In the Pre-lslamic Period of Ignorance there was a house called Dhu-l-Khalasa or Al-Ka`ba Al- Yamaniya or Al-Ka`ba Ash-Shamiya. The Prophet said to me, "Won't you relieve me from Dhu-l- Khalasa?" So I set out with one-hundred-and-fifty riders, and we dismantled it and killed whoever was present there. Then I came to the Prophet and informed him, and he invoked good upon us and Al- Ahmas (tribe) .

The worst of three (persons riding one, animal) was mentioned in `Ikrima's presence `Ikrima said, "Ibn `Abbas said, '(In the year of the conquest of Mecca) the Prophet came and mounted Qutham in front of him and Al-Fadl behind him, or Qutham behind him and Al-Fadl in front of him.' Now which of them was the worst off and which was the best?"

Allah's Apostle said, "The seller and the buyer have the option of canceling or confirming the deal unless they separate, or one of them says to the other, 'Choose (i.e. decide to cancel or confirm the bargain now)." Perhaps he said, 'Or if it is an optional sale.' " Ibn `Umar, Shuraih, Ash-Shu`bi, Tawus, Ata, and Ibn Abu Mulaika agree upon this judgment.

Whenever the Prophet intended to proceed on a journey, he used to draw lots amongst his wives and would take the one upon whom the lot fell. Once, before setting out for Jihad, he drew lots amongst us and the lot came to me; so I went with the Prophet; and that happened after the revelation of the Verse Hijab (i.e. veiling).

The Prophet saw a man driving a Badana (i.e. camel for sacrifice) and said to him, "Ride on it." The man said, "O Allah's Apostle! It is a Bandana." (The Prophet repeated his order) and on the third or fourth time he said, "Ride it, (woe to you" or said: "May Allah be merciful to you).

When the Prophet realized that the Quraish had delayed in embracing Islam, he said, "O Allah! Protect me against their evil by afflicting them with seven (years of famine) like the seven years of (Prophet) Joseph." So they were struck with a year of famine that destroyed everything till they had to eat bones, and till a man would look towards the sky and see something like smoke between him and it. Allah said:-- "Then watch you (O Muhammad) for the day when the sky will produce a kind of smoke plainly visible." (44.10) And Allah further said:-- "Verily! We shall withdraw the punishment a little, Verily you will return (to disbelief)." (44.15) (Will Allah relieve them from torture on the Day of Resurrection?) (The punishment of) the smoke had passed and Al-Baltsha (the destruction of the pagans in the Badr battle) had passed too.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Muslim ibn Abi Maryam that AIi ibn Abd ar-Rahman al-Muawi said, "Abdullah ibn Umar saw me playing with some small pebbles in the prayer. When I finished he forbade me, saying, 'Do as the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did.' I said, 'What did the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, do?' He said, 'When he sat in the prayer, he placed his right hand on his right thigh and he closed his fist and pointed his index finger, and he placed his left hand on his left thigh. That is what he used to do.' "

The Prophet was the most generous amongst the people, and he used to be more so in the month of Ramadan when Gabriel visited him, and Gabriel used to meet him on every night of Ramadan till the end of the month. The Prophet used to recite the Holy Qur'an to Gabriel, and when Gabriel met him, he used to be more generous than a fast wind (which causes rain and welfare).

Allah's Apostle sent a Sariya of ten men as spies under the leadership of `Asim bin Thabit al-Ansari, the grandfather of `Asim bin `Umar Al-Khattab. They proceeded till they reached Hadaa, a place between 'Usfan, and Mecca, and their news reached a branch of the tribe of Hudhail called Bani Lihyan. About two-hundred men, who were all archers, hurried to follow their tracks till they found the place where they had eaten dates they had brought with them from Medina. They said, "These are the dates of Yathrib (i.e. Medina), "and continued following their tracks When `Asim and his companions saw their pursuers, they went up a high place and the infidels circled them. The infidels said to them, "Come down and surrender, and we promise and guarantee you that we will not kill any one of you" `Asim bin Thabit; the leader of the Sariya said, "By Allah! I will not come down to be under the protection of infidels. O Allah! Convey our news to Your Prophet. Then the infidels threw arrows at them till they martyred `Asim along with six other men, and three men came down accepting their promise and convention, and they were Khubaib-al-Ansari and Ibn Dathina and another man So, when the infidels captured them, they undid the strings of their bows and tied them. Then the third (of the captives) said, "This is the first betrayal. By Allah! I will not go with you. No doubt these, namely the martyred, have set a good example to us." So, they dragged him and tried to compel him to accompany them, but as he refused, they killed him. They took Khubaid and Ibn Dathina with them and sold them (as slaves) in Mecca (and all that took place) after the battle of Badr. Khubaib was bought by the sons of Al-Harith bin 'Amir bin Naufal bin `Abd Manaf. It was Khubaib who had killed Al-Harith bin 'Amir on the day (of the battle of) Badr. So, Khubaib remained a prisoner with those people. Narrated Az-Zuhri: 'Ubaidullah bin 'Iyyad said that the daughter of Al-Harith had told him, "When those people gathered (to kill Khubaib) he borrowed a razor from me to shave his pubes and I gave it to him. Then he took a son of mine while I was unaware when he came upon him. I saw him placing my son on his thigh and the razor was in his hand. I got scared so much that Khubaib noticed the agitation on my face and said, 'Are you afraid that I will kill him? No, I will never do so.' By Allah, I never saw a prisoner better than Khubaib. By Allah, one day I ...

Allah's Apostle sent out ten spies under the command of `Asim bin Thabit Al-Ansari, the grand-father of `Asim bin `Umar Al-Khattab. When they reached (a place called) Al-Hadah between 'Usfan and Mecca, their presence was made known to a sub-tribe of Hudhail called Banu Lihyan. So they sent about one hundred archers after them. The archers traced the footsteps (of the Muslims) till they found the traces of dates which they had eaten at one of their camping places. The archers said, "These dates are of Yathrib (i.e. Medina)," and went on tracing the Muslims' footsteps. When `Asim and his companions became aware of them, they took refuge in a (high) place. But the enemy encircled them and said, "Come down and surrender. We give you a solemn promise and covenant that we will not kill anyone of you." `Asim bin Thabit said, "O people! As for myself, I will never get down to be under the protection of an infidel. O Allah! Inform your Prophet about us." So the archers threw their arrows at them and martyred `Asim. Three of them came down and surrendered to them, accepting their promise and covenant and they were Khubaib, Zaid bin Ad-Dathina and another man. When the archers got hold of them, they untied the strings of the arrow bows and tied their captives with them. The third man said, "This is the first proof of treachery! By Allah, I will not go with you for I follow the example of these." He meant the martyred companions. The archers dragged him and struggled with him (till they martyred him). Then Khubaib and Zaid bin Ad-Dathina were taken away by them and later on they sold them as slaves in Mecca after the event of the Badr battle. The sons of Al-Harit bin `Amr bin Naufal bought Khubaib for he was a person who had killed (their father) Al-Hari bin `Amr on the day (of the battle) of Badr. Khubaib remained imprisoned by them till they decided unanimously to kill him. One day Khubaib borrowed from a daughter of Al-Harith, a razor for shaving his pubic hair, and she lent it to him. By chance, while she was inattentive, a little son of hers went to him (i.e. Khubaib) and she saw that Khubaib had seated him on his thigh while the razor was in his hand. She was so much terrified that Khubaib noticed her fear and said, "Are you afraid that I will kill him? Never would I do such a thing." Later on (while narrating the story) she said, "By Allah, I had never seen a better captive than Khubaib. By Allah, one day I saw ...

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar said, "Someone who vows to sacrifice a camel or a cow to Allah should garland it with two sandals about its neck, and brand it by causing blood to flow from its side. He should then sacrifice it either at the House or at Mina on the day of sacrifice. There are no other correct places apart from those. However, someone who vows to slaughter a camel or a cow simply as a sacrifice can sacrifice it wherever he wishes."

I heard the Prophet saying, "Allah said, 'Who are most unjust than those who try to create something like My creation? I challenge them to create even a smallest ant, a wheat grain or a barley grain.' "

Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said from Said ibn al-Musayyab that Umar ibn al-Khattab said, "Anyone who has braided his hair, or plaited it or matted it must shave his head."

Allah's Apostle said, "(A believer) who accompanies the funeral procession of a Muslim out of sincere faith and hoping to attain Allah's reward and remains with it till the funeral prayer is offered and the burial ceremonies are over, he will return with a reward of two Qirats. Each Qirat is like the size of the (Mount) Uhud. He who offers the funeral prayer only and returns before the burial, will return with the reward of one Qirat only."

When Abu Huraira accompanied by his slave set out intending to embrace Islam they lost each other on the way. The slave then came while Abu Huraira was sitting with the Prophet. The Prophet said, "O Abu Huraira! Your slave has come back." Abu Huraira said, "Indeed, I would like you to witness that I have manumitted him." That happened at the time when Abu Huraira recited (the following poetic verse):-- 'What a long tedious tiresome night! Nevertheless, it has delivered us From the land of Kufr (disbelief).

The Messenger of Allah (saws) used to order us to pay the sadaqah (zakat) on what we prepared for trade.

The Prophet said, "Do you think if the tribes of Aslam, Ghifar, Muzaina and Juhaina are better than the tribes of Tamim, 'Amir bin Sa'sa'a, Ghatfan and Asad, they (the second group) are despairing and losing?" They (the Prophet's companions) said, "Yes, (they are)." He said, "By Him in Whose Hand my soul is, they (the first group) are better than them (the second group).

`Abdullah bin `Umar said, "Allah's Apostle said, 'The people of Medina should assume lhram from Dhul-Hulaifa; the people of Sham from Al-Juhfa; and the people of Najd from Qarn." And `Abdullah added, "I was informed that Allah's Apostle had said, 'The people of Yemen should assume Ihram from Yalamlam.' "

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abd ar-Rahman ibn Abdullah ibn Sasaca from his father that Abu Said al-Khudri heard a man reciting Surat al-Ikhlas (Sura 112), repeating it over and over again. In the morning he went to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and mentioned it to him, as if he thought little of it. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Bythe One in whose hand my self is, it is equal to one third of the Qur'an."

I heard the Prophet saying, "Any man whom Allah has given the authority of ruling some people and he does not look after them in an honest manner, will never feel even the smell of Paradise."

The Prophet said, "Whoever has eaten garlic or onion should keep away from us (or should keep away from our mosque).'

Allah's Apostle said, "In Paradise there is a pavilion made of a single hollow pearl sixty miles wide, in each corner of which there are wives who will not see those in the other corners; and the believers will visit and enjoy them. And there are two gardens, the utensils and contents of which are made of silver; and two other gardens, the utensils and contents of which are made of so-and-so (i.e. gold) and nothing will prevent the people staying in the Garden of Eden from seeing their Lord except the curtain of Majesty over His Face."

Once an Ansari woman, accompanied by a son of hers, came to Allah's Apostle. Allah's Apostle spoke to her and said twice, "By Him in Whose Hand my life is, you are the most beloved people to me."

Allah's Apostle said, "But for the emigration, I would have been one of the Ansar: and if the people took their way in a valley (or a mountain pass), I would take the Ansar's valley or the mountain pass."

The Prophet said, "I shall accept the invitation even if I were invited to a meal of a sheep's trotter, and I shall accept the gift even if it were an arm or a trotter of a sheep."

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: Keep to every dark bay horse with a white blaze and white on the legs, or sorrel with a white blaze and white on the legs , or black with a white blaze and white on the legs.

When Allah's Apostle arrived at Medina, he found the Jews observing the fast on the day of 'Ashura' (10th of Muharram). The Prophet asked them (about it) and they replied, "This is the day when Moses became victorious over Pharaoh." The Prophet said (to the Muslims), "We are nearer to Moses than they, so fast on this day."

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported that Aflah, the brother of Abu'l-Qu'ais, who was her uncle by reason of fosterage, came, and asked her permission (to enter the house) after seclusion (Hijab) was instituted. I refused to admit him. When Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) came, I informed him what I had done. He commanded me to grant him permission (as the brother of her foster-father was also her uncle).

Allah's Apostle said, "You see that the people are of different natures. Those who were the best in the pre-lslamic period, are also the best in Islam if they comprehend religious knowledge. You see that the best amongst the people in this respect (i.e. ambition of ruling) are those who hate it most. And you see that the worst among people is the double faced (person) who appears to these with one face and to the others with another face (i.e a hypocrite).

I have never touched silk or Dibaj (i.e. thick silk) softer than the palm of the Prophet nor have I smelt a perfume nicer than the sweat of the Prophet.

The Holy Prophet (saws) said to Ibn Suriya': I remind you by Allah Who saved you from the people of Pharaoh, made you cover the sea, gave you the shade of clouds, sent down to you manna and quails, sent down you Torah to Moses, do you find stoning (for adultery) in your Book? He said: You have reminded me by the Great. It is not possible for me to belie you. He then transmitted the rest of the tradition.

The Prophet said, "Time has come back to its original state which it had when Allah created the Heavens and the Earth; the year is twelve months, four of which are sacred. Three of them are in succession; Dhul-Qa'da, Dhul-Hijja and Al-Muharram, and (the fourth being) Rajab Mudar (named after the tribe of Mudar as they used to respect this month) which stands between Jumad (ath-thani) and Sha'ban."