The Prophet said, "Between the two blowing of the trumpet there will be forty." The people said, "O Abu Huraira! Forty days?" I refused to reply. They said, "Forty years?" I refused to reply and added: Everything of the human body will decay except the coccyx bone (of the tail) and from that bone Allah will reconstruct the whole body.

When Allah's Apostle emigrated to Medina, Abu Bakr and Bilal got a fever. I entered upon them and asked, "O my father! How are you? O Bilal! How are you?" Whenever fever attacked Abu Bakr, he would recite the following poetic verses: 'Everybody is staying alive among his people, yet death is nearer to him than his shoe laces." And whenever the fever deserted Bilal, he would recite (two poetic lines): 'Would that I could stay overnight in a valley wherein I would be surrounded by Idhkhir and Jalil (two kinds of good smelling grass). Would that one day I would drink of the water of Majinna and would that Shama and Tafil (two mountains at Mecca) would appear to me.' Then I came and informed Allah's Apostle about that, whereupon he said, "O Allah! Make us love Medina as much or more than we love Mecca. O Allah! Make it healthy and bless its Mudd and Sa for us, and take away its fever and put it in Al Juhfa."

When Allah's Apostle reached Medina, Abu Bakr and Bilal became ill. When Abu Bakr's fever got worse, he would recite (this poetic verse): "Everybody is staying alive with his People, yet Death is nearer to him than His shoe laces." And Bilal, when his fever deserted him, would recite: "Would that I could stay overnight in A valley wherein I would be Surrounded by Idhkhir and Jalil (kinds of goodsmelling grass). Would that one day I could Drink the water of the Majanna, and Would that (The two mountains) Shama and Tafil would appear to me!" The Prophet said, "O Allah! Curse Shaiba bin Rabi`a and `Utba bin Rabi`a and Umaiya bin Khalaf as they turned us out of our land to the land of epidemics." Allah's Apostle then said, "O Allah! Make us love Medina as we love Mecca or even more than that. O Allah! Give blessings in our Sa and our Mudd (measures symbolizing food) and make the climate of Medina suitable for us, and divert its fever towards Aljuhfa." Aisha added: When we reached Medina, it was the most unhealthy of Allah's lands, and the valley of Bathan (the valley of Medina) used to flow with impure colored water.

Aisha said, "Barirah came to me and said, 'My people (masters) have written the contract for my emancipation for nine Awaq ) of gold) to be paid in yearly installments, one Uqiyya per year; so help me." Aisha said (to her), "If your masters agree, I will pay them the whole sum provided the Wala will be for me." Barirah went to her masters and told them about it, but they refused the offer and she returned from them while Allah's Apostles was sitting. She said, "I presented the offer to them, but they refused unless the Wala' would be for them." When the Prophet heard that and `Aisha told him about It, he said to her, "Buy Barirah and let them stipulate that her Wala' will be for them, as the Wala' is for the manumitted." `Aisha did so. After that Allah's Apostle got up amidst the people, Glorified and Praised Allah and said, "What is wrong with some people who stipulate things which are not in Allah's Laws? Any condition which is not in Allah's Laws is invalid even if there were a hundred such conditions. Allah's Rules are the most valid and Allah's Conditions are the most solid. The Wala is for the manumitted."

It was mentioned before `Aisha that Ibn `Umar attributed the following statement to the Prophet "The dead person is punished in the grave because of the crying and lamentation Of his family." On that, `Aisha said, "But Allah's Apostle said, 'The dead person is punished for his crimes and sins while his family cry over him then." She added, "And this is similar to the statement of Allah's Apostle when he stood by the (edge of the) well which contained the corpses of the pagans killed at Badr, 'They hear what I say.' She added, "But he said now they know very well what I used to tell them was the truth." `Aisha then recited: 'You cannot make the dead hear.' (30.52) and 'You cannot make those who are in their Graves, hear you.' (35.22) that is, when they had taken their places in the (Hell) Fire.

[Muslim].

Whenever the Prophet offered his Tahajjud prayer, he would say, "O Allah, our Lord! All the praises are for You; You are the Keeper (Establisher or the One Who looks after) of the Heavens and the Earth. All the Praises are for You; You are the Light of the Heavens and the Earth and whatever is therein. You are the Truth, and Your saying is the Truth, and Your promise is the Truth, and the meeting with You is the Truth, and Paradise is the Truth, and the (Hell) Fire is the Truth. O Allah! I surrender myself to You, and believe in You, and I put my trust in You (solely depend upon). And to You I complain of my opponents and with Your Evidence I argue. So please forgive the sins which I have done in the past or I will do in the future, and also those (sins) which I did in secret or in public, and that which You know better than I. None has the right to be worshipped but You."

Aisha said, "Barira came to me and said, 'I have agreed with my masters to pay them nine Uqiyas (of gold) (in installments) one Uqiya per year; please help me.' I said, 'I am ready to pay the whole amount now provided your masters agree that your Wala' will be for me.' So, Barira went to her masters and told them about that offer but they refused to accept it. She returned, and at that time, Allah's Apostle was sitting (present). Barira said, 'I told them of the offer but they did not accept it and insisted on having the Wala'.' The Prophet heard that." `Aisha narrated the whole story to the Prophet. He said to her, "Buy her and stipulate that her Wala' would be yours as the Wala' is for the manumitter." `Aisha did so. Then Allah's Apostle stood up in front of the people, and after glorifying Allah he said, "Amma Ba`du (i.e. then after)! What about the people who impose conditions which are not in Allah's Book (Laws)? Any condition that is not in Allah's Book (Laws) is invalid even if they were one hundred conditions, for Allah's decisions are the right ones and His conditions are the strong ones (firmer) and the Wala' will be for the manumitter."

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, "The angels ask for blessings on each one of you as long as he is in the place where he has prayed and has not discharged anything. They say, 'Allah, forgive him. Allah have mercy on him.' "

When the Messenger of Allah (saws) prayed over a dead person, he said: O Allah, forgive those of us who are living and those of us who are dead, those of us who are present and those of us who are absent, our young and our old, our male and our female. O Allah, to whomsoever of us Thou givest life grant him life as a believer, and whomsoever of us Thou takest in death take him in death as a follower of Islam. O Allah, do not withhold from us the reward (of faith) and do not lead us astray after his death.

`Abdullah bin `Amr bin Haram died and was in debt to others. I asked the Prophet to intercede with his creditors for some reduction in the debts. The Prophet requested them (to reduce the debts) but they refused. The Prophet said to me, "Go and put your dates (In heaps) according to their different kinds. The Ajwa on one side, the cluster of Ibn Zaid on another side, etc.. Then call me." I did that and called the Prophet He came and sat at the head or in the middle of the heaps and ordered me. Measure (the dates) for the people (creditors)." I measured for them till I paid all the debts. My dates remained as it nothing had been taken from them. In other narrations, Jabir said; The Prophet said, "He (i.e. `Abdullah) continued measuring for them till he paid all the debts." The Prophet said (to `Abdullah), "Cut (clusters) for him (i.e. one of the creditors) and measure for him fully."

AbdurRahman ibn AbuBakrah said that he told his father: O my father! I hear you supplicating every morning: "O Allah! Grant me health in my body. O Allah! Grant me good hearing. O Allah! Grant me good eyesight. There is no god but Thou." You repeat them three times in the morning and three times in the evening.

He said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) using these words as a supplication and I like to follow his practice.

The transmitter, Abbas, said in this version: And you say: "O Allah! I seek refuge in Thee from infidelity and poverty. O Allah! I seek refuge in Thee from punishment in the grave. There is no god but Thee". You repeat them three times in the morning and three times in the evening, and use them as a supplication. I like to follow his practice.

He said: The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: The supplications to be used by one who is distressed are: "O Allah! Thy mercy is what I hope for. Do not abandon me to myself for an instant, but put all my affairs in good order for me. There is no god but Thou." Some transmitters added more than others.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nuaym ibn Abdullah al-Mujmir that he heard Abu Hurayra say, "If any one of you prays and then sits down in the spot where he has prayed, the angels ask blessings on him saying, 'Allah, forgive him. Allah, have mercy on him.' And if he moves from the spot where he has prayed and sits elsewhere in the mosque waiting for the prayer, he remains in prayer until he prays."