We proceeded in the company of the Messenger of Allah (saws) for the battle of Dhat ar-Riqa. One of the Muslims killed the wife of one of the unbelievers. He (the husband of the woman killed) took an oath saying: I shall not rest until I kill one of the companions of Muhammad.

He went out following the footsteps of the Prophet (saws). The Prophet (saws) encamped at a certain place. He said: Who will keep a watch on us? A person from the Muhajirun (Emigrants) and another from the Ansar (Helpers) responded. He said: Go to the mouth of the mountain-pass. When they went to the mouth of the mountain-pass the man from the Muhajirun lay down while the man from the Ansar stood praying.

The man (enemy) came to them. When he saw the person he realised that he was the watchman of the Muslims. He shot him with an arrow and hit the target. But he (took the arrow out and) threw it away. He (the enemy) then shot three arrows. Then he (the Muslim) bowed and prostrated and awoke his companion. When he (the enemy) perceived that they (the Muslims) had become aware of his presence, he ran away.

When the man from the Muhajirun saw the (man from the Ansar) bleeding, he asked him: Glory be to Allah! Why did you not wake me up the first time when he shot at you.

He replied: I was busy reciting a chapter of the Qur'an. I did not like to leave it.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab that Said ibn al- Musayyab said, "If someone dedicates an animal voluntarily and then it is injured and he kills it and gives everyone a free hand in eating it, he owes nothing. If, however, he eats some of it himself, or tells certain other people to eat it, then he owes compensation."

Malik related to me from Hisham ibn Urwa that his father said that there was only one hadd against a man who slandered a group of people.

Malik said, "If they are on separate occasions there is still only one hadd against him."

Malik related to me from Abu'r-Rijal Muhammad ibn Abd ar-Rahman ibn Haritha ibn an-Numan al- Ansari, then from the Banu'n-Najar from his mother Amra bint Abd ar- Rahman that two men cursed each other in the time of Umar ibn al- Khattab. One of them said to the other, " By Allah, my father is not an adulterer and my mother is not an adulteress." Umar ibn al-Khattab asked advice about that. One person said, "He has praised his father and mother." Another said, "His father and mother have praise other than this. We think that he is to be flogged with the hadd." So Umar flogged him with the hadd of eighty lashes.

Malik said, "There is no hadd in our view except for slander, denial or insinuation, in which one sees that the speaker intends by that denial or slander. Then the hadd is completely imposed on the one who said it."

Malik said, "What is done in our community when a man denies that another man is from his father, is that he deserves the hadd. If the mother who is denied is a slave, then he deserves the hadd as well. '

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu'z-Zinad from al-Araj from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "By Him in whose hand myself is! To take your rope and gather firewood on your back is better for you than that you come to a man to whom Allah has given some of His favour and ask him, so he gives to you or refuses."

The Prophet said, "The most sinful person among the Muslims is the one who asked about something which had not been prohibited, but was prohibited because of his asking."

Yahya related to me from Malik from 'Abdullah ibn Dinar that Abdullah ibn Umar said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, forbade anyone in ihram to wear a garment which had been dyed with saffron or yellow dye, and said, 'Anyone that cannot find sandals can wear leather socks, but he should cut them off below the ankles.' "

During the time of Messenger of Allah (saws) we used to buy grain, and he sent a man to us who ordered us to move it from the spot where we had bought it to some other place, before we sold it without weighing or measuring it.

Al-Aswad ibn Yazid said that he entered upon Aisha and asked her about the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (saws) during the night. She said: He used to pray thirteen rak'ahs during the night. Then he began to pray eleven rak'ahs and left two rak'ahs. When he died, he would pray nine rak'ahs during the night. His last prayer during the night was witr.

'Umar b. al-Khattab (ra) addressed us and said: I did not send my collectors (of zakat) so that they strike your bodies and that they take your property. If that is done with someone and he appeals to me, I shall take retaliation on him. Amr ibn al-'As said: If any man (i.e. governor) inflicts disciplinary punishment on his subjects, would you take retaliation on him too? He said: Yes, by Him in Whose hand my soul is, I shall take retaliation on him. I saw that the Messenger of Allah (saws) has given retaliation on himself.

A bedouin said, "O Allah's Apostle! Inform me about the emigration." The Prophet said, "Waihaka (May Allah be merciful to you)! The question of emigration is a difficult one. Have you got some camels?" The bedouin said, "Yes." The Prophet said, "Do you pay their Zakat?" He said, "Yes." The Prophet said, "Go on doing like this from beyond the seas, for Allah will not let your deeds go in vain."

In the last part of his narration about the three who remained behind (from the battle of Tabuk). (I said) "As a proof of my true repentance (for not joining the Holy battle of Tabuk), I shall give up all my property for the sake of Allah and His Apostle (as an expiation for that sin)." The Prophet said (to me), "Keep some of your wealth, for that is better for you."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said from Muhammad ibn Ibrahim that Abd ar-Rahman ibn Abi Amra al-Ansari said that Uthman ibn Affan came to the isha prayer and seeing only a few people in the mosque, he lay down at the back of the mosque to wait for the number of people to increase. Ibn Abi Amra went and sat down beside him and Uthman asked him who he was, so he told him. Uthman said, "What have you memorised of the Qur'an?", and he told him. Uthman said, "If someone is present at isha, it is as if he had stood in prayer for half a night, and if some one is present at subh, it is as if he had stood in prayer for a whole night.

The Prophet said, "I am closer to the believers than their selves in this world and in the Hereafter, and if you like, you can read Allah's Statement: "The Prophet is closer to the believers than their own selves." (33.6) So, if a true believer dies and leaves behind some property, it will be for his inheritors (from the father's side), and if he leaves behind some debt to be paid or needy offspring, then they should come to me as I am the guardian of the deceased."

Fatima and Al-`Abbas came to Abu Bakr, claiming their inheritance of the Prophet's land of Fadak and his share from Khaibar. Abu Bakr said, "I heard the Prophet saying, 'Our property is not inherited, and whatever we leave is to be given in charity. But the family of Muhammad can take their sustenance from this property.' By Allah, I would love to do good to the Kith and kin of Allah's Apostle rather than to my own Kith and kin."

I can still picture myself looking at the Messenger of Allah (saws) who was among the camps of the Companions seeking the camp of Khalid ibn al-Walid, when a man who had drunk wine was brought before him. He asked the people: Beat him. Some struck him with sandals, some with sticks and some with fresh branches of the palm-tree (mitakhah). Ibn Wahb said: This (mitakhah) means green palm fronds. Then the apostle of Allah (saws) took some dust from the ground and threw it on his face.

The Prophet (saws) said: A believer who recites the Qur'an is like a citron whose fragrance is sweet and whose taste is sweet, a believer who does not recite the Qur'an is like a date which has no fragrance but has sweet taste, a profligate who recites the Qur'an is like basil whose fragrance is sweet but whose taste is bitter, and the profligate who does not recite the Qur'an is like the colocynth which has a bitter taste and has not fragrance. A good companion is like a man who has musk; if nothing of it goes to you, its fragrance will (certainly) go to you; and a bad companion is like a man who has bellows; if its (black) root does not go to you, its smoke will (certainly) go to you.

The Prophet (saws) wrote a letter to Heraclius: "From Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, to Hiraql (Heraclius), Chief of the Byzantines. Peace be to those who follow the guidance." Ibn Yahya reported on the authority of Ibn Abbas that AbuSufyan said to him: We then came to see Hiraql (Heraclius) who seated us before him. He then called for the letter from the Messenger of Allah (saws). Its contents were: "In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful, from Muhammad the Messenger of Allah, to Hiraql, chief of Byzantines. Peace be to those who follow the guidance. To proceed."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafic that Saffiyya bint Abi Ubayd suffered from an eye-complaint while she was in mourning for her husband, Abdullah ibn Umar. She did not apply kohl until her eyes almost had ramas (a dry white secretion in the corners of the eye).

Malik said, "A woman whose husband has died should anoint her eyes with olive oil and sesame oil and the like of that since there is no perfume in it."

Malik said, "A woman in mourning for her husband should not put on any jewellery - rings, anklets, or such- like, neither should she dress in any sort of colourful, striped garment unless it is coarse. She should not wear any cloth dyed with anything except black, and she should only dress her hair with things like lotus-tree leaves which do not dye the hair."

Malik related to me from Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr ibn Hazm that his father told him that he was sitting with Aban ibn Uthman, and an argument was brought to him between some people from the Juhayna tribe and some people from the Banu al-Harith ibn al-Khazraj. A woman of the Juhayna tribe was married to a man from the Banu al-Harith ibn al- Khazraj, called Ibrahim ibn Kulayb. She died and left property and mawali, and her son and husband inherited them from her. Then her son died and his heirs said, "We have the wala' of the mawali. Her son obtained them." Those of the Juhayna said, "It is not like that. They are the mawali of our female associate. When her child died, we have their wala' and we inherit them." Aban ibn Uthman gave a judgement that the people from the Juhayna tribe did indeed have the wala' of the mawali.

I saw the drinking bowl of the Prophet with Anas bin Malik, and it had been broken, and he had mended it with silver plates. That drinking bowl was quite wide and made of Nadar wood, Anas said, "I gave water to the Prophet in that bowl more than so-and-so (for a long period)." Ibn Seereen said: Around that bowl there was an iron ring, and Anas wanted to replace it with a silver or gold ring, but Abu Talha said to him, "Do not change a thing that Allah's Apostle has made." So Anas left it as it was.

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had asked Ibn Shihab about a man who had a slave-girl as a wife, and then he bought her, and divorced her once. He said, "She is halal for him by the possession of the right hand as long as he does not make his divorce irrevocable. If he irrevocably divorces her, she is not halal for him by the possession of the right hand until she has married another husband."

Malik said that if a man rnarried a female slave and then she had a child by him, and then he bought her, she was not an umm walad for him because of the child born to him while she belonged to another, until she had had a child by him while she was in his possession after he had purchased her.

Malik said, "If he buys her and she is pregnant by him and she then gives birth while she belongs to him, she is his umm walad by that pregnancy, according to what we think, and Allah knows best."

"The Messenger of Allah (saws) was cupped. Abu Talhah did the cupping. So he ordered that he be given two Sa' of food, and he spoke to his masters to reduce his taxes. He said: 'The most virtuous of what you treat with is cupping.' Or, he said: 'The best of your treatments is cupping.'"

[He said:] There are narrations on this topic from 'Ali, Ibn 'Abbas, and Ibn 'Umar.

[Abu 'Eisa said:] The Hadith of Anas is a Hasan Sahih. Some of the people of knowledge among the Companions of the Prophet (saws), and others permitted paying the cupper. This is the view of Ash-Shafi'i.

Allah's Apostle said, "There will be afflictions (and at the time) the sitting person will be better than the standing one, and the standing one will be better than the walking, and the walking will be better than the running. And whoever will look towards those afflictions, they will overtake him, and whoever will find a refuge or a shelter, should take refuge in it." The same narration is reported by Abu Bakr, with the addition, "(The Prophet said), 'Among the prayers there is a prayer the missing of which will be to one like losing one's family and property."

A man from Banu Abdullah ibn Ka'b brethren of Banu Qushayr (not Anas ibn Malik, the well-known Companion), said: A contingent from the cavalry of the Messenger of Allah (saws) raided us. I reached (for he said went) to the Messenger of Allah (saws) who was taking his meals. He said: Sit down, and take some from this meal of ours. I said: I am fasting, he said: Sit down, I shall tell you about prayer and fasting. Allah has remitted half the prayer to a traveller, and fasting to the traveller, the woman who is suckling an infant and the woman who is pregnant, I swear by Allah, he mentioned both (i.e. suckling and pregnant women) or one of them. I was grieved for not taking the food of the Messenger of Allah (saws).

The Messenger of Allah (saws) addressed us and said: Is here any one of such and such tribe present? But no one replied.

He again asked: Is here any one of such and such tribe present? But no one replied.

He again asked: Is here any one of such and such tribe?

Then a man stood and said: I am (here), Messenger of Allah.

He said: What prevented you from replying the first two times? I wish to tell you something good.

Your companion has been detained (from entering Paradise) on account of his debt. Then I saw him that he paid off all his debt on his behalf and there remained no one to demand from him anything.

Abu Dawud said: The name of the narrator Sam'an is Sam'an b. Mushannaj.

The Prophet delivered a sermon and said, "You (people) will be gathered before Allah (on the Day of Resurrection) bare-footed, naked and uncircumcised." (The Prophet then recited):-- 'As We began the first creation We shall repeat it. (It is) a promise We have undertaken and truly We shall do it.' and added, "The first man who will be dressed on the Day of Resurrection, will be Abraham. Lo! Some men from my followers will be brought and taken towards the left side, whereupon I will say, 'O Lord, (these are) my companions!' It will be said, 'You do not know what new things they introduced (into the religion) after you.' I will then say as the righteous pious slave, Jesus, said, 'I was a witness over them while I dwelt among them...(to His Statement)..and You are the Witness to all things.' (5.117) Then it will be said, '(O Muhammad) These people never stopped to apostate since you left them."

The Prophet said (on the day of Idal-Adha), "The first thing we will do on this day of ours, is to offer the (`Id) prayer and then return to slaughter the sacrifice. Whoever does so, he acted according to our Sunna (tradition), and whoever slaughtered (the sacrifice) before the prayer, what he offered was just meat he presented to his family, and that will not be considered as Nusak (sacrifice)." (On hearing that) Abu Burda bin Niyar got up, for he had slaughtered the sacrifice before the prayer, and said, "I have got a six month old ram." The Prophet said, 'Slaughter it (as a sacrifice) but it will not be sufficient for any-one else (as a sacrifice after you). Al-Bara' added: The Prophet said, "Whoever slaughtered (the sacrifice) after the prayer, he slaughtered it at the right time and followed the tradition of the Muslims."

Yahya related to me from Malik that Yahya ibn Said said that Amra bint Abd ar-Rahman told him that she had heard A'isha, umm al-muminin, saying, "We set out with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, when there were five nights left in Dhu'l-Qada and we assumed that we must be setting out for hajj. When we got near to Makka, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, told everyone that did not have a sacrificial animal with them to leave ihram after they had done tawaf of the House and say between Safa and Marwa."

A'isha added, "We were sent some beef on the day of sacrifice. I asked what it was and they said that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, had sacrificed for his wives."

Yahya ibn Said said, "I mentioned this hadith to Qasim ibn Muhammad and he said, 'She has given you the complete hadith, by Allah.' "

Um 'Atiyya said, "One of the daughters of the Prophet died and he came out and said, 'Wash her three or five times or more, if you think it necessary, with water and Sidr, and last of all put camphor (or some camphor) and when you finish, inform me.' " Um Atiyya added, "When we finished we informed him and he gave us his waist-sheet and said, 'Shroud her in it.' " And Um 'Atiyya (in another narration) added, "The Prophet said, 'Wash her three, five or seven times or more, if you think it necessary.' " Hafsa said that Um 'Atiyya had also said, "We entwined her hair into three braids."

We set out along with Allah's Apostle shortly before the appearance of the new moon (crescent) of the month of Dhi-l-Hijja and he said to us, "Whoever wants to assume Ihram for Hajj may do so; and whoever wants to assume Ihram for `Umra may do so. Hadn't I brought the Hadi (animal for sacrificing) (with me), I would have assumed Ihram for `Umra." (`Aisha added,): So some of us assumed Ihram for `Umra while the others for Hajj. I was amongst those who assumed Ihram for `Umra. The day of `Arafat approached and I was still menstruating. I complained to the Prophet (about that) and he said, "Abandon your `Umra, undo and comb your hair, and assume Ihram for Hajj;." When it was the night of Hasba, he sent `Abdur Rahman with me to at-Tan`im and I assumed Ihram for `Umra (and performed it) in lieu of my missed `Umra.

'Uthman prayed four rak'ahs at Mina. 'Abd Allah (b. Mas'ud) said: I prayed two rak'ahs along with the Prophet (saws) and two rak'ahs along with 'Umar. The version of Hafs added: And along with 'Uthman during the early period of his caliphate. He ('Uthman) began to offer complete prayer (i.e. four rak'ahs) later on. The version of Abu Mu'awiyah added: Then your modes of action varied. I would like to pray two rak'ahs acceptable to Allah instead of four rak'ahs.

Al-A'mash said: Mu'awiyah b. Qurrah reported to me from his teachers: 'Abd Allah (b. Mas'ud) once prayed four rak'ahs. He was told: You criticized 'Uthman but you yourself prayed four ? He replied: Dissension is evil.

When the delegate of Hawazin came to Allah's Apostle declaring their conversion to Islam and asked him to return their properties and captives, Allah's Apostle got up and said to them, "There Is involved in this matter, the people whom you see with me, and the most beloved talk to me, is the true one. So choose one of two alternatives: Either the captives or the properties. I have been waiting for you (i.e. have not distributed the booty)." Allah's Apostle had delayed the distribution of their booty over ten nights after his return from Ta'if. So when they came to know that Allah's Apostle was not going to return to them but one of the two, they said, "We prefer to have our captives." So Allah's Apostle got up amongst the Muslims, and praising Allah as He deserved, said, "To proceed! Your brothers have come to you with repentance and I see (it logical) to return their captives. So, whoever of you likes to do that as a favor then he can do it. And whoever of you likes to stick to his share till we give him from the very first booty which Allah will give us, then he can do so." The people said, "We do that (i.e. return the captives) willingly as a favor, 'O Allah's Apostle!" Allah's Apostle said, "We do not know which of you have agreed to it and which have not; so go back and let your chiefs forward us your decision." They went back and their chief's spoke to them, and they (i.e. the chiefs) returned to Allah's Apostle and informed him that all of them had agreed (to give up their captives) with pleasure, and had given their permission (i.e. that the captives be returned to their people). (The sub-narrator said, "That is what has reached me about the captives of Hawazin tribe.")

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar never used to do tawaf of the House or say between Safa and Marwa if he went into ihram in Makka until he had returned from Mina, nor would he hasten when doing tawaf of the House if he went into ihram in Makka.

Allah's Apostle deputed me to keep Sadaqat (al-Fitr) of Ramadan. A comer came and started taking handfuls of the foodstuff (of the Sadaqa) (stealthily). I took hold of him and said, "By Allah, I will take you to Allah's Apostle ." He said, "I am needy and have many dependents, and I am in great need." I released him, and in the morning Allah's Apostle asked me, "What did your prisoner do yesterday?" I said, "O Allah's Apostle! The person complained of being needy and of having many dependents, so, I pitied him and let him go." Allah's Apostle said, "Indeed, he told you a lie and he will be coming again." I believed that he would show up again as Allah's Apostle had told me that he would return. So, I waited for him watchfully. When he (showed up and) started stealing handfuls of foodstuff, I caught hold of him again and said, "I will definitely take you to Allah's Apostle. He said, "Leave me, for I am very needy and have many dependents. I promise I will not come back again." I pitied him and let him go.

In the morning Allah's Apostle asked me, "What did your prisoner do." I replied, "O Allah's Apostle! He complained of his great need and of too many dependents, so I took pity on him and set him free." Allah's Apostle said, "Verily, he told you a lie and he will return." I waited for him attentively for the third time, and when he (came and) started stealing handfuls of the foodstuff, I caught hold of him and said, "I will surely take you to Allah's Apostle as it is the third time you promise not to return, yet you break your promise and come." He said, "(Forgive me and) I will teach you some words with which Allah will benefit you." I asked, "What are they?" He replied, "Whenever you go to bed, recite "Ayat-al-Kursi"-- 'Allahu la ilaha illa huwa-l-Haiy-ul Qaiyum' till you finish the whole verse. (If you do so), Allah will appoint a guard for you who will stay with you and no satan will come near you till morning. " So, I released him. In the morning, Allah's Apostle asked, "What did your prisoner do yesterday?" I replied, "He claimed that he would teach me some words by which Allah will benefit me, so I let him go." Allah's Apostle asked, "What are they?" I replied, "He said to me, 'Whenever you go to bed, recite Ayat-al-Kursi ...

Malik related to me from Da'ud ibn al-Husayn from Abu Ghatafan ibn Tarif al-Muriyi that Umar ibn al-Khattab said, "If someone gives a gift to strengthen ties with a relative or as sadaqa, he cannot have it returned. If some one, however, gives a gift seeking by it favour or reward, he has his gift and can reclaim it if he does not have satisfaction from it."

Yahya said that he heard Malik say, "The generally agreed-on way of doing things in our community is that if the gift is returned to the one who gave it for recompense, and its value has been either increased or decreased, the one to whom it has been given gives the owner its value on the day he received it."

The climate of Medina did not suit some people, so the Prophet ordered them to follow his shepherd, i.e. his camels, and drink their milk and urine (as a medicine). So they followed the shepherd that is the camels and drank their milk and urine till their bodies became healthy. Then they killed the shepherd and drove away the camels. When the news reached the Prophet he sent some people in their pursuit. When they were brought, he cut their hands and feet and their eyes were branded with heated pieces of iron.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Muhammad ibn Abd ar-Rahman ibn Thawban that Muhammad ibn Iyas ibn al-Bukayr said, "A man divorced his wife three times before he had consummated the marriage, and then it seemed good to him to marry her. Therefore, he wanted an opinion, and I went with him to ask Abdullah ibn Abbas and Abu Hurayra on his behalf about it, and they said, 'We do not think that you should marry her until she has married another husband.' He protested that his divorcing her had been only once. Ibn Abbas said, 'You threw away what you had of blessing.' "

I asked the Prophet whether the round wall (near Ka`ba) was part of the Ka`ba. The Prophet replied in the affirmative. I further said, "What is wrong with them, why have they not included it in the building of the Ka`ba?" He said, "Don't you see that your people (Quraish) ran short of money (so they could not include it inside the building of Ka`ba)?" I asked, "What about its gate? Why is it so high?" He replied, "Your people did this so as to admit into it whomever they liked and prevent whomever they liked. Were your people not close to the Pre-Islamic Period of ignorance (i.e. they have recently embraced Islam) and were I not afraid that they would dislike it, surely I would have included the (area of the) wall inside the building of the Ka`ba and I would have lowered its gate to the level of the ground."

Kabshah, daughter of Ka'b ibn Malik and wife of Ibn AbuQatadah, reported: AbuQatadah visited (me) and I poured out water for him for ablution. A cat came and drank some of it and he tilted the vessel for it until it drank some of it. Kabshah said: He saw me looking at him; he asked me: Are you surprised, my niece? I said: Yes. He then reported the Messenger of Allah (saws) as saying: It is not unclean; it is one of those (males or females) who go round among you.