the mother of the faithful believers: The Prophet was asked by his wives about the Jihad and he replied, "The best Jihad (for you) is (the performance of) Hajj."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafic from Abdullah ibn Umar that a man cursed his wife in the time of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and disowned her child. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, separated them and gave the child to the woman.

Malik said, "Allah the Blessed, the Exalted, said, 'The testimony of men who accuse their wives but do not have any witnesses except themselves is to testify by Allah four times that he is being truthful, and a fifth time, that the curse of Allah will be upon him, if he should be a liar. She will avoid punishment if she testifies by Allah four times that he is a liar, and a fifth time, that the wrath of Allah shall be upon her, if he should be telling the truth. ' "(Sura 24 ayat 6).

Malik said, "The sunna with us is that those who curse each other are never to be remarried. If the man calls himself a liar, (i.e. takes back his accusation), he is flogged with the hadd-punishment, and the child is given to him, and his wife can never return to him. There is no doubt or dispute about this sunna among us. "

Malik said, "If a man separates from his wife by an irrevocable divorce by which he cannot return to her, and then he denies the paternity of the child she is carrying, whilst she claims that he is the father, and it is possible by the timing, that he be so, he must curse her, and the child is not recognised as his."

Malik said, "That is what is done among us, and it is what I have heard from the people of knowledge."

Malik said that a man who accused his wife after he had divorced her trebly while she was pregnant, and he had at first accepted being the father but then claimed that he had seen her committing adultery before he separated from her, was flogged with the hadd-punishment, and did not curse her.

If he denied the paternity of her child after he had divorced her trebly, and he had not previously accepted it, then he cursed her.

Malik said, "This is what I have heard."

Malik said, "The slave is in the same position as the free man as regards making accusations and invoking mutual curses (lian). He acts in the lian as the free man acts although there is no hadd applied for slandering a female-slave."

Malik said, "The muslim slave-girl and the christian and jewish free woman also do lian when a free muslim marries one of them and has intercourse with her. That is because Allah - may He be blessed and Exalted, said in His Book, 'As for those who accuse their wives,' and they are their wives. This is what is done among us.

Malik said that a man who did the lian with his wife, and then stopped and called himself a liar after one or two oaths and he had not cursed himself in the fifth one, had to be flogged with the hadd-punishment, but they did not have to be separated.

Malik said that if a man divorced his wife and then after three months the woman said, "I am pregnant," and he denied paternity, then he had to do lian.

Malik said that the husband of a female slave who pronounced the lian on her and then bought her, was not to have intercourse with her, even if he owned her. The sunna which had been handed down about a couple who mutually cursed each other in the lian was that they were never to return to each other.

Malik said that when a man pronounced the lian against his wife before he had consummated the marriage, she only had half of the bride price.

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) kissed (his wives) during Ramadan while observing fast.

(the wife of the Prophet) Allah's Apostle said, "He who drinks in silver utensils is only filling his `Abdomen with Hell Fire."

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that Abdullah ibn Masud used to say, "Wudu is necessary if a man kisses his wife."

One of the mothers of the faithful believers (i.e. the wives of the Prophet ) did I`tikaf while she was having bleeding in between her periods.

Jabir b. 'Abdullah reported that Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) stoned (to death) a person from Banu Aslam, and a Jew and his wife.

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."

Malik said, "I have heard people of knowledge saying that the kaffara specified by the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, for a man who has intercourse with his wife during the day in Ramadan is not due from someone who, on a day when he is making up the fast of Ramadan, breaks his fast by having intercourse with his wife, or whatever. He only has to make up for that day."

Malik said, "This is what I like most out of what I have heard about the matter."

Allah's Apostle said, "The first group (of people) who will enter Paradise will be (glittering) like the moon when it is full. They will not spit or blow their noses or relieve nature. Their utensils will be of gold and their combs of gold and silver; in their centers the aloe wood will be used, and their sweat will smell like musk. Everyone of them will have two wives; the marrow of the bones of the wives' legs will be seen through the flesh out of excessive beauty. They ( i.e. the people of Paradise) will neither have differences nor hatred amongst themselves; their hearts will be as if one heart and they will be glorifying Allah in the morning and in the evening."

The Prophet gave a banquet with two Mudds of barley on marrying some of his wives. (1 Mudd= 1 3/4 of a kilogram) .

The Prophet said, "If the wife gives of her husband's property (something in charity) without his permission, he will get half the reward."

(the wife of the Prophet) One of our sheep died and we tanned its skin and kept on infusing dates in it till it was a worn out water skin.

When ever Allah's Apostle wanted to fondle any of his wives during the periods (menses), he used to ask her to wear an Izar.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Sufyan with the same chain of transmitters, but he made no mention of the act of 'A'isha (being admitted as a wife in the house of the Holy Prophet).

`Abdur-Rahman bin `Auf came (from Mecca to Medina) and the Prophet made a bond of brotherhood between him and Sa`d bin Ar-Rabi` Al-Ansari. Al-Ansari had two wives, so he suggested that `Abdur- Rahman take half, his wives and property. `Abdur-Rahman replied, "May Allah bless you with your wives and property. Kindly show me the market." So `Abdur-Rahman went to the market and gained (in bargains) some dried yoghurt and some butter. After a few days the Prophet saw `Abdur-Rahman with some yellow stains on his clothes and asked him, "What is that, O `Abdur-Rahman?" He replied, "I had married an Ansari woman." The Prophet asked, "How much Mahr did you give her?" He replied, "The weight of one (date) stone of gold." The Prophet said, "Offer a banquet, even with one sheep."

Zainab bint Umm Salama (the wife of the Holy Prophet) reported that Umm Salama and the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) took a bath from the same vessel.

The Prophet (saws) said: When a man has two wives and he is inclined to one of them, he will come on the Day of resurrection with a side hanging down.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab that A'isha and Hafsa, the wives of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, also said that.

The Prophet said, "If a man Invites his wife to sleep with him and she refuses to come to him, then the angels send their curses on her till morning."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar used to say that men and their wives used to do wudu together in the time of the Messenger of Allah.

Safiyya bint Abu 'Ubaid narrated this tradition of Allah's Prophet (may peace be upon him) on the authority of some wives of Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him)

The Prophet of Allah (saws) disliked ten things: Yellow colouring, meaning khaluq, dyeing grey hair, trailing the lower garment, wearing a gold signet-ring, a woman decking herself before people who are not within the prohibited degrees, throwing dice, using spells except with the Mu'awwidhatan, wearing amulets, withdrawing the penis before the semen is discharged, in the case of a woman who is wife or not a wife, and having intercourse with a woman who is suckling a child; but he did not declare them to be prohibited.

Abu Dawud said: Only the transmitters of Basrah have transmitted this tradition.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa from his father from Zaynab bint Abi Salama that Umm Salama, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Umm Salama, the wife of Abu Talha al-Ansari, came to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and said, 'Messenger of Allah! Allah is not ashamed of the truth-does a woman have to do ghusl if she has had an erotic dream?' He said, 'Yes, if she sees any liquid.' "

That he had married Um Yahya bint Abu Ihab. He said. "A black slave-lady came and said, 'I suckled you both.' I then mentioned that to the Prophet who turned his face aside." `Uqba further said, "I went to the other side and told the Prophet about it. He said, 'How can you (keep her as your wife) when the lady has said that she suckled both of you (i.e. you and your wife?)" So, the Prophet ordered him to divorce her.

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that Abd ar- Rahman ibn Awf divorced his wife, and gave her compensation in the form of a slave-girl.

The Prophet said, "None of you should flog his wife as he flogs a slave and then have sexual intercourse with her in the last part of the day."

Allah's Apostle separated (divorced) the wife from her husband who accused her for an illegal sexual intercourse, and made them take the oath of Lian .

I witnessed a husband and a wife who were involved in a case of Lian. Then (the judgment of) divorce was passed. I was fifteen years of age, at that time.

The Prophet and one of his wives used to take a bath from a single pot of water. (Shu`ba added to Anas' Statement "After the Janaba").

(the wife of the Prophet) Allah's Apostle used to get up at night and pray while I used to lie across between him and the Qibla on his family's bed.