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, ''When you are making dua do not say; 'O Allah, forgive me if You wish. O Allah, forgive me if you wish.' You should be firm in your asking, for there is no compelling Him."

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that Umm Salama, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to a woman in mourning for her husband whose eyes were troubling her and the pain had become very strong, "Apply jala kohl at night and wipe it off in the day."

‘Ubaid Allah said “Marwan sent someone (Qabisah) to Fatimah and asked her (about the case). She said that she was the wife of Abu Hafs. The Prophet (saws) appointed ‘Ali as governor in a certain part of Yemen. Her husband also proceeded with him. From there he sent a message to her pronouncing one divorce that had yet remained. He commanded ‘Ayyash bin Abi Rabi’ah and Al Harith bin Hisham to provide maintenance to her. They said “By Allah there is no sustenance for her except in case she is pregnant.” She came to the Prophet(saws) who said “There is no sustenance for you except in case you are pregnant. She then asked permission to shift (from her house) and he gave her permission.” She asked “Where should I shift. Apostle of Allaah(saws)? The Apostle of Allaah(saws) said to Ibn Umm Maktum . He was blind. She would undress herself and he could not see her. She lived there till her waiting period passed. The Prophet (saws) married her to Usamah. Qabisah then returned to Marwan and narrated that to him. Marwan said “We did not hear this tradition except from a woman, so we shall follow the reliable practice on which we found the people”. When this reached Fatimah she said “between me and you is the Book of Allah”. Allaah the exalted said “Divorce them for their waiting period...” Thou knowest not it may be that Allaah will afterward bring some new thing to pass. She said “What a new thing will emerge after triple divorce.”

Abu Dawud said “A similar tradition has been narrated by Yunus on the authority of Al Zuhri. As for Al Zubaidi he narrated both traditions, the tradition of ‘Ubaid Allah in the version of Ma’mar and the tradition of Abu Salamah in the version of ‘Aqil.”

Abu Dawud said “Muhammad bin Ishaq narrated on the authority of Al Zuhri that Qabisah bin Dhuwaib transmitted to him the version which was narrated by ‘Ubaid Allah bin ‘Abd Allaah which has Qabisah then returned to Marwan and informed him about that.”

I heard Anas saying, "A man from Ansar said to the Prophet, 'I cannot pray with you (in congregation).' He was a very fat man and he prepared a meal for the Prophet and invited him to his house. He spread out a mat for the Prophet, and washed one of its sides with water, and the Prophet prayed two rak`at on it." A man from the family of Al-Jaruid [??] asked, "Did the Prophet used to pray the Duha (forenoon) prayer?" Anas said, "I did not see him praying the Duha prayer except on that day."

'Alaqama went to Sham and came to the mosque and offered a two-rak`at prayer, and invoked Allah: "O Allah! Bless me with a (pious) good companion." So he sat beside Abu Ad-Darda' who asked, "From where are you?" He said, "From the people of Kufa." Abu Darda' said, "Wasn't there among you the person who keeps the secrets (of the Prophet ) which nobody knew except him (i.e., Hudhaifa (bin Al-Yaman)). And isn't there among you the person whom Allah gave refuge from Satan through the request (tongue) of Allah's Apostle? (i.e., `Ammar). Isn't there among you the one who used to carry the Siwak and the cushion (or pillows (of the Prophets)? (i.e., Ibn Mas`ud). How did Ibn Mas`ud use to recite 'By the night as it conceals (the light)?" (Sura 92). 'Alqama said, "Wadhdhakari Wal Untha' (And by male and female.") Abu Ad-Darda added. 'These people continued to argue with me regarding it till they were about to cause me to have doubts although I heard it from Allah's Apostle."

We said to Khabbab "Did Allah's Apostle used to recite in Zuhr and `Asr prayers?" He replied in the affirmative. We said, "How did you come to know about it?" He said, "By the movement of his beard."

When `Abdullah bin `Umar set out for Mecca with the intentions performing `Umra in the period of afflictions, he said, "If I should be prevented from reaching the Ka`ba, then I would do the same as we did while in the company of Allah's Apostle ." So, he assumed the Ihram for `Umra since the Prophet had assumed the Ihram for `Umra in the year of Al-Hudaibiya. Then `Abdullah bin `Umar thought about it and said, "The conditions for both Hajj and `Umra are similar." He then turned towards his companions and said, "The conditions of both Hajj and `Umra are similar and I make you witnesses that I have made the performance of Hajj obligatory for myself along with `Umra." He then performed one Tawaf (between As-Safa and Al-Marwa) for both of them (i.e. Hajj and (`Umra) and considered that to be sufficient for him and offered a Hadi.

Ibn Umar used to dye his beard with yellow colour so much so that his clothes were filled (dyed) with yellowness. He was asked: Why do you dye with yellow colour? He replied: I saw the Messenger of Allah (saws) dyeing with yellow colour, and nothing was dearer to him than it. He would dye all his clothes with it, even his turban.

Allah's Apostle took an oath that he would not go to his wives for one month as his foot had been sprained. He stayed in an upper room when `Umar went to him and said, "Have you divorced your wives?" He said, "No, but I have taken an oath that I would not go to them for one month." The Prophet stayed there for twenty-nine days, and then came down and went to his wives.

Allah's Apostle said, "While I was sleeping, I was given a bowl full of milk (in the dream) and I drank from it (to my fill) till I noticed its wetness coming out of my limbs. Then I gave the rest of it to `Umar bin Al-Khattab." The persons sitting around him, asked, "What have you interpreted (about the dream) O Allah's Apostle?" He said, "(It is religious) knowledge."

The Prophet (saws) said: It will turn out that you will be armed troops, one is Syria, one in the Yemen and one in Iraq. Ibn Hawalah said: Choose for me, Messenger of Allah, if I reach that time. He replied: Go to Syria, for it is Allah's chosen land, to which his best servants will be gathered, but if you are unwilling, go to your Yemen, and draw water from your tanks, for Allah has on my account taken special charge of Syria and its people.

Allah's Apostle entered upon Dubaa bint Az-Zubair and said to her, "Do you have a desire to perform the Hajj?" She replied, "By Allah, I feel sick." He said to her, "Intend to perform Hajj and stipulate something by saying, 'O Allah, I will finish my Ihram at any place where You stop me (i.e. I am unable to go further)." She was the wife of Al-Miqdad bin Al-Aswad.

I asked Al-Aswad, "Did you ask `Aisha, Mother of the Believers, about the containers in which it is disliked to prepare (non-alcoholic) drinks?" He said, "Yes, I said to her, 'O Mother of the Believers! What containers did the Prophet forbid to use for preparing (non-alcoholic) drinks?" She said, 'The Prophet forbade us, (his family), to prepare (nonalcoholic) drinks in Ad-Dubba and Al-Muzaffat.' I asked, 'Didn't you mention Al Jar and Al Hantam?' She said, 'I tell what I have heard; shall I tell you what I have not heard?' "

We came to the Prophet and we were young men nearly of equal ages and we stayed with him for twenty nights. Allah's Apostle was a very kind man and when he realized our longing for our families, he asked us about those whom we had left behind. When we informed him, he said, "Go back to your families and stay with them and teach them (religion) and order them (to do good deeds). The Prophet mentioned things some of which I remembered and some I did not. Then he said, "Pray as you have seen me praying, and when it is the time of prayer, one of you should pronounce the call (Adhan) for the prayer and the eldest of you should lead the prayer. "

I was with the Prophet at one of the farms of Medina while he was leaning on a date palm leaf-stalk. He passed by a group of Jews and some of them said to the other, Ask him (the Prophet) about the spirit. Some others said, "Do not ask him, lest he should tell you what you dislike" But they went up to him and said, "O Abal Qasim! Inform us bout the spirit." The Prophet stood up for a while, waiting. I realized that he was being Divinely Inspired, so I kept away from him till the inspiration was over. Then the Prophet said, "(O Muhammad) they ask you regarding the spirit, Say: The spirit its knowledge is with my Lord (i.e., nobody has its knowledge except Allah)" (17.85) (This is a miracle of the Qur'an that all the scientists up till now do not know about the spirit, i.e, how life comes to a body and how it goes away at its death) (See Hadith No. 245, Vol. 6)

The Prophet said, "You will follow the ways of those nations who were before you, span by span and cubit by cubit (i.e., inch by inch) so much so that even if they entered a hole of a mastigure, you would follow them." We said, "O Allah's Apostle! (Do you mean) the Jews and the Christians?" He said, "Whom else?"

A Jew and Jewess were brought to the Prophet on a charge of committing an illegal sexual intercourse. The Prophet asked the Jews, "What do you (usually) do with them?" They said, "We blacken their faces and disgrace them." He said, "Bring here the Torah and recite it, if you are truthful." They (fetched it and) came and asked a one-eyed man to recite. He went on reciting till he reached a portion on which he put his hand. The Prophet said, "Lift up your hand!" He lifted his hand up and behold, there appeared the verse of Ar-Rajm (stoning of the adulterers to death). Then he said, "O Muhammad! They should be stoned to death but we conceal this Divine Law among ourselves." Then the Prophet ordered that the two sinners be stoned to death and, and they were stoned to death, and I saw the man protecting the woman from the stones. (See Hadith No. 809, Vol. 8)

I saw that whenever Allah's Apostle stood for the prayer, he used to raise both his hands up to the shoulders, and used to do the same on saying the Takbir for bowing and on raising his head from it and used to say, "Sami`a l-lahu liman hamidah". But he did not do that (i.e. raising his hands) in prostrations.

Abu Jahl said, "O Allah! If this (Qur'an) is indeed the Truth from You), then rain down on us a shower of stones from the sky or bring on us a painful punishment." So there was revealed:-- 'But Allah would not punish them while you (Muhammad) were amongst them, nor will He punish them while they seek (Allah's) Forgiveness. And why Allah should not punish them while they stop (men) from Al-Masjid-al-Haram ..' (8.33-34)

Yazid al-Farisi said: I heard Ibn Abbas say: I asked Uthman ibn Affan: What moved you to put the (Surah) al-Bara'ah which belongs to the mi'in (surahs) (containing one hundred verses) and the (Surah) al-Anfal which belongs to the mathani (Surahs) in the category of as-sab'u at-tiwal (the first long surah or chapters of the Qur'an), and you did not write "In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful" between them?

Uthman replied: When the verses of the Qur'an were revealed to the Prophet (saws), he called someone to write them down for him and said to him: Put this verse in the surah in which such and such has been mentioned; and when one or two verses were revealed, he used to say similarly (regarding them). (Surah) al-Anfal is the first surah that was revealed at Medina, and (Surah) al-Bara'ah was revealed last in the Qur'an, and its contents were similar to those of al-Anfal. I, therefore, thought that it was a part of al-Anfal. Hence I put them in the category of as-sab'u at-tiwal (the seven lengthy surahs), and I did not write "In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful" between them.

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, said from the mimbar when mentioning sadaqa and refraining from asking, "The upper hand is better than the lower hand. The upper hand is the one which expends, and the lower one is the one which asks."

Hafsa said, "O Allah's Apostle! What is wrong with the people; they finished their Ihram after performing `Umra, but you have not finished it after your `Umra?" He replied, "I matted my hair and have garlanded my Hadi. So, I cannot finish my Ihram till I slaughter (my Hadi). "

Allah's Apostle said, "Allah guarantees him who strives in His Cause and whose motivation for going out is nothing but Jihad in His Cause and belief in His Word, that He will admit him into Paradise (if martyred) or bring him back to his dwelling place, whence he has come out, with what he gains of reward and booty."

The Prophet said to me, "Whenever you go to bed perform ablution like that for the prayer, lie or your right side and say, "Allahumma aslamtu wajhi ilaika, wa fauwadtu `Amri ilaika, wa alja'tu Zahri ilaika raghbatan wa rahbatan ilaika. La Malja'a wa la manja minka illa ilaika. Allahumma amantu bikitabika-l-ladhi anzalta wa bina-biyika-l ladhi arsalta" (O Allah! I surrender to You and entrust all my affairs to You and depend upon You for Your Blessings both with hope and fear of You. There is no fleeing from You, and there is no place of protection and safety except with You O Allah! I believe in Your Book (the Qur'an) which You have revealed and in Your Prophet (Muhammad) whom You have sent). Then if you die on that very night, you will die with faith (i.e. or the religion of Islam). Let the aforesaid words be your last utterance (before sleep)." I repeated it before the Prophet and when I reached "Allahumma amantu bikitabika-l-ladhi anzalta (O Allah I believe in Your Book which You have revealed)." I said, "Wa-rasulika (and your Apostle)." The Prophet said, "No, (but say): 'Wanabiyika-l-ladhi arsalta (Your Prophet whom You have sent), instead."

While Allah's Apostle was in I`tikaf, I called on him at night and having had a talk with him, I got up to depart. He got up also to accompany me to my dwelling place, which was then in the house of Usama bin Zaid. Two Ansari men passed by, and when they saw the Prophet they hastened away. The Prophet said (to them). "Don't hurry! It is Safiya, the daughter of Huyay (i.e. my wife)." They said, "Glorified be Allah! O Allah's Apostle! (How dare we suspect you?)" He said, "Satan circulates in the human mind as blood circulates in it, and I was afraid that Satan might throw an evil thought (or something) into your hearts."

My companions, who came with me in the boat and I landed at a place called Baqi [??] Buthan [??] . The Prophet was in Medina at that time. One of us used to go to the Prophet by turns every night at the time of the `Isha prayer. Once I along with my companions went to the Prophet and he was busy in some of his affairs, so the `Isha' prayer was delayed to the middle of the night He then came out and led the people (in prayer). After finishing from the prayer, he addressed the people present there saying, "Be patient! Don't go away. Have the glad tiding. It is from the blessing of Allah upon you that none amongst mankind has prayed at this time save you." Or said, "None except you has prayed at this time." Abu Musa added, 'So we returned happily after what we heard from Allah's Apostle ."

Malik said, The best of what I have heard about a mukatab whose master frees him at death, is that the mukatab is valued according to what he would fetch if he were sold. If that value is less than what remains against him of his kitaba, his freedom is taken from the third that the deceased can bequeath. One does not look at the number of dirhams which remain against him in his kitaba. That is because had he been killed, his killer would not be in debt for other than his value on the day he killed him. Had he been injured, the one who injured him would not be liable for other than the blood-money of the injury on the day of his injury. One does not look at how much he has paid of dinars and dirhams of the contract he has written because he is a slave as long as any of his kitaba remains. If what remains in his kitaba is less than his value, only whatever of his kitaba remains owing from him is taken into account in the third of the property of the deceased. That is because the deceased left him what remains of his kitaba and so it becomes a bequest which the deceased made."

Malik said, "The illustration of that is that if the price of the mukatab is one thousand dirhams, and only one hundred dirhams remain of his kitaba, his master leaves him the one hundred dirhams which complete it for him. It is taken into account in the third of his master and by it he becomes free."

Malik said that if a man wrote his slave a kitaba at his death, the value of the slave was estimated. If there was enough to cover the price of the slave in one third of his property, that was permitted for him.

Malik said, "The illustration of that is that the price of the slave is one thousand dinars. His master writes him a kitaba for two hundred dinars at his death. The third of the property of his master is one thousand dinars, so that is permitted for him. It is only a bequest which he makes from one third of his property. If the master has left bequests to people, and there is no surplus in the third after the value of the mukatab, one begins with the mukatab because the kitaba is setting free, and setting free has priority over bequests. When those bequests are paid from the kitaba of the mukatab, they follow it. The heirs of the testator have a choice. If they want to give the people with bequests all their bequests and the kitaba of the mukatab is theirs, they have that. If they refuse and hand over the mukatab and what he owes to the people with bequests they can do that, because the third commences with the mukatab and because all the bequests which he makes are as one."

If the heirs then say, "What our fellow bequeathed was more than one third of his property and he has taken what was not his," Malik said, "His heirs choose. It is said to them, 'Your companion has made the bequests you know about and if you would like to give them to those who are to receive them according to the deceased's bequests, then do so. If not, hand over to the people with bequests one third of the total property of the deceased.' "

Malik continued, "If the heirs surrender the mukatab to the people with bequests, the people with bequests have what he owes of his kitaba. If the mukatab pays what he owes of his kitaba, they take that in their bequests according to their shares. If the mukatab cannot pay, he is a slave of the people with bequests and does not return to the heirs because they gave him up when they made their choice, and because when he was surrendered to the people with bequests, they were liable. If he died, they would not have anything against the heirs. If the mukatab dies before he pays his kitaba and he leaves property which is more than what he owes, his property goes to the people with bequests. If the mukatab pays what he owes, he is free and his wala' returns to the paternal relations of the one who wrote the kitaba for him."

Malik spoke about a mukatab who owed his master ten thousand dirhams in his kitaba, and when he died he remitted one thousand dirhams from it. He said, "The mukatab is valued and his value is taken into consideration. If his value is one thousand dirhams and the reduction is a tenth of the kitaba, that portion of the slave's price is one hundred dirhams. It is a tenth of the price. A tenth of the kitaba is therefore reduced for him. That is converted to a tenth of the price in cash. That is as if he had had all of what he owed reduced for him. Had he done that, only the value of the slave - one thousand dirhams - would have been taken into account in the third of the property of the deceased. If that which he had remitted is half of the kitaba, half the price is taken into account in the third of the property of the deceased. If it is more or less than that, it is according to this reckoning."

Malik said, "When a man reduces the kitaba of his mukatab by one thousand dirhams at his death from a kitaba of ten thousand dirhams, and he does not stipulate whether it is from the beginning or the end of his kitaba, each instalment is reduced for him by one tenth."

Malik said, "If a man remits one thousand dirhams from his mukatab at his death from the beginning or end of his kitaba, and the original basis of the kitaba is three thousand dirhams, the mukatab's cash value is estimated. Then that value is divided. That thousand which is from the beginning of the kitaba is converted into its portion of the price according to its proximity to the term and its precedence and then the thousand which follows the first thousand is according to its precedence also until it comes to its end, and every thousand is paid according to its place in advancing and deferring the term because what is deferred of that is less in respect of its price. Then it is placed in the third of the deceased according to whatever of the price befalls that thousand according to the difference in preference of that, whether it is more or less, then it is according to this reckoning."

Malik spoke about a man who willed a man a fourth of a mukatab or freed a fourth, and then the man died and the mukatab died and left a lot of property, more than he owed. He said, "The heirs of the first master and the one who was willed a fourth of the mukatab are given what they are still owed by the mukatab. Then they divide what is left over, and the one willed a fourth has a third of what is left after the kitaba is paid. The heirs of his master gets two-thirds. That is because the mukatab is a slave as long as any of his kitaba remains to be paid. He is inherited from by the possession of his person."

Malik said about a mukatab whose master freed him at death, "If the third of the deceased will not cover him, he is freed from it according to what the third will cover and his kitaba is decreased according to that. If the mukatab owed five thousand dirhams and his value is two thousand dirhams cash, and the third of the deceased is one thousand dirhams, half of him is freed and half of the kitaba has been reduced for him." Malik said about a man who said in his will, "My slave so-and-so is free and write a kitaba for so-and- so", that the setting free had priority over the kitaba.

Ibn `Umar assumed Ihram and said, "If something should intervene between me and the Ka`ba, then I will do what the Prophet did when the Quraish infidels intervened between him and (the Ka`ba). Then Ibn `Umar recited: "You have indeed in Allah's Apostle A good example to follow." (33.21)

I liked to enter the House (the Ka'bah) and pray therein. The Messenger of Allah (saws) caught me by hand and admitted me to al-Hijr. He then said: Pray in al-Hijr when you intend to enter the House (the Ka'bah), for it is a part of the House (the Ka'bah). Your people shortened it when they built the Ka'bah, and they took it out of the House.