When `Abdur-Rahman bin `Auf came to Medina and the Prophet established the bond of brotherhood between him and Sa`d bin Ar-Rabi-al-Ansari, Saud suggested that `Abdur-Rahman should accept half of his property and family. `Abdur Rahman said, "May Allah bless you in your family and property; guide me to the market." So `Abdur-Rahman (while doing business in the market) made some profit of some condensed dry yoghurt and butter. After a few days the Prophet saw him wearing clothes stained with yellow perfume. The Prophet asked, "What is this, O `Abdur-Rahman?" He said, "O Allah's Apostle! I have married an Ansar' woman." The Prophet asked, "What have you given her as Mahr?" He (i.e. `Abdur-Rahman) said, "A piece of gold, about the weight of a date stone." Then the Prophet said, Give a banquet, even though of a sheep."

Zainab bint Abu Salama told me these three narrations: Zainab said: I went to Um Habiba, the wife of the Prophet when her father, Abu- Sufyan bin Herb had died. Um ,Habiba asked for a perfume which contained yellow scent (Khaluq) or some other scent, and she first perfumed one of the girls with it and then rubbed her cheeks with it and said, "By Allah, I am not in need of perfume, but I have heard Allah's Apostle saying, 'It is not lawful for a lady who believes in Allah and the Last Day to mourn for a dead person for more than three days unless he is her husband for whom she should mourn for four months and ten days.'"

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Amr ibn Hazm from Humayd ibn Nafi that Zaynab bint Abi Salama related these three traditions to him. Zaynab said, "I visited Umm Habiba, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, when her father Abu Sufyan ibn Harb had died. Umm Habiba called for a yellowy perfume perhaps khaluq or something else. She rubbed the perfume first on a slave-girl and she then wiped it on the sides of her face and said, 'By Allah! I have no need of perfume but I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, 'It is not halal for a woman who trusts in Allah and the Last Day to abstain from adornment in mourning for someone who has died, for more than three nights, except for four months and ten days for a husband.' "

When `Abdur-Rahman bin `Auf came to Medina, the Prophet established a bond of brotherhood between him and Sa`d bin Ar-Rabi al-Ansari. Sa`d was a rich man, so he said to `Abdur-Rahman, "I will give you half of my property and will help you marry." `Abdur-Rahman said (to him), "May Allah bless you in your family and property. Show me the market." So `Abdur-Rahman did not return from the market) till he gained some dried buttermilk (yogurt) and butter (through trading). He brought that to his house-hold. We stayed for sometime (or as long as Allah wished), and then `Abdur-Rahman came, scented with yellowish perfume. The Prophet said (to him) "What is this?" He replied, "I got married to an Ansari woman." The Prophet asked, "What did you pay her?" He replied, "A gold stone or gold equal to the weight of a date stone." The Prophet said (to him), "Give a wedding banquet even if with one sheep."

When the emigrants reached Medina. Allah's Apostle established the bond of fraternity between `Abdur-Rahman and Sa`d bin Ar-Rabi. Sa`d said to `Abdur-Rahman, "I am the richest of all the Ansar, so I want to divide my property (between us), and I have two wives, so see which of the two you like and tell me, so that I may divorce her, and when she finishes her prescribed period (i.e. 'Idda) of divorce, then marry her." `Abdur-Rahman said, "May Allah bless your family and property for you; where is your market?" So they showed him the Qainuqa' market. (He went there and) returned with a profit in the form of dried yogurt and butter. He continued going (to the market) till one day he came, bearing the traces of yellow scent. The Prophet asked, "What is this (scent)?" He replied, "I got married." The Prophet asked, "How much Mahr did you give her?" He replied, "I gave her a datestone of gold or a gold piece equal to the weight of a date-stone." (The narrator, Ibrahim, is in doubt as to which is correct.)

From his father who said: "A man wearing an iron ring came to the Prophet (saws). So he said to him: 'What is this I see on you, jewelry of the people of the Fire ?' Then he came wearing a ring of brass. So he said: 'What is this smell of idols I sense on you ?' Then he came wearing a ring of gold. So he said to him: 'What is this jewelry of the people of Paradise I see on you ?' So he said: 'What should I use then ?' He said: 'From silver, but not its entire weight."

[Abu 'Eisa said:] This Hadith is Gharib and there are narrations on this topic from 'Abdullah bin 'Amr, and 'Abdullah bin Muslim's Kunyah is Abu Taibah, and he is from Al-Marwaz.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) concluded peace with the people of Najran on condition that they would pay to Muslims two thousand suits of garments, half of Safar, and the rest in Rajab, and they would lend (Muslims) thirty coats of mail, thirty horses, thirty camels, and thirty weapons of each type used in battle. Muslims will stand surely for them until they return them in case there is any plot or treachery in the Yemen. No church of theirs will be demolished and no clergyman of theirs will be turned out. There will be no interruption in their religion until they bring something new or take usury. Isma'il said: They took usury.

Abu Dawud said: If they violate any provision of the treaty, they will be deemed as bringing something new.

Abu Dawud said: Mujahid reported on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas: When bathing became hard for her, he commanded her to combine the two prayers.

Abu Dawud said: Ibrahim reported it from Ibn 'Abbas. This is also the view of Ibrahim al-Nakha'i and 'Abd Allah b. Shaddad.

Note: The majority of scholars interpret this to mean that these things in and of themselves do not transmit or cause harm through supernatural or hidden means but that Allah is ultimately in control and any fearful superstition around these is false.

When `Abdur-Rahman bin `Auf came to us, Allah's Apostle made a bond of fraternity between him and Sa`d bin Ar-Rabi` who was a rich man, Sa`d said, "The Ansar know that I am the richest of all of them, so I will divide my property into two parts between me and you, and I have two wives; see which of the two you like so that I may divorce her and you can marry her after she becomes lawful to you by her passing the prescribed period (i.e. 'Idda) of divorce. `Abdur Rahman said, "May Allah bless you your family (i.e. wives) for you." (But `Abdur-Rahman went to the market) and did not return on that day except with some gain of dried yogurt and butter. He went on trading just a few days till he came to Allah's Apostle bearing the traces of yellow scent over his clothes. Allah's Apostle asked him, "What is this scent?" He replied, "I have married a woman from the Ansar." Allah's Apostle asked, "How much Mahr have you given?" He said, "A date-stone weight of gold or a golden date-stone." The Prophet said, "Arrange a marriage banquet even with a sheep."

`Abdur Rahman bin `Auf said, "When we came to Medina as emigrants, Allah's Apostle established a bond of brotherhood between me and Sa`d bin Ar-Rabi`. Sa`d bin Ar-Rabi` said (to me), 'I am the richest among the Ansar, so I will give you half of my wealth and you may look at my two wives and whichever of the two you may choose I will divorce her, and when she has completed the prescribed period (before marriage) you may marry her.' `Abdur-Rahman replied, "I am not in need of all that. Is there any marketplace where trade is practiced?' He replied, "The market of Qainuqa." `Abdur- Rahman went to that market the following day and brought some dried buttermilk (yogurt) and butter, and then he continued going there regularly. Few days later, `Abdur-Rahman came having traces of yellow (scent) on his body. Allah's Apostle asked him whether he had got married. He replied in the affirmative. The Prophet said, 'Whom have you married?' He replied, 'A woman from the Ansar.' Then the Prophet asked, 'How much did you pay her?' He replied, '(I gave her) a gold piece equal in weigh to a date stone (or a date stone of gold)! The Prophet said, 'Give a Walima (wedding banquet) even if with one sheep .' "

Urwah ibn az-Zubayr reported from Fatimah daughter of AbuHubaysh that her blood kept flowing, so the Prophet (saws) said to her: When the blood of the menses comes, it is black blood which can be recognised; so when that comes, refrain from prayer; but when a different type of blood comes, perform ablution and pray, for it is (due only to) a vein.

Abu Dawud said: Ibn al-Muthanna narrates this tradition from his book on the authority of Ibn 'Adi in a similar way. Later on he transmitted it to us from his memory: Muhammad b. 'Amr reported to us from al-Zuhri from 'Urwah on the authority of 'Aishah who said: Fatimah used to have her blood flowing. He then reported the tradition conveying the same meaning.

Abu Dawud said: Anas b. Sirin reported from Ibn 'Abbas about the woman who has a prolonged flow of blood. He said: If she sees thick blood, she should not pray; if she finds herself purified even for a moment, she should was an pray.

Makhul said: Menses are not hidden from women. Their blood is black and thick. When it (blackness and thickness) goes away and there appears yellowness and liquidness, that is the flow of blood (from vein). She should wash and pray.

Abu Dawud said: This tradition has been transmitted by Sa'id b. al-Musayyab through a different chain of narrators, saying: The woman who has a prolonged flow of blood should abandon prayer when the menstruation begins; when it is finished, she should wash and pray.

Sumayy and others have also reported it from Sa'id b. al-Musayyab. This version adds: She should refrain (from prayer) during her menstrual period.

Hammad b. Salamah has reported it similarly from Yahya b. Sa'id on the authority of Sa'id b. al-Musayyab.

Abu Dawud said: Yunus has reported from Al-Hasan: When the bleeding of a menstruating woman extends (beyond the normal period), she should refrain (from prayer), after her menses are over, for one or two days. Now she becomes the woman who has a prolonged flow of blood.

Al-Taimi reported from Qatadah: If her menstrual period is prolonged by five days, she should pray. Al-Taimi said: I kept on reducing (the number of days) until I reached two days. He said: If the period extends by two days, they will be counted from the menstrual period. When Ibn Sirin was questioned about it, he said: Women have better knowledge of that.

Zainab said: I visited Umm Habibah when her father AbuSufyan, died. She asked for some yellow perfume containing saffron (khaluq) or something else. Then she applied it to a girl and touched her cheeks.

She said: I have no need of perfume, but I heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) say: It is not lawful for a woman who believes in Allah and the Last Day to observe mourning for one who has died, more than three nights, except for four months and ten days in the case of a husband.

Zaynab said: I also visited Zaynab, daughter of Jahsh, when her brother died. She asked for some perfume and used it upon herself.

She then said: I have no need of perfume, but I heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) say when he was on the pulpit: It is not lawful for a woman who believes in Allah and the Last Day to observe mourning for one who has died, more than three nights, except for four months and ten days in the case of a husband.

Zaynab said: I heard my mother, Umm Salamah, say: A woman came to the Messenger of Allah (saws) and said: Messenger of Allah, the husband of my daughter has died, and she is suffering from sore eyes; may we put antimony in her eyes?

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: No. He said this twice or thrice. Each time he said: No. The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: The waiting period is now four months and ten days. In pre-Islamic days one of you used to throw away a piece of dung at the end of a year.

Humayd said: I asked Zaynab: What do you mean by throwing away a piece of dung at the end of a year.

Zaynab replied: When the husband of a woman died, she entered a small cell and put on shabby clothes, not touching perfume or any other thing until a year passed. Then an animal such as donkey or sheep or bird was provided for her. She rubbed herself with it. The animal with which she rubbed herself rarely survived. She then came out and was given a piece of dung which she threw away. She then used perfume or something else which she desired.

Abu Dawud said: The Arabic word "hafsh" means a small cell.

Abu Dawud said: This tradition has been transmitted from al-Zuhri by Ma'mar, Malik, Ibn 'Uyainah, Shu'aib b. Abi Hamzah, and al-Laith b. Sa'd and others; but they did not mention the time in which he (the Prophet) had prayer, nor did they explain it. And similarly it has been narrated by Hisham b. 'Urwah and Habib b. Abu Mazruq from 'Urwah like the report of Ma'mar and his companions. But Habib did not make a mention of Bashir. And Wahb b. Kaisan reported on the authority of Jabir from the Prophet (saws) the time of the Maghrib prayer. He said: "Next day he (Gabriel) came to him at the time of the Maghrib prayer when the sun had already set. (He came both days) at the same time."

Abu Dawud said: Similarly, this tradition has been transmitted by Abu Hurairah from the Prophet (saws). He said: "Then he (Gabriel) led me in the sunset prayer next day at the same time."

Similarly, this tradition has been narrated through a different chain by 'Abd Allah b. 'Amr b. al-'As, through a chain from Hassan b. ...