I will narrate to you a Habith I heard from Allah's Apostle and none other than I will tell you of it. I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "From among the portents of the Hour are the following: Religious knowledge will be taken away; General ignorance (in religious matters) will increase; illegal Sexual intercourse will prevail: Drinking of alcoholic drinks will prevail. Men will decrease in number, and women will increase in number, so much so that fifty women will be looked after by one man."

Allah's Apostle said, The example of a miser and a generous person is like that of two persons wearing iron cloaks from the breast upto the neck When the generous person spends, the iron cloak enlarges and spread over his skin so much so that it covers his fingertips and obliterates his tracks. As for the miser, as soon as he thinks of spending every ring of the iron cloak sticks to its place (against his body) and he tries to expand it, but it does not expand. The Prophet pointed with his hand towards his throat.

l entered a house in Medina with Abu Huraira, and he saw a man making pictures at the top of the house. Abu Huraira said, "I heard Allah's Apostle saying that Allah said, 'Who would be more unjust than the one who tries to create the like of My creatures? Let them create a grain: let them create a gnat.' "Abu Huraira then asked for a water container and washed his arms up to his armpits. I said, "0 Abu i Huraira! Is this something you have heard I from Allah's Apostle?" He said, "The limit for ablution is up to the place where the ornaments will reach on the Day of Resurrection.'

Allah's Apostle kissed Al-Hasan bin `Ali while Al-Aqra' bin H`Abis at-Tamim was sitting beside him. Al-Aqra said, "I have ten children and I have never kissed anyone of them," Allah's Apostle cast a look at him and said, "Whoever is not merciful to others will not be treated mercifully."

A bedouin urinated in the mosque, and the people rushed to beat him. Allah's Apostle ordered them to leave him and pour a bucket or a tumbler (full) of water over the place where he has passed urine. The Prophet then said, " You have been sent to make things easy (for the people) and you have not been sent to make things difficult for them."

The Prophet said, "Allah loves sneezing but dislikes yawning; so if anyone of you sneezes and then praises Allah, every Muslim who hears him (praising Allah) has to say Tashmit to him. But as regards yawning, it is from Satan, so if one of you yawns, he should try his best to stop it, for when anyone of you yawns, Satan laughs at him."

When the Prophet said, "Sami' al-lahu liman hamidah (Allah heard him who sent his praises to Him)" in the last rak`a of the `Isha' prayer, he used to invoke Allah, saying, "O Allah! Save `Aiyash bin Abi Rabi`a; O Allah! Save Al-Walid bin Al-Walid; O Allah! Save the weak people among the believers; O Allah! Be hard on the Tribe of Mudar; O Allah! Inflict years of drought upon them like the years (of drought) of the Prophet Joseph."

I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "If the son of Adam had money equal to a valley, then he will wish for another similar to it, for nothing can satisfy the eye of Adam's son except dust. And Allah forgives him who repents to Him." Ibn `Abbas said: I do not know whether this saying was quoted from the Qur'an or not. `Ata' said, "I heard Ibn AzZubair saying this narration while he was on the pulpit."

I heard Ibn Az-Zubair who was on the pulpit at Mecca, delivering a sermon, saying, "O men! The Prophet used to say, "If the son of Adam were given a valley full of gold, he would love to have a second one; and if he were given the second one, he would love to have a third, for nothing fills the belly of Adam's son except dust. And Allah forgives he who repents to Him." Ubai said, "We considered this as a saying from the Qur'an till the Sura (beginning with) 'The mutual rivalry for piling up of worldly things diverts you..' (102.1) was revealed."

The Prophet; said, "A slave (of Allah) may utter a word which pleases Allah without giving it much importance, and because of that Allah will raise him to degrees (of reward): a slave (of Allah) may utter a word (carelessly) which displeases Allah without thinking of its gravity and because of that he will be thrown into the Hell-Fire."

I reached him (the Prophet ) while in the shade of the Ka`ba; he was saying, "They are the losers, by the Lord of the Ka`ba! They are the losers, by the Lord of the Ka`ba!" I said (to myself ), "What is wrong with me? Is anything improper detected in me? What is wrong with me? Then I sat beside him and he kept on saying his statement. I could not remain quiet, and Allah knows in what sorrowful state I was at that time. So I said, ' Who are they (the losers)? Let My father and mother be sacrificed for you, O Allah's Apostle!" He said, "They are the wealthy people, except the one who does like this and like this and like this (i.e., spends of his wealth in Allah's Cause).

That he heard Usama bin Zaid speaking to Sa`d, saying, "Allah's Apostle mentioned the plague and said, 'It is a means of punishment with which some nations were punished and some of it has remained, and it appears now and then. So whoever hears that there is an outbreak of plague in some land, he should not go to that land, and if the plague breaks out in the land where one is already present, one should not run away from that land, escaping from the plague."

Allah's Apostle said, "While I was sleeping, I saw myself standing over a tank (well) giving water to the people to drink. Then Abu Bakr came to me and took the bucket from me in order to relieve me and he pulled out one or two full buckets, and there was weakness in his pulling --may Allah forgive him. Then Ibn Al-Khattab took it from him and went on drawing water till the people left (after being satisfied) while the tank was over flowing with water."

Allah's Apostle said, "I am only a human being, and you people (opponents) come to me with your cases; and it may be that one of you can present his case eloquently in a more convincing way than the other, and I give my verdict according to what I hear. So if ever I judge (by error) and give the right of a brother to his other (brother) then he (the latter) should not take it, for I am giving him only a piece of Fire." (See Hadith No. 638, Vol. 3).

The Prophet heard the voices of some people quarreling near his gate, so he went to them and said, "I am only a human being and litigants with cases of disputes come to me, and maybe one of them presents his case eloquently in a more convincing and impressive way than the other, and I give my verdict in his favor thinking he is truthful. So if I give a Muslim's right to another (by mistake), then that (property) is a piece of Fire, which is up to him to take it or leave it." (See Hadith No. 281 )

We were with Abu Huraira while he was wearing two linen garments dyed with red clay. He cleaned his nose with his garment, saying, "Bravo! Bravo! Abu Huraira is cleaning his nose with linen! There came a time when I would fall senseless between the pulpit of Allah's Apostle and `Aisha's dwelling whereupon a passerby would come and put his foot on my neck, considering me a mad man, but in fact, I had no madness, I suffered nothing but hunger."

The Prophet said, "Nobody who dies and finds good from Allah (in the Hereafter) would wish to come back to this world even if he were given the whole world and whatever is in it, except the martyr who, on seeing the superiority of martyrdom, would like to come back to the world and get killed again (in Allah's Cause)."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa from his father from Fatima bint al-Mundhir ibn az-Zubayr that Asma bint Abu Bakr as-Siddiq said, "A woman questioned the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, saying, 'If menstrual blood gets onto our clothes how do you think we should deal with it?' The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'If menstrual blood gets onto your clothes you should wash them, and sprinkle them with water before you pray in them.' "

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab that Salim ibn Abdullah said, "One of the companions of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came into the mosque on the day of jumua and Umar ibn al Khattab was already giving the khutba. Umar said, 'What (kind of) time is this (to arrive)?' He said, Amir al- muminin, I returned from the market and heard the call to prayer, so I did no more than do wudu.' Umar said, 'You only did wudu as well? You know that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to tell people to do ghusl.' "

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ayyub ibn Abi Tamima as- Sakhtayani from Muhammad ibn Sirin that Umm Atiyya al-Ansariyya said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came to us when his daughter died and said, 'Wash her three times, or five, or more than that if you think it necessary, with water and lotus leaves, and at the end put on some camphor, or a little camphor, and when you have finished let me know.' When we finished we told him, and he gave us his waist-wrapper and said, 'Shroud her with this.' "

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that al-Qasim ibn Muhammad and Nafi, the mawla of Abdullah ibn Umar said, "You cannot do itikaf unless you are fasting, because of what Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, says in His Book, 'And eat and drink until the white thread becomes clear to you from the black thread of dawn, then complete the fast until night-time, and do not have intercourse with them while you are doing itikaf in mosques,' (Sura 2 ayat 187). Allah only mentions itikaf together with fasting."

Malik said, "That is what we go by here."

Yahya related to me from Malik from as-Salt ibn Zubayd from more than one of his family that Umar ibn al-Khattab discovered the smell of perfume while he was at ash-Shajara. Kathir ibn as-Salt was at his side, and Umar asked, "Who is this smell of perfume coming from?", and Kathir said, "From me, amir al-muminin. I matted my hair with perfume and I intended not to shave it.'' Umar said, "Go to a sharaba and rub your head until it is clean," and Kathir did so.

Malik explained, "A sharaba is the ditch at the base of a date-palm."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi from Abdullah ibn Umar that when the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, returned from a military expedition or a hajj or an umra, he used to say three takbirs on every elevated part of the land, and then he used to say, "There is no god but Allah, alone, without partner. To Him belongs the Kingdom and to Him belongs the praise and He has power over everything. Returning, making tawba, serving, prostrating, praising our Lord. Allah has promised truly and given His slave victory and defeated the tribes alone."

Yahya related to me from Malik that Zayd ibn Aslam had said that Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah had written to Umar ibn al-Khattab mentioning to him a great array of Byzantine troops and the anxiety they were causing him. Umar ibn al-Khattab wrote in reply to him, "Whatever hardship befalls a believing slave, Allah will make an opening for him after it, and a hardship will not overcome two eases. Allah the Exalted says in His Book, 'O you who trust, be patient, and vie in patience; be steadfast and fear Allah, perhaps you will profit.' " (Sura 3 ayat 200).

Yahya related to me from Malik that Yahya ibn Said heard al-Qasim ibn Muhammad say, "A woman came to Abdullah ibn Abbas and said, 'I have vowed to sacrifice my son.' Ibn Abbas said, 'Do not sacrifice your son. Do kaffara for your oath.' An old man with Ibn Abbas said, 'What kaffara is there for this?' Ibn Abbas said, 'Allah the Exalted said, "Those of you who say, regarding their wives.'Be as my mother's back' (Sura58 ayat 2) and then He went on to oblige the kaffara for it as you have seen.' "

ahya related to me from Malik that he asked Ibn Shihab about the dhihar of a slave. He said, "It is like the dhihar of a free man."

Malik said, "He meant that the same conditions were applied in both cases."

Malik said, "The dhihar of the slave is incumbent on him, and the fasting of the slave in the dhihar is two months. "

Malik said that there was no ila for a slave who pronounced a dhihar from his wife. That was because if he were to fast the kaffara for pronouncing a dhihar, the divorce of the ila would come to him before he had finished the fast.

Yahya related to me from Malik that he heard Rabia ibn Abi Abd ar-Rahman say, ''I heard that the wife of Abd ar-Rahman ibn Awf asked him to divorce her. He said, 'When you have menstruated and are pure, then come to me.' She did not menstruate until Abd ar-Rahman ibn Awf was ill. When she was purified, she told him and he divorced her irrevocably or made a pronouncement of divorce which was all that he had left over her Abd arRahman ibn Awf was terminally ill at the time, so Uthman ibn Affan made her one of the heirs after the end of her idda."

Once the Prophet wrote a letter or had an idea of writing a letter. The Prophet was told that they (rulers) would not read letters unless they were sealed. So the Prophet got a silver ring made with "Muhammad Allah's Apostle" engraved on it. As if I were just observing its white glitter in the hand of the Prophet.

Whenever `Aisha (the wife of the Prophet) heard anything which she did not understand, she used to ask again till she understood it completely. Aisha said: "Once the Prophet said, "Whoever will be called to account (about his deeds on the Day of Resurrection) will surely be punished." I said, "Doesn't Allah say: "He surely will receive an easy reckoning." (84.8) The Prophet replied, "This means only the presentation of the accounts but whoever will be argued about his account, will certainly be ruined."

(on the authority of his father) `Abdullah bin Zaid poured water on his hands from a utensil containing water and washed them and then with one handful of water he rinsed his mouth and cleaned his nose by putting water in it and then blowing it out. He repeated it thrice. He, then, washed his hands and forearms up to the elbows twice and passed wet hands over his head, both forwards and backwards, and washed his feet up to the ankles and said, "This is the ablution of Allah's Apostle."

A woman asked Allah's Apostle, "O Allah's Apostle! What should we do, if the blood of menses falls on our clothes?" Allah's Apostle replied, "If the blood of menses falls on the garment of anyone of you, she must take hold of the blood spot, rub it, and wash it with water and then pray in (with it).

Once I was traveling with the Prophet and he said, "O Mughira! take this container of water." I took it and Allah's Apostle went far away till he disappeared. He answered the call of nature and was wearing a Syrian cloak. He tried to take out his hands from its sleeve but it was very tight so he took out his hands from under it. I poured water and he performed ablution like that for prayers and passed his wet hands over his Khuff (socks made from thick fabric or leather) and then prayed .

I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "If there was a river at the door of anyone of you and he took a bath in it five times a day would you notice any dirt on him?" They said, "Not a trace of dirt would be left." The Prophet added, "That is the example of the five prayers with which Allah blots out (annuls) evil deeds."

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."

A man came and said, "O Allah's Apostle! By Allah, I keep away from the morning prayer only because So and so prolongs the prayer when he leads us in it." The narrator said, "I never saw Allah's Apostle more furious in giving advice than he was at that time. He then said, "Some of you make people dislike good deeds (the prayer). So whoever among you leads the people in prayer should shorten it because among them are the weak, the old and the needy."

My father said, "The Prophet in Zuhr prayers used to recite Al-Fatiha along with two other Suras in the first two rak`at: a long one in the first rak`a and a shorter (Sura) in the second, and at times the verses were audible. In the `Asr prayer the Prophet used to recite Al-Fatiha and two more Suras in the first two rak`at and used to prolong the first rak`a. And he used to prolong the first rak`a of the Fajr prayer and shorten the second.

On a rainy day Ibn `Abbas said to his Mu'adh-dhin, "After saying, 'Ash-hadu anna Muhammadan Rasulullah' (I testify that Muhammad is Allah's Apostle), do not say 'Haiya 'Alas-Salat' (come for the prayer) but say 'Pray in your houses'." (The man did so). But the people disliked it. Ibn `Abbas said, "It was done by one who was much better than I (i.e. the Prophet (p.b.u.h) ). No doubt, the Jumua prayer is compulsory but I dislike to put you to task by bringing you out walking in mud and slush."

There was a woman amongst us who had a farm and she used to sow Silq (a kind of vegetable) on the edges of streams in her farm. On Fridays she used to pull out the Silq from its roots and put the roots in a utensil. Then she would put a handful of powdered barley over it and cook it. The roots of the Silq were a substitute for meat. After finishing the Jumua prayer we used to greet her and she would give us that food which we would eat with our hands, and because of that meal, we used to look forward to Friday.

Ibn `Umar was told that Abu Huraira said, "Whoever accompanies the funeral procession will have a reward equal to one Qirat." Ibn `Umar said, "Abu Huraira talks of a too enormous reward." Aisha attested Abu Huraira's narration and said, "I heard Allah's Apostle saying like that." Ibn `Umar said, "We have lost numerous Qirats."

Some people from `Uraina tribe came to Medina and its climate did not suit them, so Allah's Apostle (p.b.u.h) allowed them to go to the herd of camels (given as Zakat) and they drank their milk and urine (as medicine) but they killed the shepherd and drove away all the camels. So Allah's Apostle sent (men) in their pursuit to catch them, and they were brought, and he had their hands and feet cut, and their eyes were branded with heated pieces of iron and they were left in the Harra (a stony place at Medina) biting the stones. (See Hadith No. 234, Vol. 1)

Allah's Apostle had fixed Dhul Hulaifa as the Miqat for the people of Medina; Al-Juhfa for the people of Sham; and Qarn Ul-Manazil for the people of Najd; and Yalamlam for the people of Yemen. So, these (above mentioned) are the Mawaqit for all those living at those places, and besides them for those who come through those places with the intention of performing Hajj and `Umra and whoever lives within these places should assume Ihram from his dwelling place, and similarly the people of Mecca can assume lhram from Mecca.

The Prophet (p.b.u.h) fixed Dhul-Hulaifa as the Miqat for the people of Medina, Al-Juhfa for the people of Sham, Qarn-al-Manazil for the people of Najd, and Yalamlam for the people of Yemen; and these Mawaqit are for those living at those very places, and besides them for those whom come through them with the intention of performing Hajj and Umra; and whoever is living within these Mawaqit should assume lhram from where he starts, and the people of Mecca can assume Ihram from Mecca.

Allah's Apostle used to go (for Hajj) via Ash-Shajara way and return via Muarras way; and no doubt, whenever Allah's Apostle went to Mecca, he used to offer the prayer in the Mosque of Ash-Shajara; and on his return, he used to offer the prayer at Dhul-Hulaifa in the middle of the valley, and pass the night there till morning.

I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "The people will leave Medina in spite of the best state it will have, and none except the wild birds and the beasts of prey will live in it, and the last persons who will die will be two shepherds from the tribe of Muzaina, who will be driving their sheep towards Medina, but will find nobody in it, and when they reach the valley of Thaniyat-al-Wada`, they will fall down on their faces dead."

Allah's Apostle said, "The example of a good companion (who sits with you) in comparison with a bad one, is like that of the musk seller and the blacksmith's bellows (or furnace); from the first you would either buy musk or enjoy its good smell while the bellows would either burn your clothes or your house, or you get a bad nasty smell thereof."

That she brought a side of roasted meat to the Messenger of Allah (saws), so he ate it from it and stood for Salat, and did not perform Wudu'

He said: There are narrations on this topic from 'Abdullah bin Al-Harith, Al-Mughirah, and Abu Rafi'

[Abu 'Eisa said:] This Hadith is Hasan Sahih Gharib from this route.

That the Prophet (saws) said: "Many a man achieved perfection, but no woman achieved perfection except for Mariam the daughter of 'Imran, and Asiyah the wife of Fir'awn. And the superiority of 'Aishah over other women is like the superiority of Tharid over other foods."

He said: There is something on this topic from 'Aishah and Anas.

[Abu 'Eisa said:] This Hadith is Hasan Sahih.

From his father who said: "I saw the Prophet (saws) standing at a hanging water-skin, so he bent it, then drank from it."

He said: There is something on this topic from Umm Salamah.

[Abu 'Eisa said:] The chain of this Hadith is not Sahih. 'Abdullah bin 'Umar Al-'Umari (a narrator in the chain) was graded weak due to his memory, and I do not know if he heard from 'Eisa or not.

From his grandmother Kabshah who said: "The Messenger of Allah (saws) entered upon me. He drank from a hanging water-skin while standing. So I went to its mouth and cut it off."

[Abu 'Eisa said:] This Hadith is Hasan Sahih Gharib. Yazid bin Yazid bin Jabir is the brother of 'Adbur-Rahman bin Yazid bin Jabir. He died earlier than him.

That the Prophet (saws) said: "Whoever purchases an animal that has not been milked, then he retains the option for three days. If he returns it, then he is to return with it a Sa' of food, not Samra' "

[Abu 'Eisa said:] The meaning of "Not Samra'" is "not wheat."

This Hadith is Hasan Sahih. This Hadith is acted upon according to our companions, among them Ash-Shafi'i, Ahmad, and Ishaq.