The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) forbade that a man in the city should be the commission agent of a man from the desert and prohibited the practice of Najsh (i.e., offering a high price for something in order to allure another customer who is interested in the thing); and that a man should make an offer while the offer of his brother is pending; or that he should make a proposal of marriage while that of his brother is pending; or that a woman should try that a sister of hers might be divorced so that she might take her place.

Another narration is: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) forbade the people from meeting the caravan on the way for entering into business transaction with them; and the selling of the goods by a dweller of the city on behalf of a man of the desert; and the seeking by a woman the divorce of her sister (from her husband); and the practice of Najsh and leaving the animals unmilked (for sometime for the purpose of accumulation of milk to deceive the buyer).

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: "The reward for Salat performed by a person in congregation is more than 20 times greater than that of the Salat performed in one's house or shop. When one performs Wudu' perfectly and then proceeds to the mosque with the sole intention of performing Salat, then for every step he takes towards the mosque, he is upgraded one degree in reward and one of his sins is eliminated until he enters the mosque, and when he enters the mosque, he is considered as performing Salat as long as it is the Salat which prevents him (from leaving the mosque); and the angels keep on supplicating Allah for him as long as he remains in his place of prayer. They say: 'O Allah! have mercy on him; O Allah! forgive his sins; O Allah! accept his repentance'. This will carry on as long as he does not pass wind".

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Verily, Allah is more delighted with the repentance of His slave than a person who lost his camel in a desert land and then finds it (unexpectedly)".

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

In another version of Muslim, he said: "Verily, Allah is more pleased with the repentance of His slave than a person who has his camel in a waterless desert carrying his provision of food and drink and it is lost. He, having lost all hopes (to get that back), lies down in shade and is disappointed about his camel; when all of a sudden he finds that camel standing before him. He takes hold of its reins and then out of boundless joy blurts out: 'O Allah, You are my slave and I am Your Rubb'.He commits this mistake out of extreme joy".

We complained to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) regarding the persecution inflicted upon us by the disbelievers while he was lying in the shade of the Ka'bah, having made a pillow of his cloak. We submitted: "Why do you not supplicate for our prevalence (over the opponents)?". He (PBUH) replied, "Among those people before you, a man would be seized and held in a pit dug for him in the ground and he would be sawed into two halves from his head, and his flesh torn away from his bones with an iron comb; but, in spite of this, he would not wean away from his Faith. By Allah, Allah will bring this matter to its consummation until a rider will travel from San'a' to Hadramout fearing none except Allah, and except the wolf for his sheep, but you are in too much of a hurry".

[Al-Bukhari].

After the battle of Hunain, Messenger of Allah (PBUH) favoured some people in the distribution of spoils (for consolation). He gave Al-Aqra' bin Habis and 'Uyainah bin Hisn a hundred camels each and showed favour also to some more honourable persons among the Arabs. Someone said: "This division is not based on justice and it was not intended to win the Pleasure of Allah." I said to myself: "By Allah! I will inform Messenger of Allah (PBUH) of this." I went to him and informed him. His face became red and he said, "Who will do justice if Allah and His Messenger do not?" Then he said, "May Allah have mercy on (Prophet) Musa (Moses); he was caused more distress than this but he remained patient." Having heard this I said to myself: "I shall never convey anything of this kind to him in future".

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Allah the Exalted has said: 'I will declare war against him who shows hostility to a pious worshipper of Mine. And the most beloved thing with which My slave comes nearer to Me is what I have enjoined upon him; and My slave keeps on coming closer to Me through performing Nawafil (prayer or doing extra deeds besides what is obligatory) till I love him. When I love him I become his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes, and his leg with which he walks; and if he asks (something) from Me, I give him, and if he asks My Protection (refuge), I protect him".

[Al- Bukhari].

He also reported God’s Messenger as saying, “A man's prayer in company is twenty-five times as valuable as his prayer in his house and his market, for when he performs ablution, doing it well, then goes out to the mosque, having no other reason than prayer for going out, he does not take a step without being raised a degree for it and having a sin remitted for it, and when he prays the angels continue to invoke blessings on him as long as he is in his place of prayer, saying, ‘God bless him; God show mercy to him.’ And each of you continues to be engaged in prayer as long as he is waiting for the prayer.” In a version he said, “When he enters the mosque prayer holds him fast.” And he added in the invocation of the angels, “O God, forgive him, O God, turn towards him, as long as he does not do any harm in it and as long as he does not do anything unseemly in it.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

“When you get up to pray perform the ablution perfectly, then face the qibla and say, “God is most great.” Then recite a convenient portion of the Qur’an; then bow and remain quietly in that attitude; then raise yourself and stand erect; then prostrate yourself and remain quietly in that attitude; then raise yourself and sit quietly; then prostrate yourself and remain quietly in that attitude; then raise yourself and sit quietly.” A version has, “Then raise yourself and stand erect; then do that throughout all your prayer.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Abu Huraira told how when God’s messenger sent ‘Umar to collect sadaqa people said that Ibn Jamil, Khalid b. al-Walid and al-‘Abbas refused. So God’s messenger said, “Ibn Jamil is not [so much] objecting, but he was poor and God and His messenger enriched him. * As for Khalid, you are wronging him, for he has kept back his coats of mail and weapons to use them in God’s path. As for al-‘Abbas, I shall be responsible for it and an equal amount along with it.” Then he said, “Did you not know, ‘Umar, that a man’s paternal uncle is of the same stock as his father?” (Bukhari and Muslim.) * This sentence has given commentators trouble, and several explanations of the meaning are given. It appears best to understand it as a seeming defence of Ibn Jamil which is really a rebuke. The idea is therefore that the seriousness of his action is not so much in his actual objection to paying zakat as in his being induced to do this by ingratitude to God who has enriched him.

‘A’isha said that three sunnas concerned Barira.* One was that she became free and was given her choice regarding her husband. God’s messenger said, "The right of inheritance from an emancipated slave belongs to the one who set him free.”* God’s messenger once came in when the pot was boiling with meat in it, and he was presented with some of the bread and condiments which were in the house. He asked, “Did I not see a pot containing meat?” and was told, “Yes, but that is meat which was given as sadaqa to Barira and you do not eat the sadaqa.” He replied, “It is sadaqa for her and a gift to us.” *** (Bukhari and Muslim.) * A slave-woman whom 'A’isha bought and set free. ** The context shows that these words are said to have been spoken in connection with Barira. *** This is the part of the tradition which makes it relevant in this chapter, as it declares that one who may not lawfully receive sadaqa may accept as a gift sadaqa which has been received by one who may lawfully receive it.

Salama b. al-Akwa‘ told that God’s Messenger went out to some people of Aslam who were having a shooting match in the suq* and said, “Shoot, sons of Ishmael, for your ancestor was an archer. I am supporting the B. so and so,” referring to one of the two parties. They then stopped, and when he asked what was the matter, they replied, “How can we shoot when you are supporting the B. so and so?” He said, “Shoot; I am supporting you all.” * Different explanations are given. It may be in the market-place (suq). Mirqat, iv, 202 is inclined to understand suq as the plural of saq (leg) and interpret it as meaning that they were on their feet, not riding camels. It has even been said that the reading is as-Sauq and that this is the name of a place; but I can find no reference to any such place. This all goes to show how difficult interpreters can make a passage seem when they let their imagination loose. Bukhari transmitted it.

He reported God's messenger as saying, "Moses was a modest man who kept himself covered, none of his skin being seen because pf modesty. Some of the B. Isra'il annoyed him by saying that he concealed himself to this extent only because of some skin trouble such as leprosy or a scrotal hernia, but God wished to clear him. So, one day when he was alone having a bath, he placed his garment on a stone and the stone flew away with his garment. Moses raced after it saying, `My garment, stone; my garment, stone,' till he came to a company of the B. Isra'il who, seeing him naked in the most beautiful form God had created, said, `We swear by God that there is nothing wrong with Moses.' He took his garment and began to beat the stone, and I swear by God that there were three, four, or five scars on the stone from the effect of his beating." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

When we were on a journey with the Prophet the people complained to him of thirst, so he dismounted and called for so and so (whose name was mentioned by Abu Raja' but forgotten by `Auf) and for `Ali and told them to go and look for water. They went off and met a woman riding with a leather water-bag, or a water-skin on either side of her, so they brought her to the Prophet and asked her to dismount from her camel. The Prophet called for a vessel and poured water into it from the mouths of the skins, after which proclamation was made among the people to draw water, and they did so. Then we forty thirsty men drank till we had had enough, and we filled every skin and small vessel which we had. I swear by God that water was taken from the skin, but it seemed to us to be fuller than it was when he began. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

We went out with God's messenger on the expedition to Tabuk, and in the wadi al-Qura we came to a garden belonging to a woman. God's messenger told us to estimate its amount and we did so, and God's messenger estimated it at ten camel loads. He told the woman to calculate the amount and have it ready for our return should God will, and then we set off. When we came to Tabuk God's messenger said, "You will have a violent wind to-night, so no one must get up while it is blowing and those who have camels must hobble them firmly." A violent wind blew, and a man got up and was carried by the wind and thrown on the two mountains of Tayy[*]. We then went on till we came to the wadi al-Qura., and when God's messenger asked the woman how much the fruit in her garden had amounted to, she replied that it was ten camel loads. *Aia' and Salma. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

The first of the companions of God's messenger to come to us were Mus'ab b. `Umair and Ibn Umm Maktum who began to teach us the Quran[1]. Then `Ammar,[2] Bilal[3] and Sa'd[4] came. Then `Umar b. al-Khattab came with twenty of the Prophet's companions. Then the Prophet came, and I never saw the people of Medina so happy about anything as they were about him. I even saw the little girls and boys saying, "This is God's messenger who has come." By the time he came I had learned "Glorify the name of your most high Lord"[5] along with similar suras from al-Mufassal. 1. These two were sent to Medina before the Hijra to teach the people who had sworn allegiance to the Prophet. 2. 'Ammar b. Yasir. 3. Bilal b. Rabah. 4. Sa'd b. Abu Waqqe. 5. Quran:87 Bukhari transmitted it.

Lā 'ilāha 'illallāhu waḥdahu la sharīka lahu, lahul-mulku wa lahul-ḥamdu, wa huwa 'alā kulli shay'in qadīr Subḥānallāhi, walḥamdu lillāhi, wa lā 'ilāha 'illallāhu, wallāhu 'akbar, wa lā ḥaula wa lā quwwata 'illā billāhil-`aliyyil-`aẓīm, rabbighfir lī. There is none worthy of worship but Allah alone, Who has no partner, His is the dominion and to Him belongs all praise, and He is able to do all things. Glory is to Allah. Praise is to Allah. There is none worthy of worship but Allah. Allah is the Most Great. There is no might and no power except by Allah's leave, the Exalted, the Mighty. My Lord, forgive me. Reference: Whoever says this will be forgiven, and if he supplicates Allah, his prayer will be answered; if he performs ablution and prays, his prayer will be accepted. Al-Bukhari, cf. Al-Asqalani, Fathul-Bari 3/39, among others. The wording here is from Ibn Majah 2/335.

Allāhumma `āfinī fī badanī, Allāhumma `āfinī fī sam`ī, Allāhumma `āfinī fī baṣarī, lā ilāha illā ant. Allāhumma innī a`ūdhu bika mina ‘l-kufri, wa ‘l-faqr, wa a`ūdhu bika min `adhābi ‘l-qabr, lā ilāha illā ant. O Allah, make me healthy in my body. O Allah, preserve for me my hearing. O Allah, preserve for me my sight. There is none worthy of worship but You. O Allah, I seek refuge in You from disbelief and poverty, and I seek refuge in You from the punishment of the grave. There is none worthy of worship but You (Recite three times in Arabic.) Reference: Abu Dawud 4/324, Ahmad 5/42, An-Nasa'i, 'Amalul-Yawm wal-Laylah (no. 22), Ibn As-Sunni (no. 69), Al-Bukhari Al-'Adab Al-Mufrad. Its chain of transmission is good (Hasan), Ibn Baz, p. 26.

Lā ilāha illallāh waḥdahu lā sharīka lah, lahu ‘l-mulku, walahu ‘l-ḥamd, wa Huwa `alā kulli shay'in Qadīr, ā'ibūna, tā'ibūna,`ābidūn, li Rabbinā ḥāmidūn, sadaqallāhu wa`dah, wa nasara `abdah, wa hazama ‘l-'aḥzāba waḥdah. From every elevated point say Allāhu Akbar (Allah is the Most Great) three times and then recite: None has the right to be worshipped but Allah alone, Who has no partner. His is the dominion and His is the praise, and He is Able to do all things. We return repentant to our Lord, worshipping our Lord, and praising our Lord. He fulfilled His Promise, He aided His slave, and He alone defeated the Confederates. Reference: Bukhari 7/163, Muslim 2/980. The Prophet (SAW) used to say this when returning from a campaign or from Hajj.

Abu Sa’id bin al-Mu’alla (RA) reported, “I was praying when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ passed by me and called me. I didn’t come to him until I finished praying. Then I came to him and he said, “What prevented you from coming? Didn’t Allah say, ‘O you who believe, respond to Allah and to the Messenger when he calls you’?” Then he said, “I shall teach you the greatest sūrah in the Qur’an before I leave.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ started to leave so I reminded him of it.” Mu’āth said, “Shu’bah narrated this to us from Khubayb, who heard from Hafs, who heard from Abu Sa’id, a man from the companions of the Prophet ﷺ, and he said, “It is ‘Alhamdu lillāhi Rabbil ‘Ālameen (i.e., Sūrah Al-Fātiḥah) which is As-Sab’ Al-Mathāni (i.e., the seven oft-repeated āyāt).” Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari 4474

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Verily Allah ta’ala has said: ‘Whosoever shows enmity to a wali (friend) of Mine, then I have declared war against him. And My servant does not draw near to Me with anything more loved to Me than the religious duties I have obligated upon him. And My servant continues to draw near to me with nafil (supererogatory) deeds until I Love him. When I Love him, I am his hearing with which he hears, and his sight with which he sees, and his hand with which he strikes, and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask [something] of Me, I would surely give it to him; and were he to seek refuge with Me, I would surely grant him refuge.’ ” [Al-Bukhari]

If Allah has loved a servant [of His] He calls Gabriel (on whom be peace) and says: I love So-and-so, therefore love him. He (the Prophet pbuh) said: So Gabriel loves him. Then he (Gabriel) calls out in heaven, saying: Allah loves So-and-so, therefore love him. And the inhabitants of heaven love him. He (the Prophet pbuh) said: Then acceptance is established for him on earth. And if Allah has abhorred a servant [of His], He calls Gabriel and says: I abhor So-and-so, therefore abhor him. So Gabriel abhors him. Then Gabriel calls out to the inhabitants of heaven: Allah abhors So-and-so, therefore abhor him. He (the Prophet pbuh) said: So they abhor him, and abhorrence is established for him on earth. It was related by Muslim (also by al-Bukhari, Malik, and at-Tirmidhi).

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri said that when God’s messenger went out to the place of prayer on the day of sacrifice, or on the day when the fast was broken, he came upon some women and said, "Give alms, you women folk, for I have been shown that you will be the majority of the inhabitants of hell.” They asked, “For what reason, messenger of God?” He replied, “You are greatly given to abuse, and you are ungrateful to your husbands. Among women who are deficient in intelligence and religion I have not seen anyone more able to remove the understanding of a prudent man than one of you.” They asked, “What is the deficiency of our religion and our intelligence, messenger of God?” He replied, “Is not the testimony of a woman equivalent to half the testimony of a man?” They said, “Yes.” Remarking that that pertained to the deficiency of her intelligence, he asked, “Is it not the case that when she menstruates she neither prays nor fasts?” When they replied, “Yes,” he said, “That pertains to the deficiency of her religion.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

The constituents of one of you are collected for forty days in his mother’s womb in the form of a drop, then they become a piece of congealed blood for a similar period, then they become a lump of flesh for a similar period. Then God sends to him an angel with four words who records his deeds, the period of his life, his provision, and whether he will be miserable or blessed: thereafter He breathes the spirit into him. By Him other than whom there is no god, one of you will do the deeds of those who go to paradise so that there will be only a cubit between him and it, then what is decreed will overcome him so that he will do the deeds of those who go to hell and will enter it; and one of you will do the deeds of those who go to hell so that there will be only a cubit between him and it, then what is decreed will overcome him so that he will do the deeds of those who go to paradise and will enter it. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

He reported God’s messenger as saying, "Every [good] deed a son of Adam does will be multiplied, a good deed receiving a tenfold to seven hundredfold reward. God has said, ‘With the exception of fasting, for it is done for my sake and I give a reward for it. One abandons his passion and his food for my sake.* The one who fasts has two occasions of joy, one when he breaks his fast and one when he meets his Lord. The bad breath of one who fasts is sweeter to God than the fragrance of musk. Fasting is a protection, [i.e. from acts of disobedience in this world and from hell in the next. Pt. vi.] and when the day of the fast of any of you comes he must not use vile language or raise his voice, and if anyone reviles him or tries to fight with him he should tell him he is fasting.” *This is not from the Qur’an, but is a hadith qudsi, a tradition which gives words spoken by God. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

What is the matter with people who make conditions which are not in God’s Book? Any condition which is not in God’s Book is worthless. Even if there are a hundred conditions, God’s decision is more valid and God's condition is more binding. The right of inheritance belongs only to the one who has set a person free.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

During an illness which brought me near to death in the year of the Conquest God’s Messenger came to visit me and I said, “Messenger of God, I have a large amount of property and my daughter is my only heir. Shall I will away all my property ?” He replied, ‘No” I suggested two-thirds, but he objected, then a half, but he still objected. When I suggested a third he replied, “You may will away a third, but that is a lot*. To leave your heirs rich is better than to leave them poor and begging from people. You will not spend anything, seeking thereby to please God, without being rewarded for it, even the mouthful you give your wife.” *While this tradition tells that the Prophet gave permission for a man to will away a third of his estate to some person or purpose other than the heirs, it indicates that be thought it would be better not to will away so much. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Sahl b. Sa'd told of a woman who came to God’s Messenger and offered herself to him. When she had stood for a long time (i.e. without receiving an answer) a man got up and said, “Messenger of God, marry her to me if you have no need of her.” He asked him if he had anything to give her as dower, and when he replied that he had nothing but the lower garment he was wearing, he said, “Look for something, even though it should be an iron ring.” Then when the man had sought and found nothing God’s Messenger asked whether he knew any of the Qur'an, and when he replied that he knew surah so and so and surah so and so, he said, “I have given you her in marriage for the part of the Qur’an which you know.” In a version he said, “Go away, for I have given you her in marriage; and teach her some of the Qur'an." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Al-Miqdad b. al-Aswad told that he said, “Tell me, Messenger of God, supposing I meet an infidel and we fight together and he strikes one of my hands with his sword and cuts it off, then flies for refuge from me to a tree and says he has submitted himself to God (or, in another version, says when I intend to kill him that there is no god but God), shall I kill him after he has said it?” He replied, “Do not kill him.” He protested, “But, Messenger of God, he cut off one of my hands.” God’s Messenger then replied, “Do not kill him, for if you do so, he will be in the position in which you were before you killed him, and you will be in the position in which he was before he made his testimony.”* (Bukhari and Muslim.) *i.e. he will now be one for whose killing retaliation may be demanded, and you will be one whose blood may lawfully be shed.

Abu Huraira reported God’s messenger as stating that God has said, “If anyone is hostile to a friend of mine, I have declared war against him. No one draws near to me with anything dearer to me than what I have made obligatory for him. If my servant keeps drawing near to me with supererogatory acts I shall love him, and when I love him I shall be his hearing with which he hears, his sight with which he sees, his hand with which he grasps and his foot with which he walks. If he asks from me I shall certainly give him and if he seeks refuge in me I shall certainly give him refuge. I have not hesitated about anything I do as I hesitate about taking the soul of a believer who dislikes death, for I dislike grieving him, but he cannot escape it.” Bukhari transmitted it.

Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "The similitude of guidance and knowledge with which Allah has sent me is like a rain which has fallen on some ground. A fertile part of earth has absorbed water and brought forth much grass and herbs. Another part, which is solid, held the water and Allah benefits men thereby, who drank and gave others to drink, and used it for irrigation. But some of it has fallen on a portion of sandy land which neither retains the water nor produces herbage. Such is the likeness of the man who understands the religion of Allah and who gets benefit of what Allah has sent me with; he learns and teaches others. It is also the likeness of the man who neither raises his head on that account (meaning he does not benefit from what the Prophet (PBUH) was sent with) nor accepts Allah's Guidance with which I am sent".

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

I said, "Tell me, O Messenger of Allah, if I meet an infidel, and we fight together, and he cuts off my hands with his sword, then hides from me behind a tree and (then) says he has submitted himself to Allah. Shall I kill him after he has said it?" He (PBUH) replied, "Do not kill him." I submitted, "But O Messenger of Allah, he cut off one of my hands and only then he said it." Messenger of Allah (PBUH) then replied, "Do not kill him, for if you do so, he will be in the position in which you were before you killed him (i.e., he will be considered a Muslim and thus his life will be inviolable), and you will be in the position in which he was before he made his testimony (i.e., your life will not be inviolable, for his heirs can ask for Qisas)".

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

A woman brought a woven piece of cloth to Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and said to him: "I have woven this sheet with my own hands for you to wear." He accepted it as he was in need of it. He later came out wearing it as a lower garment. Someone said: "How nice it is! Kindly give it to me." Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Very well." He remained in our company for some time, then he went back, folded it and sent it to the man. The people said (to that man): "You did not do well. Messenger of Allah (PBUH) wore it and he was in need of it, and you asked him for it when you are well aware that he (PBUH) never refuses a request." He said: "I swear by Allah that I did not ask it for wearing. I asked him for it so that it might be my shroud after my death." Sahl (the narrator of this Hadith) said: And in fact it was used as his shroud.

[Al-Bukhari].

When Messenger of Allah (PBUH) went to Mina, he came to Jamrat-ul-'Aqabah and threw pebbles at it. After that, he went to his lodge in Mina and sacrificed. Then he called for a barber and pointed his right side to him, said, "Shave from here." Then he pointed his left side and said, "Take (hair) from here." Then he distributed his hair among the people.

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Another narration is: After the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) had thrown pebbles at Jamrah and sacrificed an animal, he turned the right side of his head towards the barber who shaved it for him. Then he called Abu Talhah Ansari (May Allah be pleased with him) and gave his hair to him. Then he turned his head to the left side and asked the barber to shave it. He gave the hair to Abu Talhah and told him, "Distribute it among the people."

I saw Abu Dharr (May Allah be pleased with him) wearing a nice gown, and his slave was also wearing one similar to it. I asked him about it, and he said that he had exchanged harsh words with a person during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and put him to shame by making a reference to his mother. That person came to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and made mention of that to him. Thereupon the Messenger of Allah said, "You are a person who has remnants of the 'Days of Ignorance' in you. Your slaves are your brothers. Allah has placed them under your authority. He who has his brother under him, should feed him from whatever he eats, and dress him with whatever he wears, and do not burden them (assign burdensome task to them) beyond their capacity; and if you burden them then help them."

[Al- Bukhari and Muslim].

Whenever the Prophet (PBUH) returned from Hajj or 'Umrah and ascended a height or hill, he would recite thrice: "Allahu Akbar (Allah is Greatest)." Then he would say, "La ilaha ill-allahu wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahul- mulku, wa lahul-hamdu, wa Huwa 'ala kulli shay'in Qadeer. Ayibuna ta'ibuna 'abiduna li-Rabbina hamidun. Sadaq-Allahu wa'dahu, wa nasara 'abdahu, wa hazamal-ahzaba wahdahu [None has the right to be worshipped but Allah, Who has no partner, to Whom the sovereignty belongs, to Whom all praise is due, and Who is Able to do all things. We are those who return (in safety), feel penitence, worship Allah, prostrate before our Rubb and praise Him. Allah has fulfilled His Promise, helped His slave (i.e., Muhammad (PBUH)) and He Alone vanquished the Clans]."

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "The first group (of people) to enter Jannah will be shining like the moon on a full-moon night. Then will come those who follow them who will be like the most shining planet in the sky. They will not stand in need of urinating or relieving of nature or of spitting or blowing their noses. Their combs will be of gold and their sweat will smell like musk; in their censers the aloes-wood will be used. Their wives will be large eyed maidens. All men will be alike in the form of their father 'Adam, sixty cubits tall."

Another narration is: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Their utensils will be of gold, their perspiration 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 Jannah) will neither have difference, nor enmity (hatred) amongst themselves; their hearts will be as if one heart, and they will be glorifying Allah in the morning and in the afternoon."

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "I know of the last of the inhabitants of the Hell to be taken out from there and the last one to enter Jannah. He is a man who will come out of the Fire, crawling on all fours. Allah, the Rubb of glory and honour will say to him: 'Go and enter Jannah.' He will go to it and think that it is full up. He will then come back and say: 'O my Rubb, it is full up.' Allah will say to him: 'Go and enter Jannah.' He will again go to it and think that it is full up. So he will turn back. Allah will again say: 'Go and enter Jannah. For you have what is equal to ten times the world.' He will say: 'Are You making fun of me while You are the King?" At this I (i.e., the narrator) saw the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) laugh till his premolars were visible and he said, "Such man will be the last dweller of Jannah in its lowest rank."

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Ibn ‘Abbas reported God’s messenger as saying on the day of the conquest of Mecca, “There is no hijra, but only jihad and intention ; and when you are called to battle, go forth.’’ He also said on the day of the conquest of Mecca, “God made this town sacred on the day He created the heavens and the earth, so it is sacred by the sacredness conferred on it by God till the day of resurrection. Fighting in it has not been lawful to anyone before me and it has been made lawful for me only during one hour on one day, so it is sacred by the sacredness conferred on it by God till the day of resurrection. Its thorns are not to be cut, its game is not to be molested, things dropped are to be picked up only by one who publicly announces it, and its fresh herbage is not to be cut.” Ibn ‘Abbas made the suggestion, “Except the rush, messenger of God, for it is useful for their blacksmiths and for their houses.” He then said, “Except the rush.” (Bukhari and Muslim.) A version by Abu Huraira has, “Its trees are not to be lopped, and only one who announces it may pick up anything which falls in it.”

My father and I visited Abu Barza al-Aslami and my father asked him how God’s Messenger used to observe the prescribed prayer. He replied, “He used to pray the noon prayer (al-hajir), which you call the first, when the sun was past the meridian; he would pray the afternoon prayer, after which one of us would return to his dwelling in the outskirts of Medina while the sun was still bright; (I forget what he said about the sunset prayer); he liked to postpone the night prayer, which you call al-atama, objecting to sleeping before it or talking after it and he would turn away from the morning prayer when a man could recognise his neighbour, and he would recite from sixty to a hundred verses during it.” A version has, “He did not mind postponing the night prayer till a third of the night had passed; and he did not like sleeping before it, or talking after it.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

I went on an expedition with God’s Messenger to Najd, and when we came in front of the enemy we drew up in line facing them. God’s Messenger then stood up and led us in prayer, and one section stood up along with him while another faced the enemy. He prayed a rak'a with those who were with him and made two prostrations, and then they changed places with those who had not prayed. When they came God’s Messenger prayed a rak'a with them and made two prostrations, then he uttered the salutation and each of them got up and left, after which he prayed a rak'a alone and made two prostrations. Nafi‘ transmitted something similar, adding that when there was greater cause for fear than on that occasion they prayed standing on their feet or mounted, without considering whether or not they were facing the qibla. Nafi‘ said he thought God’s Messenger was the one on whose authority Ibn ‘Umar mentioned that. Bukhari transmitted it.

Abu Huraira said that when Abu Bakr was made the Prophet's successor after his death and infidelity arose among certain Arabs, ‘Umar b. al-Khattab asked Abu Bakr how he could fight with the people when God’s messenger had said, “I have been commanded to fight with the people till they say there is no god but God, so whoever says so has protected his property and his person from me except for what is due from him, and his reckoning is left to God.” Abu Bakr replied, “I swear by God that I will certainly fight with those who make a distinction between prayer and zakat, for the zakat is what is due from property. I swear by God that if they were to refuse me a female kid which they used to pay to God’s messenger I would fight with them over the refusal of it." ‘Umar then said, “I swear by God that I clearly saw God had made Abu Bakr feel justified in fighting, and I recognised that it was right." (Bukhari and Muslim).

He told that a man who used to eat a great amount accepted Islam and began to eat little. When that was mentioned to the Prophet he said, “The believer eats in one intestine but the infidel in seven.”* *This is explained as a figure of speech to indicate the greed of the infidel and the lack of greed on the part of the believer. Bukhari transmitted it. Muslim transmitted on the authority of Abu Musa and Ibn ‘Umar only the part which quotes the Prophet. In another version by him on the authority of Abu Huraira it says that a man who was an infidel was entertained by God’s messenger. He ordered a sheep to be milked and the man drank what was drawn from it, then another and he drank it, then another and he drank it, till he had drunk the milk drawn from seven sheep. In the morning the man accepted Islam and God’s messenger ordered a sheep to be milked for him . When he had drunk what was drawn from it he ordered another to be milked, but when he did not finish all the milk God’s messenger said, “ The believer drinks in one intestine, but the infidel drinks in seven.”

I went to God’s Messenger in the year of the Conquest and found him bathing while his daughter Fatima was screening him with a garment. I gave a salutation and he asked who was there, then when I told him I was Umm Hani’ daughter of Abu Talib he said, “Welcome, Umm Hani’.” After he finished his bathing he got up and prayed eight rak'as wrapped in a garment, and when he was done I said, “Messenger of God, my mother’s son ‘Ali has asserted that he is going to kill a man to whom I have given protection, so and so the son of Hubaira.” He replied, “We have given protection to those to whom you have granted it, Umm Hani'.” She said that that was in the forenoon. (Bukhari and Muslim.) In a version by Tirmidhi she said, “I have given protection to two of my husband’s male relatives,” and God’s Messenger replied, “We have given security to those to whom you have given it.”

Ibn 'Umar told that 'Umar stood up to make a speech and said, “God’s Messenger employed the Jews of Khaibar to work their property and told them he would confirm them in it as long as God did; and I have now seen good to deport them.” When ‘Umar decided on that one of the B. Abul Huqaiq came to him and said, “Commander of the Faithful, are you expelling us when Muhammad has confirmed us in our property and employed us to work it?” 'Umar replied, “Do you think I have forgotten what God’s Messenger said when he asked how you would feel when you were expelled from Khaibar, your camel running along with you night after night?” He said, “This was a little joke on the part of Abul Qasim,” to which ‘Umar retorted, “You lie, enemy of God.” He then deported them, giving them the value of the fruits they possessed in money, camels and goods such as saddles, ropes, etc. Bukhari transmitted it.

When the Prophet took us out on an expedition against a people he did not set out with us till the morning. He would look at them, and if he heard a call to prayer he refrained from them, but if he did not hear any he attacked them. We went out to Khaibar and reached them by night, but when the morning came and he heard no call to prayer he mounted. I mounted behind Abu Talha and my foot was touching God’s Prophet’s They came out to us with their large baskets and their spades, and when they saw the Prophet they said, “Muhammad, by God, Muhammad and the army," and went for refuge to the fortress. When God's Messenger saw them he said, “God is most great, God is most great. Khaibar has fallen.¹ When we alight in the courtyard of a people it is an evil morning for those who have been warned."² 1. Or, 'May Khaibar fall. 2. Cf. Al-Qur'an; 37:177. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

`Abdallah b. `Umar reported God's messenger as saying, "Last night I found myself in a vision at the Ka`ba and saw a ruddy man like the most good-looking of that type that you can see with the most beautiful lock of hair you can see. He had combed it out, and it was dripping with water. He was leaning on the shoulders of two men and going round the House. When I asked who he was I was told that he was the Messiah, son of Mary. Then I saw a man with short, woolly hair who was blind in the right eye, his eye looking like a floating grape. I have never seen anyone more closely resembling Ibn Qatan. He was placing his hands on the shoulders of two men and going round the House. I asked who this man was and was told that he was the antichrist." In a version he said about the dajjal that he was a red, fleshy man with woolly hair, blind in the right eye, Ibn Qatan being the one who resembled him most closely. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

I was with God's messenger when some people of Tamim came to him. He said, "Receive the good news, B. Tamim," and they replied, "You have given us good news, so grant us something." Some of the people of the Yemen then entered and he said, "Receive the good news, people of the Yemen, since the B. Tamim have not accepted it." They replied, "We have accepted it. We have come to you to become versed in the religion and to ask you about what was the beginning of this matter." He said, "God existed and there was nothing before Him, His Throne being upon the water. He then created the heavens and the earth and inscribed everything in the memorial[*]." At that point a man came to me and said, "Catch up on your she-camel, `Imran," for it had gone away. I therefore went off to look for it, but I swear by God that I wish it had been lost and that I had not got up and left. *i.e., the Preserved Tablet. Bukhari transmitted it.

`Ata' b. Yasar told that he met `Abdallah b. `Amr b. al- `As and asked him to inform him of the description of God's messenger given in the Torah. He agreed, swearing by God that he was certainly described in the Torah by part of the description of him given in the Qur'an when it says, "0 prophet, We have sent you as a witness, a bearer of good tidings, and a warner[1], and a guard for the common people. You are my servant and my messenger; I have, called you the one who trusts, not harsh or rough, nor loud-voiced in the streets. He will not repulse evil with evil, but will- pardon and forgive, and God will not take him till He uses him to straighten the crooked creed so that people may say there is no god but God, and opens thereby blind eyes, deaf ears and hardened hearts[2]." Quran; 33:45. Reminiscent of Isaiah 42; 1-4. Bukhari transmitted it, and Darimi also gives something to the same effect on the authority of `Ata who gave as his authority Ibn Salam.

When "And warn your nearest relations"[1] was sent down the Prophet went out, ascended as-Safa', and began to call, "B. Fihr, B. `Adi," calling clans of Quraish until they gathered; and when a man was unable to go out, he sent a messenger to see what was the matter. When Abu Lahab arid all Quraish had come he said, "Tell me; If I were to inform you that horsemen were coming forth from the side of this mountain (a version having: were coming forth in the wadi) with the intention of making a raid on you, would you believe me?" They replied, "Yes; we have experienced nothing but truth from you." He said, "Well, I am a warner to you before a severe chastisement." Abu Lahab said, "May you perish! Is it for this you have brought us together?" Then came down, "Perish the hands of Abu Lahab and may he perish!"[2] Quran; 26:214 Quran; 111 (Bukhari and Muslim.)

We made complaint to the Prophet when he was using a striped cloak as a cushion in the shade of the Ka'ba, for we had experienced persecution from the polytheists, asking him if he would not make supplication to God. His face became red, and he sat and said, "Before your time a man would have a pit dug for him in the earth and be put in it, then a saw would be brought and placed above his head which would be split in two, but that would not turn him away from his religion. He would be combed with iron combs below his flesh in bone and sinew, but that would not turn him away from his religion. I swear by God that this matter will reach perfection, so that a rider will go from San'a' to Hadramaut fearing nothing but God, or a wolf which may attack his sheep; but you are in a hurry." [*] *An assurance is here given that the polytheists will receive their punishment, but the people who complained to the Prophet are exhorted to exert patience till the time for that comes. Bukhari transmitted it.

Allāhumma aslamtu nafsī ilayk, wa fawwaḍtu amrī ilayk, wa wajjahtu wajhī ilayk, wa alja'tu ẓahrī ilayk, raghbatan wa rahbatan ilayk, lā malja'a wa la manjā minka illā ilayk, āmantu bikitābika ‘l-ladhī anzalt, wa bi-nabiyyika ‘l-ladhī arsalt. O Allah,1 I submit myself to You, entrust my affairs to You, turn my face to You, and lay myself down depending upon You, hoping in You and fearing You. There is no refuge, and no escape, except to You. I believe in Your Book (the Qur'an) that You revealed, and the Prophet whom You sent. Reference: 1 "Before you go to bed perform ablutions as you would for prayer, then lie down on your right side and say. . . " The Prophet (SAW) said: "Whoever says this and dies in his sleep, has died in a state of the natural monotheism (Fitrah)." Al-Bukhari, cf. Al-Asqalani, Fathul-Bari 11/113, Muslim 4/2081.

Allah (mighty and sublime be He) said: If My servant likes to meet Me, I like to meet him; and if he dislikes to meet Me, I dislike to meet him. Prophetic explanation of this Sacred Hadith: He who likes to meet Allah, Allah likes to meet him; and he who dislikes to meet Allah, Allah dislikes to meet him. Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: O Prophet of Allah, is it because of the dislike of death, for all of us dislike death? The Prophet (pbuh) said: It is not so, but rather it is that when the believer is given news of Allah's mercy, His approval and His Paradise, he likes to meet Allah and Allah likes to meet him; but when the unbeliever is given news of Allah's punishment and His displeasure, he dislikes to meet Allah and Allah dislikes to meet him. It was related by al-Bukhari and Malik. The Prophetic version is related by Muslim.

A servant [of Allah's] committed a sin and said: O Allah, forgive me my sin. And He (glorified and exalted be He) said: My servant has committed a sin and has known that he has a Lord who forgives sins and punishes for them. Then he sinned again and said: O Lord, forgive me my sin. And He (glorified and exalted be He) said: My servant has committed a sin and has known that he has a Lord who forgives sins and punishes for them. Then he sinned again and said: O Lord, forgive me my sin. And He (glorified and exalted be He) said: My servant has committed a sin and has known that he has a Lord who forgives sins and punishes for sins. Do what you wish, for I have forgiven you. It was related by Muslim (also by al-Bukhari).

A man of the people of Najd with dishevelled hair came to God’s messenger. We could hear the sound of his voice, but could not understand what he was saying till he came near God’s messenger and we realised that he was asking about Islam. God’s messenger said, “Five times of prayer each day and night.” He asked, “Must I observe any more than them?” He replied, “No, unless you do it voluntarily.” God's messenger said, “And fasting during the month of Ramadan.” He asked, “Must I observe anything else?” He replied, “No, unless you do it voluntarily.” Talha said that God's messenger mentioned the zakat to him, and he asked, “Must I pay anything else?” He replied, “No, unless you do it voluntarily.” He said that the man turned away saying, “I swear by God that I shall not add anything to this or fall short of it.” So God’s messenger said, “The man will prosper if he is speaking the truth.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Usama b. Zaid said the Prophet’s daughter sent him a message telling him that a son of hers was dying and asking him to come to them. He sent her a greeting, saying at the same time, “What God has taken belongs to Him, what He has given belongs to Him, and He has an appointed time for everyone, so let her show endurance and seek her reward from God.” She then sent adjuring him to come to her, and he got up to go accompanied by Sa'd b. ‘Ubada, Mu'adh b. Jabal, Ubayy b. Ka'b, Zaid b. Thabit and some other men. The boy who was on the point of death (This is an attempt to express the meaning of the Arabic which says literally ‘his soul was disquieted [or, restless]) was lifted up to God’s messenger whose eyes overflowed with tears. Sa'd said, “What is this, messenger of God?” He replied, “This is compassion which God has placed in the hearts of His servants. God shows compassion only to those of His servants who are compassionate.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

While we were sitting with the Prophet a bier was brought along and the Prophet was asked to pray over it. He asked whether the dead man owed anything and when he was told that he did not he prayed over it. Another bier was brought along later, and when he asked whether the dead man owed anything and was told that he did, he asked whether he had left anything. On being told that he had left three dinars he prayed over the bier. A third was brought along later, and when he asked whether the dead man owed anything and was told that he owed three dinars, he asked whether he had left anything. On being told that he had not, he ordered them to pray over their friend; but when Abu Qatada said, “Pray over him, Messenger of God, and I shall be responsible for his debt,” he prayed over him. Bukhari transmitted it.

Ibn ‘Umar told that when ‘Umar got some land in Khaibar he went it to the Prophet and said, “Messenger of God, I have acquired land in Khaibar which I consider to be more valuable than any I have ever | acquired, so what do you command me to do with it?” He replied, “If you wish you may make the property an inalienable possession and give { its produce as sadaqa ” So ‘Umar gave it as sadaqa declaring that the property must not be sold, given away, or inherited, and he gave its produce as sadaqa to be devoted to the poor, relatives, the emancipation j of slaves, God’s path, travellers and guests, no sin being committed by the one who administers it if he eats something from it in a reasonable b manner or gives something to someone else to eat*, provided he is not storing up goods [for himself]. Ibn Sirin said, “Provided he is not acquiring capital for himself.” * This is a literal translation. It is used of him getting a reasonable return for his services, i | both for himself and for his family. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Zaid b. Khalid told that when a man came to God's Messenger and asked him about a find he said, “Note what it is contained in and what it is tied with and make the matter known for a year. Then if its owner comes give it to him, otherwise you can do what you like with it.” He asked about stray sheep (or goats) and he replied, “You, your brother, or the wolf may have them.” He asked about stray camels and he replied, “What have you to do with them? They have their stomachs and their feet. They can go down to water and eat trees till their master finds them.” In a version by Muslim he said, “Make the matter known for a year, then note what it is contained in and what it is tied with and use it for your own purposes, but if its owner comes you must deliver it to him*.” * This tradition says that after a year the finder may do as he likes with the article, but that if the owner turns up later he must restore it to him, or give him an equivalent if he has disposed of it. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

When we were near Medina on our return from an expedition in which we had accompanied the Prophet I told him that I had recently married. He asked, “Have you married?" and when I told him that I had, he asked whether I had married a virgin or a woman who had previously been married. On my telling him that it was one who had previously been married he said, “Why did you not marry a virgin with whom you could sport and who could sport with you?" Then when we arrived and were about to enter he said, “Wait so that we may enter by night, i.e. in the evening, in order that the woman with dishevelled hair may comb it and the woman whose husband has been away may get herself ready [for her husband’s enjoyment].’’* (Bukhari and Muslim.) * Tastahidd literally means to shave the hair on the private parts, and is explained as being used here in the sense or preparing herself for her husband’s enjoyment.

Abu Dharr said he asked the Prophet what action was most excellent, and he replied, "Faith in God and jihad in His path." He then asked which slaves were most excellent ¹ and he replied. “Those whose price is highest and who are held in most esteem by their people." He asked what he should do if unable to act accordingly ² and he replied, "You should assist a workman, or work for one who is unskilled." He asked what he should do if unable to act accordingly and he replied, "Do no harm to others ³ for that is sadaqa you bestow on yourself." Bukhari and Muslim. 1. i.e. for the purpose of emancipating them. 2. The Arabic is fa-in lam af'al which is somewhat vague. It most probably means he is asking what he should do if unable to emancipate a slave of such quality. 3. This is an accepted meaning of the Arabic tada'u ‘un-nas min ash-sharr. Another possible meaning is to leave people alone because of their evil.

Abu Huraira said that God’s messenger told of a man who committed a sin and said, "My Lord, I have sinned, so forgive me.” His Lord replied, “Does my servant know that he has a Lord who pardons sin and punishes for it? I have pardoned my servant." After remaining [obedient] such time as God willed he committed a sin and said, “My Lord, I have sinned, so forgive me.” His Lord replied, “Does my servant know that he has a Lord who pardons sin and punishes for it? I have pardoned my servant.” Then after remaining [obedient] such time as God willed he committed a sin and said, “My Lord, I have committed another sin, so forgive me.” He replied, “Does my servant know that he has a Lord who pardons sin and punishes for it? I have pardoned my servant, so let him do what he likes.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Three men came to the houses of the wives of the Prophet (PBUH) to inquire about the worship of the Prophet (PBUH). When they were informed, they considered their worship insignificant and said: "Where are we in comparison with the Prophet (PBUH) while Allah has forgiven his past sins and future sins". One of them said: "As for me, I shall offer Salat all night long." Another said: "I shall observe Saum (fasting) continuously and shall not break it". Another said: "I shall abstain from women and shall never marry". The Prophet (PBUH) came to them and said, "Are you the people who said such and such things? By Allah, I fear Allah more than you do, and I am most obedient and dutiful among you to Him, but still I observe fast and break it; perform Salat and sleep at night and take wives. So whoever turns away from my Sunnah does not belong to me".

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

'Abdullah bin Sahl and Muhaiyisah bin Mas'ud (May Allah be pleased with them) went to Khaibar during the period of the truce (after its conquest) and they separated to perform their duties. When Muhaiyisah returned to `Abdullah bin Sahl, he found him murdered, drenched in his blood. So he buried him and returned to Al-Madinah. Then `Abdur-Rahman bin Sahl, Huwaiyisah and Muhaiyisah, the two sons of Mas`ud went to Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and spoke about the case of their (murdered) friend. `Abdur-Rahman, who was the youngest of them all, started talking. Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Let those older than you speak first." So he stopped talking and the (other two) spoke about the case of their (murdered) friend. Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Will you take an oath whereby you will have the right to receive the blood money of your murdered man?" And mentioned the rest of the Hadith. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (PBUH), the truthful and the receiver of the truth informed us, saying, "The creation of you (humans) is gathered in the form of semen in the womb of your mother for forty days, then it becomes a clinging thing in similar (period), then it becomes a lump of flesh like that, then Allah sends an angel who breathes the life into it; and (the angel) is commanded to record four things about it: Its provision, its term of life (in this world), its conduct; and whether it will be happy or miserable. By the One besides Whom there is no true god! Verily, one of you would perform the actions of the dwellers of Jannah until there is only one cubit between him and it (Jannah), when what is foreordained would come to pass and he would perform the actions of the inmates of Hell until he enter it. And one of you would perform the actions of the inmates of Hell, until there is only one cubit between him and Hell. Then he would perform the acts of the dwellers of Jannah until he would enter it."

[Al- Bukhari and Muslim].

The Quraish were much worried about the case of a Makhzumiyah woman who had committed theft and wondered who should intercede for her with Messenger of Allah (PBUH) (so that she would not get punished for her crime). Some said Usamah bin Zaid (May Allah be pleased with him) was his beloved and so he may dare do so. So Usamah(May Allah be pleased with him) spoke to him about that matter and the Prophet (PBUH) said to him, "Do you intercede when one of the legal punishments ordained by Allah has been voilated?" Then he got up and addressed the people saying, "The people before you were ruined because when a noble person amongst them committed theft, they would leave him, but if a weak person amongst them committed theft, they would execute the legal punishment on him. By Allah, were Fatimah, the daughter of Muhammad, to commit the theft, I would have cut off her hand."

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "He who utters a hundred times in a day these words: 'La ilaha illallahu, wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu, wa Huwa 'ala kulli sha'in Qadir (there is no true god except Allah. He is One and He has no partner with Him; His is the sovereignty and His is the praise, and He is Omnipotent),' he will have a reward equivalent to that for emancipating ten slaves, a hundred good deeds will be recorded to his credit, hundred of his sins will be blotted out from his scroll, and he will be safeguarded against the devil on that day till the evening; and no one will exceed him in doing more excellent good deeds except someone who has recited these words more often than him. And he who utters: 'Subhan-Allahi wa bihamdihi (Allah is free from imperfection and His is the praise)' one hundred times a day, his sins will be obliterated even if they are equal to the extent of the foam of the ocean."

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Companions of As-Suffah were poor people. The Prophet (PBUH) said, "Whoever has food enough for two people, should take a third one (from among them), and whoever has food enough for four persons, should take a fifth or sixth (or said something similar)." Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) took three people with him while Messenger of Allah (PBUH) took ten. Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) took his supper with the Prophet (PBUH) and stayed there till he offered the 'Isha' prayers. After a part of the night had passed, he returned to his house. His wife said to him: "What has detained you from your guests?" He said: "Have you not served supper to them?" She said: "They refused to take supper until you come." [Abdur-Rahman (Abu Bakr's son) or the servants] presented the meal to them but they refused to eat. I (the narrator) hid myself out of fear. Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) (my father) rebuked me. Then he said to them: "Please eat. By Allah! I will never eat the meal." 'Abdur-Rahman added: Whenever we took a morsel of the meal, the meal grew from underneath more than that morsel we had till everybody ate to his satisfaction; yet the remaining food was more than what was in the beginning. On seeing this, Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) called his wife and said: "O sister of Banu Firas! What is this?" She said: "O pleasure of my eyes! The food has increased thrice in quantity." Then Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) started eating. He said: "My oath not to take the meal was because of Satan." He took a morsel handful from it and carried the rest to the Prophet (PBUH). That food remained with him. In those days there was a treaty between us and the pagans and when the period of that treaty elapsed, he (PBUH) divided us into twelve groups and every group was headed by a man. Allah knows how many men were under the command of each leader. Anyhow, all of them ate of that meal.

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

There are some more narrations in both Al-Bukhari and Muslim with very minor differences in wordings and in details.

Ibn Shihab said Salim told him that in the year al-Hajjaj b. Yusuf attacked Ibn az-Zubair (Abdallah b. az-Zubair who was in Mecca had laid claims to the Caliphate. ‘Abd al-Malik, the Umayvad Caliph, sent an army under al-Hajjaj b. Yusuf towards the end of 72, A.H. to deal with Ibn az-Zubair, and although there had been fighting in the plain of ‘Arafat, hostilities ceased in order that the Pilgrimage might be observed, and were later resumed.) he asked ‘Abdallah (This is ‘Abdallah b. ‘Umar who is said to have been the one who was the means of having the hostilities stopped during the season of pilgrimage) how they were to act at the standing at ‘Arafa. Salim said, “If you wish to keep to the sunna, observe the prayer in the noonday heat on the day of ‘Arafa.” ‘Abdallah b. ‘Umar then said, “He has spoken the truth ; they were accustomed to combine the noon and the afternoon prayer in accordance with the sunna.” Ibn Shihab asked Salim whether God's messenger did that, and Salim replied, “In doing that do they follow anything but his sunna?” Bukhari transmitted it.

Ibn ‘Abbas told how the Prophet said when he got up during the night to pray, “O God, to Thee be the praise; Thou art supreme over the heavens and the earth and their inhabitants. To Thee be the praise; Thou art the Light of the heavens and the earth and their inhabitants. To Thee be the praise; Thou art the King of the heavens and the earth and their inhabitants. To Thee be the praise; Thou art the Truth, Thy promise is truth, the meeting with Thee is true, Thy word is true, paradise is true, hell is true, the prophets are true, Muhammad is true, the last hour is true. O God, to Thee I submit, in Thee I believe upon Thee I trust, to Thee I repent, by Thy help I have disputed, and to Thee I have come for decision, so forgive me my former and my latter sins, my secret and my open sins, and what Thou knowest better than I. Thou art He who brings forward, and Thou art He who defers. There is no god but Thee, and there is no other god than Thee.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

God has cursed the women who tattoo and the women who have themselves tattooed, the women who pluck hairs from their faces and who make spaces between their teeth for beauty, changing what God has created. When a woman came and told him she had heard he had cursed such and such he asked why he should not curse those whom God’s messenger had cursed and those who were mentioned in God’s Book. She told him she had read it from cover to cover and had not found in it what he had been saying, to which he replied that if she had read it she would have found it, and asked her whether she had not read, “What the apostle has brought you accept, and what he has forbidden you refrain from.” (Qur’an, 59, 7). On her replying that she had, he said he had forbidden what he had been talking about. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

“When God decrees a matter in heaven the angels move their wings in submission to His word which is like a chain on a smooth stone. Then when their hearts are delivered from fear they say, ‘What did your Lord say?’ and receive the reply, ‘That which He said is the truth and He is the Most High and the Most Great.’ Then those who listen by stealth hear it, and they are thus, some above others (Sufyan* illustrating it with the palm of his hand, turning it and separating the fingers). Then one hears the word and passes it on to the one who is below him and the other passes it on to the one who is below him, and so on till one passes it on the tongue of the magician or the kahin. Often a flame catches him before he passes it on,** but often he passes it on before it catches him, and he tells a hundred lies along with it. People ask whether he did not say such and such on such and such a day, and he is believed because of that word which was heard from heaven." Bukhari transmitted it. * i.e, Sufyan b. ‘Uyaina through whom the tradition was transmitted. ** Cf. Qur’an, 15: 18

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported God's messenger as saying, "On the day of resurrection the earth will be one piece of bread which the Almighty will turn in His hand, as one of you turns his loaf while travelling, to be food provided for the inhabitants of paradise." A Jew then came and said, "May the Compassionate One bless you, Abul Qasim! Shall I not tell you the food provided on the day of resurrection for those who will go to paradise?" Receiving the reply, "Certainly," he said, "The earth will be one piece of bread as the Prophet has said." The Prophet then looked at the people and laughed so that his molar teeth were visible, and the Jew said, "Shall I not tell you what they will have to season it t It will be balam[*] and fish." He was asked what that wis and replied that it was an ox and a fish from whose excessive livers seventy thousand would eat. *This word which is explained as meaning an ox is mentioned in Taj al-'arus in connection with this tradition as a Hebrew word, but that is probably because a Jew used it and had to be asked what it meant. There seems to be no justification for calling it Hebrew. (Bukhari and Muslim,)

He reported God's messenger as saying, "The angel of death came to Moses, son of Imran and told him to answer his Lord's summons, whereupon Moses gave the angel of death a blow in the eye and knocked it out. The angel then returned to God most high and said, `Thou didst send me to a servant of Thine who does not wish to die, and he has put out my eye.' God restored his eye to him and said, `Go back to my servant and ask him if it is life he wants, then tell him that if he wants life he must place his hand on an ox's back, and he will live a year for every hair which covers his hand.' [Moses] asked what would happen after that, and when he was told that he would die he said, `Let it be now without delay. My Lord, bring me within a stone's throw of the holy land'." God's messenger said, "I swear by God that if I were there, I would show you his grave beside the road at the red mound.'[*] (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Allāhumma anta Rabbī lā ilāha illā ant, khalaqtanī wa anā `abduk, wa anā `alā `ahdika wa wa`dika mastaṭa`t, a`ūdhu bika min sharri mā ṣana`t, abū'u laka bi ni`matika `alay, wa abū'u bidhanbī faghfir lī fa'innahu lā yaghfirudh-dhunūba illā ant. O Allah, You are my Lord, there is none worthy of worship but You. You created me and I am your slave. I keep Your covenant, and my pledge to You so far as I am able. I seek refuge in You from the evil of what I have done. I admit to Your blessings upon me, and I admit to my misdeeds. Forgive me, for there is none who may forgive sins but You. Reference: Whoever recites this with conviction in the evening and dies during that night shall enter Paradise, and whoever recites it with conviction in the morning and dies during that day shall enter Paradise, Al-Bukhari 7/150. Other reports are in An-Nasa'i and At-Tirmidhi.

Allāhumma innī aṣbaḥtu ush-hiduka wa ush-hidu ḥamalata `arshik, wa malā'ikataka wajamī`a khalqik, annaka antallāhu lā ilāha illā ant, waḥdaka lā sharīka lak, wa anna Muḥammadan `abduka wa rasūluk. O Allah, I have entered a new morning 1 and call upon You and upon the bearers of Your Throne, upon Your angels and all creation to bear witness that surely You are Allah, there is none worthy of worship but You alone, You have no partners, and that Muhammad is Your slave and Your Messenger. (Recite four times in Arabic.) 2 Reference: 1 When you say this in the evening you should say, Allāhumma innī amsaytu. . . .: "O Allah, I have ended another day..." 2 "Allah will spare whoever says this four times in the morning or evening from the fire of Hell." Abu Dawud 4/317. It was also reported by Al-Bukhari in Al-'Adab Al-Mufrad, An-Nasa'i in 'Amalul-Yawm wal-Laylah and Ibn As-Sunni. Nasa'i's and Abu Dawud's chains of transmission are good (Hasan), Ibn Baz, p. 23.

The Messenger of Allah (saws), and he is the truthful, the believed, narrated to us, “Verily the creation of each one of you is brought together in his mother’s womb for forty days in the form of a nutfah (a drop), then he becomes an alaqah (clot of blood) for a like period, then a mudghah (morsel of flesh) for a like period, then there is sent to him the angel who blows his soul into him and who is commanded with four matters: to write down his rizq (sustenance), his life span, his actions, and whether he will be happy or unhappy (i.e., whether or not he will enter Paradise). By the One, other than Whom there is no deity, verily one of you performs the actions of the people of Paradise until there is but an arms length between him and it, and that which has been written overtakes him, and so he acts with the actions of the people of the Hellfire and thus enters it; and verily one of you performs the actions of the people of the Hellfire, until there is but an arms length between him and it, and that which has been written overtakes him and so he acts with the actions of the people of Paradise and thus he enters it.” [Bukhari & Muslim]

The Messenger of Allah (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) led the morning prayer for us at al-Hudaybiyah following rainfall during the night. When the Prophet (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) finished, he faced the people and said to them: Do you know what your Lord has said? They said: Allah and his Messenger know best. He said: This morning one of my servants became a believer in Me and one a disbeliever. As for him who said: We have been given rain by virtue of Allah and His mercy, that one is a believer in Me, a disbeliever in the stars (2); and as for him who said: We have been given rain by such-and-such a star, that one is a disbeliever in Me, a believer in the stars. (2) The pre-Islamic Arabs believed that rain was brought about by the movement of stars. This Hadith draws attention to the fact that whatever be the direct cause of such natural phenomena as rain, it is Allah the Almighty who is the Disposer of all things. It was related by al-Bukhari (also by Malik and an-Nasa'i).

Allah (mighty and sublime be He) said: Whosoever shows enmity to someone devoted to Me, I shall be at war with him. My servant draws not near to Me with anything more loved by Me than the religious duties I have enjoined upon him, and My servant continues to draw near to Me with supererogatory works so that I shall love him. When I love him I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask [something] of Me, I would surely give it to him, and were he to ask Me for refuge, I would surely grant him it. I do not hesitate about anything as much as I hesitate about [seizing] the soul of My faithful servant: he hates death and I hate hurting him. It was related by al-Bukhari.

‘Umar b. al-Khattab reported, God's messenger as saying, “If anyone performs the ablution completely*, then says, ‘I testify that there in no god but God and that Muhammad is His servant and messenger’ (a version giving, ‘I testify that there is no god but God alone who has no partner, and I testify that Muhammad is His servant and messenger’), the eight gates of paradise will be opened for him and he may enter by whichever of them he wishes." *The text has alternative words here, fa-yublighu au fa-yusbighu. Thus Muslim transmitted it in his Sahih, and al-Humaidi among the traditions given by Muslim but not by Bukhari, as also did Ibn al-Athir in Jami' al-usul. The Shaikh Muhyi ad-Din an-Nawawi mentioned it at the end of Muslim’s traditions as we have transmitted it. Tirmidhi added, “O God, put me among the penitent, and put me among those who are purified." The tradition, “He who performs ablution and does it well" which Muhyi as-Sunna transmitted among the sound ones is transmitted identically by Tirmidhi in his Jami' except for “I testify" before the words "that Muhammad."

‘Abdallah b. ‘Amr b. al-‘As told of God’s messenger saying to him, “Have I not been informed, ‘Abdallah, that you fast during the day and get up at night for prayer?” [Mirqat explains this as meaning all night.] When he replied that that was so, he said, “Do not do it. Fast and break your fast, get up for prayer and sleep, for you have a duty to your body, your eye, your wife, and your visitors. May he who observe a perpetual fast never fast!* Fasting three days every month is equivalent to a perpetual fast. Fast three days every month and recite the Qur'an every month.” When he replied that he was able to do more than that, he said, “Observe the most excellent fast, that of David, fasting every second day, and recite the Qur’an once every seven nights, but do no more than that.” * Cf. the similar phrase in the tradition of Abu Qatada (p.434). Some hold that the meaning here is, ‘He who observes a perpetual fast has not fasted.’ (Bukhari and Muslim.)

that if any of the polytheists came to him he should send them back to them; that if any of the Muslims went to them they should not send them back; and that he should be allowed to enter [Mecca] the following year and stay in it for three days. When he entered it and the period had passed he went out, and Hamza’s daughter followed him calling, “Uncle, uncle.” ‘Ali took her and held her by the hand, and ‘Ali, Zaid and Ja'far disputed about her. ‘Ali said, “I have taken her, and she is the daughter of my paternal uncle.” Ja'far said, “She is the daughter of my paternal uncle and her maternal aunt is my wife.” Zaid said, “She is my brother’s daughter.” The Prophet then gave decision about her in favour of her maternal aunt, saying, “The maternal aunt is in the position of the mother.” To ‘Ali he said, “You pertain to me and I pertain to you;” to Ja'far, “You resemble my form and nature;” and to Zaid, “You are our brother and client.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

‘Abdallah b. ‘Umar told that the Jews came to God’s Messenger and mentioned to him that a man and a woman of their number had committed fornication. He asked them what they found in the Torah about stoning and they replied that they should disgrace them and that they should be beaten. ‘Abdallah b. Salam then said, “You lie; it contains instruction that they should be stoned to death, so bring the Torah.” They spread it out, and one of them put his hand over the verse of stoning and read what preceded it and what followed it. 'Abdallah b. Salam told him to lift his hand and when he did so the verse of stoning was seen to be in it. They then said, “He has spoken the truth, Muhammad; the verse of stoning is in it.” The Prophet then gave command regarding them and they were stoned to death. In a version it says that he told him to lift his hand and that when he did so the verse of stoning was clearly in it. The man then said, “It contains the verse of stoning, Muhammad, but we have been concealing it from one another.” He then gave command regarding them and they were stoned to death. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

‘A'isha said Quraish were anxious about the Makhzumi woman who had committed theft and asked, “Who will speak to God’s Messenger about her?” Then they said, “Who will be bold enough for it but Usama b. Zaid, God’s Messenger’s friend?” So Usama spoke to him and God’s Messenger said, “Are you interceding regarding one of the punishments prescribed by God?” He then got up and gave an address, saying, “What destroyed your predecessors was just that when a person of rank among them committed a theft they left him alone, but when a weak one of their number committed a theft they inflicted the prescribed punishment on him. I swear by God that if Fatima daughter of Muhammad should steal I would have her hand cut off.” (Bukhari and Muslim). In a version by Muslim she said that a Makhzumi woman used to borrow goods and deny having received them, so the Prophet gave orders that her hand should be cut off. Her family went and spoke to Usama and he spoke about her to God's Messenger. Then he mentioned the tradition in similar form to what has preceded.

Al-Bara’ b. ‘Azib said that when God’s messenger went to bed he lay on his right side and then said, “O God, I have handed over my soul to Thee, turned my face to Thee, entrusted my affairs to Thee, and committed my back to Thee out of desire for and fear of Thee. There is no refuge and no place of safety from Thee except by having recourse to Thee. I believe in Thy Book which Thou hast sent down and in Thy Prophet whom Thou hast sent.” God’s messenger said that if anyone repeated these words and died that night, he would die in the true religion. In a version he reported God’s messenger as telling a man to perform the ablution for prayer when he went to bed, lie down on his right side, and say, “O God, I have handed over my soul to Thee . . . Thou hast sent.” He added, “If you die during the night you will die in the true religion, and if you live till the morning you will obtain good.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "On the Day of Resurrection you will be assembled barefooted, naked and uncircumcised". He then recited: "As We began the first creation, We shall repeat it. (It is) a promise binding upon Us. Truly, We shall do it," and continued: "The first to be clothed on the Day of Resurrection will be (Prophet) Ibrahim. Then some of my Companions will be taken to the left, (i.e., towards Hell-fire) and when I will say, 'They belong to my Ummah, O my Rubb!' It would be said: 'You do not know what they invented after you had left them.' I shall then say as the righteous slave [i.e., 'Isa (Jesus (PBUH)] said: 'And I was a witness over them while I was amongst them, when You took me up, You were the Watcher over them and You are a Witness to all things. If you punish them, they are Your slaves, and if You forgive them, verily, You, only You are the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.' I shall be told: 'They continued to turn on their heels since you parted from them".

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (PBUH) employed a man from the tribe of Al-Azd named Ibn Lutbiyyah as collector of Zakat. When the employee returned (with the collections) he said: "(O Prophet (PBUH)!) This is for you and this is mine because it was presented to me as gift." Messenger of Allah (PBUH) rose to the pulpit and praised Allah and extolled Him. Then he said, "I employ a man to do a job and he comes and says: 'This is for you and this has been presented to me as gift'? Why did he not remain in the house of his father or the house of his mother and see whether gifts will be given to him or not? By Allah in Whose Hand is the life of Muhammad, if any one of you took anything wrongfully, he will bring it on the Day of Resurrection, carrying it on (his back), I will not recognize anyone of you, on the Day of Resurrection with a grunting camel, or a bellowing cow, or a bleating ewe." Then he raised his hands till we could see the whiteness of his armpits. Then he said thrice, ''O Allah ! have I conveyed (Your Commandments)".

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Some of the poor Emigrants came to Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and said to him, "The wealthy have obtained all high ranks and everlasting bliss." He asked, "How is that?" They replied: "They offer Salaah as we do, and observe Saum (fasting) as we do, but they give in Sadaqah (charity) and we do not, and they emancipate slaves and we cannot." He (PBUH) said, "Shall I not teach you something whereby you will catch up with those who have preceded you and will get ahead of those who follow you, and no one will surpass you unless he does the same as you do?" They said, "Surely, O Messenger of Allah." He said, "Say: Subhan Allah, and Allahu Akbar, and praise Him (by saying Al-hamdu lillah) thirty-three times at the end of every Salaah." They returned to him and said: "Our brothers, the possessors of wealth, having heard what we are doing, have started doing the same." Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "This is Grace of Allah which He gives to whom He wishes."

[Al- Bukhari and Muslim].

I came to Al- Madinah, and while I was sitting beside 'Umar bin Al-Khattab, a funeral procession passed by. The people praised the deceased, and 'Umar bin Al-Khattab said: "He will certainly enter it." Then another funeral procession passed by and the people praised the deceased. 'Umar bin Al-Khattab (May Allah be pleased with him) said: "He will certainly enter it." A third funeral procession passed by and the people spoke ill of the deceased. He said: "He will certainly enter it." I (Abul-Aswad) asked: "O Amir Al-Mu'minin (i.e., Leader of the Believers)! What do you mean by 'He will certainly enter it'?" He replied: "I said the same as was said by the Prophet (PBUH). He (PBUH) said, 'If four persons testify the righteousness of a Muslim, Allah will grant him Jannah.' We asked: 'If three persons testify his righteousness?' He (PBUH) replied, 'Even three'. Then we asked: 'If two?' He (PBUH) replied, 'Even two.' We did not ask him (regarding the testimony) of one."

[Al-Bukhari].

The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Whenever you intend to go to bed, perform Wudu' as is done for Salat (prayer); and then lie down on the right side and recite: 'Allahumma aslamtu nafsi ilaika, wa fawwadtu amri ilaika, wal-ja'tu zahri ilaika, raghbatan wa rahbatan ilaika, la malja'a wa la manja minka illa ilaika, amantu bikitabik-alladhi anzalta, wa binabiyyik-alladhi arsalta [O Allah! I have submitted myself to You. I have turned my face to You, entrusted my affairs to You and relied completely on You out of desire for and fear of You (expecting Your reward and fearing Your punishment). There is no resort and no deliverer from (hardships) except You. I affirm my faith in Your Book which You have revealed, and in Your Prophet whom You have sent].' If you die during the night, you will die in the true religion. Let these words be your last words at night."

[Al- Bukhari and Muslim].

There was a trunk of a date-palm tree upon which the Prophet (PBUH) used to recline while delivering Khutbah (sermon). When a pulpit was placed in the mosque, we heard the trunk crying out like a pregnant she-camel. the Prophet (PBUH) came down from the pulpit and put his hand on the trunk and it became quiet.

Another narration is: The Prophet (PBUH) used to stand by a tree or a date-palm on Friday (to give the Khutbah). Then an Ansari woman or man said, "O Messenger of Allah! Shall we make a pulpit for you?" He replied, "If you wish." So they made a pulpit for him and when it was Friday, the Prophet (PBUH) sat on the pulpit [to deliver the Khutbah (sermon)] and the trunk of the date- palm on which he used to recline cried out as if it would split asunder.

Another narration is: It cried like a child and the Prophet (PBUH) descended (from the pulpit) and embraced it while it continued moaning like a child being quietened. The Prophet (PBUH) said, "It was crying for (missing) what it used to hear of Dhikr near it."

[Al-Bukhari].

The first revelation God's messenger received was the true vision in sleep, and every vision he saw came like the bright gleam of dawn. He then became fond of solitude and would go alone to the cave on Hira where he would engage in tahannuth, which means worship for a number of nights, before feeling a yearning for his family. He would take provisions for that purpose, then he would return to Khadija and get provisions for a like period, till the truth came to him when he was in the cave on Hira. The angel came to him and said, `Recite,'[1] to which he replied, "I am not a reciter." He said, "He then took me and squeezed me till I was distressed, after which he let me go and said, `Recite.' When I replied, `I am not a reciter,' he took me and squeezed me a second time till I was distressed, then letting me go he said, `Recite;' When I replied, "I am not a reciter,' he took me and squeezed me a third time till I was distressed. He then let me go and said, `Recite! In the name of your Lord who created, created man from a clot of blood. Recite! And your most bountiful Lord is He who taught the use of the pen, taught man what he did not know.' "[2] God's messenger came back with the verses, his heart trembling, and went in to Khadija and, said "Wrap me up, wrap me up." So, they wrapped him up till the terror had left him. He then spoke to Khadija and informed her of what had happened, saying, "I fear for myself." She replied, "By no means! I swear by God that God will never shame you. You join ties of relationship, you speak the truth, you bear people's burdens, you give to the destitute, you entertain guests, and you help against the vicissitudes which affect people's rights." Khadija then took him to Waraqa b. Naufal, her paternal cousin, and said to him, "Listen, cousin, to what your nephew has to say." Waraqa said to him, "Son of my brother, what do you see?'' God's messenger then informed him about what he had seen and Waraqa said, "It is the namus[3] which God sent down to Moses. Would that I were a young man during your prophetic career! Would that I might be alive when your people expel you!" God's messenger asked, "Will they expel me?'' and he replied, "Yes; no man has ever brought anything like what you have brought without meeting hostility. If I see your day, I shall give you strong help."Waraqa died soon afterwards, and there was an intermission in the inspiration. 1. The word iqra means either "recite" or "read". The former is to be preferred here. 2. Quran; 96:1-5. 3. This word is most likely derived from the Greek nomos (law). It indicates the revelation of scripture in the form of a divine law such as that given to Moses. "The suggestion may also have been present that Muhammad should be the founder or legislator of a community" (W. M. Watt, Muhammad at Mecca, Oxford, 1953, p. 51). (Bukhari and Muslim.) Bukhari added: so that the Prophet was grieved, as we have heard, and on that account went out in the morning several times to throw himself down from the heights of the mountain; but as often as he reached the summit of a mountain to throw himself from it, Gabriel appeared to him and said, "Muhammad, you are truly God's messenger." On that account his turmoil would then quieten and he would feel at ease.

One of the sons of Abu Talhah (May Allah be pleased with him) was ailing. Abu Talhah went out and the boy died in his absence. When he came back, he inquired, "How is the boy?". Umm Sulaim, the mother of the boy, replied, "Better than before". Then she placed his evening meal before him and he ate it; and thereafter slept with her. At last, she said to him: "Arrange for the burial of the boy". In the morning, Abu Talhah went to Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and informed him of the event. He enquired, "Did you sleep together last night?" Abu Talhah replied in the affirmative, on which the Prophet (PBUH) supplicated, "O Allah bless them." Thereafter, she gave birth to a boy. Abu Talhah said to me: "Take up the boy and carry him to the Prophet (PBUH)"; and he sent some dates with him. The Prophet (PBUH) enquired, "Is there anything with him?" He said; "Yes, some dates". The Prophet (PBUH) took a date, chewed it and put it in the mouth of the baby and rubbed the chewed date around the baby's gum and named him 'Abdullah.

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The narration in Bukhari adds: Ibn 'Uyainah relates that a man from the Ansar told him that he had seen nine sons of this 'Abdullah, every one of whom had committed the Noble Qur'an to memory.

The narration of Muslim says: The son of Abu Talhah (May Allah be pleased with him) who was born of Umm Sulaim died. She (Umm Sulaim) said to the members of the family: "Do not tell Abu Talhah about his son until I mention it to him myself." Abu Talhah came (home) and she gave him supper. He ate and drank. She then beautified herself the best way she ever did and he slept with her. When she saw that he was satisfied after sexual intercourse with her, she said, "O Abu Talhah! If some people borrow something from another family and then (the members of the family) ask for its return, would they refuse to give it back to them." He said, "No". She said, "Then hope reward for your son". Abu Talhah got angry, and said; "You left me uninformed until I stained myself (with sexual intercourse) and then you told me about my son. "He went to Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and informed him about the matter. Thereupon Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "May Allah bless the night you spent together!" He (the narrator) said: She conceived. (One day) Messenger of Allah (PBUH) was in the course of a journey and she was along with him. When Messenger of Allah (PBUH) used to come back to Al-Madinah from a journey, he would not enter it (during the night). When the people came near Al- Madinah, she felt labour pains. He (Abu Talhah) remained with her and Messenger of Allah (PBUH) proceeded on. Abu Talhah said: "O Rubb, You know that I love to go along with Messenger of Allah (PBUH) when he goes out and enter along with him when he enters, and I have been detained as You see." Umm Sulaim then said: "O Abu Talhah, I do not feel (so much pain) as I was feeling earlier, so we better proceed on. So we proceeded on and she felt the labour of delivery as they reached (Al-Madinah). She gave birth to a male child. My mother said to me: "O Anas, none should suckle him until you go to Messenger of Allah (PBUH) tomorrow morning." The next morning I carried the baby with me to Messenger of Allah (PBUH), and narrated the rest of the story.

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

God’s Messenger used to teach us how to ask God’s guidance about matters just as he used to teach as a sura of the Qur’an, saying: When any of you intends to do something he should pray two rak'as which are not compulsory, then say, “O God, I ask Thy guidance by Thy knowledge, I ask Thee for power by Thy power, and I ask Thee out of Thy great abundance, for Thou hast power and I have none, Thou knowest and I did not, and Thou art the One who is aware of the unseen. O God, if Thou knowest that this matter is good for me regarding my religion, my livelihood, and my future wellbeing (or he said, “my affairs in this world and the next”), ordain it for me and make it easy for me, then bless me in it. But if Thou knowest that this matter is bad for me regarding my religion, my livelihood, and my future wellbeing (or he said, “my affairs in this world and the next”), turn it away from me, turn me away from it, ordain good for me wherever it is, then make me pleased with it.” He said that he should name what he required. Bukhari transmitted it.

Your brethren have come repentant and I have considered that I should return their captives to them, so let those of you who are willing to release the captives act accordingly, but those who wish to hold on to what they have till I give them some of the first booty God gives us may do so.” The people told God’s Messenger that they were willing to release the captives, and he said, “I cannot distinguish between those of you who have granted that and those who have not, so return that your headmen may tell me about you.” They did so, and after their headmen had spoken to them they came back to God’s Messenger and told him they were agreeable and had given permission. Bukhari transmitted it.

The Prophet sent a small party of Abu Rafi'[*], and `Abdallah b. `Atik entered his house at night when he was asleep and killed him. `Abdallah b. `Atik said, "I put the sword in his belly till it came out at his back, and I knew that I had killed him I then began to open the doors till I came to a stair, but when I put my foot on it, I fell and broke my leg, and it was a moonlight night. I tied it with a turban and rejoined my companions, and when I came to the Prophet, I told him all that had happened. He told me to stretch out my leg, and when I had done so and he had passed his hand over it, it seemed as though I had never had anything wrong with it." *Different dates are given for the incident. J.M.B. Jones who has made an important study of the dates of the Maghazi prefers the date given by Ibn Ishaq, viz. Dhul Hijja 5 or Muharram 6. See Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, 1957, 19/2, pp. 250, 269 f. Bukhari transmitted it.

My father died in debt and I suggested, to his creditors that they should accept the dates we had in payment of his debt. When they refused, I went to the Prophet and said, "You know that my father died a martyr at the battle of Uhud leaving a large debt, and I would like the creditors to see you." He told me to go and collect all the dates in separate groups, and when I had done so I called him. When they looked at him it seemed as though they were more persistent with me at that time, and when he saw what they were doing he went round the largest group three times, then sitting down beside it he said, "Call your creditors to me." He then kept measuring out to them till God paid on my father's behalf what he owed. I should have been pleased that God should pay my father's debt leaving me not a date to take back to my brothers; but God kept all the groups intact, and when I looked at the group beside which the Prophet was, it seemed as if it had not been diminished by a single date. Bukhari transmitted it.

One of God's favours to me was that God's messenger died in my house on my day resting on my breast, and that God joined his saliva with mine[*] when he died. When I was supporting God's messenger `Abd ar-Rahman b. Abu Bakr came in to -visit me with a tooth-stick in his hand. I saw the Prophet looking at it, and I knew it was a characteristic of his to like a tooth-stick, so I asked if I would get it for him and he nodded his assent. He took it, but it was too hard for him, so I suggested softening it for him and he nodded his assent. I softened it and he moved it over his teeth. There was a jug of water in front of him and he began to put his hands into the water and wipe his face with them saying meanwhile, ``There is no god but God. Death has pangs." The he raised his hand and began to say, ["Put me] among the highest companions" until he died and his hand dropped. *The reference is to the detail mentioned later in the tradition telling that she softened the tooth-stick in her mouth before the Prophet used it. Bukhari transmitted it.

Abu Sa’īd al-Khudrī said, “Some of the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ went on a journey. They alighted with a certain clan of the Arabs. Someone of them said, “Our chief has been stung by a scorpion or bitten by a snake. Has any of you something which gives relief to our chief?” A man of the people said, “Yes, I swear by Allah. I can recite an incantation, but we asked you for hospitality and you denied it to us. I shall not recite the incantation until you give me some payment.” So, they promised to give some sheep to him. He came to him and recited Sūrah al-Fātiḥah over him and blew (upon him) till he was cured, and he seemed as if he were set free from a bond. So, they gave him the payment that was agreed between them. They said, “Distribute it.” The man who applied the treatment said, “Do not do it until we approach the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.” And He ﷺ said, “From where did you learn that it was a treatment? You have done right. Apportion them, and give me a share along with you.” Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari 5007

glazed jars, gourds, hollowed stumps of palm trees, and receptacles smeared with pitch, saying, “Observe them and tell your people at home about them.” (Bukhari and Muslim, but the wording is Bukhari’s).

God’s messenger spent the first ten nights of Ramadan in devotion, and spent the middle ten nights in devotion in a round Turkish tent, after which he raised his head and said, “I have spent the first ten nights in devotion seeking this night, then I spent the middle ten nights in devotion, and after that I had a heavenly visitant and was told that it is in the last ten, so he who has engaged in devotion along with me should do so during the last ten nights, for I was shown this nights, then was caused to forget it, but I have seen myself prostrating in water and clay on the morning following, so seek it among the last ten and seek it in every night with an odd number.” He said: Rain fell that night, the mosque which was a thatched building dripped, and my eyes saw God’s messenger with traces of water and clay on his forehead on the morning after the twenty-first night. Bukhari and Muslim agree on the subject-matter, the wording being Muslim's up to “and was told it is it the last ten”, the remainder being Bukhari's. In the version of ‘Abdallah b. Unais he said it was the twenty-third night. Muslim transmitted it.