Yahya related to me from Malik from Abdullah ibn Dinar from 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to wear a gold ring. Then the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, stood up and threw it away and said, "I will never wear it." He said, "So the people threw away their rings."

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that Umar ibn al-Khattab had heard in a letter from Iraq that a man said to his wife, "Your rein is on your withers (i.e. you have free rein)." Umar ibn al-Khattab wrote to his governor to order the man to come to him at Makka at the time of hajj. While Umar was doing tawaf around the House, a man met him and greeted him. Umar asked him who he was, and he replied that he was the man that he had ordered to be brought to him. Umar said to him, "I ask you by the Lord of this building, what did you mean by your statement, 'Your rein is on your withers.'?" The man replied, "Had you made me swear by other than this place, I would not have told you the truth. I intended separation by that." Umar ibn al- Khattab said, "It is what you intended."

A man came to Ibn `Umar and asked about `Uthman and Ibn `Umar mentioned his good deeds and said to the questioner. "Perhaps these facts annoy you?" The other said, "Yes." Ibn `Umar said, "May Allah stick your nose in the dust (i.e. degrade you)!' Then the man asked him about `Ali. Ibn `Umar mentioned his good deeds and said, "It is all true, and that is his house in the midst of the houses of the Prophet. Perhaps these facts have hurt you?" The questioner said, "Yes." Ibn `Umar said, "May Allah stick your nose in the dust (i.e. degrade you or make you do things which you hate) ! Go away and do whatever you can against me."

Allah's Apostle went out to answer the call of nature and on his return I brought some water to him. He performed the ablution while he was wearing a Sha'mi cloak. He rinsed his mouth and washed his nose by putting water in it and then blowing it out, and washed his face. Then he tried to take out his hands through his sleeves but they were tight, so he took them out from underneath, washed them and passed wet hands over his head and over his leather socks.

Abu Dawud said: This tradition has been transmitted from al-Zuhri by Ma'mar, Malik, Ibn 'Uyainah, Shu'aib b. Abi Hamzah, and al-Laith b. Sa'd and others; but they did not mention the time in which he (the Prophet) had prayer, nor did they explain it. And similarly it has been narrated by Hisham b. 'Urwah and Habib b. Abu Mazruq from 'Urwah like the report of Ma'mar and his companions. But Habib did not make a mention of Bashir. And Wahb b. Kaisan reported on the authority of Jabir from the Prophet (saws) the time of the Maghrib prayer. He said: "Next day he (Gabriel) came to him at the time of the Maghrib prayer when the sun had already set. (He came both days) at the same time."

Abu Dawud said: Similarly, this tradition has been transmitted by Abu Hurairah from the Prophet (saws). He said: "Then he (Gabriel) led me in the sunset prayer next day at the same time."

Similarly, this tradition has been narrated through a different chain by 'Abd Allah b. 'Amr b. al-'As, through a chain from Hassan b. 'Atiyyah, from 'Amr b. Shu'aib, from his father, on the authority from the Prophet (saws).

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Abu Bakr ibn Sulayman ibn Abi Hathma that Umar ibn al-Khattab missed Sulayman ibn Abi Hathma in the subh prayer. In the morning he went to the market, and Sulayman's house was between the market and the Prophet's mosque. He passed ash-Shifa, Sulayman's mother, and said to her, "I did not see Sulayman at subh." She replied, "He spent the night in prayer and his eyes overcame him. Umar said, "I would rather be present at subh than stand the whole night in prayer.

I saw Allah's Apostle pointing with his index and middle fingers, saying. "The time of my Advent and the Hour are like these two fingers."

Abdullah ibn Dinar said: The sun set when I was with Abdullah ibn Umar. We proceeded, and when we saw that the evening came, we said prayer. He went on travelling until the twilight disappeared and the stars became thick. He then slighted and combined the two prayers. Then he said: I saw the Messenger of Allah (saws); when he hastened his travelling, he would pray like this prayer of mine. He said: He would combine the two prayers after the passing of a part of night. AbuDawud said: This has been transmitted by Asim ibn Muhammad from his brother on the authority of Salim and this has also been narrated by Ibn AbuNajih from Isma'il ibn AbdurRahman ibn Dhuwayb saying that Ibn Umar would combine the two prayers after the disappearance of twilight.

One of the daughters of `Uthman died at Mecca. We went to attend her funeral procession. Ibn `Umar and Ibn `Abbas were also present. I sat in between them (or said, I sat beside one of them. Then a man came and sat beside me.) `Abdullah bin `Umar said to `Amr bin `Uthman, "Will you not prohibit crying as Allah's Apostle has said, 'The dead person is tortured by the crying of his relatives.?" Ibn `Abbas said, "`Umar used to say so." Then he added narrating, "I accompanied `Umar on a journey from Mecca till we reached Al-Baida. There he saw some travelers in the shade of a Samura (A kind of forest tree). He said (to me), "Go and see who those travelers are." So I went and saw that one of them was Suhaib. I told this to `Umar who then asked me to call him. So I went back to Suhaib and said to him, "Depart and follow the chief of the faithful believers." Later, when `Umar was stabbed, Suhaib came in weeping and saying, "O my brother, O my friend!" (on this `Umar said to him, "O Suhaib! Are you weeping for me while the Prophet said, "The dead person is punished by some of the weeping of his relatives?" Ibn `Abbas added, "When `Umar died I told all this to Aisha and she said, 'May Allah be merciful to `Umar. By Allah, Allah's Apostle did not say that a believer is punished by the weeping of his relatives. But he said, Allah increases the punishment of a non-believer because of the weeping of his relatives." Aisha further added, "The Qur'an is sufficient for you (to clear up this point) as Allah has stated: 'No burdened soul will bear another's burden.' " (35.18). Ibn `Abbas then said, "Only Allah makes one laugh or cry." Ibn `Umar did not say anything after that.

I saw the Messenger of Allah (saws) raising his thumbs in prayer up to the lobes of his ears.

Ibn Umar was sent with a detachment of the Messenger of Allah (saws). The people wheeled round in flight. He said: I was one of those who wheeled round in flight. When we stopped, we said (i.e. thought): How should we do? We have run away from the battlefield and deserve Allah's wrath. Then we said (thought): Let us enter Medina, stay there, and go there while no one sees us. So we entered (Medina) and thought: If we present ourselves before the Messenger of Allah (saws), and if there is a change of repentance for us, we shall stay; if there is something else, we shall go away. So we sat down (waiting) for the Messenger of Allah (saws) before the dawn prayer. When he came out, we stood up to him and said: We are the ones who have fled. He turned to us and said: No, you are the ones who return to fight after wheeling away. We then approached and kissed his hand, and he said; I am the main body of the Muslims.

I heard `Umar saying, "Whoever braids his hair should shave it (on finishing lhram). You'd better not do, something like Talbid." Ibn `Umar used to say: "I saw Allah's Apostle with his hair stuck together with gum."

Yahya said that Malik related from Ibn Shihab that Sunayn Abi Jamila, a man from the Banu Sulaym, found an abandoned child in the time of Umar ibn al-Khattab. Sunayn took him to Umar ibn al-Khattab. He asked, "What has induced you to take this person?" He answered, "I found him lost, so I took him.'' Umar's advisor said to him,' 'Amir al-Muminin! He is a man who does good." Umar inquired of him, "Is it so?" He replied, "Yes." Umar ibn al-Khattab said, "Go, he is free, and you have his wala' inheritance, and we will provide for him."

Yahya said that he heard Malik say, "What is done in our community about an abandoned child is that he is free, and his wala' inheritance belongs to the muslims, and they inherit from him and pay his blood money."

His uncle (Anas bin An-Nadr) was absent from the battle of Badr and he said, "I was absent from the first battle of the Prophet (i.e. Badr battle), and if Allah should let me participate in (a battle) with the Prophet, Allah will see how strongly I will fight." So he encountered the day of Uhud battle. The Muslims fled and he said, "O Allah ! I appeal to You to excuse me for what these people (i.e. the Muslims) have done, and I am clear from what the pagans have done." Then he went forward with his sword and met Sad bin Mu'adh (fleeing), and asked him, "Where are you going, O Sad? I detect a smell of Paradise before Uhud." Then he proceeded on and was martyred. No-body was able to recognize him till his sister recognized him by a mole on his body or by the tips of his fingers. He had over 80 wounds caused by stabbing, striking or shooting with arrows.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu'z-Zubayr al-Makki that somebody asked a man for his sister in marriage and the man mentioned that she had committed fornication. Umar ibn al-Khattab heard about it and he beat the man or almost beat him, and said, "What did you mean by giving him such information?"

Some people asked Allah's Apostle about the fore-tellers He said. ' They are nothing" They said, 'O Allah's Apostle! Sometimes they tell us of a thing which turns out to be true." Allah's Apostle said, "A Jinn snatches that true word and pours it Into the ear of his friend (the fore-teller) (as one puts something into a bottle) The foreteller then mixes with that word one hundred lies."

That he stayed overnight in the house of Maimuna the wife of the Prophet, his aunt. He added : I lay on the bed (cushion transversally) while Allah's Apostle and his wife lay in the lengthwise direction of the cushion. Allah's Apostle slept till the middle of the night, either a bit before or a bit after it and then woke up, rubbing the traces of sleep off his face with his hands. He then, recited the last ten verses of Sura Al-`Imran, got up and went to a hanging water-skin. He then Performed the ablution from it and it was a perfect ablution, and then stood up to offer the prayer. I, too, got up and did as the Prophet had done. Then I went and stood by his side. He placed his right hand on my head and caught my right ear and twisted it. He prayed two rak`at then two rak`at and two rak`at and then two rak`at and then two rak`at and then two rak`at (separately six times), and finally one rak`a (the witr). Then he lay down again in the bed till the Mu'adh-dhin came to him where upon the Prophet got up, offered a two light rak`at prayer and went out and led the Fajr prayer.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi from Abdullah ibn Umar that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, made his camel kneel down at al-Batha, which is at Dhu'l-Hulayfa, and prayed there. Nafi said, "Abdullah ibn Umar used to do that."

Malik said, "No-one should go past al-Muarras when he is returning from hajj without praying there. If he passes it at a time when prayer is not permissible he should stay there until prayer is permissible and then pray whatever he feels is appropriate. (This is) because I have heard that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, stopped there to rest, and that Abdullah ibn Umar stopped his camel there also."

A priest from the Jews came (to the Prophet) and said, "On the Day of Resurrection, Allah will place all the heavens on one finger, and the Earth on one finger, and the waters and the land on one finger, and all the creation on one finger, and then He will shake them and say. 'I am the King! I am the King!'" I saw the Prophet smiling till his premolar teeth became visible expressing his amazement and his belief in what he had said. Then the Prophet recited: 'No just estimate have they made of Allah such as due to Him (up to)...; High is He above the partners they attribute to Him.' (39.67)

Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn Hibban said: A slave stole a plant of a palm-tree from the orchard of a man and planted it in the orchard of his master. The owner of the plant went out in search of the plant and he found it. He solicited help against the slave from Marwan ibn al-Hakam who was the Governor of Medina at that time. Marwan confined the slave and intended to cut off his hand. The slave's master went to Rafi' ibn Khadij and asked him about it.

He told him that he had heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) say: The hand is not to be cut off for taking fruit or the pith of the palm-tree.

The man then said: Marwan has seized my slave and wants to cut off his hand. I wish you to go with me to him and tell him that which you have heard from the Messenger of Allah (saws). So Rafi' ibn Khadij went with him and came to Marwan ibn al-Hakam.

Rafi' said to him: I heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) say: The hand is not to be cut off for taking fruit or the pith of the palm-tree. So Marwan gave orders to release the slave and then he was released.

Abu Dawud said: Kathar means pith of the palm-tree.

I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "The Miqat for the people of Medina is Dhul-Hulaifa; for the people of Sham is Mahita; (i.e. Al-Juhfa); and for the people of Najd is Qarn. And said Ibn `Umar, "They claim, but I did not hear personally, that the Prophet said, "The Miqat for the people of Yemen is Yalamlam."

(the wife of the Prophet) Allah's Apostle died while Abu Bakr was at a place called As-Sunah (Al-'Aliya) 'Umar stood up and said, "By Allah! Allah's Apostle is not dead!" 'Umar (later on) said, "By Allah! Nothing occurred to my mind except that." He said, "Verily! Allah will resurrect him and he will cut the hands and legs of some men." Then Abu Bakr came and uncovered the face of Allah's Apostle, kissed him and said, "Let my mother and father be sacrificed for you, (O Allah's Apostle), you are good in life and in death. By Allah in Whose Hands my life is, Allah will never make you taste death twice." Then he went out and said, "O oath-taker! Don't be hasty." When Abu Bakr spoke, 'Umar sat down. Abu Bakr praised and glorified Allah and said, No doubt! Whoever worshipped Muhammad, then Muhammad is dead, but whoever worshipped Allah, then Allah is Alive and shall never die." Then he recited Allah's Statement.:-- "(O Muhammad) Verily you will die, and they also will die." (39.30) He also recited:--

"Muhammad is no more than an Apostle; and indeed many Apostles have passed away, before him, If he dies Or is killed, will you then Turn back on your heels? And he who turns back On his heels, not the least Harm will he do to Allah And Allah will give reward to those Who are grateful." (3.144)

The people wept loudly, and the Ansar were assembled with Sad bin 'Ubada in the shed of Bani Saida. They said (to the emigrants). "There should be one 'Amir from us and one from you." Then Abu Bakr, Umar bin Al-Khattab and Abu 'baida bin Al-Jarrah went to them. 'Umar wanted to speak but Abu Bakr stopped him. 'Umar later on used to say, "By Allah, I intended only to say something that appealed to me and I was afraid that Abu Bakr would not speak so well. Then Abu Bakr spoke and his speech was very eloquent. He said in his statement, "We are the rulers and you (Ansars) are the ministers (i.e. advisers)," Hubab bin Al-Mundhir said, "No, by Allah we won't accept this. But there must be a ruler from us and a ruler from you." Abu Bakr said, "No, we will be the rulers and you will be the ministers, for they (i.e. Quarish) are the best family amongst the 'Arabs and of best origin. So you should elect either 'Umar or Abu 'Ubaida bin Al-Jarrah as your ruler." 'Umar said (to Abu Bakr), "No but we elect you, for you are our chief and the best amongst us and the most beloved of all of us to Allah's Apostle." So 'Umar took Abu Bakr's hand and gave the pledge of allegiance and the people too gave the pledge of allegiance to Abu Bakr. Someone said, "You have killed Sad bin Ubada." 'Umar said, "Allah has killed him."

Kathir ibn Qays said: I was sitting with AbudDarda' in the mosque of Damascus.

A man came to him and said: AbudDarda, I have come to you from the town of the Messenger of Allah (saws) for a tradition that I have heard you relate from the Messenger of Allah (saws). I have come for no other purpose.

He said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) say: If anyone travels on a road in search of knowledge, Allah will cause him to travel on one of the roads of Paradise. The angels will lower their wings in their great pleasure with one who seeks knowledge, the inhabitants of the heavens and the Earth and the fish in the deep waters will ask forgiveness for the learned man. The superiority of the learned man over the devout is like that of the moon, on the night when it is full, over the rest of the stars. The learned are the heirs of the Prophets, and the Prophets leave neither dinar nor dirham, leaving only knowledge, and he who takes it takes an abundant portion.

While Ibn `Umar was performing the Tawaf (around the Ka`ba), a man came up to him and said, "O Abu `AbdurRahman!" or said, "O Ibn `Umar! Did you hear anything from the Prophet about An35 Najwa?" Ibn `Umar said, "I heard the Prophet saying, 'The Believer will be brought near his Lord." (Hisham, a sub-narrator said, reporting the Prophet's words), "The believer will come near (his Lord) till his Lord covers him with His screen and makes him confess his sins. (Allah will ask him), 'Do you know (that you did) 'such-and-such sin?" He will say twice, 'Yes, I do.' Then Allah will say, 'I concealed it in the world and I forgive it for you today.' Then the record of his good deeds will be folded up. As for the others, or the disbelievers, it will be announced publicly before the witnesses: 'These are ones who lied against their Lord."

[He said:] There are narrations on this topic from Anas, Ibn 'Abbas, Jabir, Abu Sa'eed, and Zaid bin Thabit.

[Abu 'Eisa said:] The Hadith of Ibn 'Umar is a Hasan Sahih Hadith. This is acted upon according to the people of knowledge among the Companions of the Prophet (saws) and others. They dislike selling fruits before their usefulness appears, this is the view of Ash-Shafi'i, Ahmad and Ishaq.

It was narrated from al Miswar bin Makhramah and `Abdur-Rahman bin Abdul-Qari that they heard Umar bin al Khattab say: I passed by Hisham bin Hakeem bin Hizam when he was reciting Sooratal-Furqan during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). I listened to his recitation and he was reciting in a way different from the way in which the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had taught me to recite it. I was about to interrupt him whilst he was praying, but I waited until he said the tasleem, and when he had said the tasleem,... and he narrated a similar report.

Abu Musa asked `Umar to admit him but he was not admitted as `Umar was busy, so Abu Musa went back. When `Umar finished his job he said, "Didn't I hear the voice of `Abdullah bin Qais? Let him come in." `Umar was told that he had left. So, he sent for him and on his arrival, he (Abu Musa) said, "We were ordered to do so (i.e. to leave if not admitted after asking permission thrice). `Umar told him, "Bring witness in proof of your statement." Abu Musa went to the Ansar's meeting places and asked them. They said, "None amongst us will give this witness except the youngest of us, Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri. Abu Musa then took Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri (to `Umar) and `Umar said, surprisingly, "Has this order of Allah's Apostle been hidden from me?" (Then he added), "I used to be busy trading in markets."

"When the period of four months has expired, the husband should be put in prison so that he should divorce his wife, but the divorce does not occur unless the husband himself declares it. This has been mentioned by `Uthman, `Ali, Abu Ad-Darda, `Aisha and twelve other companions of the Prophet ."

I and 'Ubai bin `Umar went to `Aisha while she was staying near Thabir (i.e. a mountain). She said, "There is no Migration after Allah gave His Prophet victory over Mecca."

He said, "Doesn't a man who has horses with white legs and white blazes on their foreheads among totally black horses recognise which ones are his own?" They said, "Of course, Messenger of Allah." He went on, "Even so will they come on the day of rising with white marks on their foreheads, hands and feet from wudu, and I will precede them to the Hawd. Some men will be driven away from the Hawd as if they were straying camels and I shall call out to them, 'Will you not come? Will you not come? Will you not come?' and someone will say, 'They changed things after you,' so I shall say, 'Then away with them, away with them, away with them!' "

That one night Allah's Apostle visited him and Fatima, the daughter of Allah's Apostle and said to them, "Won 't you offer (night) prayer?.. `Ali added: I said, "O Allah's Apostle! Our souls are in the Hand of Allah and when He Wishes to bring us to life, He does." Then Allah's Apostle went away when I said so and he did not give any reply. Then I heard him on leaving while he was striking his thighs, saying, 'But man is, more quarrelsome than anything.' (18.54)

'Abdullah (b. Umar) reported on the authority of his father that he heard like this from the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him).

Malik related to me from Rabia ibn Abi Abd ar-Rahman that Umar ibn al-Khattab spoke about a man who went out with his wife's slave- girl on a journey and had intercourse with her and then the wife became jealous and mentioned that to Umar ibn al-Khattab. Umar questioned him about it. He said, "She gave her to me." Umar said, "Bring me a clear proof or I will stone you." Rabia added, "The wife confessed that she had given her to him."

When the illness of the Messenger of Allah (saws) became serious while I was with him among a group of people, Bilal called him for prayer. He said: Ask someone to lead the people in prayer. So Abdullah ibn Zam'ah went out and found that Umar was present among the people and AbuBakr was not there. I said: Umar, get up and lead the people in prayer. So he came forward and uttered "Allah is Most Great". When the Messenger of Allah (saws) heard his voice, as Umar had a loud voice, he said: Where is AbuBakr? Allah does not allow that, and the Muslims too; Allah does not allow that, and the Muslims too. So he sent for AbuBakr. He came after Umar had led the people in that prayer. He then led the people in prayer.

On the day of Al-Khandaq (the trench), `Umar bin Al-Khattab went to the Prophet and said, "O Allah's Apostle! By Allah, I could not pray (the `Asr) till the sun had set." `Umar told this to the Prophet at the time when a fasting person had done Iftar (taken his meals). The Prophet then went to Buthan and I was with him. He performed ablution and offered the `Asr prayer after the sun had set and then the Maghrib prayer.

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that `Urwa ibn az-Zubayr said that if the child of the woman against whom li`an had been pronounced or the child of fornication, died, his mother inherited from him her right in the Book of Allah the Exalted, and his maternal half-brothers had their rights. The rest was inherited by the owners of his mother's wala' if she was a freed slave. If she was an ordinary free woman, she inherited her right, his maternal brothers inherited their rights, and the rest went to the Muslims.

Malik said,"I heard the same as that from Sulayman ibn Yasar, and it is what I saw the people of knowledge in our city doing."

Urwah reported on the authority of his father that Abdullah ibn al-Arqam travelled for performing hajj (pilgrimage) or umrah. He was accompanied by the people whom he led in prayer. One day when he was leading them in the dawn (fajr) prayer, he said to them: One of you should come forward. He then went away to relieve himself. He said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) say: When any of you feels the need of relieving himself while the congregational prayer is ready, he should go to relieve himself.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Irak ibn Malik and Sulayman ibn Yasar that a man of the Banu Sad ibn Layth was running a horse and it trod on the finger of a man from the Juhayna tribe. It bled profusely, and he died. Umar ibn al-Khattab said to those against whom the claim was made. "Do you swear by Allah with fifty oaths that he did not die of it?" They refused and stopped themselves from doing it. He said to the others, "Will you take an oath?" They refused, so Umar ibn al-Khattab gave a judgement that the Banu Sad had to pay half the full blood-money.

Malik said, "One does not act on this."

Malik related to me from Abdullah ibn Dinar from Abdullah ibn Umar that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, forbade selling or giving away the wala'.

A man from Basrah said: Tell me what you heard from the Messenger of Allah (saws). He said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) say: No one will enter Hell who has prayed before the rising of the sun and before its setting (meaning the dawn and the afternoon prayers). He said three times: Have you heard it from him? He replied: Yes, each time saying: My ears heard it and my heart memorised it. The man then said: And I heard him (the Prophet) say that.

The Angel of Death was sent to Moses when he came to Moses, Moses slapped him on the eye. The angel returned to his Lord and said, "You have sent me to a Slave who does not want to die." Allah said, "Return to him and tell him to put his hand on the back of an ox and for every hair that will come under it, he will be granted one year of life." Moses said, "O Lord! What will happen after that?" Allah replied, "Then death." Moses said, "Let it come now." Moses then requested Allah to let him die close to the Sacred Land so much so that he would be at a distance of a stone's throw from it." Abu Huraira added, "Allah's Apostle said, 'If I were there, I would show you his grave below the red sand hill on the side of the road."

Once a man was driving two Nadihas (camels used for agricultural purposes) and night had fallen. He found Mu`adh praying so he made his camel kneel and joined Mu`adh in the prayer. The latter recited Surat 'Al-Baqara" or Surat "An-Nisa", (so) the man left the prayer and went away. When he came to know that Mu`adh had criticized him, he went to the Prophet, and complained against Mu`adh. The Prophet said thrice, "O Mu`adh ! Are you putting the people to trial?" It would have been better if you had recited "Sabbih Isma Rabbika-l-A`la (87)", Wash-shamsi wa duhaha (91)", or "Wal-laili idha yaghsha (92)", for the old, the weak and the needy pray behind you." Jabir said that Mu`adh recited Sura Al-Baqara in the `Isha' prayer.

We were in our country when flags and banners were raised. I said: What is this?

The (the people) said: This is the banner of the Messenger of Allah (saws). So I came to him. He was (sitting) under a tree. A sheet of cloth was spread for him and he was sitting on it. His Companions were gathered around him. I sat with them.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) mentioned illness and said: When a believer is afflicted by illness and Allah cures him of it, it serves as an atonement for his previous sins and a warning to him for the future.

But when a hypocrite becomes ill and is then cured, he is like a camel which has been tethered and then let loose by its owners, but does not know why they tethered it and why they let it loose.

A man from among those around him asked: Messenger of Allah, what are illnesses? I swear by Allah, I never fell ill.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: Get up and leave us. You do not belong to our number. When we were with him, a man came to him. He had a sheet of cloth and something in his hand.

He turned his attention to him and said: Messenger of Allah, when I saw you, I turned towards you. I saw a group of trees and heard the sound of fledglings. I took them and put them in my garment. Their mother then came and began to hover round my head. I showed them to her, and she fell on them. I wrapped them with my garment. They are now with me.

He said: Put them away from you. So I put them away, but their mother stayed with them.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said to his companions: Are you surprised at the affection of the mother for her young?

They said: Yes, Messenger of Allah. He said: I swear by Him Who has sent me with the Truth, Allah is more affectionate to His servants than a mother to her young ones. Take them back put them and where you took them from when their mother should have been with them. So he took them back.