Sa'id's tradition, except for "things will be made plain[1]." The Prophet then said, "The Path will be set over the main part of jahannam and I shall be the first of the messengers to take his people across. On that day only the messengers will speak and what they say that day will be, `0 God, keep safe, keep safe.' In jahannam there will be pronged flesh-hooks like sadan[2] thorns whose size is known only to God, and they will seize people for their deeds, some being confined for what they have done and others being cut in small pieces and escaping. Then when God finishes judging His servants and desires to take out of hell such people as He pleases among those who testified that there is no god but God, He will command the angels to bring out those who worshipped God. They will do so, recognising them by the marks of prostration, God most high having prevented hell from devouring the mark of prostration, for hell will devour everything in the sons of Adam except the mark of prostration. They will come forth from hell having been burned, the water of life will be poured over them, and they will sprout as a seed does in the rubbish carried away by a flood. Bat a man who will be the last of the inhabitants of hell to enter paradise will remain between paradise and hell facing hell and will say, `0 my Lord, turn my face away from hell, for its odour has annoyed me and its fierce blaze has burned me; but God will reply, 'If I do that you will perhaps ask something else.' He will say, `No, by Thy might,' giving God such covenant and agreement as God wishes, and He will turn his face away from hell. When he is turned to face paradise and sees its beauty, he will remain silent as long as God wishes him to remain so, and will then say, 'O my Lord, bring me forward to the gate of paradise.' God who is blessed and exalted will reply, `Did you not give covenants and agreement that you would not ask anything beside what you have asked?' and he will say, `O my Lord, let me not be made the most miserable of Thy creatures.' He will ask, `What else are you likely to ask for if you are granted that?' and he will reply, `No, by Thy might, I shall ask nothing else.' He will then give his Lord such covenant and agreement as He wishes, and He will bring him forward to the gate of paradise. Then when he reaches its gate and sees its freshness and the splendour and joy it contains, he will remain silent as long as God wishes him to remain so, and will then say, `O my Lord, bring me into paradise.' God who is blessed and exalted will reply, `Woe to you, son of Adam, how treacherous you are! Have you not given covenants and agreement that you would not ask anything more than you have been granted?' and he will say, `O my Lord, do not make me the most miserable of Thy creatures.' He will continue making supplication till God laughs at him, and when He does so He will give him permission to enter paradise, and will say, `State your wish.' When he has done so till his wishing has come to an end God most high will say, `State your wish from such and such,' his Lord mentioning the matters to him. Then when there is nothing more he can wish God will say, `You can have that and a similar amount along with it'." In Abu Sa'id's version God says, "You can have that and ten times as much." i.e., they will have everything as far as their eyes can see. The name of a plant with a prickly head on which camels pasture. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Allāhumma’ghfir lahu warḥamh, wa `āfihi, wa`fu `anh, wa akrim nuzulah, wa wassi` mudkhalah, wagh’silhu bi ‘lmā'i wath-thalji walbarad, wa naqqihi mina ‘l-khaṭāyā kamā naqqaytath-thawba ‘l-abyaḍa minad-danas, wa abdilhu dāran khayran min dārih, wa ahlan khayran min ahlih, wa zawjan khayran min zawjih, wa adkhilhu ‘l-jannah, wa a`idhhu min `adhābi ‘l-qabri [wa `adhābin-nār]. O Allah, forgive him and have mercy on him, and give him strength and pardon him. Be generous to him, and cause his entrance to be wide, and wash him with water and snow and hail. Cleanse him of his transgressions as white cloth is cleansed of stains. Give him an abode better than his home, and a family better than his family, and a wife better than his wife. Take him into Paradise, and protect him from the punishment of the grave [and from the punishment of Hell-fire]. Reference: Muslim 2/663.

Allāhumma Rabbas-samāwātis-sab`i wa Rabba ‘l-`Arshi ‘l-`Aẓīm, Rabbanā wa Rabba kulli shay', fāliqa ‘l-ḥabbi wan-nawā, wa munzilat-Tawrāti wal-'Injīli, wal-Furqān, a`ūdhu bika min sharri kulli shay'in anta ākhidhun bināṣiyatih. Allāhumma anta ‘l-awwalu falaysa qablaka shay', wa antal-ākhiru falaysa ba`daka shay', wa antaẓ-ẓāhiru falaysa fawqaka shay', wa antal-bāṭinu falaysa dūnaka shay', iqḍi `annad-dayn, wa aghninā mina ‘l-faqr. O Allah! Lord of the seven heavens and Lord of the Magnificent Throne. Our Lord and the Lord of everything. Splitter of the grain and the date-stone, Revealer of the Torah and the Injeel1 and the Furqan (the Qur'an), I seek refuge in You from the evil of everything that You shall seize by the forelock.2 O Allah You are the First and nothing has come before you, and You are the Last, and nothing may come after You. You are the Most High, nothing is above You and You are the Most Near, and nothing is nearer than You. Remove our debts from us and enrich us against poverty. 3 Reference: 1 The Scripture that was revealed to 'Isa (Jesus). 2 See Qur'an Al-'Alaq 96:15, where seizure by the forelock preceeds being cast into Hell. (Translator) 3 Muslim 4/2084.

"Every body is given the prayer to arise healthy among his people, yet death is nearer to him than his shoe-laces." And whenever Bilal’s (ra) fever subsided, he would recite, "Would that I know that I will ever spend a night in a valley surrounded by Izkhir and Jaleel (two kinds of sweet smelling grass). And that I will arrive one day to the waters of Majannah and observe (the mountains) Shamah and Tafeel" Ayshah (ra) went to the Prophet M, and informed him of what transpired with these two men. Thereupon, he made this supplication: "O Allah, make us love Madinah as dearly as we love Makkah, or more than that. O Allah! Make it healthy for us and bless for us it sa' and mudd. And remove its fever putting it in al-Juhfah"

Ibn 'Abbas said, "I spent the night at the house of my aunt. Maymuna. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, got up to answer a call of nature and then washed his hands and face and slept. Then he got up and took the water-skin and loosened its strap and then did a medium sort of wudu' and no more but he did it adequately. Then he prayed. I stood up and went slowly, not wanting him to see that I was observing him. I did wudu'. Then he stood up to pray and I stood at his left. He took my hand and brought me around to his right. His complete night prayer consisted of twelve rak'ats. Then he lay down and went to sleep until he snored. When he slept, he would snore. Bilal gave the adhan for the morning prayer and he prayed without doing wudu'. One of his supplications was, 'O Allah, put light in my heart and light in my hearing and light on my right and light on my left and a light above me and a light behind me and a light in front of me and a light behind him and make my light great.'"

An-Nawwas b. Sam`a.n told that God's messenger mentioned the dajjal saying, "If he comes forth while I am among you I shall be the one who will dispute with him on your behalf, but if he comes forth when I am not among you a man must dispute on his own behalf, and God will take my place in looking after every Muslim. He will be a youth with curly hair and a floating eye whom I might compare to `Abd al- `Uzza b. Qatan. Those of you who live till his time should recite over him the opening verses of sura al-Kahf[1] (a version having `should recite over him the opening verses of sura al-Kahf, for they are your protection from his trial'). He will come forth on a road between Syria and al- `Iraq and do mischief right and left. Stand firm, servants of God." God's messenger was asked how long he would remain in the earth and replied, "Forty days, one like a year, one like a month, one like a week, and the rest of his days like yours." God's messenger was then asked if one day's prayer would suffice them in that day which would be like a year and replied, "No, you must make an estimate of its extent." He was asked how quickly he would go in the earth and replied, "Like rain driven along by the wind. He will come to people and summon them and they will believe in him. He will then give command to the sky and it will give rain and to the earth and it will produce crops. Then in the evening their pasturing animals will come to them with their humps as high as possible; their udders full of milk, and their flanks distended. He will then come to people and summon them, but they will reject what he says, so he will leave them. In the morning they will be destitute, possessing none of their property. He will pass the waste land and tell it to bring forth its treasures, and its treasures will follow him like swarms of bees. He will then summon a man in the prime of youth, strike him with a sword and cut him in two like a shot at a target, after which he will call him and he will come forward laughing with his face shining. But at that very moment God will send the Messiah son of Mary who will descend at the white minaret in the east of Damascus wearing two garments dyed with saffron and placing his hands on the wings of two angels. When he lowers his head, it will drip and when he raises it beads like pearls will scatter from it. Every infidel who feels the odour of his breath will die, and his breath will reach as far as he can see. He will then seek him till he catches up with him at the gate of Ludd and kills him. People whom God has protected from him will then come to Jesus who will wipe their faces and tell them of the ranks they will have in paradise. While this is happening God will reveal to Jesus that He has brought forth servants of His with whom no one will be able to fight and tell him to collect His servants at at-Tur. God will then release Gog and Magog and they will swarm down from every slope.' [2] The first of them will pass the lake of Tiberias and drink its contents and when the last[3] of them passes he will say there was once water there. They will then journey till they come to the mountain of thickets which is the mountain of Jerusalem and will say, `We have killed those who are in the earth come and let us kill those who are in heaven.' They will then shoot their arrows into the sky and God will send their arrows back to them dyed with blood; and God's prophet and his companions will be restrained till an ox-head seems better to one of them than a hundred dinars do to you to-day. God's prophet Jesus and his companions will then beseech God who will send to them insects in their necks and in the morning, they will have perished as if they were one person. God's prophet Jesus and his companions will then come down to the earth and will not find in the earth as much space as a span which is not filled with their putrefaction and stench. God's prophet Jesus and his companions will then beseech God who will send birds with necks like those of Bactrian camels and they will carry them and throw them where God wills. (A version says they will throw them in an-Nahbal[4] and the Muslims will burn their bows, arrows, and quivers for seven years.) God will then send a rain which no house of clay or camel's wool will keep out and it will wash the earth till it leaves it like a mirror. The earth will then be told to bring forth its fruit and restore its blessing, and on that day a company of people will eat a pomegranate and seek shelter in its skin, and the milk will be blessed so that a milch-camel will be sufficient for a number of people, a cow in milk will be sufficient for a tribe of men and a ewe will be sufficient for a clan of men. At that time God will send a pleasant wind which will take them under their arm pits and the spirit of every believer and every Muslim will be taken, but the wicked people will remain in the earth and will be disorderly like asses. Then the last hour will come to them." 1-Quran, 18. 2-Quran, 21:96. 3-In the Arabic of this sentence the plural is used for 'first' and the singular for `last.' 4-This appears as a proper name in the tradition, but Taj al-arus in the article hbl says this is an error for al-mahbal which means a great pit. Cf also Ibn al-Athir, Nihaya, 4:252. Muslim transmitted it, except for the second version which is "They will throw them into an-Nahbal... seven years." That is transmitted by Tirmidhi.

It is related that Abu Musa was with the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in one of the gardens of Madina. He said, "The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, had a twig in his hand with which he was striking the water and mud. A man came and asked for the garden to be opened, and the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'Open it for him and give him the good news of the Garden.' I went and it was Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him. I opened the gate for him and gave him the good news of the Garden. Then another man asked to be let in and the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'Open the door and give him the good news of the Garden.' It was 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, and I let him in and gave him the good news of the Garden. Then yet another man asked to be let in. The Prophet had been reclining, but he then sat up and said, 'Open it for him and give him the good news of the Garden along with an affliction which will befall him ? or which will happen.' I went and it was 'Uthman, I opened the door and told him what the Prophet had said. He said, 'Allah is the One who is asked for help. '"

" ... but give [them] preference over themselves, even though they are in privation. And whoever is protected from the stinginess of his soul - it is those who will be the successful." (al-Hashr,59:9)

'I have grown old, so send me a young boy in order to teach him magic.' The king sent him a young boy to serve the purpose. And on his way (to the magician) the young boy met a monk to whom he listened to and liked it. It became his habit that on his way to the magician, he would meet the monk and sit there and would come to the magician (late). The magician used to beat him because of this delay. He complained about this to the monk who said to him: 'When you feel afraid of the magician, say: Members of my family detained me. And when you fear your family, say: The magician detained me.' It so happened that there came a huge beast and it blocked the way of the people, and the young boy said: 'I will know today whether the magician or the monk is better.' He picked up a stone and said: 'O Allah, if the way of the monk is dearer to You than the way of the magician, bring about death to the animal so that the people be able to move about freely.' He threw that stone at it and killed it and the people began to move about freely. He then came to the monk and told him the story. The monk said: 'Son, today you are superior to me. You have come to a stage where I feel that you would be soon put to a trial, and in case you are put to a trial, do not reveal me.' That young boy began to heal those born blind and the lepers and he, in fact, began to cure people from all kinds of illnesses. When a courtier of the king who had gone blind heard about him, he came to him with numerous gifts and said, 'If you cure me, all these things will be yours.' He said, 'I myself do not cure anyone. It is Allah, the Exalted, Alone Who cures; and if you affirm faith in Allah, I shall also supplicate to Allah to cure you.' This courtier affirmed his faith in Allah and Allah cured him. He came to the king and sat by his side as he used to sit before. The king said to him, 'Who restored your eyesight?' He said, 'My Rubb.' Thereupon he said, 'Do you have another lord besides me?' He said, 'My Rubb and your Rubb is Allah.' So the king kept torturing him untill he revealed the young boy. The young boy was thus summoned and the king said to him, 'O boy, it has been conveyed to me that you have become so much proficient in your magic that you cure the blind and the lepers and you do such and such.' Thereupon he said, 'I do not cure anyone; it is Allah Alone Who cures,' and the king took hold of him and began to torture him until he revealed of the monk. The monk was summoned and it was said to him: 'You should turn back from your religion.' But he refused. The king sent for a saw, placed it in the middle of his head and cut him into two parts that fell down. Then the courtier of the king was brought forward and it was said to him: 'Turn back from your religion.' He, too, refused, and the saw was placed in the midst of his head and he was torn into two parts. Then the boy was sent for and it was said to him: 'Turn back from your religion.' He refused. The king then handed him over to a group of his courtiers, and said to them: 'Take him to such and such mountain; make him climb up that mountain and when you reach its peak ask him to renounce his Faith. If he refuses to do so, push him to his death.' So they took him and made him climb up the mountain and he said: 'O Allah, save me from them in any way you like,' and the mountain began to shake and they all fell down (dead) and that young boy came walking to the king. The king said to him, 'What happened to your companions?' He said, 'Allah has saved me from them.' He again handed him to some of his courtiers and said: 'Take him and carry him in a boat and when you reach the middle of the sea, ask him to renounce his religion. If he does not renounce his religion throw him (into the water).' So they took him and he said: 'O Allah, save me from them.' The boat turned upside down and they all drowned except the young boy who came walking to the king. The king said to him, 'What happened to your companions?' He said, 'Allah has saved me from them,' and he said to the king: 'You cannot kill me until you do what I command you to do.' The king asked, 'What is that?' He said, 'Gather all people in one place and tie me up to the trunk of a tree, then take an arrow from my quiver and say: With the Name of Allah, the Rubb of the boy; then shoot me. If you do that you will be able to kill me.' 'The king called the people in an open field and tied the young boy to the trunk of a tree. He took out an arrow from his quiver, fixed in the bow and said, 'With the Name of Allah, the Rubb of the young boy,' he then shot the arrow and it hit the boy's temple. The young boy placed his hand upon the temple where the arrow had hit him and died. The people then said: 'We believe in the Rubb of this young boy.' The king was told: 'Do you see what you were afraid of, by Allah it has taken place; all people have believed.' The king then commanded that trenches be dug and fire lit in them, and said: 'He who would not turn back from his (the young boy's) religion, throw him in the fire' or 'he would be ordered to jump into it.' They did so till a woman came with her child. She felt hesitant in jumping into the fire. The child said to her: 'O mother! Endure (this ordeal) for you are on the Right Path".

[Muslim].

We went out with the Prophet to the funeral of a man of the Ansar and came to the grave. It had not yet been dug, so God’s messenger sat down and we sat down around him quietly. He had in his hand a stick with which he was making marks on the ground. Then he raised his head and said, “Seek refuge in God from the punishment of the grave saying it twice or thrice. He then said, “When a believer is about to leave the world and go forward to the next world, angels with faces white as the sun come down to him from heaven with one of the shrouds of paradise and some of the perfume of paradise and sit away from him as far as the eye can see. Then the angel of death comes and sits at his head and says, 'Good soul, come out to forgiveness and acceptance from God.' It then comes out as a drop flows from a water-skin and he seizes it; and when he does so, they do not leave it in his hand for an instant, but take it and place it in that shroud and that perfume, and from it there comes forth a fragrance like that of the sweetest musk found on the face of the earth. They then take it up and do not bring it past a company of angels without their asking, “Who is this good soul?' to which they reply, ‘So and so, the son of so and so,’ using the best of his names by which people called him on the earth. They then bring him to the lowest heaven and ask that the gate should be opened for him. This is done, and from every heaven its archangels escort him to the next heaven till he is brought to the seventh heaven, and God who is great and glorious says, ‘Record the book of my servant in ‘Illiyun (Cf. Qur’an, lxxxiii, 18) and take him back to earth, for I created mankind from it, I shall return them into it, and from it I shall bring them forth another time.' His soul is then restored to his body, two angels come to him, and making him sit up say to him, ‘Who is your Lord?’ He replies, ‘My Lord is God.’ They ask, ‘What is your religion?’ and he replies, ‘My religion is Islam.’ They ask, ‘Who is this man who was sent among you?’ and he replies, ‘He is God’s messenger.’ They ask, ‘What is your [source of] knowledge?’ and he replies, ‘I have read God’s Book, believed in it and declared it to be true.’ Then one cries from heaven, ‘My servant has spoken the truth, so spread out carpets from paradise for him, clothe him from paradise, and open a gate for him into paradise.’ Then some of its joy and fragrance comes to him, his grave is made spacious for him as far as the eye can see, and a man with a beautiful face, beautiful garments and a sweet odour comes to him and says, ‘Rejoice in what pleases you for this is your day which you have been promised.' He asks, ‘Who are you, for your face is perfectly beautiful and brings good?” He replies, ‘I am your good deeds.’ He then says, ‘My Lord, bring the last hour; my Lord, bring the last hour, so that I may return to my people and my property.’ But when an infidel is about to leave the world and proceed to the next world, angels with black faces come down to him from heaven with hair-cloth and sit away from him as far as the eye can see. Then the angel of death comes and sits at his head and says, ‘Wicked soul, come out to displeasure from God.’ Then it becomes dissipated in his body, and he draws it out as a spit is drawn out from moistened wool. He then seizes it, and when he does so they do not leave it in his hand for an instant, but put it in that hair-cloth and from it there comes forth a stench like the most offensive stench of a corpse found on the face of the earth. They then take it up and do not bring it past a company of angels without their asking, ‘Who is this wicked soul?’ to which they reply, ‘So and so, the son of so and so,’ using the worst names he was called in the world. When he is brought to the lowest heaven request is made that the gate be opened for him, but it is not opened for him. (God’s messenger then recited, ‘The gates of heaven will not be opened for them and they will not enter paradise until a camel can pass through the eye of a needle.)(Qur'an, vii, 40) God who is great and glorious then says, ‘Record his book in Sijjin (Cf. Qur’an, Ixxxiii, 7 ff) in the lowest earth,’ and his soul is thrown down. (He then recited, ‘He who assigns partners to God is as if he had fallen down from heaven and been snatched up by birds, or made to fall by the wind in a place far distant.')(Qur’an, xxii, 31). His soul is then restored to his body, two angels come to him, and making him sit up say to him, ‘Who is your Lord?’. He replies, ‘Alas, alas, I do not know.’ They ask, ‘What is your religion?' and he replies, ‘Alas, alas, I do not know.’ They ask, ‘Who is this man who was sent among you?' and he replies, ‘Alas, alas, I do not know.’ Then one cries from heaven, ‘He has lied, so spread out carpets from hell for him, and open a gate for him into hell.’ Then some of its heat and hot air comes to him, his grave is made narrow for him so that his ribs are pressed together in it, and a man with an ugly, face, ugly garments and an offensive odour come to him and says, ‘Be grieved with what displeases you, for this is your day which you have been promised.’ He asks, ‘Who are you, for your face is most ugly and brings evil?' He replies, ‘I am your wicked deeds.’ He then says, ‘My Lord, do not bring the last hour.’ ” In a version there is something similar containing an addition: “When his soul comes out every angel between heaven and earth and every angel in heaven invoke blessings on him, and the gates of heaven are opened for him, no guardians of a gate failing to supplicate God that his soul may be taken up beyond them. But his soul, i.e., the infidel’s, is pulled out along with the veins and every angel between heaven and earth and every angel in heaven curse him, and the gates of heaven are locked, no guardians of a gate failing to supplicate God that his soul may not be taken up beyond them. Ahmad transmitted it.

I was eager to ask 'Umar about the two wives of the Prophet (ﷺ) concerning whom Allah said, “If you two (wives of the Prophet (ﷺ) turn in repentance to Allah, (it will be better for you), your hearts are indeed so inclined (to oppose what the Prophet (ﷺ) likes)” [at-Tahreem 66:4], until 'Umar went for Hajj and I went with him. When we were partway there, 'Umar turned aside and I turned aside with him, bringing the jug. He relieved himself, then he came to me and I poured water onto his hands, and he did wudoo’. I said: “O Ameer al -Mu'mineen, who are the two wives of the Prophet (ﷺ) of whom Allah said: ‘If you two (wives of the Prophet (ﷺ)) turn in repentance to Allah, (it will be better for you), your hearts are indeed so inclined (to oppose what the Prophet (ﷺ) likes)’?” [at-Tahreem 66:4] 'Umar said, “How strange of you, O Ibn 'Abbas”, (az-Zuhri said: By Allah, he did not like the question, but he did not conceal anything.) He said, “They were Hafsah and 'A'ishah.” Then he started to narrate the hadeeth and said: We people of Quraish were a people who dominated women, but when we came to Madinah we found a people who were dominated by their women, and our women started to learn from their women. My house was among Banu Umayyah bin Zaid in al-'Awali. One day I got angry with my wife, and she argued with me. I did not like her to argue with me, but she said: Do you not like me to argue with you? By Allah, the wives of the Prophet (ﷺ) argue with him, and one of them will forsake him all day until night comes, I went and entered upon Hafsah, and I said: Do you argue with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)? She said: Yes. I said: Does one of you forsake him all day until night comes? She said: Yes. I said: Any one of you who does that is doomed and lost. Does any one of you feel assured that Allah will not be angry with her because of the anger of His Messenger (ﷺ), for then she will be doomed? Do not argue with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and do not ask him for anything. Ask me for whatever you want. And do not be misled by the fact that your neighbour is more beautiful than you and more beloved to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) than you – referring to 'A'ishah. And ‘Umar said: I had a neighbour among the Ansar. We used to take turns to go down to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He would go down one day and I would go down the next. He would bring me the news of the Revelation and other things, and I would do likewise. We were saying that Ghassan were shoeing their horses to attack us. My friend went down, then he came to me at night and knocked on my door, then he called out to me. I went out to him and he said: Something terrible has happened! I said: What? Have Ghassan come? He said: No, it is more terrible than that and worse. The Prophet (ﷺ) has divorced his wives! I said: Hafsah is doomed and lost! I thought that this would happen. Then when I had prayed Fajr, I got dressed, then I went down and entered upon Hafsah, who was weeping. I said: Has the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)divorced you? She said: I do not know. He has secluded himself in this loft. I went to a black slave of his and said: Ask for permission for ‘Umar to enter. He went in, then he came out to me and said: I mentioned you to him but he did not say anything, I went away and came to the minbar, where I sat down. By it was a group of people, some of whom were weeping. I sat for a little while, then I could not bear it any longer, so I went to the slave and said: Ask for permission for ‘Umar to enter. He went in, then he came out to me and said: I mentioned you to him but he did not say anything. I turned to leave, then the slave called me and said: Go in, he has given you permission. So I went in and greeted the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) with salam. He was resting on a reed mat that had left marks on his side. I said: O Messenger of Allah, have you divorced your wives? He looked up at me and said, “No.” I said: Allah Akbar! if you had seen us, O Messenger of Allah, we Quraish were a people who dominated women, but when we came to Madinah we found a people who were dominated by their women, and our women started to learn from their women. I got angry with my wife one day, and she started to argue with me. I did not like her to argue with me, but she said: Do you not like me to argue with you? By Allah, the wives of the Prophet (ﷺ) argue with him, and one of them will forsake him all day until night comes. I said: Any one of them who does that is doomed and lost. Does one of them feel assured that Allah will not be angry with her because of the anger of His Messenger (ﷺ),then she will be doomed? The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) smiled. I said: O Messenger of Allah, I entered upon Hafsah and I said: Do not be misled by the fact that your neighbour (i.e. ‘Aa'ishah) is more beautiful than you and more beloved to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) than you. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) smiled again. I said: O Messenger of Allah, may I speak to you freely? He said: “Yes.” So I sat down and looked around the room, and by Allah, I did not see anything in it to please the eye except three hides. I said: Pray to Allah, O Messenger of Allah, to make life prosperous for your ummah, for He has made life prosperous for the Persians and Romans, but they do not worship Allah, may He be glorified and exalted. He sat up straight and said: “Are you doubting. O son of al-Khattab? They are people whose good things have been hastened for them in this world.” I said: Pray for forgiveness for me, O Messenger of Allah. He had sworn that he would not enter upon them for a month, because he was so annoyed with them until Allah rebuked him.

The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) very often used to ask his Companions, "Do any one of you has seen a dream?" So dreams would be narrated to him by those whom Allah willed to relate. One day he (PBUH) said, "Last night I had a vision in which two men (angels) came to me and woke me up and said to me, 'Proceed!' I set out with them and we came across a man lying down, and behold, another man was standing over his head, holding a big rock. Behold, he was throwing the rock at the man's head, smashing it. When he struck him, the stone rolled away and he went after it to get it, and no sooner had he returned to this man, his head was healed and restored to its former condition. The thrower (of the rock) then did the same as he had done before. I said to my two companions, 'Subhan-Allah! Who are these?' They said: 'Proceed, proceed.' So we proceeded and came to a man lying in a prone position and another man standing over his head with an iron hook, and behold, he would put the hook in one side of the man's mouth and tear off that side of his face to the back (of the neck), and similarly tear his nose from front to back, and his eyes from front to back. Then he turned to the other side of the man's face and did just as he has done with the first side. He had hardly completed that (second) side when the first returned to its normal state. I said to my two companions, 'Subhan-Allah! Who are these?' They said, 'Proceed, proceed.' So we proceeded and came across something like a Tannur (a kind of baking oven, a pit usually clay-lined for baking bread)." I (the narrator) think the Prophet (PBUH) said, "In that oven there was much noise and voices." The Prophet (PBUH) added, "We looked into it and found naked men and women, and behold, a flame of fire was reaching to them from underneath, and when it reached them they cried loudly. I asked, 'Who are these?' They said to me, 'Proceed, proceed.' And so we proceeded and came across a river." I (the narrator) think he said, "-- red like blood." The Prophet (PBUH) added, "And behold, in the river there was a man swimming, and on the bank there was a man who had collected many stones. Behold, while the other man was swimming, he went near him. The former opened his mouth and the latter (on the bank) threw a stone into his mouth whereupon he went swimming again. Then again he (the former) returned to him (the latter), and every time the former returned, he opened his mouth, and the latter threw a stone into his mouth, (and so on) the performance was repeated. I asked my two companions, 'Who are these?' They replied, 'Proceed, proceed.' And we proceeded till we came to a man with a repulsive appearance, the most repulsive appearance you ever saw a man having! Beside him there was a fire, and he was kindling it and running around it. I asked my two companions, 'Who is this (man).' They said to me, 'Proceed, proceed!' So we proceeded till we reached a garden of deep green dense vegetation, having all sorts of spring colours. In the midst of the garden there was a very tall man, and I could hardly see his head because of his great height, and around him there were children in such a large number as I have never seen! I said to my two companions, 'Who is this?' They replied, 'Proceed, proceed.' So we proceeded till we came to a majestic, huge garden, greater and better than any garden I have ever seen! My two companions said to me, 'Ascend up' and I ascended up." The Prophet (PBUH) added, "So we ascended till we reached a city built of gold and silver bricks, and we went to its gate and asked (the gatekeeper) to open the gate, and it was opened; and we entered the city and found in it men with one side of their bodies as handsome as the most handsome person you have ever seen, and the other side as ugly as the ugliest person you have ever seen! My two companions ordered those men to throw themselves into the river. Behold, there was a river flowing across (the city), and its water was like milk in whiteness. Those men went and threw themselves in it and then returned to us after the ugliness (of their bodies) had disappeared, and they came in the best shape." The Prophet (PBUH) further added, "My two companions said to me: 'This place is the 'Adn Jannah, and that is your place.' I raised up my sight, and behold, there I saw a palace like a white cloud! My two companions said to me, 'That palace is your place,' I said to them, 'May Allah bless you both! Let me enter it.' They replied, 'As for now, you will not enter it, but you shall enter it (one day).' I said to them, 'I have seen many wonders tonight. What does all that mean which I have seen?' They replied, 'We will inform you: As for the first man you came upon, whose head was being smashed with the rock, he is the symbol of the one who studies the Qur'an and then neither recites it nor acts on its orders, and sleeps, neglecting the enjoined prayers. As for the man you came upon, whose sides of mouth, nostrils and eyes were torn off from front to back, he is the symbol of the man who goes out of his house in the morning and tells lies that are spread all over the world. And those naked men and women whom you saw in a construction resembling an oven, they are the adulterers and the adulteresses. And the man who was given a stone to swallow is the eater of Ar-Riba (usury), and the bad-looking man whom you saw near the fire, kindling it and going around it, is Malik, the gatekeeper of Hell, and the tall man you saw in the garden is (Prophet) Abraham, and the children around him are those who died upon Al-Fitrah (the Islamic Faith of Monotheism)."' The narrator added: Some Muslims asked the Prophet (PBUH) , "O Messenger of Allah! What about the children of Al- Mushrikun (i.e., polytheists, pagans, idolaters, and disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah and in His Messenger Muhammad (PBUH))?" The Prophet (PBUH) replied, "And also the children of Al-Mushrikun." The Prophet (PBUH) added: "My two companions added, 'The men you saw half handsome and half ugly were these people who had mixed an act that was good with another that was bad, but Allah forgave them'."

Another narration of Al-Bukhari is: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "One night two men came to me and took me to a blessed land." (The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) told of the same incident as above) and said, "After a while of walking we came upon a pit like an oven, narrow at the top and wide at the bottom with fire raging in it. When the flames rose up (the people in it) also rose up till they were about to come out; and when the fire subsided they, too, would go down with it. In it were naked men and women." (The remainder of the Hadith is the same as the above Hadith except that at the end of it, the Messenger of Allah said: "We came upon a river of blood in the middle of which there was a man standing, and at the bank of the river there was a man with plenty of stones before him..." In this narration we also find: "They made me climb the tree and they made me enter an abode so beautiful the like of which I have never seen before. There (I saw) old men and youth." In this narration we also find: "'The first house you entered was the abode of the believers in general, and the other house was the abode of the martyrs. I am Jibril (Gabriel), and this is Mika'il. Raise your head.' I looked up and saw something like clouds. They said to me, 'That is your abode.' I said, 'Shall I enter it?' They said, 'You have not completed your term of life yet. When you do, you will certainly enter it."'

[Al-Bukhari]

Qatada quoted the authority of Anas b. Malik who quoted the authority of Malik b. Sa'sa'a to the effect that God's prophet told them about the night when he was taken up to heaven, saying, "While I was lying down at al-Hatim[2] (but perhaps he said al-Hijr), someone came to me and made a split from here to here (meaning from the pit of his chest to the hair below his navel), then took out my heart. I was next brought a gold dish full of faith, and my heart was washed, then filled up and put back. (A version says the inside was washed with Zamzam water, after which it was filled with faith and wisdom.) I was then brought a beast smaller than a mule and larger than a donkey, which was white, was called al-Buraq, and stepped a distance equal to the range of its vision. I was mounted on it, and Gabriel went with me till he came to the lowest heaven. He asked that the gate be opened, and when he was asked who he was he replied that he was Gabriel. He was asked who was with him and replied that it was Muhammad. He was asked whether he had been sent for, and when he replied that that was so, the words were uttered, `Welcome; his coming is good,' and the gate was opened. When I entered Adam was there, and Gabriel said, `This is your father Adam, so give him a salutation. I did so, and when he had returned my salutation he said, `Welcome to the good son and the good prophet.' Gabriel then took me up till he came to the second heaven. He asked that the gate be opened, and when he was asked who he was he replied that he was Gabriel. He was asked who was with him and replied that it was Muhammad. He was asked whether he had been sent for, and when he replied that that was so, the words were uttered, `Welcome; his coming is good' and the gate was opened. When I entered John[3] and Jesus, who were cousins on the mother's side, were there, and Gabriel said, `These are John and Jesus, so give them a salutation I did so, and when they had returned my salutation they said, `Welcome to the good brother and the good prophet.' Gabriel then took me up to the third heaven. He asked that the gate be opened, and when he was asked who he was he replied that he was Gabriel. He was asked who was with him, and replied that it was Muhammad. He was asked whether he had been sent for, and when he replied that that was so, the words were uttered, `Welcome, his coming is good and the gate was opened. When I entered Joseph was there, and. Gabriel said, this is Joseph, so give him a salutation.' I did so, and when he had returned my salutation he said, `Welcome to the good brother and the good prophet.' Gabriel then took me up till he came to the fourth heaven. He asked that the gate be opened, and when he was asked who he was he replied that he was Gabriel. He was asked who was with him and replied that it was Muhammad. He was asked whether he had been sent for, and when he replied th at th at was so, the words were uttered, `Welcome; his coming is good,' and the gate was opened. When I entered Idris was there, and Gabriel said, `This is Idris, so give him a salutation.' I did so, and when he had returned my salutation he said, `Welcome to the good brother and the good prophet.' Gabriel then took me up till he came to the fifth heaven. He asked that the gate be opened, and when he was asked who he was he replied that he was Gabriel. He was asked who was with him and replied that it was Muhammad. He was asked whether he had been sent for, and when he replied that that was so, the words were uttered, `Welcome; his coming is good,' and the gate was opened. When I entered Aaron was there, and Gabriel said, `This is Aaron, so give him a salutation' I did so, and when he had returned my salutation he said, `Welcome to the good brother and the good prophet.' Gabriel then took me up till he came to the sixth heaven. He asked that the gate be opened, and when he was asked who he was he replied that he was Gabriel. He was asked who was with him and replied that it was Muhammad. He was asked whether he had been sent for, and when he replied that that was so, the words were uttered, `Welcome; his coming is good,' and the gate was opened. When I entered Moses was there, and Gabriel said, `This is Moses, so give him a salutation.' I did so, and when he had returned my salutation he said, `Welcome to the good brother and the good prophet.' Then when I passed on he wept, and when he was asked what was making him weep he replied, `I am weeping because more followers of a young man who was commissioned after my time will enter paradise than of mine.' Gabriel then took me up to the seventh heaven. He asked that the gate be opened, and when he was asked who he was he replied that he was Gabriel. He was asked who was with him and replied that it was Muhammad. He was asked whether he had been sent for and when he replied that that was so, the words were uttered, `Welcome; his coming is good.' When I entered Abraham was there, and Gabriel said, `This is your father Abraham, so give him a salutation.' I did so, and when he had returned my salutation he said, `Welcome to the good son and the good prophet.' I was then taken up to the lote tree of the boundary[4] and saw that its fruits were like the earthenware vessels of Hajar and its leaves like elephants' ears. He told me that this was the lote-tree of the boundary. I saw four rivers, two concealed and two apparent, and. when I asked Gabriel what these two pairs were, he replied, `The two concealed ones are rivers in paradise, and the two apparent ones are the Nile and the Euphrates.' After that I was shown the frequented house.[5] I was then brought a vessel of wine, a vessel of milk, and a vessel of honey, and when I took the milk he said, `It is the true religion[6] which you and your people follow.' Then fifty daily prayers were prescribed for me, but when I returned and passed Moses and on being asked by him what worship I had been commanded replied that I had been commanded to observe fifty daily prayers, he said, `Your people are not capable of observing fifty daily prayers. I swear by God that I have tested men before your time and have laboured most earnestly to prevail over the B. Isra'il, so go back to your Lord and ask Him to make things lighter for your people.' I did so, and when He had reduced them by ten, I returned to Moses. He said the same as before, so I went back, and when He had reduced them by ten, I returned to Moses. He said the same as before, so I went back, and when He had reduced them by ten, I returned to Moses. He said the same as before, so I went back, and when He had reduced them by ten and I had been ordered to observe ten daily prayers I returned to Moses. He said the same as before, so I went back, and when I had been ordered to observe five daily prayers I returned to Moses. He asked what I had been ordered, and when I replied that I had been ordered to observe 'five daily prayers he said, `Your people are not capable of observing five daily prayers. I have tested men before your time and have laboured most earnestly to prevail over the B. Isra'il, so go back to your Lord and ask Him to make things lighter for your people.' I replied, `I have asked my Lord till I am ashamed, but now I am satisfied and I submit.' Then when I passed on a crier called, `I have executed what I have made obligatory and have made things light for my servants'." 1. Literally 'the ascent'. The Prophet's night journey to heaven. 2. A semi-circular wall on the north-west side of the Ka'ba, the area between it and the Ka'ba being al-Hijr. 3. i.e., John the Baptist. 4. Cf. Quran; 53:14. 5. Cf. p. 929, n. 1. 6. Cf. Quran; 52:4. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

“We entered upon Jabir bin ‘Abdullah, and when we reached him he asked about the people (i.e., what their names were, etc.). When he reached me, I said: ‘I am Muhammad bin ‘Ali bin Husain.’ He stretched forth his hand towards my head, and undid my top button, then undid my lower button. Then he placed his hand on my chest, and I was a young boy at that time. Then he said: ‘Welcome to you, ask whatever you want.’ So I asked him, and he was blind. The time for prayer came, so he stood up, wrapping himself in a woven cloth. Every time he put it on his shoulders, its edges came up, because it was too small. And his cloak was beside him on a hook. He led us in prayer, then he said: ‘Tell us about the Hajj of the Messenger of Allah (saw).’ He held up his hands, showing nine (fingers), and said: ‘The Messenger of Allah (saw) stayed for nine years without performing Hajj, then it was announced to the people in the tenth year that the Messenger of Allah (saw) was going for Hajj. So many people came to Al-Madinah, all of them seeking to follow the Messenger of Allah (saw) and do what he did. He set out and we set out with him, and we came to Dhul-Hulaifah where Asma’ bint ‘Umais gave birth to Muhammad bin Abu Bakr. She sent word to the Messenger of Allah (saw) asking what she should do. He said: “Perform Ghusl, fasten a cloth around your waist and enter Ihram.” The Messenger of Allah (saw) prayed in the mosque, then he rode Qaswa’ (his she-camel) until, when his she-camel arose with him upon Baida’,’ Jabir said: ‘As far as I could see, I saw people riding and walking in front of him, and I saw the same to his right and left, and behind him, and the Messenger of Allah (saw) was among us and Qur’an was being revealed to him, and he understood its meaning. Whatever he did, we did too. Then he began the Talbiyah of monotheism: “Labbaika Allahumma labbaik, labbaika la sharika laka labbaik. Innal-hamda wan-ni’mata laka wal-mulk, la sharika laka (Here I am, O Allah, here I am. Here I am, You have no partner, here I am. Verily all praise and blessings are Yours, and all sovereignty, You have no partner).” And the people repeated his words. And the Messenger of Allah (saw) approved of that. And the Messenger of Allah (saw) continued to recite the Talbiyah.’ Jabir said: ‘We did not intend (to do) anything but Hajj. We were not aware of ‘Umrah. Then when we reached the House with him, he touched the Corner, and walked quickly (Ramal) for three circuits and walked (normally) for four. Then he stood at the place of Ibrahim and said: “And take you (people) the place of Ibrahim as a place of prayer.” [2:125] He stood with the place between him and the House. My father used to say:* “And I do not think that he mentioned it other than from the Prophet (saw): ‘That he used to recite in those two Rak’ah (at the place of Ibrahim): “Say: ‘O you disbelievers!’” [Al-Kafirun (109)] and “Say: ‘He is Allah, (the) One.’” [Al-Ikhlas (112)] “Then he went back to the House and touched the Corner, then he went out through the gate to Safa. When he drew near to Safa he recited: “Verily, Safa and Marwah are among the symbols of Allah,” [2:158] (and said:) “We will start with that with which Allah started.” So he started with Safa and climbed it until he could see the House, then proclaimed the greatness of Allah (by saying: Allahu Akbar) and said Tahlil (La ilaha illallah) and praised Him (saying Al-Hamdulillah), and he said: “La ilaha illallah wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahul-mulku, wa lahul-hamdu, yuhyi wa yumit wa huwa ‘ala kulli shai’in Qadir. La ilaha illallah wahdahu, La sharika lahu anjaza wa’dahu, wa nasara ‘abduhu, wa hazamal-Ahzaba wahdahu (None has the right to be worshiped but Allah alone, with no partner or associate; His is the dominion, all praise is due to Him, He gives life and causes death and He is able to do all things. None has the right to be worshiped but Allah alone; He has no partner or associate, He fulfilled His promise, granted victory to His slave, and defeated the Confederates alone).” And he said that three times, supplication in between. Then he headed towards Marwah walking normally until, when he started to go downhill, he walked quickly (Ramal) in the bottom of the valley. When he started to go uphill, he walked normally, until he reached Marwah, and he did atop Marwah what he had done atop Safa. At the end of his Sa’y, atop Marwah he said: “If I had known before what I have come to know now, I would not have garlanded the sacrificial animal, and I would have made it ‘Umrah. Whoever among you does not have a sacrificial animal with him, let him exit Ihram and make it ‘Umrah.” So all the people exited Ihram and cut their hair, except the Prophet (saw) and those who had sacrificial animals with them. Suraqah bin Malik bin Ju’shum stood up and said: “O Messenger of Allah! Is this for this year only, or forever and ever?” The Messenger of Allah (saw) interlaced his fingers and said: “‘Umrah is included in Hajj like this,” twice. “No, it is forever and ever.” ‘Ali brought the camels of the Prophet (saw), and he found that Fatimah was one of those who had exited Ihram. She had put on a dyed garment and used kohl. ‘Ali disliked this action on her part, but she said: “My father told me to do this.” ‘Ali used to say in Iraq: “So I went to the Messenger of Allah (saw), feeling upset with Fatimah because of what she had done, to ask the Messenger of Allah (saw) about what she had said that he said, and that I had disliked that. He said: ‘She spoke the truth, she spoke the truth. What did you say when you began your Hajj?’” He said: “I said: ‘O Allah, I begin the Talbiyah for that for which your Messenger (saw) begins the Talbiyah.’ (He said:) ‘And I have the sacrificial animal with me, so do not exit Ihram.’ He said: “The total number of sacrificial animals that ‘Ali had brought from Yemen and that the Prophet (saw) brought from Al-Madinah were one hundred. Then all the people exited Ihram and cut their hair, apart from the Prophet (saw) and those who had sacrificial animals with them. When the day of Tarwiyah came (the 8th of Dhul-Hijjah), they headed for Mina and began the Talbiyah for Hajj. The Messenger of Allah (saw) rode. He prayed Zuhr, ‘Asr, Maghrib, ‘Isha’ and Fajr at Mina. Then he stayed for a short while until the sun rose, and he ordered that a tent of goat hair be pitched for him in Namirah. Then the Messenger of Allah (saw) set out, and the Quraish were certain that he was going to stay at Al-Mash’ar Haram or at Al-Muzdalifah, as Quraish used to do during the Ignorance days. But the Messenger of Allah (saw) continued until he came to ‘Arafat, where he found that the tent had been pitched for him in Namirah, and he stopped there. Then when the sun had passed its zenith, he called for Qaswa’ and she was saddled for him. He rode until he came to the bottom of the valley, and he addressed the people and said: ‘Your blood and your wealth are sacred to you, as sacred as this day of yours, in this month of yours, in this land of yours. Every matter of Ignorance days is abolished, beneath these two feet of mine. The blood feuds of the Ignorance days are abolished, and the first blood feud of Rabi’ah bin Harith, who was nursed among Banu Sa’d and killed by Hudhail. The usuries of Ignorance days are abolished, and the first usury (that I abolish) is our usury, the usury due to ‘Abbas bin ‘Abdul-Muttalib. It is all abolished. Fear Allah with regard to women, for you have taken them as a trust from Allah, and intimacy with them has become permissible to you through Allah’s Word. Your rights over them are that they should not allow anyone whom you dislike to sit on your bedding.** If they do that, then hit them, but in a manner that does not cause injury or leave a mark. Their rights over you are that you should provide for them and clothe them in a reasonable manner. I have left behind you something which, if you adhere to it, you will never go astray: the Book of Allah. You will be asked about me. What will you say?’ They said: ‘We bear witness that you have conveyed (the message) and fulfilled (your duty) and offered sincere advice.’ He gestured with his forefinger towards the sky and then towards the people, (and said:) ‘O Allah, bear witness, O Allah bear witness,’ three times. Then Bilal called the Adhan, then the Iqamah, and he prayed Zuhr. Then he made Iqamah and prayed ‘Asr, and he did not offer any prayer between them. Then the Messenger of Allah (saw) rode until he came to the place of standing, and he made his she-camel face Sakharat*** with the path in the sand in front of him, and he faced the Qiblah, then he remained standing until the sun had set and the afterglow had lessened somewhat, when the disk of the sun disappeared. Then he seated Usamah bin Zaid behind him and the Messenger of Allah (saw) set out. He pulled Qaswa’s reins tight until her head was touching the saddle, and he gestured with his right hand: ‘O people, calmly, calmly!’ Every time he came to a hill, he released the reins a little so that she could climb. Then he came to Muzdalifah where he prayed Maghrib and ‘Isha’ with one Adhan and two Iqamah, offering no prayer in between. Then the Messenger of Allah (saw) lay down until dawn came, and he prayed Fajr, when he saw that morning had come, with one Adhan and one Iqamah. Then he rode Qaswa’ until he came to Al-Mash’ar Al-Haram. He climbed it and praised Allah and proclaimed His greatness and that He is the only One worthy of worship. Then he remained standing until it had become quite bright, then he moved on before the sun rose. He seated Fadl bin ‘Abbas behind him, who was a man with lovely hair, white and handsome. When the Messenger of Allah (saw) moved on, he passed some women riding camels. Fadl started to look at them, so the Messenger of Allah (saw) put his hand on the other side. Fadl turned his face to the other side to look. When he came to Muhassir, he sped up a little. Then he followed the middle road that brings you out to the biggest Pillar, until he reached the Pillar that is by the tree. He threw seven pebbles, saying the Takbir with each throw, pebbles suitable for Khadhf (i.e., the size of a chickpea) throwing from the bottom of the valley. Then he went to the place of slaughter, and slaughtered sixty-three camels with his own hand. Then he handed it over to ‘Ali who slaughtered the rest, and he gave him a share in his sacrificial animal. Then he ordered that a piece from each camel be brought; (the pieces) were put in a pot and cooked, and they (the Prophet (saw) and ‘Ali) ate from the meat and drank from the soup. Then the Messenger of Allah (saw) hastened to the House, and prayed Zuhr in Makkah. He came to Banu ‘Abdul-Muttalib, who were providing water to the pilgrims at Zamzam, and said: ‘Draw me some water, O Banu ‘Abdul-Muttalib. Were it not that the people would overwhelm you, I would have drawn water with you.’ So they drew up a bucket for him and he drank from it.’”

* It appears that the speaker is Ja’far bin Muhammad who is narrating from his father, from Jabir.
**And they say that the meaning if ‘your furniture’ or, ‘your special place’ in which case the objective is to say that the wife is not to admit anyone in the house whom the husband would be displeased with.
***Sakharat plural of Sakhrah rock or boulder. Nawawi said: “They are the rocks that lay at the base of the Mount of Mercy, and it is the mount in the middle of ‘Arafat.”

"The Messenger of Allah (saw) addressed us, and most of his speech had to do with telling us about Dajjal. He warned about him, and among the things he said was: 'There will not be any tribulation on earth, since the time Allah created the offspring of Adam, that will be greater than the tribulation of Dajjal. Allah has not sent any Prophet but he warned his nation about Dajjal. I am the last of the Prophets, and you are the last of the nations. He will undoubtedly appear among you. If he appears while I am among you, I will contend with him on behalf of every Muslim, and if he appears while I am not among you, then each man must fend for himself and Allah will take care of every Muslim on my behalf. He will emerge from Al-Khallah, between Sham and Iraq, and will wreak havoc right and left. O slaves of Allah, remain steadfast. I will describe him to you in a manner in which none of the Prophets has described him before me. He will start by saying "I am a Prophet," and there is no Prophet after me. Then a second time he will say: "I am your Lord." But you will not see your Lord until you die. He is one-eyed, and your Lord is not one-eyed, and written between his eyes is Kafir. Every believer will read it, whether he is literate or illiterate. Part of his Fitnah will be that he will have with him Paradise and Hell, but his Hell will be a Paradise and his Paradise a Hell. Whoever is tested with his fire (hell), let him seek the help of Allah and recite the first Verses of Al-Kahf, then it will be cool and safe for him, as the fire was for Ibrahim. Part of his Fitnah will be that he will say to a Bedouin: "What do you think, if I resurrect your father and mother for you, will you bear witness that I am your Lord?" He will say: "Yes." Then two devils will appear to him in the form of his father and mother and will say: "O my son, follow him, for he is your Lord." And part of his Fitnah will be that he will overpower a single soul and kill him, then he will cut him with a saw until he falls in two pieces. Then he will say: "Look at this slave of mine; I will resurrect him now, then he will claim that he has a Lord other than me." Then Allah will resurrect him and the evil one will say to him: "Who is your Lord?" and he will say: "Allah is my Lord, and you are the enemy of Allah, you are Dajjal. By Allah, I have never had more insight about you than I have today." (An addition) Abul-Hasan Tanafisi said: "Muharibi told us: 'Ubaidullah bin al-Walid Al-Wassafi told us, from 'Atiyyah, that Abu Sa'eed said: "The Messenger of Allah (saw) said: 'That man will be the highest in status in my nation in Paradise'" -  He said: "Abu Sa'eed said: 'By Allah, we did not think that man would be anyone other than 'Umar bin Khattab, until he passed away. -   Muharibi said: "Then we went back to the narration of Abu Rafi'." He said: - 'Part of his Fitnah will be that he will command the sky to rain, and it will rain, and he will command the earth to bring forth vegetation and it will do so. And part of his Fitnah will be that he will pass by a clan and they will disbelieve in him, so all their flocks will perish and none will be left. And part of his Fitnah will be that he will pass by a clan who will believe in him, so he will command the sky to rain, and it will rain, and he will command the earth to bring forth vegetation and it will do so, until their flocks will come back in the evening of that day, bigger and fatter than they have ever been, with their flanks stretched and their udders full of milk. There will be no part of the earth left that he does not enter and prevail over, except for Makkah and Al-Madinah, for he will not approach them on any of their mountain paths but he will be met by angels with unsheathed swords, until he will stop at the red hill at the end of the marsh. Then Al-Madinah will be shaken with its people three times, and no hypocrite, male or female, will be left, all will come out to him. Thus it will be cleansed of impurity just as the bellows cleanses the iron of dross. And that day will be called the Day of Deliverance.' "Umm Sharik bint Abi 'akar said: 'O Messenger of Allah, where will the Arabs be that day?' He said: 'On that day they will be few, and most of them will be in Baitul-Maqdis (Jerusalem), and their leader will be a righteous man. When their leader has stepped forward to lead them in subh prayer, 'Eisa bin Maryam will come down to them. Their leader will step backwards so that 'Eisa can come forward and lead the people in prayer, but 'Eisa will place his hand between his shoulders and say to him: "Go forward and pray, for the Iqamah was given for you." Then their leader will lead them in prayer. When he has finished, 'Eisa (as), will say: "Open the gate." So they will open it and behind it will be Dajjal with seventy thousand Jews, each of them carrying an adorned sword and wearing a greenish cloak. When Dajjal looks at him, he will start to melt as salt melts in water. He will run away, and 'Eisa (as), will say: "I have only one blow for you, which you will not be able to escape!" He will catch up with him at the eastern gate of Ludd, and will kill him. Then Allah will defeat the Jews, and there will be nothing left that Allah has created which the Jews will be able to hide behind, except that Allah will cause it to speak - no stone, no tree, no wall, no animal - except for Al-Gharqad (the box-thorn), for it is one of their trees, and will not speak - except that it will say: "O Muslim slave of Allah, here is a Jews, come and kill him!" "The Messenger of Allah (saw) said: 'His (Dajjal's) days will number forty years: a year like half a year, a year like a month, a month like a week, and the rest of his days will be like sparks from a fire (i.e., they will pass quickly). One of you will enter the gate of Al-Madinah in the morning and not reach its other gate until evening comes.' It was said: 'O Messenger of Allah, how should we pray on those short days?' He said: 'Estimate (the times of) the prayer, as you do on these long days, then pray.' The Messenger of Allah (saw) said: "Eisa bin Maryam (as), will be a just judge and a just ruler among my nation. He will break the cross, slaughter the pigs, abolish the Jizyah and charity will be left. No one will be appointed to (collect the Zakah of) sheep and camels. Grudges and mutual hatred will disappear and the venom of every venomous creature will be removed, so that a baby boy will but his hand in a snake and it will not harm him, and a baby girl will make a lion run away, and it will not harm her; and the wolf will be among the sheep like their sheepdog. The earth will be filled with peace just as a vessel is filled with water. The people will be united and none will be worshipped except Allah. War will cease and Quraish will no longer be in power. The earth will be like a silver platter, with its vegetation growing as it did at the time of Adam, until a group of people will gather around one bunch of grapes and it will suffice them, and a group will gather around a single pomegranate and it will suffice them. An ox will be sold for such and such amount of money, and a horse will be sold for a few Dirham.' They said: 'O Messenger of Allah, why will horses be so cheap?' He said: 'They will never be ridden in war again.' It was said to him: 'Why will oxen be so expensive?' He said: 'Because all the land will be tilled. Before Dajjal appears there will be three difficult years in which the people will suffer severe famine. In the first year, Allah will command the sky to withhold one third of its rain and the earth to withhold one third of its produce. In the second year, He will command the sky to withhold two thirds of its rain and the earth to withhold two-thirds of its produce. In the third year, he will command the sky to withhold all of its rain, and not a single drop will fall, and the earth to withhold all of its produce, and nothing will grow. All cloven-hoofed animals will die, except those that Allah wills.' It was said: 'What will the people live on at that time?' He said: 'Tahlil, Takbir, Tasbih and Tahmid. That will take the place of food for them.'" Abu 'Abdullah (Ibn Majah) said: "I heard Abul-Hasan Tanafisi say: 'I heard 'Abdur-Rahman Al-Muharibi say: "This Hadith should be sent to every teacher so that they can teach it to the children in the schools."

I heard Ka'b bin Malik (May Allah be pleased with him) narrating the story of his remaining behind instead of joining Messenger of Allah (PBUH) when he left for the battle of Tabuk. Ka'b said: "I accompanied Messenger of Allah (PBUH) in every expedition which he undertook excepting the battle of Tabuk and the battle of Badr. As for the battle of Badr, nobody was blamed for remaining behind as Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and the Muslims, when they set out, had in mind only to intercept the caravan of the Quraish. Allah made them confront their enemies unexpectedly. I had the honour of being with Messenger of Allah (PBUH) on the night of 'Aqabah when we pledged our allegiance to Islam and it was dearer to me than participating in the battle of Badr, although Badr was more well-known among the people than that. And this is the account of my staying behind from the battle of Tabuk. I never had better means and more favourable circumstances than at the time of this expedition. And by Allah, I had never before possessed two riding-camels as I did during the time of this expedition. Whenever Messenger of Allah (PBUH) decided to go on a campaign, he would not disclose his real destination till the last moment (of departure). But on this expedition, he set out in extremely hot weather; the journey was long and the terrain was waterless desert; and he had to face a strong army, so he informed the Muslims about the actual position so that they should make full preparation for the campaign. And the Muslims who accompanied Messenger of Allah (PBUH) at that time were in large number but no proper record of them was maintained." Ka'b (further) said: "Few were the persons who chose to remain absent believing that they could easily hide themselves (and thus remain undetected) unless Revelation from Allah, the Exalted, and Glorious (revealed relating to them). And Messenger of Allah (PBUH) set out on this expedition when the fruit were ripe and their shade was sought. I had a weakness for them and it was during this season that Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and the Muslims made preparations. I also would set out in the morning to make preparations along with them but would come back having done nothing and said to myself: 'I have means enough (to make preparations) as soon as I like'. And I went on doing this (postponing my preparations) till the time of departure came and it was in the morning that Messenger of Allah (PBUH) set out along with the Muslims, but I had made no preparations. I would go early in the morning and come back, but with no decision. I went on doing so until they (the Muslims) hastened and covered a good deal of distance. Then I wished to march on and join them. Would that I had done that! But perhaps it was not destined for me. After the departure of Messenger of Allah (PBUH) whenever I went out, I was grieved to find no good example to follow but confirmed hypocrites or weak people whom Allah had exempted (from marching forth for Jihad). Messenger of Allah (PBUH) made no mention of me until he reached Tabuk. While he was sitting with the people in Tabuk, he said, 'What happened to Ka'b bin Malik?' A person from Banu Salimah said: "O Messenger of Allah, the (beauty) of his cloak and an appreciation of his finery have detained him.' Upon this Mu'adh bin Jabal (MatAllah be pleased with him) admonished him and said to Messenger of Allah (PBUH): "By Allah, we know nothing about him but good.' Messenger of Allah (PBUH), however, kept quiet. At that time he (the Prophet (PBUH)) saw a person dressed in white and said, 'Be Abu Khaithamah.' And was Abu Khaithamah Al- Ansari was the person who had contributed a Sa' of dates and was ridiculed by the hypocrites." Ka'b bin Malik further said: "When the news reached me that Messenger of Allah (PBUH) was on his way back from Tabuk, I was greatly distressed. I thought of fabricating an excuse and asked myself how I would save myself from his anger the next day. In this connection, I sought the counsels of every prudent member of my family. When I was told that Messenger of Allah (PBUH) was about to arrive, all the wicked ideas vanished (from my mind) and I came to the conclusion that nothing but the truth could save me. So I decided to tell him the truth. It was in the morning that Messenger of Allah (PBUH) arrived in Al-Madinah. It was his habit that whenever he came back from a journey, he would first go to the mosque and perform two Rak'ah (of optional prayer) and would then sit with the people. When he sat, those who had remained behind him began to put forward their excuses and take an oath before him. They were more than eighty in number. Messenger of Allah (PBUH) accepted their excuses on the very face of them and accepted their allegiance and sought forgiveness for them and left their insights to Allah, until I appeared before him. I greeted him and he smiled and there was a tinge of anger in that. He then said to me, 'Come forward'. I went forward and I sat in front of him. He said to me, 'What kept you back? Could you not afford to go in for a ride?' I said, 'O Messenger of Allah, by Allah, if I were to sit before anybody else, a man of the world, I would have definitely saved myself from his anger on one pretext or the other and I have a gifted skill in argumentation, but, by Allah, I am fully aware that if I were to put forward before you a lame excuse to please you, Allah would definitely provoke your wrath upon me. In case, I speak the truth, you may be angry with me, but I hope that Allah would be pleased with me (and accept my repentance). By Allah, there is no valid excuse for me. By Allah, I never possessed so good means, and I never had such favourable conditions for me as I had when I stayed behind.' Thereupon, Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, 'This man spoke the truth, so get up (and wait) until Allah gives a decision about you.' I left and some people of Banu Salimah followed me. They said to me, 'By Allah, we do not know that you committed a sin before. You, however, showed inability to put forward an excuse before Messenger of Allah (PBUH) like those who stayed behind him. It would have been enough for the forgiveness of your sin that Messenger of Allah (PBUH) would have sought forgiveness for you.' By Allah, they kept on reproaching me until I thought of going back to Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and retract my confession. Then I said to them, 'Has anyone else met the same fate?' They said, 'Yes, two persons have met the same fate. They made the same statement as you did and the same verdict was delivered in their case.' I asked, 'Who are they?' They said, 'Murarah bin Ar-Rabi' Al-'Amri and Hilal bin Umaiyyah Al- Waqifi.' They mentioned these two pious men who had taken part in the battle of Badr and there was an example for me in them. I was confirmed in my original resolve. Messenger of Allah (PBUH) prohibited the Muslims to talk to the three of us from amongst those who had stayed behind. The people began to avoid us and their attitude towards us changed and it seemed as if the whole atmosphere had turned against us, and it was in fact the same atmosphere of which I was fully aware and in which I had lived (for a fairly long time). We spent fifty nights in this very state and my two friends confined themselves within their houses and spent (most of their) time weeping. As I was the youngest and the strongest, I would leave my house, attend the congregational Salat, move about in the bazaars, but none would speak to me. I would come to Messenger of Allah (PBUH) as he sat amongst (people) after the Salat, greet him and would ask myself whether or not his lips moved in response to my greetings. Then I would perform Salat near him and look at him stealthily. When I finish my Salat, he would look at me and when I would cast a glance at him he would turn away his eyes from me. When the harsh treatment of the Muslims to me continued for a (considerable) length of time, I walked and I climbed upon the wall of the garden of Abu Qatadah, who was my cousin, and I had a great love for him. I greeted him but, by Allah, he did not answer to my greeting. I said to him, 'O Abu Qatadah, I adjure you in the Name of Allah, are you not aware that I love Allah and His Messenger (PBUH)?' I asked him the same question again but he remained silent. I again adjured him, whereupon he said, 'Allah and His Messenger (PBUH) know better.' My eyes were filled with tears, and I came back climbing down the wall.

As I was walking in the bazaars of Al-Madinah, a man from the Syrian peasants, who had come to sell food grains in Al-Madinah, asked people to direct him to Ka'b bin Malik. People pointed towards me. He came to me and delivered a letter from the King of Ghassan, and as I was a scribe, I read that letter whose purport was: 'It has been conveyed to us that your friend (the Prophet (PBUH)) was treating you harshly. Allah has not created you for a place where you are to be degraded and where you cannot find your right place; so come to us and we shall receive you graciously.' As I read that letter I said: 'This is too a trial,' so I put it to fire in an oven. When forty days had elapsed and Messenger of Allah (PBUH) received no Revelation, there came to me a messenger of the Messenger of Allah and said, 'Verily, Messenger of Allah (PBUH) has commanded you to keep away from your wife.' I said, 'Should I divorce her or what else should I do?' He said, 'No, but only keep away from her and don't have sexual contact with her.' The same message was sent to my companions. So, I said to my wife: 'You better go to your parents and stay there with them until Allah gives the decision in my case.' The wife of Hilal bin Umaiyyah came to Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and said: 'O Messenger of Allah, Hilal bin Umaiyyah is a senile person and has no servant. Do you disapprove if I serve him?' He said, 'No, but don't let him have any sexual contact with you.' She said, 'By Allah, he has no such desire left in him. By Allah, he has been in tears since (this calamity) struck him.' Members of my family said to me, 'You should have sought permission from Messenger of Allah (PBUH) in regard to your wife. He has allowed the wife of Hilal bin Umaiyyah to serve him.' I said, 'I would not seek permission from Messenger of Allah (PBUH) for I do not know what Messenger of Allah might say in response to that, as I am a young man'. It was in this state that I spent ten more nights and thus fifty days had passed since people boycotted us and gave up talking to us. After I had offered my Fajr prayer on the early morning of the fiftieth day of this boycott on the roof of one of our houses, and had sat in the very state which Allah described as: 'The earth seemed constrained for me despite its vastness', I heard the voice of a proclaimer from the peak of the hill Sal' shouting at the top of his voice: 'O Ka'b bin Malik, rejoice.' I fell down in prostration and came to know that there was (a message of) relief for me. Messenger of Allah (PBUH) had informed the people about the acceptance of our repentance by Allah after he had offered the Fajr prayer. So the people went on to give us glad tidings and some of them went to my companions in order to give them the glad tidings. A man spurred his horse towards me (to give the good news), and another one from the tribe of Aslam came running for the same purpose and, as he approached the mount, I received the good news which reached me before the rider did. When the one whose voice I had heard came to me to congratulate me, I took off my garments and gave them to him for the good news he brought to me. By Allah, I possessed nothing else (in the form of clothes) except these garments, at that time. Then I borrowed two garments, dressed myself and came to Messenger of Allah (PBUH) On my way, I met groups of people who greeted me for (the acceptance of) repentance and they said: 'Congratulations for acceptance of your repentance.' I reached the mosque where Messenger of Allah (PBUH) was sitting amidst people. Talhah bin 'Ubaidullah got up and rushed towards me, shook hands with me and greeted me. By Allah, no person stood up (to greet me) from amongst the Muhajirun besides him." Ka'b said that he never forgot (this good gesture of) Talhah. Ka'b further said: "I greeted Messenger of Allah (PBUH) with 'As-salamu 'alaikum' and his face was beaming with pleasure. He (PBUH) said, 'Rejoice with the best day you have ever seen since your mother gave you birth. 'I said: 'O Messenger of Allah! Is this (good news) from you or from Allah?' He said, 'No, it is from Allah.' And it was common with Messenger of Allah (PBUH) that when ever he was happy, his face would glow as if it were a part of the moon and it was from this that we recognized it (his delight). As I sat before him, I said, I have placed a condition upon myself that if Allah accepts my Taubah, I would give up all of my property in charity for the sake of Allah and His Messenger (PBUH)!' Thereupon Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, 'Keep some property with you, as it is better for you.' I said, 'I shall keep with me that portion which is in Khaibar'. I added: 'O Messenger of Allah! Verily, Allah has granted me salvation because of my truthfulness, and therefore, repentance obliges me to speak nothing but the truth as long as I am alive." Ka'b added: "By Allah, I do not know anyone among the Muslims who has been granted truthfulness better than me since I said this to the Prophet (PBUH). By Allah! Since the time I made a pledge of this to Messenger of Allah (PBUH), I have never intended to tell a lie, and I hope that Allah would protect me (against telling lies) for the rest of my life. Allah, the Exalted, the Glorious, revealed these Verses:

'Allah has forgiven the Prophet (PBUH), the Muhajirun (Muslim Emigrants who left their homes and came to Al-Madinah) and the Ansar (Muslims of Al- Madinah) who followed him (Muhammad (PBUH)) in the time of distress (Tabuk expedition), after the hearts of a party of them had nearly deviated (from the Right Path), but He accepted their repentance. Certainly, He is unto them full of kindness, Most Merciful. And (He did forgive also) the three who did not join [the Tabuk expedition and whose case was deferred (by the Prophet (PBUH)) for Allah's Decision] till for them the earth, vast as it is, was straitened and their ownselves were straitened to them, and they perceived that there is no fleeing from Allah, and no refuge but with Him. Then, He forgave them (accepted their repentance), that they might beg for His Pardon [repent (unto Him)]. Verily, Allah is the One Who forgives and accepts repentance, Most Merciful. O you who believe! Be afraid of Allah, and be with those who are true (in word and deeds)." (9:117,118).

Ka'b said: "By Allah, since Allah guided me to Islam, there has been no blessing more significant for me than this truth of mine which I spoke to Messenger of Allah (PBUH), and if I were to tell a lie I would have been ruined as were ruined those who had told lies, for Allah described those who told lies with the worst description He ever attributed to anybody else, as He sent down the Revelation:

They will swear by Allah to you (Muslims) when you return to them, that you may turn away from them. So turn away from them. Surely, they are Rijsun [i.e., Najasun (impure) because of their evil deeds], and Hell is their dwelling place - a recompense for that which they used to earn. They (the hypocrites) swear to you (Muslims) that you may be pleased with them, but if you are pleased with them, certainly Allah is not pleased with the people who are Al- Fa'siqun (rebellious, disobedient to Allah)". (9:95,96)

Ka'b further added: "The matter of the three of us remained pending for decision apart from the case of those who had made excuses on oath before Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and he accepted those, took fresh oaths of allegiance from them and supplicated for their forgiveness. The Prophet (PBUH) kept our matter pending till Allah decided it. The three whose matter was deferred have been shown mercy. The reference here is not to our staying back from the expedition but to his delaying our matter and keeping it pending beyond the matter of those who made their excuses on oath which he accepted".

[Al- Bukhari and Muslim]

Another version adds: "Messenger of Allah (PBUH) set out for Tabuk on Thursday. He used to prefer to set out on journey on Thursday." Another version says: "Messenger of Allah (PBUH) used to come back from a journey in the early forenoon and went straight to the mosque where he would perform two Rak'ah prayer. Afterwards he would seat himself there".

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.

Abu Musa al-Ash'ari said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, went out one day to one of the walled gardens of Madina, and I went out after him. When he entered the garden, I sat at the gate and said, I will be the doorkeeper of the Messenger of Allah today even if he has not commanded me to do it.' The Prophet went and answered a call of nature and then sat on the edge of the well. He uncovered his legs and dangled them in the well. Abu Bakr came and asked for permission to enter.' I said, 'Stay where you are until I ask permission for you.' He waited and I went to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and said, 'Messenger of Allah, it is Abu Bakr asking permission to come in.' He said, 'Let him in and give him the good news of the Garden.' He entered and sat at the right side of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. uncovered his legs and dangled them in the water. Then 'Umar came. I said, 'Stay where you are until I ask permission for you.' The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'Let him in and give him the good news of the Garden.' 'Umar went in and sat at the left side of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, uncovered his legs and dangled his feet in the well. The rim of the well was then full and there was no place left to sit. Then 'Uthman came. I said, 'Stay where you are until I ask permission for you.' The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'Let him in and give him the good news of the Garden as well as an affliction which will befall him.' 'Uthman came in and could not find a place with them. He moved around until he was facing them on the other side of the well, uncovered his legs and dangled them in the well. I began to wish that a brother of mine would come and I asked Allah to make him come, but he did not come before they had got up."

“My maternal aunt Hind asked the son of Abu Hala, who was a describer of the finery of Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace), to describe something of it that would be of interest to me, so he said: Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) was an honored dignitary, whose face shone with the radiance of the moon on the night of the full moon. He was taller than medium-sized, and shorter than the slender giant. His head was grand and impressive, with loosely curled hair. If his forelock became divided, he would part it. Otherwise his hair would not cross over his earlobes, and he would let it grow plentiful and long. He was bright of color, broad of forehead, endowed with arched eyebrows, perfect without being conjoined, with a vein between them that anger would cause to pulsate. The bridge of his nose was curved. He had a light that would rise over him, and someone who did not reflect on him would consider him haughty. He was thickly bearded, endowed with smooth cheeks, a wide mouth, cleft teeth, and a delicate strip of hair from the top of the chest to the navel. It was as if his neck were the neck of a statue shaped in pure silver. He was well proportioned in physique, firmly cohesive, with the stomach and the breast in even balance. He was wide-chested, broad-shouldered, endowed with stout limbs and very shiny bare skin. Between the top of the chest and the navel by a strip of hair like a line of writing, while his breasts and stomach were bare apart from that. He had hair on his arms and shoulders and the upper parts of his chest. His forearms were long. He had a sensitive touch of the hand. The palms of his hands and the soles of his feet were thickset. His extremities were well formed [sa’il (or he may have said sha’il)]. The hollows of his soles were very deep-set. His feet were so smooth that water bounced off them. When he left a place, he would go away striding decisively. He would tread inclining forward and walk comfortably. His gait was brisk. When he walked, it was as if he were descending a declivity, and when he looked around, he looked around altogether. He lowered his eyesight, and he spent more time looking at the ground than he did looking at the sky. The majority of his looking was observation. He would urge his Companions to proceed ahead of him, and he would be the first to greet anyone he encountered with the salutation of peace.”