The Messenger of Allah (saws) was asked: Which of the actions is best? He replied: Observing prayer early in its period.

Al-Khuza'i narrated in his version from his aunt named Umm Farwah who took the oath of allegiance to the Prophet (saws): He was questioned.

AbuSalih al-Ghifari reported: Ali (once) passed by Babylon during his travels. The mu'adhdhin (the person who calls for prayer) came to him to call for the afternoon prayer. When he passed by that place, he commanded to announce for the prayer. After finishing the prayer he said: My affectionate friend (i.e. the Prophet) prohibited me to say prayer in the graveyard. He also forbade me to offer prayer in Babylon because it is accursed.

On the day (of the battle) of Uhad when (some) people retreated and left the Prophet, I saw `Aisha bint Abu Bakr and Um Sulaim, with their robes tucked up so that the bangles around their ankles were visible hurrying with their water skins (in another narration it is said, "carrying the water skins on their backs"). Then they would pour the water in the mouths of the people, and return to fill the water skins again and came back again to pour water in the mouths of the people.

Once Allah's Apostle stood amongst the people, glorified and praised Allah as He deserved and then mentioned the Dajjal saying, "l warn you against him (i.e. the Dajjal) and there was no prophet but warned his nation against him. No doubt, Noah warned his nation against him but I tell you about him something of which no prophet told his nation before me. You should know that he is one-eyed, and Allah is not one-eyed."

The Prophet was the most generous of all the people, and he used to become more generous in Ramadan when Gabriel met him. Gabriel used to meet him every night during Ramadan to revise the Qur'an with him. Allah's Apostle then used to be more generous than the fast wind.

Ibn `Abbas said, "Allah's Apostle travelled in the month of Ramadan and he fasted till he reached (a place called) 'Usfan, then he asked for a tumbler of water and drank it by the daytime so that the people might see him. He broke his fast till he reached Mecca." Ibn `Abbas used to say, "Allah's Apostle fasted and sometimes did not fast while traveling, so one may fast or may not (on journeys)"

We poured medicine in one side of the Prophet's mouth during his illness and he started pointing to us, meaning to say, "Don't pour medicine in my mouth." We said, "(He says so) because a patient dislikes medicines." When he improved and felt a little better, he said, "Didn't I forbid you to pour medicine in my mouth ?" We said, " ( We thought it was because of) the dislike, patients have for medicines. He said, "Let everyone present in the house be given medicine by pouring it in his mouth while I am looking at him, except `Abbas as he has not witnessed you (doing the same to me).

He (Abu Dawud) said : The version of this tradition reported by Bishr has the chain: Humaid reported from Bakr.

The version narrated by Maslamah goes : He said: On that day we were almost equal in knowledge.

The version narrated by Isma’il says: Khalid said: I said to Abu Qilabah: where is the Qur’an(i.e. why did the Prophet(may peace be upon him) not say: The one who knows the Qur’an most should act as imam)? He replied: Both of them were equal in the knowledge of the Qur’an.

A man got up at night and recited the Qur'an in a loud voice. When the dawn came, the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: May Allah have mercy on so-and-so who reminded me many verses that I had nearly forgotten.

Abu Dawud said: Harun al-Nahwi transmitted from Hammad b. Salamah the Quranic verse of Surah Al-'Imran: "How many of the prophet fought (in Allah's way)" (3:146)

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

Yahya related to me that Malik asked Ibn Shihab about selling animals, two for one with delayed terms. He said, "There is no harm in it."

Malik said, "The generally agreed on way of doing things among us is that there is no harm in bartering a camel for a camel like it and adding some dirhams to the exchange, from hand to hand. There is no harm in bartering a camel for a camel like it with some dirhams on top of the exchange, the camels to be exchanged from hand to hand, and the dirhams to be paid within a period." He said, "There is no good however in bartering a camel for a camel like it with some dirhams on top of it, with the dirhams paid in cash and the camel to be delivered later. If both the camel and the dirhams are deferred there is no good in that either."

Malik said, "There is no harm in buying a riding camel with two or more pack-camels, if they are from inferior stock. There is no harm in bartering two of them for one with delayed terms, if they are different and their difference is clear. If they resemble each other whether their species are different or not, two are not to be taken for one with delayed terms."

Malik said, "The explanation of what is disapproved of in that, is that a camel should not be bought with two camels when there is no distinction between them in speed or hardiness. If this is according to what I have described to you, then one does not buy two of them for one with delayed terms. There is no harm in selling those of them you buy before you complete the deal to somebody other than the one from whom you bought them if you get the price in cash."

Malik said, "It is permitted for someone to advance something on animals for a fixed term and describe the amount and pay its price in cash. Whatever the buyer and seller have described is obliged for them. That is still permitted behaviour between people and what the people of knowledge in our land do."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa that his father would never do two sets of seven tawafs together without praying between them. After every seven tawafs he would pray two rakas, sometimes at the maqam of Ibrahim, and sometimes elsewhere.

Malik was asked whether a man doing voluntary tawaf could, to make it easier on himself, join two or more sets of seven circuits and then pray whatever he owed for those sets of seven, and he said, "He should not do that. The sunna is that he does two rakasafter every seven circuits."

Malik said, about someone who began doing tawaf and then forgot how many he had done and did eightor nine circuits, "He should stop when he knows that he has done more than the right number and then pray two rakas,and he should not count the ones that he has done in excess. Neither should he build on the nine that he has done and then pray the rakas for the two sets of seven circuits together, because the sunna is that you pray two rakas after every seven circuits."

Malik said that someone who was in doubt about his tawaf after he had prayed the two rakas of tawaf should go back and complete his tawaf until he was certain of how much he had done. He should then repeat the two rakas, because prayer when doing tawaf was only valid after completing seven circuits.

"If some one breaks his wudu either while he is doing tawaf, or when he has finished tawaf but before he has prayed the two rakas of tawaf, he should do wudu and begin the tawaf and the two rakas afresh. Breaking wudu does not interrupt say between Safa and Marwa, but a person should not begin say unless he is pure by being in wudu."

We were informed that Musailima Al-Kadhdhab had arrived in Medina and stayed in the house of the daughter of Al-Harith. The daughter of Al-Harith bin Kuraiz was his wife and she was the mother of `Abdullah bin 'Amir. There came to him Allah's Apostle accompanied by Thabit bin Qais bin Shammas who was called the orator of Allah's Apostle. Allah's Apostle had a stick in his hand then. The Prophet stopped before Musailima and spoke to him. Musailima said to him, "If you wish, we would not interfere between you and the rule, on condition that the rule will be ours after you... The Prophet said, "If you asked me for this stick, I would not give it to you. I think you are the same person who was shown to me in a dream. And this is Thabit bin Al-Qais who will answer you on my behalf." The Prophet then went away. I asked Ibn `Abbas about the dream Allah's Apostle had mentioned. Ibn `Abbas said, "Someone told me that the Prophet said, "When I was sleeping, I saw in a dream that two gold bangles were put in my hands, and that frightened me and made me dislike them. Then I was allowed to blow on them, and when I blew at them, both of them flew. Then I interpreted them as two liars who would appear.' One of them was Al-`Ansi who was killed by Fairuz in Yemen and the other was Musailima Al-Kadhdbab."

Muhayyasah b. Mas'ud and 'Abd Allah b. Sahl came to Khaibar and parted (from each other) among palm trees. 'Abd Allah b. Sahl was killed. The Jews were blamed (for the murder). 'Abd al-Rahman b. Sahl and Huwayyasah and Muhayyasah, the sons of his uncle (Mas'ud) came to the Prophet (saws). 'Abd al-Rahman, who was the youngest, spoke about his brother, but the Messenger of Allah (saws) said to him: (Respect) the elder, (respect) the elder or he said: Let the eldest begin. They then spoke about their friend and the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: Fifty of you should take oaths regarding a man from them (the Jews) and he should be entrusted (to him) with his rope (in his neck). They said: It is a matter which we did not see. How can we take oaths ? He said: The Jews exonerate themselves by the oaths of fifty of them. They said: Messenger of Allah! they are a people who are infidels. So the Messenger of Allah (saws) paid them bloodwit himself. Sahl said: Once I entered the resting place of their camels, and the she-camel struck me with her lef. Hammad said this or (something) similar to it.

Abu Dawud said: Another version transmitted by Yahya b. Sa'id has: Would you swear fifty oaths and make you claim regarding your friend or your slain man ? Bishr, the transmitter, did mention blood. 'Abdah transmitted it from Yahya as transmitted by Hammad. Ibn 'Uyainah has also transmitted it from Yahya, and began with his words: The Jew will exonerate themselves by fifty oaths which they will swear. He did not mention the claim.

Abu Dawud said: This is a misunderstanding on the part of Ibn 'Uyainah.

Abu Dawud said: In this tradition which is transmitted by al-Zuhri from 'Urwah and 'Urwah on the authority of 'Aishah, al-Awza'i added: She ('Aishah) said: Umm Habibah daughter of Jahsh and wife of 'Abd al-Rahman b. 'Awf had a prolonged flow of blood for seven years. The Prophet (saws) commander her saying: When the menstruation begins, abandon prayer; when it is finished, take a bath and pray.

Abu Dawud said: None of the disciple of al-Zuhri mentioned these words except al-Awza'i, from al-Zuhri it has been narrated by 'Amr b. al-Harith, al-Laith, Yunus, Ibn Abi Dhi'b, Ma'mar, Ibrahim b. Sa'd, Sulaiman b. Kathir, Ibn Ishaq and Sufyan b. 'Uyainah, they did not narrate these words.

Abu Dawud said: These are the words of the version reported by Hisham b. 'Urwah from this father on the authority of 'Aishah.

Abu Dawud said: In this tradition Ibn 'Uyainah also added the words: He commander her to abandon prayer during her menstrual period. This is a misunderstanding on the part of Ibn 'Uyainah. The version of this tradition narrated by Muhammad b. 'Amr from al-Zuhri has the addition similar to that made by al-Awza'i in his version.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said from Salim ibn Abdullah that Abdullah ibn Umar sold one of his slaves for eight hundred dirhams with the stipulation that he was not responsible for defects. The person who bought the slave complained to Abdullah ibn Umar that the slave had a disease which he had not told him about. They argued and went to Uthman ibn Affan for a decision . The man said, "He sold me a slave with a disease which he did not tell me about." Abdullah said, "I sold to him with the stipulation that I was not responsible." Uthman ibn Affan decided that Abdullah ibn Umar should take an oath that he had sold the slave without knowing that he had any disease. Abdullah ibn Umar refused to take the oath, so the slave was returned to him and recovered his health in his possession. Abdullah sold him afterwards for 1500 dirhams.

Malik said, "The generally agreed upon way of doing things among us about a man who buys a female slave and she becomes pregnant, or who buys a slave and then frees him, or if there is any other such matter which has already happened so that he cannot return his purchase, and a clear proof is established that there was a fault in that purchase when it was in the hands of the seller or the fault is admitted by the seller or someone else, is that the slave or slave-girl is assessed for its value with the fault it is found to have had on the day of purchase and the buyer is refunded,from what he paid,the difference between the price of a slave who is sound and a slave with such a defect.

Malik said, "The generally agreed upon way of doing things among us regarding a man who buys a slave and then finds out that the slave has a defect for which he can be returned and meanwhile another defect has happened to the slave whilst in his possession, is that if the defect which occurred to the slave in his possession has harmed him, like loss of a limb, loss of an eye, or something similar, then he has a choice. If he wants, he can have the price of the slave reduced commensurate with the defect (he bought him with ) according to the prices on the day he bought him, or if he likes, he can pay compensation for the defect which the slave has suffered in his possession and return him. The choice is up to him. If the slave dies in his possession, the slave is valued with the defect which he had on the day of his purchase. It is seen what his price would really have been. If the price of the slave on the day of ...

A man of ad-Dabab, said: When the Prophet (saws) became free from the people of Badr I brought to him a colt of my mare called al-Qarha' I said: Muhammad, I have brought a colt of a al-Qarha' , so that you may take it. He said: I have no need of it. If you wish that I give you a select coat of mail from (the spoils of) Badr, I shall do it. I said: I cannot give you today a colt in exchange. He said: Then I have no need of it.

When the deputation of Thaqif came to the Messenger of Allah (saws), he made them stay in the mosque, so that it might soften their hearts. They stipulated to him that they would not be called to participate in Jihad, to pay zakat and to offer prayer. The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: You may have the concession that you will not be called to participate in jihad and pay zakat, but there is no good in a religion which has no bowing (i.e. prayer).

Tha'labah heard his elders say that a man from the Quraysh had his share with Banu Qurayzah (in water). He brought the dispute to the Messenger of Allah (saws) about al-Mahzur, a stream whose water they shared together. The Messenger of Allah (saws) then decided that when water reached the ankles waters should not be held back to flow to the lower.

We were in an army with the Messenger of Allah (saws). We got some lizards. I roasted one lizard and brought it to the Messenger of Allah (saws) and placed it before him. He took a stick and counted its fingers. He then said: A group from the children of Isra'il was transformed into an animal of the land, and I do not know which animal it was. He did not eat it nor did he forbid (its eating).

the maid-servant of the Messenger of Allah (saws), said: No one complained to the Messenger of Allah (saws) of a headache but he told him to get himself cupped, or of a pain in his legs but he told him to dye them with henna.

On his father's authority, said that his grandfather reported the Prophet (saws) said: Blood-wit for what resembles intentional murder is to be made as severe as that for intentional murder, but the culprit is not to be killed. Khalid gave us some additional information on the authority of Ibn Rashid: That (unintentional murder which resembles intentional murder) means that Satan jumps among the people and then the blood is shed blindly without any malice and weapon.

The Prophet (saws) said: When I was taken up to heaven I passed by people who had nails of copper and were scratching their faces and their breasts. I said: Who are these people, Gabriel? He replied: They are those who were given to back biting and who aspersed people's honour.

Abu Dawud said: Yahya b. 'Uthman has also transmitted it from Baqiyyah, there is no mention of Anas in it.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) used to setup a pulpit in the mosque for Hassan who would stand on it and satirise those who spoke against the Messenger of Allah (saws). The Messenger of Allah (saws) would say: The spirit of holiness (i.e. Gabriel) is with Hassan so long as he speaks in defence of the Messenger of Allah (saws).

A man came to the Prophet (saws) and asked: Messenger of Allah! how often shall I forgive a servant? He gave no reply, so the man repeated what he had said, but he still kept silence. When he asked a third time, he replied: Forgive him seventy times daily.

AbdurRahman ibn AbuLayla, quoting Usayd ibn Hudayr, a man of the Ansar, said that while he was given to jesting and was talking to the people and making them laugh, the Prophet (saws) poked him under the ribs with a stick. He said: Let me take retaliation. He said: Take retaliation. He said: You are wearing a shirt but I am not. The Prophet (saws) then raised his shirt and the man embraced him and began to kiss his side. Then he said: This is what I wanted, Messenger of Allah!

Abu Dawud said : the words “male and female” narrated, by Ayyub and ‘Abd Allah al Umar were narrated in their version on the authority of Nafi’.