Yahya related to me from Malik from Jafar ibn Muhammad from his father that Ali ibn Abi Talib used to say, "The least difficult thing acceptable as a sacrificial animal is a sheep."

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that Abdullah ibn Abbas used to say, "The least difficult thing acceptable as a sacrificial animal is a sheep."

Malik said, "That is what I like most out of what I have heard about the matter, because Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, says in His Book, 'O you who trust, do not kill game while you are in ihram. Whoever of you kills it intentionally, there shall be repayment the like of what he has slain, from livestock, as shall be judged by two men of justice among you, a sacrificial animal which will reach the Kaba, or food for poor people, or the equivalent of that in fasting,' (Sura 5 ayat 95) and a sheep is one of the animals which is judged to be acceptable as a sacrifice. Allah has called it a sacrificial animal, and there is no dispute among us about the matter. How, indeed, could anyone be in doubt about the matter? A sheep is the kaffara for anything which does not reach the extent of something for which a camel or a cow would be the kaffara, and the kaffara for something which does not reach the extent of something for which a sheep would be the kaffara is fasting, or feeding poor people."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Urnar used to say, "The least thing that is acceptable as a sacrificial animal is a camel or a cow."

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that AIi ibn Abi Talib and Abdullah ibn Abbas used to say, "The middle prayer is the prayer of subh."

Malik said, "Out of all that I have heard about the matter, I prefer what Ali ibn Abi Talib and Abdullah ibn Abbas said."

That he heard As-Sa'b bin Jath-thama Al-Laithi, who was one of the companions of the Prophet, saying that he gave the meat of an onager to Allah's Apostle while he was at a place called Al-Abwa' or Waddan, and was in a state of Ihram. The Prophet did not accept it. When the Prophet saw the signs of sorrow on As-Sa'b's face because of not accepting his present, he said (to him), "We are not returning your present, but we are in the state of Ihram." (See Hadith No. 747)

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that Abdullah ibn Abbas used to say that the area between the corner of the Black Stone and the door of the Kaba was called al-Multazam.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said that Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn Habban said, "Two men from the Ashja tribe told me that Muhammad ibn Maslama al-Ansari used tocome to them to collect their zakat, and he would say to anyone who owned livestock, 'Select (the animal for) the zakat on your livestock and bring it to me,' and he would accept any sheep that was brought to him provided it met the requirements of what the man owed."

Malik said, "The sunna with us, and what I have seen the people of knowledge doing in our city, is that things are not made difficult for the muslims in their paying zakat, and whatever they offer of their livestock is accepted from them."

I heard Ka`b bin Malik narrating (when he did not join the battle of Tabuk): Allah's Apostle forbade all the Muslims to speak to us. I would come to Allah's Apostle and greet him, and I would wonder whether the Prophet did move his lips to return to my greetings or not till fifty nights passed away. The Prophet then announced (to the people) Allah's forgiveness for us (acceptance of our repentance) at the time when he had offered the Fajr (morning) prayer.

I heard Al-Bara' bin `Azib saying, "The Prophet orders us to do seven things and prohibited us from doing seven other things." Then Al-Bara' mentioned the following:-- (1) To pay a visit to the sick (inquiring about his health), (2) to follow funeral processions, (3) to say to a sneezer, "May Allah be merciful to you" (if he says, "Praise be to Allah!"), (4) to return greetings, (5) to help the oppressed, (6) to accept invitations, (7) to help others to fulfill their oaths. (See Hadith No. 753, Vol. 7)

Ibn `Abbas said, "When the ailment of the Prophet became worse, he said, 'Bring for me (writing) paper and I will write for you a statement after which you will not go astray.' But `Umar said, 'The Prophet is seriously ill, and we have got Allah's Book with us and that is sufficient for us.' But the companions of the Prophet differed about this and there was a hue and cry. On that the Prophet said to them, 'Go away (and leave me alone). It is not right that you should quarrel in front of me." Ibn `Abbas came out saying, "It was most unfortunate (a great disaster) that Allah's Apostle was prevented from writing that statement for them because of their disagreement and noise. (Note: It is apparent from this Hadith that Ibn `Abbas had witnessed the event and came out saying this statement. The truth is not so, for Ibn `Abbas used to say this statement on narrating the Hadith and he had not witnessed the event personally. See Fath Al-Bari Vol. 1, p.220 footnote.) (See Hadith No. 228, Vol. 4).

I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "All of you are Guardians." Yunis said: Ruzaiq bin Hukaim wrote to Ibn Shihab while I was with him at Wadi-al-Qura saying, "Shall I lead the Jumua prayer?" Ruzaiq was working on the land (i.e. farming) and there was a group of Sudanese people and some others with him; Ruzaiq was then the Governor of Aila. Ibn Shihab wrote (to Ruzaiq) ordering him to lead the Jumua prayer and telling him that Salim told him that `Abdullah bin `Umar had said, "I heard Allah's Apostle saying, 'All of you are guardians and responsible for your wards and the things under your care. The Imam (i.e. ruler) is the guardian of his subjects and is responsible for them and a man is the guardian of his family and is responsible for them. A woman is the guardian of her husband's house and is responsible for it. A servant is the guardian of his master's belongings and is responsible for them.' I thought that he also said, 'A man is the guardian of his father's property and is responsible for it. All of you are guardians and responsible for your wards and the things under your care."

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that Abdullah ibn Umar was asked about what a pregnant woman should do if the fast became difficult for her and she feared for her child, and he said, "She should break the fast and feed a poor man one mudd of wheat in place of every day, using the mudd of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace."

Malik said, "The people of knowledge consider that she has to make up for each day of the fast that she misses as Allah, the Exalted and Glorified, says, 'And whoever of you is sick or on a journey should fast an equal number of other days, ' and they consider her pregnancy and her concern for her child as a sickness."

`Ata' said, "Jabir bin `Abdullah said, 'The Prophet went out on the Day of `Id-ul-Fitr and offered the prayer before delivering the Khutba, Ata told me that during the early days of Ibn Az-Zubair, Ibn `Abbas had sent a message to him telling him that the Adhan for the `Id Prayer was never pronounced (in the life time of Allah's Apostle) and the Khutba used to be delivered after the prayer. Ata told me that Ibn `Abbas and Jabir bin `Abdullah, had said, "There was no Adhan for the prayer of `Id-ul-Fitr and `Id-ul-Aqha." `Ata' said, "I heard Jabir bin `Abdullah saying, 'The Prophet stood up and started with the prayer, and after it he delivered the Khutba. When the Prophet of Allah (p.b.u.h) finished (the Khutba), he went to the women and preached to them, while he was leaning on Bilal's hand. Bilal was spreading his garment and the ladies were putting alms in it.' " I said to Ata, "Do you think it incumbent upon an Imam to go to the women and preach to them after finishing the prayer and Khutba?" `Ata' said, "No doubt it is incumbent on Imams to do so, and why should they not do so?"

I heard Ka`b bin Malik who was one of the three who were forgiven, saying that he had never remained behind Allah's Apostle in any Ghazwa which he had fought except two Ghazwat Ghazwat- Al-`Usra (Tabuk) and Ghazwat-Badr. He added. "I decided to tell the truth to Allah's Apostle in the forenoon, and scarcely did he return from a journey he made, except in the forenoon, he would go first to the mosque and offer a two-rak`at prayer. The Prophet forbade others to speak to me or to my two companions, but he did not prohibit speaking to any of those who had remained behind excepting us. So the people avoided speaking to us, and I stayed in that state till I could no longer bear it, and the only thing that worried me was that I might die and the Prophet would not offer the funeral prayer for me, or Allah's Apostle might die and I would be left in that social status among the people that nobody would speak to me or offer the funeral prayer for me. But Allah revealed His Forgiveness for us to the Prophet in the last third of the night while Allah's Apostle was with Um Salama. Um Salama sympathized with me and helped me in my disaster. Allah's Apostle said, 'O Um Salama! Ka`b has been forgiven!' She said, 'Shall I send someone to him to give him the good tidings?' He said, 'If you did so, the people would not let you sleep the rest of the night.' So when the Prophet had offered the Fajr prayer, he announced Allah's Forgiveness for us. His face used to look as bright as a piece of the (full) moon whenever he was pleased. When Allah revealed His Forgiveness for us, we were the three whose case had been deferred while the excuse presented by those who had apologized had been accepted. But when there were mentioned those who had told the Prophet lies and remained behind (the battle of Tabuk) and had given false excuses, they were described with the worse description one may be described with. Allah said: 'They will present their excuses to you (Muslims) when you return to them. Say: Present no excuses; we shall not believe you. Allah has already informed us of the true state of matters concerning you. Allah and His Apostle will observe your actions." (9.94)

I heard the Prophet saying. "Evil omen is in three things: The horse, the woman and the house."

That `Amra bint `Abdur-Rahman had told him, "Zaid bin Abu Sufyan wrote to `Aisha that `Abdullah bin `Abbas had stated, 'Whoever sends his Hadi (to the Ka`ba), all the things which are illegal for a (pilgrim) become illegal for that person till he slaughters it (i.e. till the 10th of Dhul-Hijja).' " `Amra added, `Aisha said, 'It is not like what Ibn `Abbas had said: I twisted the garlands of the Hadis of Allah's Apostle with my own hands. Then Allah's Apostle put them round their necks with his own hands, sending them with my father; Yet nothing permitted by Allah was considered illegal for Allah's Apostle till he slaughtered the Hadis.' "

I heard Abi `Amr 'Ash-Shaibani saying, "The owner of this house." he pointed to `Abdullah's house, "said, 'I asked the Prophet 'Which deed is loved most by Allah?" He replied, 'To offer prayers at their early (very first) stated times.' " `Abdullah asked, "What is the next (in goodness)?" The Prophet said, "To be good and dutiful to one's parents," `Abdullah asked, "What is the next (in goodness)?" The Prophet (saws) said, "To participate in Jihad for Allah's Cause." `Abdullah added, "The Prophet narrated to me these three things, and if I had asked more, he would have told me more."

The Prophet forbade us to use seven things: He forbade using gold rings, silk, Istabraq, Dibaj, red Mayathir, Al-Qassiy, and silver utensils. He ordered us to do seven other things. To pay a visit to the sick; to follow funeral processions; to say, "May Allah be merciful to you" to a sneezer if he says "Praise be to Allah"; to return greetings, to accept invitations; to help others to fulfil their oaths and to help the oppressed ones.

That while he was included in a delegation of Quraish staying with Muawiya, Muawiya heard that `Abdullah bin `Amr had said that there would be a king from Qahtan tribe, whereupon he became very angry. He stood up, and after glorifying and praising Allah as He deserved, said, "To proceed, I have come to know that some of you men are narrating things which are neither in Allah's Book, nor has been mentioned by Allah's Apostle . Such people are the ignorant among you. Beware of such vain desires that mislead those who have them. I have heard Allah's Apostle saying, 'This matter (of the caliphate) will remain with the Quraish, and none will rebel against them, but Allah will throw him down on his face as long as they stick to the rules and regulations of the religion (Islam).'"

Yazid ibn Hurmuz said: Najdah wrote to Ibn Abbas asking him about such-and-such, and such-and-such, and he mentioned some things; he (asked) about a slave whether he would get something from the spoils; and he (asked) about women whether they used to go out (on expeditions) along with the Messenger of Allah (saws), and whether they would be allotted a share, Ibn Abbas said: Had I not apprehended a folly, I would not have written (a reply) to him. As for the slave, he was given a little of the spoils (as a reward from the booty); as to the women, they would treat the wounded and supply water.

`Abdur-Razzaq told us, Ibn Juraij told us I heard `Abdur-Rahman bin ‘Abdullah bin Abi ‘Ammar narrate... and he mentioned [the same report].

Who was Ka`b's guide from among his sons when Ka`b became blind: I heard Ka`b bin Malik saying, "When some people remained behind and did not join Allah's Apostle in the battle of Tabuk.." and then he described the whole narration and said, "Allah's Apostle forbade the Muslims to speak to us, and so we (I and my companions) stayed fifty nights in that state, and then Allah's Apostle announced Allah's acceptance of our repentance."

Yahya related to me from Malik that Abdullah ibn Abbas used to say, "You can eat anything that has had its jugular vein cut."

(the wife of the Prophet) "When the ailment of Allah's Apostle became aggravated, he requested his wives to permit him to be (treated) nursed in my house, and they gave him permission. He came out (to my house), walking between two men with his feet dragging on the ground, between `Abbas bin `Abdul--Muttalib and another man" 'Ubaidullah said, "I told `Abdullah of what `Aisha had said, `Abdullah bin `Abbas said to me, 'Do you know who is the other man whom `Aisha did not name?' I said, 'No.' Ibn `Abbas said, 'It was `Ali bin Abu Talib." `Aisha, the wife of the Prophet used to narrate saying, "When Allah's Apostle entered my house and his disease became aggravated, he said, " Pour on me the water of seven water skins, the mouths of which have not been untied, so that I may give advice to the people.' So we let him sit in a big basin belonging to Hafsa, the wife of the Prophet and then started to pour water on him from these water skins till he started pointing to us with his hands intending to say, 'You have done your job." `Aisha added, "Then he went out to the people and led them in prayer and preached to them."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said that Bukayr ibn Abdullah al-Ashajj informed him that Muawiya ibn Abi Ayyash al- Ansari told him that he was sitting with Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr and Asim ibn Umar ibn al-Khattab when Muhammad ibn Iyas ibn al-Bukayr came up to them and said, "A man from the desert has divorced his wife three times before consummating the marriage, what do you think?" Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr said "This is something about which we have no statement. Go to Abdullah ibn Abbas and Abu Hurayra. I left them with A'isha. Ask them and then come and tell us." He went and asked them. Ibn Abbas said to Abu Hurayra, "Give an opinion, Abu Hurayra! A difficult one has come to you." Abu Hurayra said, "One pronouncement separates her and three makes her haram until she has married another husband." Ibn Abbas said the like of that.

Malik said, "That is what is done among us, and when a man marries a woman who has been married before, and he has not had intercourse with her, she is treated as a virgin - one pronouncement separates her and three make her haram until she has married another husband."

Malik related to me that he had heard that Abdullah ibn Masud used to say, "If someone makes a loan, they should not stipulate better than it. Even if it is a handful of grass, it is usury."

Malik said, "The generally agreed on way of doing things among us is that there is no harm in borrowing any animals with a set description and itemisation, and one must return the like of them. This is not done in the case of female slaves. It is feared about that that it will lead to making halal what is not halal, so it is not good. The explanation of what is disapproved of in that, is that a man borrow a slave-girl and have intercourse with her as seems proper to him. Then he returns her to her owner. That is not good and it is not halal. The people of knowledge still forbid it and do not give an indulgence to any one in it."

Allah's Apostle performed Tawaf (of the Ka`ba) riding a camel (at that time the Prophet had a foot injury). Whenever he came to the Corner (having the Black Stone) he would point out towards it with a thing in his hand and say, "Allahu-Akbar."

`Abdullah bin Shaddad and Abu Burda sent me to `Abdullah bin Abi `Aufa and told me to ask `Abdullah whether the people in the lifetime of the Prophet used to pay in advance for wheat (to be delivered later). `Abdullah replied, "We used to pay in advance to the peasants of Sham for wheat, barley and olive oil of a known specified measure to be delivered in a specified period." I asked (him), "Was the price paid (in advance) to those who had the things to be delivered later?" `Abdullah bin `Aufa replied, "We did not use to ask them about that." Then they sent me to `Abdur Rahman bin Abza and I asked him. He replied, "The companions of the Prophet used to practice Salam in the lifetime of the Prophet; and we did not use to ask them whether they had standing crops or not."

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that a man said to Abdullah ibn Abbas, "I have divorced my wife by saying I divorce you a hundred times. What do you think my situation is?" Ibn Abbas said to him, "She was divorced from you by three pronouncements, and by the ninety-seven, you have mocked the ayat of Allah."

A Bedouin stood up and started making water in the mosque. The people caught him but the Prophet ordered them to leave him and to pour a bucket or a tumbler of water over the place where he had passed the urine. The Prophet then said, "You have been sent to make things easy and not to make them difficult."