I asked `Ali (رضي الله عنه) about the nafl prayers of the Prophet (ﷺ) during the day. He said: You are not able for that. We said: Tell us and we will do as much of it as we can, He said: When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prayed Fajr, he would wait until the sun would rise from there, meaning in the east, as high as it is at the time of `Asr there, meaning in the west. Then he would get up and pray two rak`ahs. Then he would wait until the sun rose as high there, meaning in the east, as it is at the time of Zuhr there, meaning in the west; then he would pray four rak`ahs, and four before Zuhr when the sun passed the meridian, and four afterwards, and four before ‘Asr, He would separate each two rak’ahs with salams upon the angels who are close to Allah, the Prophets, the believers and the Muslims who follow them. `Ali (رضي الله عنه) said: That is sixteen rak`ahs which the Prophet (ﷺ) offered as nafl prayers during the day, but there are very few who offer them regularly. Wakee’ narrated; my father said: Habeeb bin Abi Thabit said to Abu Ishaq when he narrated this to him: O Abu Ishaq, this hadeeth of yours is worth this mosque filled with gold.

At different times of the night the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prayed Witr at the beginning, in the middle and at the end. Then he settled on praying Witr at the end of the night.

Witr is not an essential like regular prayer, but it is a Sunnah that was established by the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prayed Witr at the beginning of the night and at the end and in the middle. And in the end he settled on praying Witr just before dawn.

I remember the day of Badr, when we were seeking shelter with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and he was the closest of us to the enemy and the most courageous of the people on that day

A Bedouin came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: O Messenger of Allah, what if we are in the desert and a little wind comes out of one of us? The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, not too shy to tell the truth. If one of you does that, let him do wudoo`. And do not approach women in their back passage [and once he said: in their anuses].`

`Abdullah bin Shaddad came and entered upon `A`ishah (رضي الله عنها) when we were sitting with her, as he was returning from Iraq during the time when ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) was murdered. She said to him: O `Abdullah bin Shaddad, will you tell me the truth about what I am going to ask you? Tell me about these people whom ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) killed. He said: Why shouldn`t I tell you the truth? She said: Tell me about them. He said: When `Ali (رضي الله عنه) corresponded with Mu`awiyah and the two arbitrators gave their verdict, eight thousand of the pious rebelled against him and camped in a land called Haroora`, near Koofah. They criticised him and said: You have taken off a chemise that Allah caused you to wear and a title that Allah gave to you, then you went ahead and asked people to issue a decree concerning the religion of Allah. There is no ruling except the ruling of Allah, may He be exalted. When `Ali (رضي الله عنه) heard about their criticism of him and the reason why they had split from him, he told his caller not to admit anyone but those who had memorised the Qur`an. When the house was filled with people who had memorised the Qur`an, he called for a large Mushaf and put it front of him, and he started tapping it with his hand, saying: O Mushaf, tell the people. The people called out: O Ameer al-Mu`mineen, how could you ask it? It is only ink and paper, but we could speak on the basis of what we understand from it. What do you want? He said: These companions of yours who rebelled, between me and them is the Book of Allah, and Allah says in His Book concerning a woman and a man: `If you fear a breach between them twain (the man and his wife), appoint (two) arbitrators, one from his family and the other from hers; if they both wish for peace, Allah will cause their reconciliation.` [an-Nisa 4:35]. The ummah of Muhammad is more important with regard to life and sanctity than a woman and a man. They got angry with me when I wrote a document between me and Mu`awiyah and wrote `Ali bin Abi Talib [without adding the title Ameer al-Mu`mineen]. But Suhail bin `Amr came to us when we were with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) at al-Hudaibiyah, when he made a peace deal with Quraish, and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) wrote, `In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.` Suhail said: Do not write, In the Name of Allah, the ...

It was narrated from ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) that the Prophet (ﷺ) used to pray Witr when the adhan was given and he prayed two rak`ahs when the iqamah was given.

There is no doubt that it was ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) - said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) cursed the one who consumes riba, the one who pays it, the two who witness it, the one who writes it is down, the one who does tattoo the one for whom tattoos are done, the one who marries a woman and is divorces her so that she become permissible for her first husband, the one for whom that is done and the one who withholds zakah. And he forbade wailing.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “O ‘Ali, if you are appointed in charge after I am gone, then expel the people of Najran from the Arabian Peninsula.”

I was a man who emitted a great deal of madhi (prostatic fluid). I asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) (about that) and he said: “As for mani (semen), ghusl due for it; as for madhi (prostatic fluid), wudoo’ is due for it.”

It was narrated from ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) that The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) forbade raising the voice when reciting Qur`an before or after Isha` and causing others to make mistakes in recitation when praying.

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: `Ask Allah, may He be exalted, for guidance and proper aim. When asking for guidance, think of directions when travelling, and when asking for proper aim, think of aiming an arrow.”

I heard `Ali (رضي الله عنه) say: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: “There is no Prophet who came before me but he was given seven chiefs, advisors and nobles, but I have been given fourteen chiefs, advisers and nobles: seven from Quraish and seven from among the Muhajireen.”

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent me to Yemen and I said: O Messenger of Allah, are you sending me to people who are older than me to judge between them? He said: “Go, for Allah, may He be exalted, will make your tongue steadfast and guide your heart.”

The zakah camels passed by the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He lay his hand on a hair on the side of a camel and said: “I have no more right to this hair than any Muslim.”

“I adjure you by Allah, did any Muslim man hear the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say what he said on the day of Ghadeer Khumm? And twelve men who had been at Badr stood up and testified.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) cursed the one who pays riba, the one who consumes it, the one who writes it down, the two who witness it, the one who marries a woman and divorces her so that she becomes permissible for her first husband, and the one for whom that is done.

I was with my master `Ali bin Abi Talib (رضي الله عنه) when the people of an-Nahrawan were killed, and it was as if the people were upset about their being killed. `Ali (رضي الله عنه) said: O people, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) told us about people who would pass out of the faith like the arrow passes through the prey, then they will never come back to it until the arrow comes back to the string of the bow. And the sign of that is that there would be a black man among them who had a deformed arm: one of his arms would be like the breast of a woman, with a nipple like the nipple on a woman`s breast, around which are seven coarse hairs. Look for him, for I think he must be among them. So they looked for him and they found him on the bank of the river, lying beneath the slain. They brought him out and ’Ali (رضي الله عنه) said: Allahu Akbar! Allah and His Messenger spoke the truth. He was holding an Arabian bow of his; he took it in his hand and started poking the man`s deformity with it and said: Allah and His Messenger spoke the truth. The people said Allahu Akbar when they saw that and they rejoiced and no longer felt upset.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “The Hour will not begin until one of my Companions is sought as a lost thing is sought and cannot be found.`

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said on the day of Badr: “whoever you can capture of Banu `Abdul-Muttalib, capture him (and do not kill him), for they were forced to come out.”

“And instead (of thanking Allah) for the provision. He gives you, you deny (Him by disbelief)!` [Al-Waqi`ah 56:82]. He said: `Your shirk is when you say. ‘We were given rain by such-and-such a star.’”

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to pray Witr reciting nine surahs from Al-Mufassal. Aswad said: In the first rak’ah he would recite `The mutual rivalry (for piling up of worldly things) diverts you` [At-Takathur 102] and “verily, We have sent it (this Qur`an) down in the Night of Al-Qadr (Decree)` [al-Qadr 97], and `When the earth is shaken with its (final) earthquake` [az-Zalzalah 99]. In the second rak`ah he would recite `By Al-‘Asr (the time)” [Al-ʻAsr 103] and `When there comes the Help of Allah (to you, O Muhammad against your enemies) and the Conquest (of Makkah)` [An-Nasr 95] and “Verily. We have granted you (O Muhammad (ﷺ)) Al-Kawthar (a river in Paradise)` [Al-Kawthar 108]. In the third rak`ah he would recite “Say (O Muhammad to these Mushrikoon and Kafiroon): `O Al-Kafiroon (disbelievers in Allah, in His Oneness, in His Angels, in His Books, in His Messengers, in the Day of Resurrection, and in Al Qadar)!” [Al-Kafiroon 109] and “Perish the two hands of Abu Lahab (an uncle of the Prophet (ﷺ)) and perish he!` [Al-Masad 109] and `Say (O Muhammad (ﷺ)): “He is Allah, (the) One“ [Al-Ikhlas 112].

`Leave her until she gives birth, then flog her.”

Ibn Jurmooz asked for permission to enter upon ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه). He said: Who is this? They said: Jurmooz is asking for permission to enter upon you. He said: Let him in; let the killer of Az-Zubair enter the Fire, I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: “Every Prophet (ﷺ) has a disciple and my disciple is Az-Zubair.”

Ibn Jurmooz asked for permission to enter upon ‘Ali when I was with him, ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) said: Give the killer of Ibn Safiyyah the tidings of Hell. Then `Ali (رضي الله عنه) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: `Every Prophet (ﷺ) has a disciple and my disciple is Az-Zubair.` I heard Sufyan say: A disciple is a supporter.

It was narrated from `Ali (رضي الله عنه) that The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to pray at the time of the forenoon (duha).

I shall send you on the same mission as the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent me. Level every grave and destroy every idol.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had a large head, big eyes, long eyelashes, reddish eyes, a thick beard, and a pinkish colour. When he walked he would lean forward as if he was walking uphill, and when he turned he would turn with his whole body. And he had large hands and feet.

It was narrated from ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) that The Prophet (ﷺ) used to pray Witr with three raka’hs

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) recited Qur’an after minor impurity before touching water, And perhaps Isra`eel said: [It was narrated] from a man, from `Ali (رضي الله عنه), from the Prophet (ﷺ).

`Ali (رضي الله عنه) said: I set out and came to a garden and [the owner hired me to draw water]-a date for a bucket. I drew water until I filled my palm [with dates]. Then I went to the water and drank from it. Then I came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and gave him some of the dates to eat, and I ate some of them.

A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: I vowed to sacrifice my she-camel and to do such and such. He said: `As for your she camel, sacrifice it. But as for such and such, it is from the Shaitan.`

`Ali bin Abi Talib (رضي الله عنه) came out to us and they asked him about Witr. He said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) commanded us to pray witr at this time. O Ibn An-Nabbah, give the adhan - or, say the iqamah.

The Prophet (ﷺ) said to me. “When two disputants come to you, do not listen to the words of the first one until you have also listened to the words of the other, then you will know how to judge.` And ‘Ali (رضي الله عنها) said: Since then I have continued to be a good judge.

When the Prophet (ﷺ) wanted to travel he would say: `By Your help, O Allah, I move about and by Your help I travel and by Your help I walk.”

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was treated with cupping and he ordered me to pay the cupper his fee.

The Prophet (ﷺ) wanted me to bring him something on which to write, by means of which his ummah would not be misguided after he was gone. “Ali said: I was afraid that he would die (before I could bring it). I said: I can memorise and understand. He said: “I urge you to pray and pay zakah and to be kind to those whom your right hands possess.”

“Whoever tells a lie about seeing me in his dream will be ordered to tie a grain of barley on the Day of Resurrection.”

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “After I am gone there will be a dispute or something; if you can adopt a peaceful stance, then do so.”

Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, called war deceit on the lips of His Prophet. Zahmawaih said in his hadeeth: on the lips of your Prophet (ﷺ).

I was told by someone who heard `Ali say: War is deceit, on the lips of your Prophet (ﷺ) .

It was narrated from `Ali (رضي الله عنه) that The Prophet (ﷺ) was given a suit of pure silk. He sent it to me and I went to him in the evening wearing it. I recognised anger on the face of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).So I shared it among my womenfolk.

`Whoever tells a lie about seeing me in his dream will be ordered on the Day of resurrection to tie a grain of barley.” Abu Ahmad said: I think it is from the Prophet (ﷺ).

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to continue his fast until before dawn

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) taught me to say, if calamity befell me: “There is no god but Allah, the Forbearing the Most Generous; glory be to Allah, blessed be Allah, the Lord of the mighty Throne; praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.”

Have you come to visit him (because he is sick), O Abu Moosa, or is it just a (social) visit? He said: No. O Ameer al-Mu`mineen; rather I have come to visit him (because he is sick), ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: `No Muslim visits his fellow Muslim when he is sick but seventy thousand angels send blessings upon him from morning until evening, and Allah grants him a stream in Paradise.` [The narrator] said: O Ameer al-Mu`mineen, what is a stream? He said: The channel that waters palm trees.

`Ali (رضي الله عنه) came to some of the people of Basrah who were Khawarij, among whom was a man called Al-Ja’d bin Ba’jah. He said to him: Fear Allah, O ‘Ali, for you are going to die `Ali (رضي الله عنه) said: Rather I am going to be killed by a blow on this that will soak this - meaning his beard [would be soaked by blood from his head), a certain covenant and divine decree, And surely, he who invents a lie (against Allah) will fail miserably (cf 20:61). Then (the man) criticised `Ali for the way he was dressed. He said: What does the way I am dressed have to do with you? It is furthest removed from arrogance and it is more appropriate for the Muslim to follow my example.

I said: Ameer al-Mu`mineen will certainly come and I shall certainly ask him about what i heard tonight. After `Isha` I came to him and entered upon him, and he narrated the hadeeth. Then he said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: “Jibreel (عليه السلام) came to me and said: `O Muhammad, your ummah will differ after you are gone.` I said to him: ‘What is the solution, O Jibreel?` He said: The Book of Allah, may He be exalted, by means of which Allah will destroy every tyrant. Whoever clings to it will be saved and whoever abandons it will be doomed.` He said it twice. ‘Verily, this (the Qur`an) is the Word that separates (the truth from falsehood, and commands strict laws for mankind to cut the roots of evil). And it is not a thing for amusement` [At-Tariq 86:13-14). It does not wear out from being repeated and its wonders never end; in it is news of what came before you, judgement of what happens among you, and foretelling of what will happen after you are gone.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) entered upon me and Fatimah (رضي الله عنها) one night and woke us up for prayer, then he went back to his house and prayed for a while at night. He did not hear any sound from us, so he came back to us and woke us up, saying: `Get up and pray,` I sat up, rubbing my eyes, and said: By Allah, we will not offer any prayers but what is decreed for us. Our souls are in the hand of Allah: If He wills, He will wake us up, The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) turned away saying, as he struck his hand against his thigh, “We will not offer any prayers but what is decreed for us, we will not offer any prayers but what is decreed for us. `But, man is ever more quarrelsome than anything` [Al-Kahf 18:54].”

When the Khawarij rebelled and fought in An-Nahrawan, ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) stood before his companions and said: These people have shed blood that it is forbidden to shed and have raided the flocks of the people. They are the closest of the enemy to you, but if you go to your enemy, I am afraid that these people may attack what you leave behind. I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: `Some rebels will emerge from my ummah, your prayer will be as nothing compared to their prayer, and your fasting will be as nothing compared to their fasting, and your recitation will be as nothing compared to their recitation. They will recite the Qur`an, thinking that it is in their favour, but it will be against them; it will go no further than their throats. They will pass out of Islam as the arrow passes out of the prey. The sign of that is that among them will be a man who has an upper arm but no forearm, and on it will be something like the nipple of a breast, on which will be some white hairs.` If the army that fights them knew what reward they will have, as spoken on the lips of their Prophet (ﷺ), they would cease striving and rely on that. March forth in the Name of Allah. And he narrated the hadeeth at length.

We were with ‘Uthman bin `Affan (رضي الله عنه) in al-Juhfah, and with him were a group of people from Syria, among whom was Habeeb bin Maslamah Al-Fihri. `Uthman said, when joining `Umrah to Hajj (tamattu`) was mentioned to him: It is more perfect for Hajj and umrah that they should not be done together in the months of Hajj. If you delay this ‘Umrah so that you visit this House twice, that will be better, for Allah, may He be exalted, has bestowed a great deal of good. `Ali bin Abi Talib (رضي الله عنه) was at the bottom of the valley, seeding a camel of his. He heard about what `Uthman had said, and he came and stood over `Uthman (رضي الله عنه) and said: Do you want a Sunnah that was established by the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and a concession that Allah, may He be exalted, granted to people in His Book to be restricted for them and to forbid it to them? It is for the one who needs it and for the one whose home is remote. Then he entered ihram for Hajj and `Umrah together. ‘Uthman (رضي الله عنه) turned to the people and said: Did I forbid it? I did not forbid it; rather it was only an opinion that I suggested. Whoever wants to follow it may do so and whoever wants to ignore it may do so.

It is as if I can see `Ali bin Abi Talib (رضي الله عنه), riding the white mule of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), when he stood at the mountain pass of the Ansar during the Farewell Pilgrimage and said: O people, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) says: `These are not the days of fasting, rather they are days of eating, drinking and remembering Allah.”

Sa`d bin al-Hadi said: I heard `Ali (رضي الله عنه) say: I never heard the Prophet (ﷺ) mention his father and mother together (in the phrase `may my father and mother be sacrificed for you`) for anyone except Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas. I heard him say on the day of Uhud: `Shoot, O Sa`d, may my father and mother be sacrificed for you!`

I heard `Ali bin Abi Talib (رضي الله عنه) say: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) forbade me, but I do not say that he forbade you, to wear gold rings, to wear garments made of a blend of linen and silk or garments dyed with safflower, and to recite Qur`an whilst bowing. He gave me a suit of pure silk and I went out wearing it, and he said: `O ‘Ali, I did not give it to you to wear it.” So I went back to Fatimah (رضي الله عنها) and gave it to her to hold an edge of it, so she took hold of it to fold it with me, but I tore it in two. She said: May your hands be rubbed with dust, O son of Abu Talib! What have you done? I said to her. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) forbade me to wear it. Wear it and give it to your womenfolk.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: `I have relieved you of zakah on horses and slaves, so give zakah on silver: for every forty dirhams, one dirham. There is no zakah on one hundred and ninety, but if it reaches two hundred, then five dirhams are due (in zakah).`

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to me: “Shall I not teach you some words that if you say them, you will be forgiven, even though you are already forgiven. There is no god but Allah, the Forbearing, the Most Generous; there is no god but Allah, the Most High, the Almighty, Glory be to Allah, Lord of the seven heavens and Lord of the mighty Throne, praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds.”

When Ibn Muljim struck `Ali (رضي الله عنه), ‘Ali said: Do with him what the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) wanted to be done with a man who wanted to kill him. He said: `Kill him, then burn him.`

Abu Mas’ood ‘Uqbah bin `Amr al-Ansari entered upon `Ali bin Abi Talib (رضي الله عنه) and `Ali said to him: Are you the one who says that in one hundred years time there will be on earth no eye that blinks? Rather the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “In one hundred years time there will be no eye that blinks left on earth of those who are alive today` By Allah there is a great hope for this ummah after one hundred years.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) gave Fatimah (رضي الله عنها) a trousseau of a velvet garment, a waterskin and a leather pillow stuffed with idhkhir. Abu Sa’eed said: Palm fibres.

It was narrated from Salimah and Mujalid, from ash-Sha`bi, that they heard him narrate that ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) said concerning a woman from Koofah who he had flogged on Thursday and stoned on Friday. I flogged her in accordance with the Book of Allah and stoned her in accordance with the Sunnah of the Prophet of Allah (ﷺ).

It was narrated from ‘Ali bin Abi Talib (رضي الله عنه) that when the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood up to offer the prescribed prayer, he would say Allahu Akbar and raise his hands to shoulder height; he did the same when he finished reciting and wanted to bow, and he did it when he raised his head from bowing. He did not raise his hands when sitting in any part of his prayer, but when he stood up following the two prostrations, he raised his hands in the same manner and said Allahu Akbar.

Abu Mas`ood ‘Uqbah bin `Amr al-Ansari entered upon `Ali bin Abi Talib (رضي الله عنه) and ‘Ali said to him: Are you the one who says that in one hundred years time there will be no soul left on earth? Rather the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: `In one hundred years time, there will be no soul left on earth of those who are alive today,” By Allah, there is great hope for this ummah after one hundred years.

On Friday, the devils emerge to try to push the people to the markets, and they have banners with them. The angels sit at the doors of the mosques, writing down people`s names according to their status: the one who comes early, the one who prays, and the one who comes after him, until the imam comes out. Whoever is close to the imam and is silent or listens, and does not engage in idle talk, will have a twofold reward. The one who is further away from the imam but is silent or listens, and does not engage in idle talk will have one reward. The one who is close to the imam but engages in idle talk and does not keep silent or listen will have a twofold burden of sin. The one who is further away from the imam and engages in idle talk and does not keep silent and listen will have one burden of sin. And the one who says, Be quiet, has spoken, and the one who speaks has no Jumu’ah. Then he said: This is what I heard from your Prophet (ﷺ) say.

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: `The Hour will not begin until one of my Companions will be sought as a lost item is sought, but he will not be found.`

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) cursed the one who pays riba, the one who consumes it, the two who witness it, the one who marries a woman and divorces her so that she becomes permissible for her first husband, and the one for whom that is done.

I heard Hubairah say: I heard ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) say: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) forbade - or the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) forbade me - to wear gold rings or garments made of a blend of linen and silk, and to use red saddle cloths.

`Blood money will be paid for the mukatab (a slave with a contract of manumission) commensurate with as much as he had paid off.`