`Aisha said, "Allah's Apostle in his fatal illness, used to ask, 'Where will I be tomorrow? Where will I be tomorrow?", seeking `Aisha's turn. His wives allowed him to stay wherever he wished. So he stayed at `Aisha's house till he expired while he was with her." `Aisha added, "The Prophet expired on the day of my turn in my house and he was taken unto Allah while his head was against my chest and his saliva mixed with my saliva." `Aisha added, "Abdur-Rahman bin Abu Bakr came in, carrying a Siwak he was cleaning his teeth with. Allah's Apostle looked at it and I said to him, 'O `AbdurRahman! Give me this Siwak.' So he gave it to me and I cut it, chewed it (it's end) and gave it to Allah's Apostle who cleaned his teeth with it while he was resting against my chest."

Malik said, "No-one should carry the Qur'an by its strap, or on a cushion, unless he is pure. If it were permissible to do so, it would also have been permissible to carry it in its cover. This is not because there is something on the hands of the one who carries it by which the Qur'an will be soiled, but because it is disapproved of for someone to carry the Qur'an without being pure out of respect for the Qur'an, and in order to honour it."

Malik said, "The best thing that I have heard about this is the ayat 'None touch it except the purified.' (Sura 56 ayat 79) It ranks with the ayat in Surat Abasa (Sura 80), where Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, says, 'No, it is a reminder, and whoever wishes will remember it. Upon honoured pages, exalted and purified, by the hands of scribes, noble and obedient.' "

When the Messenger of Allah (saws) went on an expedition, he took Umm Sulaym, and he had some women of the Ansar who supplied water and tended the wounded.

If a man has sexual intercourse (with menstruating woman) during her bleeding, he should give one dinar as sadaqah, and if he does so when bleeding has stopped, he should give half a dinar as sadaqah.

I heard Abu Huraira saying as he passed by us while the people were performing ablution from a utensil containing water, "Perform ablution perfectly and thoroughly for Abul-Qasim (the Prophet) said, 'Save your heels from the Hell-fire.' "

The Prophet said, "Allah will not accept the excuse of any person whose instant of death is delayed till he is sixty years of age."

The Prophet said, "Religion is very easy and whoever overburdens himself in his religion will not be able to continue in that way. So you should not be extremists, but try to be near to perfection and receive the good tidings that you will be rewarded; and gain strength by worshipping in the mornings, the afternoons, and during the last hours of the nights." (See Fath-ul-Bari, Page 102, Vol 1).

The Messenger of Allah (saws) liked to begin with the right side as far as possible in all conditions: in his purification, and combing. The narrator Muslim added: "in using tooth-stick," and he did not mention "in all his conditions".

Abu Dawud said: Shu'bah transmitted it from Mu'adh, but did not mention "his tooth-stick."

The Messenger of Allah (saws) was using the tooth-stick, when two men, one older than the other, were with him. A revelation came to him about the merit of using the tooth-stick. He was asked to show proper respect and give it to the elder of the two.

`Abdur-Rahman bin Abi Bakr came holding a Siwak with which he was cleaning his teeth. Allah's Apostle looked at him. I requested `Abdur-Rahman to give the Siwak to me and after he gave it to me I divided it, chewed it and gave it to Allah's Apostle. Then he cleaned his teeth with it and (at that time) he was resting against my chest.

I heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) say: Were it not hard on my ummah, I would order them to use the tooth-stick at the time of every prayer. AbuSalamah said: Zayd ibn Khalid used to attend the prayers in the mosque with his tooth-stick on his ear where a clerk carries a pen, and whenever he got up for prayer he used it.

The Prophet (saws) said: That I sit in the company of the people who remember Allah the Exalted from morning prayer till the sun rises is dearer to me than that I emancipate four slaves from the children of Isma`il, and that I sit with the people who remember Allah from afternoon prayer till the sun sets is dearer to me than that I emancipate four slaves.

One night I became the guest of the Prophet (saws). He ordered that a piece of mutton be roasted, and it was roasted. He then took a knife and began to cut the meat with it for me. In the meantime Bilal came and called him for prayer. He threw the knife and said: What happened! may his hands be smeared with earth! He then stood for offering prayer. Al-Anbari added: My moustaches became lengthy. He trimmed them by placing a took-stick; or he said: I shall trim your moustaches by placing the tooth-stick there.

Al-Anbari said: My moustaches became lengthy. He trimmed them by placing a tooth-stick ; or he said: I shall trim your moustaches by placing the tooth-stick there.

When the Messenger of Allah (saws) got up to pray at night (for tahajjud prayer) he uttered the takbir and then said: "Glory be to Thee, O Allah," and "Praise be to Thee" and "Blessed is Thy name," and Exalted is Thy greatness." and "There is no god but Thee." He then said: "There is no god but Allah" three times; he then said: "Allah is altogether great" three times: "I seek refuge in Allah, All-Hearing and All-Knowing from the accursed devil, from his evil suggestion (hamz), from his puffing up (nafkh), and from his spitting (nafth)" He then recited (the Qur'an).

Abu Dawud said: It is said that this tradition has been narrated by 'Ali b. 'Ali from al-Hasan omitting the name of the Companion of the Prophet (saws). The misunderstanding occurred on the part of Ja'far.

I went to Sham and was offering a two-rak`at prayer; I said, "O Allah! Bless me with a (pious) companion." Then I saw an old man coming towards me, and when he came near I said, (to myself), "I hope Allah has given me my request." The man asked (me), "Where are you from?" I replied, "I am from the people of Kufa." He said, "Weren't there amongst you the Carrier of the (Prophet's) shoes, Siwak and the ablution water container? Weren't there amongst you the man who was given Allah's Refuge from the Satan? And weren't there amongst you the man who used to keep the (Prophet's) secrets which nobody else knew? How did Ibn Um `Abd (i.e. `Abdullah bin Mas`ud) use to recite Surat-al-lail (the Night:92)?" I recited:-- "By the Night as it envelops By the Day as it appears in brightness. And by male and female." (92.1- 3) On that, Abu Darda said, "By Allah, the Prophet made me read the Verse in this way after listening to him, but these people (of Sham) tried their best to let me say something different."

ahya related to me from Malik that Nafi said, "I was at al-Juruf (near Madina) and threw a stone at two birds, and hit them. One of them died, and Abdullah ibn Umar threw it away, and then went to slaughter the other one with an adze. It died before he could slaughter it, so Abdullah threw that one away as well."

`Abdur-Rahman bin Abu Bakr entered upon the Prophet while I was supporting the Prophet on my chest. `AbdurRahman had a fresh Siwak then and he was cleaning his teeth with it. Allah's Apostle looked at it, so I took the Siwak, cut it (chewed it with my teeth), shook it and made it soft (with water), and then gave it to the Prophet who cleaned his teeth with it. I had never seen Allah's Apostle cleaning his teeth in a better way. After finishing the brushing of his teeth, he lifted his hand or his finger and said thrice, "O Allah! Let me be with the highest companions," and then died. `Aisha used to say, "He died while his head was resting between my chest and chin."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu'z Zinad from al-Araj from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Were it not that I would be overburdening my community I would have ordered them to use a tooth-stick."

Allah's Apostle said, "I have told you repeatedly to use the Siwak. (The Prophet put emphasis on the use of the Siwak.)

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Humayd ibn Abdar-Rahman ibn Awf that Abu Hurayra said, "Were it not that he would be overburdening his community he (the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,) would have ordered them to use a tooth-stick with each wudu."

It was one of the favors of Allah towards me that Allah's Apostle expired in my house on the day of my turn while he was leaning against my chest and Allah made my saliva mix with his saliva at his death. `Abdur-Rahman entered upon me with a Siwak in his hand and I was supporting (the back of) Allah's Apostle (against my chest ). I saw the Prophet looking at it (i.e. Siwak) and I knew that he loved the Siwak, so I said ( to him ), "Shall I take it for you ? " He nodded in agreement. So I took it and it was too stiff for him to use, so I said, "Shall I soften it for you ?" He nodded his approval. So I softened it and he cleaned his teeth with it. In front of him there was a jug or a tin, (The sub-narrator, `Umar is in doubt as to which was right) containing water. He started dipping his hand in the water and rubbing his face with it, he said, "None has the right to be worshipped except Allah. Death has its agonies." He then lifted his hands (towards the sky) and started saying, "With the highest companion," till he expired and his hand dropped down.

Allah's Apostle said, "Were I not afraid that it would be hard on my followers, I would order them to use the siwak (as obligatory, for cleaning the teeth).

My father said, "I came to the Prophet and saw him carrying a Siwak in his hand and cleansing his teeth, saying, 'U' U'," as if he was retching while the Siwak was in his mouth."

Ablution water and tooth-stick were placed by the side of the Prophet (saws). When he got up during the night (for prayer), he relieved himself, then he used the tooth-stick.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Ibn as-Sabbaq that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said in a jumua, "Muslims! Allah has made this day a festival day (id) so do ghusl, and it will not harm whoever has perfume to apply some of it, and use a tooth-stick . "

Allah's Apostle said, "If I had not found it hard for my followers or the people, I would have ordered them to clean their teeth with Siwak for every prayer."

The Prophet said, "The most superior way of asking for forgiveness from Allah is: 'Allahumma anta Rabbi la ilaha illa anta. Khalaqtani wa ana `Abduka, wa ana 'ala 'ahdika wa Wa'dika mastata'tu abu'u Laka bi ni 'matika wa abu'u Laka bidhanbi; faghfirli fa'innahu la yaghfiru-dh-dhunuba ill a ant a. A'uidhu bika min sharri ma sana'tu.' If somebody recites this invocation during the night, and if he should die then, he will go to Paradise (or he will be from the people of Paradise). And if he recites it in the morning, and if he should die on the same day, he will have the same fate."