The Prophet said, "The upper hand is better than the lower hand (i.e. he who gives in charity is better than him who takes it). One should start giving first to his dependents. And the best object of charity is that which is given by a wealthy person (from the money which is left after his expenses). And whoever abstains from asking others for some financial help, Allah will give him and save him from asking others, Allah will make him self-sufficient."

There would be turmoil and the one who would sleep would be better than who would be awake and the one who would be awake would be better than one who would stand and one who would stand would be better than one who would run. So he who finds refuge or shelter should take that refuge or shelter.

I asked the Prophet (for some money) and he gave me, and then again I asked him and he gave me, and then again I asked him and he gave me and he then said, "This wealth is (like) green and sweet (fruit), and whoever takes it without greed, Allah will bless it for him, but whoever takes it with greed, Allah will not bless it for him, and he will be like the one who eats but is never satisfied. And the upper (giving) hand is better than the lower (taking) hand."

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: There will be a period of commotion in which the one who lies down will be better than the one who sits, and the one who sits is better than the one who stands, and the one who stands is better than the one who walks, and the one who walks is better than the one who runs (to it). He asked: What do you command me to do, Messenger of Allah? He replied: He who has camels should remain with his camels, he who has sheep should remain with his sheep, and he who has land should remain with his land. He asked: If anyone has more of these, (what should he do)? He replied: He should take his sword, strike its edge on a stone, and then escape if he can.

Hakim bin Hizam (RAA) narrated that The Messenger of Allah (P.B.U.H.) said, ”The upper hand is better than the lower hand (i.e. he who gives in charity is better than he who takes it). One should begin by giving to his dependents. And the best Sadaqah (charity) is that, which is given by a wealthy person (from the money which is left over after his expenses). And whoever abstains from asking others for some financial help, Allah will provide for him and save him from asking others; Allah will make him self-sufficient.” Agreed upon and this version is of al-Bukhari.

You asked me for one hundred dirhams and I am the son of Hatim; by Allah, I will not give you. But then he said: (I would have done that) if I had not heard Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) say: He who takes an oath, but then finds something better than that, should do that which is better.

There will be soon a period of turmoil in which the one who sits will be better than one who stands and the one who stands will be better than one who walks and the one who walks will be better than one who runs. He who would watch them will be drawn by them. So he who finds a refuge or shelter against it should make it as his resort.

the Messenger of Allah saying: "For one of you to go out early to gather firewood and carry it on his back so that he can give charity from it and be free of need from the people, is better for him than to ask a man who may give that to him or refuse. Indeed the upper hand (giving) is more virtuous than the lower hand (receiving), and begin with (those who are) your dependants."

Hakim bin Hizam said, "I asked Allah's Apostle for something, and he gave me, and I asked him again and he gave me and said, 'O Hakim! This wealth is green and sweet (i.e. as tempting as fruits), and whoever takes it without greed then he is blessed in it, and whoever takes it with greediness, he is not blessed in it and he is like one who eats and never gets satisfied. The upper (i.e. giving) hand is better than the lower (i.e. taking) hand." Hakim added, "I said, O Allah's Apostle! By Him Who has sent you with the Truth I will never demand anything from anybody after you till I die." Afterwards Abu Bakr used to call Hakim to give him something but he refused to accept anything from him. Then `Umar called him to give him (something) but he refused. Then `Umar said, "O Muslims! I offered to him (i.e. Hakim) his share which Allah has ordained for him from this booty and he refuses to take it." Thus Hakim did not ask anybody for anything after the Prophet, till he died--may Allah bestow His mercy upon him.

“For one of you to give (land) to his brother is better for him than if he were to take a set amount in rent for it.”

Hakim bin Hizam said, "I asked Allah's Apostle for something, and he gave me. I asked him again, and he gave me, and said to me. 'O Hakim! This wealth is like green sweet (i.e. fruit), and if one takes it without greed, then one is blessed in it, and if one takes it with greediness, then one is not blessed in it, and will be like the one who eats without satisfaction. And an upper (i.e. giving) hand is better than a lower (i.e. taking) hand,' I said, 'O Allah's Apostle! By Him Who has sent you with the Truth. I will not ask anyone for anything after you till I leave this world." So, when Abu Bakr during his Caliphate, called Hakim to give him (some money), Hakim refused to accept anything from him. Once `Umar called him (during his Caliphate) in order to give him something, but Hakim refused to accept it, whereupon `Umar said, "O Muslims! I give him (i.e. Hakim) his right which Allah has assigned to him) from this Fai '(booty), but he refuses to take it." So Hakim never took anything from anybody after the Prophet till he died.

"I (once) asked the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) (for something) and he gave it to me. Then I asked him (again) and he gave it to me. Then I asked him (again) and he gave it to me. Then I asked him (again), so he gave it to me. Then he said: 'O Hakim! Indeed this wealth is green and sweet, so whoever takes it without asking for it, he will be blessed in it. And whoever takes it, insisting upon it, he will not be blessed in it. He is like the one who eats but does not get satisfied and contended. And the upper hand (giving) is better than the lower hand (receiving)." So Hakim said: "I said: 'O Messenger of Allah! By the One who sent you with the Truth! I shall not ask anyone for anything after you until I depart the world.'"So Abu Bakr used to call Hakim to give him something, but he refused to accept it. Then 'Umar called him to give to him, but he refused to accept it. So 'Umar said: "O you Muslims! I would like you to bear witness that I presented Hakim with his due of these spoils of war but he refused to accept it." So Hakim never asked anyone of the people for anything after the Messenger of Allah, until he died.

I heard 'Umar say: The Prophet ﷺ used to give me things and I would say: Give it to one who has more need of it than me. Then one time he gave me some wealth and I said: Give it to one who has more need of it than me. The Prophet ﷺ said: `Take it and keep it or give it in charity. Whatever of this wealth comes to you when you are not hoping for it or asking for it, take it, otherwise do not hanker after it.” It was narrated from Salim, that his father said: I heard ‘Umar say: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to give me things... and he mentioned a similar hadeeth.

"I asked the Messenger of Allah and he gave me, then I asked him and he gave me, then I asked him and he gave me. Then he said: 'O Kahim! This wealth is attractive and sweet. Whoever takes it without being greedy, it will be blessed for him, and whoever takes it with avarice, it will not be blessed for him. He is like one who eats and is not satisfied. And the upper hand is better than the lower hand."'

"I asked the Messenger of Allah and he gave me, then I asked him and he gave me, then I asked him and he gave me. Then he said: This wealth is attractive and sweet. Whoever takes it without insisting, it will be blessed for him, and whoever takes it with avarice, it will not be blessed for him. He is like one who eats and is not satisfied. And the upper hand is better than the lower hand."'

"I asked the Messenger of Allah and he gave me, then I asked him and he gave me, then I asked him and he gave me. Then he said: "This wealth is attractive and sweet. Whoever takes it without insisting, it will be blessed for him, and whoever takes it with avarice, it will not be blessed for him. He is like one who eats and is not satisfied. And the upper hand is better than the lower hand."'

The Prophet (saws) said: Before you there will be commotions like pieces of a dark night in which a man will be a believer in the morning and an infidel in the evening. He who sits during them will be better than he who gets up, and he who gets up during them is better than he who walks, and he who walks during them is better than he who runs. They (the people) said: What do you order us to do? He replied: Keep to your houses.

"I heard 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, say: The Prophet used to give me payment and I would say: Give it to someone who is more, in need of it than I am, until one day he gave me some money and I said to him: Give it to someone who is more in need of it than I am. He said: Take it and keep it or give it in charity. Whatever comes to you of this wealth when you are not hoping for it and not asking for it, take it, and whatever does not, then do not wish for it. "'

The Prophet said, "He who says that I am better than Jonah bin Matta, tells a lie.'

Allah (mighty and sublime be He) says: Fasting is Mine and it is I who give reward for it. [A man] gives up his sexual passion, his food and his drink for my sake. Fasting is like a shield, and he who fasts has two joys: a joy when he breaks his fast and a joy when he meets his Lord. The change in the breath of the mouth of him who fasts is better in Allah's estimation than the smell of musk. It was related by al-Bukhari (also by Muslim, Malik, at-Tirmidhi, an-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah).

Hakim b. Hizam said he begged from God’s messenger and he gave him something, later he begged again and when he had given him something he said, “Hakim, this property is green and sweet, and he who receives it with a liberal mind will be blessed in it, but he who receives it with an avaricious mind will not be blessed in it, being like one who eats without being satisfied. And the upper hand is better than the lower one.” * Hakim told that he replied, “Messenger of God, by Him who sent you with the truth, I shall not accept anyone’s bounty after this till I leave the world.” (Bukhari and Muslim.) * The upper hand is that of the giver and the lower hand is that of the receiver. The sentence is equivalent to saying that it is better to give than to receive.

I went to the Prophet along with a group of Al-Ash`ariyin in order to request him to provide us with mounts. He said, "By Allah, I will not provide you with mounts and I haven't got anything to mount you on." Then we stayed there as long as Allah wished us to stay, and then three very nice looking she-camels were brought to him and he made us ride them. When we left, we, or some of us, said, "By Allah, we will not be blessed, as we came to the Prophet asking him for mounts, and he swore that he would not give us any mounts but then he did give us. So let us go back to the Prophet and remind him (of his oath)." When we returned to him (and reminded him of the fact), he said, "I did not give you mounts, but it is Allah Who gave you. By Allah, Allah willing, if I ever take an oath to do something and then I find something else than the first, I will make expiation for my oath and do the thing which is better (or do something which is better and give the expiation for my oath).

The Prophet (p.b.u.h) said, "It is better for anyone of you to take a rope (and cut) and bring a bundle of wood (from the forest) over his back and sell it and Allah will save his face (from the Hell-Fire) because of that, rather than to ask the people who may give him or not."

The Prophet said, "No doubt, one had better take a rope (and cut) and tie a bundle of wood and sell it whereby Allah will keep his face away (from Hell-fire) rather than ask others who may give him or not."

“Before the Hour comes, there will be tribulation like pieces of black night, when a man will wake up as a believer but be a disbeliever by evening, or he will be a believer in the evening but will be a disbeliever by morning. And the one who is sitting will be better than the one who is standing, and the one who is standing will be better than the one who is walking, and the one who is walking will be better than the one who is running. So break your bows, cut their strings and strike your swords against rocks, and if anyone enters upon anyone of you, let him be like the better of the two sons of Adam. (i.e. the one killed, not the killer).”

"I said: 'How are you this morning, O Messenger of Allah?' He said: 'I am better than one who did not get up fasting, and who did not visit and sick.'"

"Tawus regarded it disliked renting out land for gold and silver, but he did not see anything wrong with leasing it in return for one-third or one-quarter (of the yield). Mujahid said to him: 'Go to Ibn Rafi' bin Khadij and listen to his Hadith.' He said: 'By Allah, if I knew that the Messenger of Allah had forbidden that I would not have done it. But my Hadith comes from one who is more knowledgeable than him. Ibn 'Abbas (said) that the Messenger of Allah said: "If one of you were to give his land to his brother (to cultivate it), that would be better than taking an agreed portion of the yield."'"

She reported God’s messenger as saying, “If any Muslim who suffers some calamity says what God has commanded him, ‘We belong to God and to Him do we return ; O God, reward me for my affliction and give me something better than it in exchange for it,’ God will give him something better than it in exchange.” When Abu Salama died she said, “What Muslim is better than Abu Salama whose family was the first to emigrate to God’s messenger? ”(He and his wife, Umm Salama, were among those who emigrated to Abyssinia. Abu Salama died of wounds received at the battle of Uhud, and the Prophet later married Umm Salama.) She then said the words, and God gave her God’s messenger in exchange. Muslim transmitted it.

"I asked the Messenger of Allah and he gave me, then I asked him and he gave me. The he said: 'O Hakim, this wealth is attractive and sweet. Whoever takes it without being greedy, it will be blessed for him, and whoever takes it with avarice, it will be blessed for him. He is like one who eats and is not satisfied. And the upper hand is better than the lower hand.' I said: 'O Messenger of Allah! By the One Who sent you with the truth, I will never ask anyone for anything after you, until I depart this world. "'

The people passed by the Messenger of Allah (saws) with a Jew who was blackened with charcoal and who was being flogged. He called them and said: Is this the prescribed punishment for a fornicator? They said: Yes. He then called on a learned man among them and asked him: I adjure you by Allah Who revealed the Torah to Moses, do you find this prescribed punishment for a fornicator in your divine Book? He said: By Allah, no. If you had not adjured me about this, I should not have informed you. We find stoning to be prescribed punishment for a fornicator in our Divine Book. But it (fornication) became frequent in our people of rank; so when we seized a person of rank, we left him alone, and when we seized a weak person, we inflicted the prescribed punishment on him. So we said: Come, let us agree on something which may be enforced equally on people of higher and lower rank. So we agreed to blacken the face of a criminal with charcoal, and flog him, and we abandoned stoning. The Messenger of Allah (saws) then said: O Allah, I am the first to give life to Thy command which they have killed. So he commanded regarding him (the Jew) and he was stoned to death. Allah Most High then sent down: "O Apostle, let not those who race one another into unbelief, make thee grieve..." up to "They say: If you are given this, take it, but if not, beware!...." up to "And if any do fail to judge by (the light of) what Allah hath revealed, they are (no better than) unbelievers," about Jews, up to "And if any do fail to judge by (the right of) what Allah hath revealed, they are no better than) wrong-doers" about Jews: and revealed the verses up to "And if any do fail to judge by (the light of) what Allah hath revealed, they are (no better than) those who rebel." About this he said: This whole verse was revealed about the infidels.

The Prophet was giving me something and I asked him to give it to someone who had more need of it than I had, but he said, “Take it, keep it with your property and give it as sadaqa. Take what comes to you from this property when you are neither avaricious nor begging, but in other circumstances do not let your desire go after it.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Abu Umama told that the Prophet used to say, “After fear of God a believer gains nothing better for him than a good wife who obeys him if he gives her a command, pleases him if he looks at her, is true to him if he adjures her to do something, and is sincere towards him regarding her person and his property if he is absent.” Ibn Majah transmitted.

While I and my father were with Jabir bin `Abdullah, some people asked him about taking a bath. He replied, "A Sa` of water is sufficient for you." A man said, "A Sa` is not sufficient for me." Jabir said, "A Sa` was sufficient for one who had more hair than you and was better than you (meaning the Prophet)." And then Jabir (put on) his garment and led the prayer.

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri said some of the Ansar begged from God’s messenger and he gave them something. They later begged from him again and he gave them something so that what he had was exhausted. He then said, “What I have I shall never store away from you, but God will strengthen the abstinence of him who abstains, will give a competence to him who is satisfied, and will strengthen the endurance of him who shows endurance. No one has been given a better or more ample gift than endurance.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Whenever you visit the sick or the dead, supplicate for good because angels say" Amen" to whatever you say. She added: When Abu Salama died, I went to the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) and said: Messenger of Allah, Abu Salama has died. He told me to recite:" O Allah! forgive me and him (Abu Salama) and give me a better substitute than he." So I said (this), and Allah gave me in exchange Muhammad, who is better for me than him (Abu Salama).

Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) owed (something) to a person. He behaved in an uncivil manner with him. This vexed the Companions of the Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him), whereupon Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) said: He who has a right is entitled to speak, and said to them (his Companions): Buy a camel for him and give that to him. They said: We do not find a camel (of that age) but one with better age than that. He said: Buy that and give that to him, for best of you or best amongst you are those who are best in paying off debt.

The Prophet cursed the lady who practices tattooing and the one who gets herself tattooed, and one who eats (takes) Riba' (usury) and the one who gives it. And he prohibited taking the price of a dog, and the money earned by prostitution, and cursed the makers of pictures.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: Before the Last Hour there will be commotions like pieces of a dark night in which a man will be a believer in the morning and an infidel in the evening, or a believer in the evening and infidel in the morning. He who sits during them will be better than he who gets up and he who walks during them is better than he who runs. So break your bows, cut your bowstrings and strike your swords on stones. If people then come in to one of you, let him be like the better of Adam's two sons.

When a man who had dyed himself with henna passed by the Prophet (saws), he said: How fine this is! When another man who had dyed himself with henna and katam passed by, he said: This is better than that. Then another man who had dyed himself with yellow dye, passed by, he said: This is better than all that.

Ibn ‘Abbas told that when a man who had dyed himself with henna passed the Prophet he said, “How fine this is! ” When another who had dyed himself with henna and katam passed by he said, “This is better than that.” Then when another who had dyed himself with yellow dye passed by he said, “This is better than all that.” Abu Dawud transmitted it.

He who took an oath and (later on) found another thing better than that, he should do that which is better, and expiate for the vow (broken by him).

He who took an oath, but he found something else better than that, should do that which is better and break his oath.

Some people from the Ansar asked Allah's Apostle (to give them something) and he gave to everyone of them, who asked him, until all that he had was finished. When everything was finished and he had spent all that was in his hand, he said to them, '"(Know) that if I have any wealth, I will not withhold it from you (to keep for somebody else); And (know) that he who refrains from begging others (or doing prohibited deeds), Allah will make him contented and not in need of others; and he who remains patient, Allah will bestow patience upon him, and he who is satisfied with what he has, Allah will make him self-sufficient. And there is no gift better and vast (you may be given) than patience."

Hakim bin Hizam said, "(Once) I asked Allah's Apostle (for something) and he gave it to me. Again I asked and he gave (it to me). Again I asked and he gave (it to me). And then he said, "O Hakim! This property is like a sweet fresh fruit; whoever takes it without greediness, he is blessed in it, and whoever takes it with greediness, he is not blessed in it, and he is like a person who eats but is never satisfied; and the upper (giving) hand is better than the lower (receiving) hand." Hakim added, "I said to Allah's Apostle , 'By Him (Allah) Who sent you with the Truth, I shall never accept anything from anybody after you, till I leave this world.' " Then Abu Bakr (during his caliphate) called Hakim to give him his share from the war booty (like the other companions of the Prophet ), he refused to accept anything. Then `Umar (during his caliphate) called him to give him his share but he refused. On that `Umar said, "O Muslims! I would like you to witness that I offered Hakim his share from this booty and he refused to take it." So Hakim never took anything from anybody after the Prophet till he died.

"Umar said to Suhaib: 'Why do I see you wearing a ring of gold?' He said: 'One who was better than you saw it and did not criticize it.' He said: 'Who was that?' He said: 'The Messenger of Allah [SAW].'"

The Prophet said, "Allah said: The Fast is for Me and I will give the reward for it, as he (the one who observes the fast) leaves his sexual desire, food and drink for My Sake. Fasting is a screen (from Hell) and there are two pleasures for a fasting person, one at the time of breaking his fast, and the other at the time when he will meet his Lord. And the smell of the mouth of a fasting person is better in Allah's Sight than the smell of musk." (See Hadith No. 128, Vol. 3).

The Prophet (PBUH) said, "The upper hand is better than the lower one (i.e., the spending hand is better than the receiving hand); and begin (charity) with those who are under your care; and the best charity is that which given out of surplus; and he who asks (Allah) to help him abstain from the unlawful and the forbidden, Allah will fulfill his wish; and he who seeks self-sufficiency will be made self-sufficient by Allah".[Al-Bukhari].

Malik related to me from Humayd ibn Qays al-Makki that Mujahid said, "Abdullah ibn Umar borrowed some dirhams from a man, then he discharged his debt with dirhams better than them. The man said, 'Abu Abdar-Rahman. These are better than the dirhams which I lent you.' Abdullah ibn Umar said, 'I know that. But I am happy with myself about that.' " Malik said, "There is no harm in a person who has borrowed gold, silver, food, or animals, taking to the person who lent it, something better than what he lent, when that is not a stipulation between them nor a custom. If that is by a stipulation or promise or custom, then it is disapproved, and there is no good in it." He said, "That is because the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, discharged his debt with a good camel in its seventh year in place of a young camel which he borrowed, and Abdullah ibn Umar borrowed some dirhams, and repaid them with better ones. If that is from the goodness of the borrower, and it is not by a stipulation, promise, or custom, it is halal and there is no harm in it."

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said on the day of Badr: He who does such-and-such, will have such-and such. The young men came forward and the old men remained standing near the banners, and they did not move from there. When Allah bestowed victory on them, the old men said: We were support for you. If you had been defeated, you would have returned to us. Do not take this booty alone and we remain (deprived of it). The young men refused (to give), and said: The Messenger of Allah (saws) has given it to us. Then Allah sent down: "They ask thee concerning (things taken as) spoils of war, Say: (Such) spoils are at the disposal of Allah and the Apostle......Just as they Lord ordered thee out of thy house in truth, even though a party among the believers disliked it." This proved good for them. Similarly obey me. I know the consequence of this better than you.

Once the Prophet was riding his camel and a man was holding its rein. The Prophet asked, "What is the day today?" We kept quiet, thinking that he might give that day another name. He said, "Isn't it the day of Nahr (slaughtering of the animals of sacrifice)" We replied, "Yes." He further asked, "Which month is this?" We again kept quiet, thinking that he might give it another name. Then he said, "Isn't it the month of Dhul-Hijja?" We replied, "Yes." He said, "Verily! Your blood, property and honor are sacred to one another (i.e. Muslims) like the sanctity of this day of yours, in this month of yours and in this city of yours. It is incumbent upon those who are present to inform those who are absent because those who are absent might comprehend (what I have said) better than the present audience."

There was a relation of love and brotherhood between this tribe of Jarm and Al-Ash`ariyin. Once we were with Abu Musa Al-Ash`ari, and then a meal containing chicken was brought to Abu Musa, and there was present, a man from the tribe of Taimillah who was of red complexion as if he were from non-Arab freed slaves. Abu Musa invited him to the meal. He said, "I have seen chickens eating dirty things, so I deemed it filthy and took an oath that I would never eat chicken." On that, Abu Musa said, "Get up, I will narrate to you about that. Once a group of the Ash`ariyin and I went to Allah's Apostle and asked him to provide us with mounts; he said, 'By Allah, I will never give you any mounts nor do I have anything to mount you on.' Then a few camels of war booty were brought to Allah's Apostle , and he asked about us, saying, 'Where are the Ash-'ariyin?' He then ordered five nice camels to be given to us, and when we had departed, we said, 'What have we done? Allah's Apostle had taken the oath not to give us any mounts, and that he had nothing to mount us on, and later he gave us that we might ride? Did we take advantage of the fact that Allah's Apostle had forgotten his oath? By Allah, we will never succeed.' So we went back to him and said to him, 'We came to you to give us mounts, and you took an oath that you would not give us any mounts and that you had nothing to mount us on.' On that he said, 'I did not provide you with mounts, but Allah did. By Allah, if I take an oath to do something, and then find something else better than it, I do that which is better and make expiation for the dissolution of the oath.' "

"From a Shaikh among the Companions of the Prophet (s.a.w) , I think it is from the Prophet(s.a.w), who said: 'The Muslim who mixes with the people and he is patient with their harm is better than the Muslim who does not mix with the people and is not patient with their harm.'"

When Allah gave Allah's Apostle what he gave of the properties of the Hawazin tribe as a war booty, the Prophet started giving some men 100 camels each. The Ansar (then) said, "May Allah forgive Allah's Apostles as he gives to Quraish and leaves us although our swords are still dribbling with the blood of Quraish." Allah Apostle was informed of their statement, so he sent for the Ansar and gathered them in a leather tent, and did not call anybody else along with them. When they al I gathered, the Prophet got up and said, "What is this talk being informed to me about you?" The learned men amongst the Ansar said, "O Allah's Apostle! Our chiefs did not say anything, but some people amongst us who are younger in age said. 'May Allah forgive Allah's Apostle as he gives (of the booty) to Quraish and leaves us though our swords are still dribbling with their blood." The Prophet said, "I give to these men who have newly deserted heathenism (and embraced Islam) so as to attract their hearts. Won't you be happy that the people take the wealth while you take the Prophet with you to your homes? By Allah, what you are taking is better than whatever they are taking." They (i.e. the Ansar) said, "O Allah's Apostle! We are satisfied." The Prophet then said to them. "You will find others favored over you greatly, so be patient till you meet Allah and His Apostle and I will be at the Tank then." Anas added: But they did not remain patient.

“It is not permissible for a man to give a gift then take it back, except what a father gives to his child.”

his grandfather said: “The Messenger of Allah said: 'If one of you were to take his rope (or ropes) and go to the mountains, and bring a bundle of firewood on his back to sell, and thus become independent of means, that would be better for him than begging from people who may either give him something or not give him anything.'”

Yahya said that he heard Malik speak about someone who pledged goods as security for a loan, and they perished with the broker. The one who took out the loan confirmed its specification. They agreed on the amount of the loan, but challenged each other about the value of the pledge, the pledger saying that it had been worth twenty dinars, whilst the broker said that it had been worth only ten, and that the amount loaned on security was twenty dinars. Malik said, "It is said to the one in whose hand the pledge is, 'describe it.' If he describes it he is made to take an oath on it and then the people of experience evaluate that description. If the value is more than what was loaned on security for it, it is said to the broker, 'Return the rest of his due to the pledger.' If the value is less than what was loaned on security for it, the broker takes the rest of his due from the pledger. If the value is the exact amount of the loan, the pledge is compensated for by the loan." Yahya said that he heard Malik say, "What is done in our community about two men who have a dispute about an amount of money loaned on the security of a pledge - the pledger claiming that he pledged it for ten dinars and the broker insisting that he took the pledge as security for twenty dinars, and the pledge is clearly in the possession of the broker - is that the broker is made to take an oath when the value of the pledge is fully known. If the value of the pledge is exactly what he swore that he had loaned on security for it, the broker takes the pledge as his right. He is more entitled to take precedence with an oath since he has possession of the pledge. If the owner of the pledge wants to give him the amount which he swore that he was owed, he can take the pledge back. If the pledge is worth less than the twenty dinars he loaned, then it is said to the pledger, 'Either you give him what he has sworn to and take your pledge back, or you swear to what you said you pledged it for.' If the pledger takes the oath, then what the broker has increased over the value of the pledge will become invalid. If the pledger does not take an oath, he must pay what the broker swore to." Malik said, "If a pledge given on security for a loan perishes, and both parties deny each other's rights, with the broker who is owed the loan saying that he gave twenty dinars, and the pledger who owes the loan saying that he was given only ten, and with the broker who is owed the loan saying the pledge was worth ten dinars, and the broker who owes the loan saying it was worth twenty, then the broker who is owed the loan is asked to describe the pledge. If he describes it, he must take an oath on its description. Then people with experience of it evaluate that description. If the value of the pledge is estimated to be more than what the broker claims it was, he takes an oath as to what he claimed, and the pledger is given what is over from the value of the pledge. If its value is less than what the broker claims of it, he is made to take an oath as to what he claims is his. Then he demands settlement according to the actual value of the pledge. The one who owes the loan is then made to take an oath on the extra amount which remains owing against him to the claimant after the price of the pledge is reached. That is because the broker becomes a claimant against the pledger. If he takes an oath, the rest of what the broker swore to of what he claimed above the value of the pledge is invalidated. If he draws back, he is bound to pay what remains due to the broker after the value of the pledge."

Ibn Mas'ud said that he heard God’s messenger saying, “God brighten a man who hears something from us and conveys it to others as he heard it, for many a one to whom it is brought retains it better than the one who heard it.” Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted it, and Darimi transmitted it from Abu Darda'.

He who took an oath and then found another thing better than (this) should expiate for the oath (broken) by him and do (the better thing).

"The parable of the one who gives a gift, and then takes it back, is that of a dog who eats until he is full, and vomits, then he returns to [take back] his vomit." [Abu 'Eisa said:] There are narrations on this topic from Ibn 'Abbas and 'Abdullah bin 'Amr.

Abud Darda’ reported God’s messenger as saying, “One who gives sadaqa or who frees a slave at the time of his death is like one who gives gifts when he has more than enough.” Ahmad, Nasa’i, Darimi and Tirmidhi transmitted it, and Tirmidhi said it is sahih.

I went along with some men from the Ash-ariyin to Allah's Apostle and it happened that I met him while he was in an angry mood. We asked him to provide us with mounts, but he swore that he would not give us any. Later on he said, "By Allah, Allah willing, if ever I take an oath (to do something) and later on I find something else better than the first, then I do the better one and give expiation for the dissolution of my oath."

Salim bin ’Abdullah bin ’Umar narrated on the authority of his father (RAA) that the Messenger of Allah (P.B.U.H.) used to give 'Umar bin Al-Khattab something (some money), but he would say to him, ‘Would you give it to a person, who is more needy than me'? The Messenger of Allah (P.B.U.H.) would then say to him, 'Take it. If you are given something from this property, without your having asked for it or being eager to receive it, and if you are not given, do not go and ask for it.” Related by Muslim.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) as saying: There are three people who Allah will not address on the Day of Judgement: a man who prevents traveller from the excess water which he has with him; and a man who swears for the goods (for sale) after the afternoon prayer, that is, (he swears) falsely; and a man who takes the oath of allegiance to a ruler (imam); if he gives him (something), he fullfils (the oath of allegiance) to him, if he does not give him (anything), he does not fulfill it.

I said to Tawus: “O Abu 'Abdur-Rahman, why do you not give up this Mukhabarah because they claim that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) forbade it.” He said: “O 'Amr, I help them by taking their land and cultivating it, and giving them something in return, and Mu`adh bin Jabal allowed people here to do that. The most knowledgeable of them - meaning Ibn`Abbas - told me that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) did not forbid it, rather he said: 'For one you to give (land) to his brother is better than if he were to take a set amount in rent for it.'”

Allah’s Messenger (saw) said, “Whoever performs ablution on Friday has done a good thing and he who takes bath, taking bath is better (for him).” [Reported by Al-Khamsa and At-Tirmidhi graded it Hasan (fair).]

"It is not lawful for a man to give a gift and then take it back, except in the case of the father with what he gave to his son. And the parable of the one who gives a gift, and then takes it back, is that of a dog who eats until he is full, and vomits, then he returns to his vomit." [Abu 'Eisa said:] This Hadith is Hasan Sahih. Ash-Shafi'i said: "It is not lawful for one who confers something to take it back, except in the case of the father. He may take back what he gave his son" and he used this Hadith as proof.

That the Messenger of Allah (saws) sold a saddle blanket and a drinking bowl. He (saws) said: "Who will buy saddle blanket and drinking bowl ?". So a man said: "I will take them for a Dirham." So the Prophet (saws) said: "Who will give more than a Dirham ? Who will give more that a Dirham ?" A man agreed to give him two Dirham, so he sold them to him. [Abu 'Eisa said:] This Hadith is Hasan. We do not know of it except from the narration of Al-Akhdar bin 'Ajlan, and 'Abdullah Al-Hanafi who is reporting from Anas, is Abu Bakr Al-Hanafi. This is acted upon according to some of the people of knowledge, they did not see any harm in auctioning the spolis of war and inheritance. Al-Mu'tamir bin Sulaiman and others among the people of Hadith reported from Al-Akhdar bin 'Ajlan.

I agreed with my Lord, may He be glorified and exalted, in three matters - or my Lord agreed with me in three matters, I said: O Messenger of Allah, why don't you take the Maqarn of Ibraheem as a place of prayer? Then Allah revealed the verse: `And take you (people) the Maqam (place) of Ibraheem (Abraham) [or the stone on which Ibraheem (Abraham) stood while he was building the Ka'bah) as a place of prayer` (al Baqarah 2:125). And I said: Why don't you tell the Mothers of the Believers to observe hijab, for both righteous people and evildoers enter upon you? Then the verse of hijab was revealed. And I heard something about the Mothers of the Believers, so I talked to them and told them: You should stop bothering the Messenger of Allah ﷺ , or Allah will replace you with wives who are better than you and are Muslims. Then I came to one of the Mothers of the Believers and she said: O 'Umar, is it the case that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ cannot admonish his wives so that you come and admonish them? So I stopped, then Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, revealed the verse: “It may be if he divorced you (all) that his Lord will give him instead of you, wives better than you Muslims (who submit to Allah), believers, obedient (to Allah)...` [at­-Tahreerm 66:5)

"I lent a young camel to the Messenger of Allah, and I came to ask him to repay me. He said: 'Yes, I will only repay you with a superior she-camel.' so he repaid me and repaid me well. Then a Bedouin came to him to ask to repay him a camel of a certain age, and the Messenger of Allah said: 'Give him a camel of certain age.' On that day they gave him a mature camel and he said: 'This is better than my camel.' He (The Prophet) Said:' The best of you is the one who is best in repaying.'''

Allah will say to the inhabitants of Paradise: O inhabitants of Paradise! They will say: O our Lord, we present ourselves and are at Your pleasure, and goodness rests in Your hands. Then He will say: Are you contented? And they will say: And how should we not be contented, O Lord, when You have given to us that which You have given to no one else of Your creation? Then He will say: Would you not like Me to give you something better than that? And they will say: O Lord and what thing is better than that? And He will say: I shall cause My favour to descend upon you and thereafter shall never be displeased with you. It was related by al-Bukhari (also by Muslim and at-Tirmidhi).

Anas b. Malik told of God’s messenger saying when Ramadan began, “This month has come to you, and it contains a night which is better than a thousand months. He who is deprived of it is deprived of all good, but only those who are denied prosperity are deprived of it." Ibn Majah transmitted it.

We were in the company of Abu Musa Al-Ash`ari and there were friendly relations between us and this tribe of Jarm. Abu Musa was presented with a dish containing chicken. Among the people there was sitting a red-faced man who did not come near the food. Abu Musa said (to him), "Come on (and eat), for I have seen Allah's Apostle eating of it (i.e. chicken)." He said, "I have seen it eating something (dirty) and since then I have disliked it, and have taken an oath that I shall not eat it ' Abu Musa said, "Come on, I will tell you (or narrate to you). Once I went to Allah s Apostle with a group of Al-Ash`ariyin, and met him while he was angry, distributing some camels of rak`at. We asked for mounts but he took an oath that he would not give us any mounts, and added, 'I have nothing to mount you on' In the meantime some camels of booty were brought to Allah's Apostle and he asked twice, 'Where are Al-Ash`ariyin?" So he gave us five white camels with big humps. We stayed for a short while (after we had covered a little distance), and then I said to my companions, "Allah's Apostle has forgotten his oath. By Allah, if we do not remind Allah's Apostle of his oath, we will never be successful." So we returned to the Prophet and said, "O Allah's Apostle! We asked you for mounts, but you took an oath that you would not give us any mounts; we think that you have forgotten your oath.' He said, 'It is Allah Who has given you mounts. By Allah, and Allah willing, if I take an oath and later find something else better than that. then I do what is better and expiate my oath.' "

Umar passed by Hassan when he was reciting verses in the mosque. He looked at him. Thereupon he said: I used to recite verses when there was present in it the one who was better than you (i.e. the Prophet).

Why don`t you appoint a successor? He said: If I do not do that, one who is better than me did not do it either, namely the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ); if I do that, one who is better than me did it too, namely Abu Bakr.

The Prophet delivered to us a sermon on the Day of Nahr. He said, "Do you know what is the day today?" We said, "Allah and His Apostle know better." He remained silent till we thought that he might give that day another name. He said, "Isn't it the Day of Nahr?" We said, "It is." He further asked, "Which month is this?" We said, "Allah and His Apostle know better." He remained silent till we thought that he might give it another name. He then said, "Isn't it the month of Dhul-Hijja?" We replied: "Yes! It is." He further asked, "What town is this?" We replied, "Allah and His Apostle know it better." He remained silent till we thought that he might give it another name. He then said, "Isn't it the forbidden (Sacred) town (of Mecca)?" We said, "Yes. It is." He said, "No doubt, your blood and your properties are sacred to one another like the sanctity of this day of yours, in this month of yours, in this town of yours, till the day you meet your Lord. No doubt! Haven't I conveyed Allah's message to you? They said, "Yes." He said, "O Allah! Be witness. So it is incumbent upon those who are present to convey it (this information) to those who are absent because the informed one might comprehend it (what I have said) better than the present audience, who will convey it to him. Beware! Do not renegade (as) disbelievers after me by striking the necks (cutting the throats) of one another."

The Prophet (saws) as saying: There are three to whom Allah will not speak and at whom He will not look on the Day of Resurrection, and whom He will not declare pure, and they will have a painful punishment. I asked: Who are they, Messenger of Allah, they are losers and disappointed ? He repeated it three times. I asked: Who are they. Messenger of Allah, they are losers and disappointed ? He replied: The one who wears a trailing robe, the one who takes account of what he gives, and the one who produces a ready sale of a commodity by false swearing.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar said that there was no harm in a man making an advance to another man for food, with a set description and price until a set date, as long as it was not in crops, or dates which had not begun to ripen. Malik said, "The way of doing things among us concerning someone who makes an advance for foodstuffs at a known rate until a stated date, and the date arrives and he finds that there is not enough of what he was sold with the seller to fulfill his order, and so he revokes the sale, is that he must only take back the silver, gold, or price which he paid exactly. He does not buy anything else from the man for the same price until he has got back what he paid. That is because if he took something else besides the price which he paid him or exchanged it for goods other than the goods which he bought from him, it would be selling food before getting delivery of it." Malik said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, forbade selling food before getting delivery of it." Malik said that it was not good if the buyer regretted his purchase and asked the seller to revoke the sale for him and he would not press him immediately for what he had paid. The people of knowledge forbade that. That was because when the food was made ready for the buyer by the seller, the buyer deferred his due from the seller in order that he might revoke the sale for him. That was the sale of food with delayed terms before taking delivery of the food. Malik said, "The explanation of that is that when the date of delivery comes and the buyer dislikes the food, the seller takes by it money to be paid later and so it is not revocation. Revocation is that in which neither the buyer nor the seller is increased. When increase occurs by deferment of payment for a time period, or by anything which increases one of them over the other or anything which gives one of them profit, it is not revocation. When either of them do that, revocation becomes a sale. There is an indulgence for revocation, partnership, and transfer, as long as i ncrease, decrease, or deferment does not come into them. If increase, decrease, or deferment comes into it, it becomes a sale. Whatever makes a sale halal makes it halal and whatever makes a sale haram makes it haram." Malik said, "If someone pays in advance for Syrian wheat, there is no harm if he takes a load after the term falls due." Malik said, "It is the same with whoever advances for any kind of thing. There is no harm in him taking better than whatever he has made an advance for or worse than it after the agreed delivery date. The explanation of that is that if, for instance, a man advances for a certain weight of wheat. There is no harm if he decides to take some barley or Syrian wheat. If he has made an advance for good dates, there is no harm if he decides to take poor quality dates. If he paid in advance for red raisins, there is no harm if he takes black ones, when it happens after the agreed delivery date, and when the measure of what he takes is like the measure of what he paid for in advance."

`Umar said: My opinion coincided with that of my Lord in three matters and my Lord confirmed my opinion in three matters. I said: O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), why don`t you take Maqam Ibraheem as a place of prayer? Then Allah revealed the words: “And take you (people) the Maqam (place) of Ibraheem (Abraham) [or the stone on which Ibraheem (Abraham) to stood while he was building the Ka`bah] as a place of prayer” [al-Baqarah 2:125]. And I said: O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), both righteous and immoral people enter upon you; why don`t you tell the Mothers of the Believers to observe hijab? Then Allah revealed the verse of hijab. And I heard that the Prophet (ﷺ) had rebuked some of his wives, so I sought permission to speak to the Mothers of the Believers, then I entered upon them and said to each one of them: By Allah, either you stop, or Allah will give His Messenger (wives) who are better than you. I went to one of his wives and she said: O ‘Umar, don`t you think that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) is able to exhort his wives? Why are you exhorting them? Then Allah revealed the words. It may be if he divorced you (all) that his Lord will give him instead of you, wives better than you` [at-Tahreem 66:5]

Muhammad b. al-Muntashir told of a man who vowed to sacrifice himself if God rescued him from his enemy. He consulted Ibn ‘Abbas who told him to consult Masruq, and when he consulted him he replied, “Do not sacrifice yourself, for if you are a believer, you will kill a believing soul, and if you are an infidel you will hasten to hell; but buy a ram and sacrifice it for the poor, for Isaac was better than you and he was ransomed with a ram.”* He told Ibn ‘Abbas and he replied, “This is the decision I wanted to give you.” Razin transmitted it. *This agrees with the story in the Old Testament which says that Abraham was preparing to sacrifice Isaac, whereas the usual Muslim version is that it was Ishmael.

If any Muslim who suffers some calamity says, what Allah has commanded him," We belong to Allah and to Him shall we return; O Allah, reward me for my affliction and give me something better than it in exchange for it," Allah will give him something better than it in exchange. When Abu Salama died she said: What Muslim is better than Abu Salama whose family was the first to emigrate to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him). I then said the words, and Allah gave me God's Messenger (may peace be upon him) in exchange. She said: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) sent Hatib b. Abu Balta'a to deliver me the message of marriage with him. I said to him: I have a daughter (as my dependant) and I am of jealous temperament. He (the Holy Prophet) said: So far as her daughter is concerned, we would supplicate Allah, that He may free her (of her responsibility) and I would also supplicate Allah to do away with (her) jealous (temperament).

A free loan which you lend by which you desire the pleasure of Allah, and so you have the pleasure of Allah. A free loan which you lend by which you desire the pleasure of your companion, so you have the pleasure of your companion, and a free loan which you lend by which you take what is impure by what is pure, and that is usury." He said, "What do you order me to do, Abu Abd ar-Rahman?" He said, "I think that you should tear up the agreement. If he gives you the like of what you lent him, accept it. If he gives you less than what you lent him, take it and you will be rewarded. If he gives you better than what you lent him, of his own good will, that is his gratitude to you and you have the wage of the period you gave him the loan."

"We returned with the Messenger of Allah from his Hajj that he had performed, and we stopped at some point on the road. He commanded that prayer should be performed in congregation, then he took the hand of 'Ali and said: 'Am I not dearer to the believers than their own selves?' They said: 'Yes indeed.' He said: 'Am I not dearer to every believer than his own self?' They said: 'Yes indeed.' He said: 'This man is the friend of those whose master I am.' O Allah, take as friends those who take him as a friend, and take as enemies those who take him as an enemy.'"

Abu Dharr reported the Prophet as saying, “There are three to whom God will not speak on the day of resurrection, at whom He will not look, and whom He will not declare pure, and they will have a painful punishment.” Abu Dharr said, “They are losers and disappointed. Who are they, Messenger of God?” He replied, “The one who wears a trailing robe, the one who takes account of what he gives*, and the one who produces a ready sale of a commodity by false swearing.” Muslim transmitted it. * This is the type of person who keeps reminding people of his generosity to them.

Abu Shuraih said, "When `Amr bin Sa`id was sending the troops to Mecca (to fight `Abdullah bin Az- Zubair) I said to him, 'O chief! Allow me to tell you what the Prophet said on the day following the conquests of Mecca. My ears heard and my heart comprehended, and I saw him with my own eyes, when he said it. He glorified and praised Allah and then said, "Allah and not the people has made Mecca a sanctuary. So anybody who has belief in Allah and the Last Day (i.e. a Muslim) should neither shed blood in it nor cut down its trees. If anybody argues that fighting is allowed in Mecca as Allah's Apostle did fight (in Mecca), tell him that Allah gave permission to His Apostle, but He did not give it to you. The Prophet added: Allah allowed me only for a few hours on that day (of the conquest) and today (now) its sanctity is the same (valid) as it was before. So it is incumbent upon those who are present to convey it (this information) to those who are absent." Abu- Shuraih was asked, "What did `Amr reply?" He said `Amr said, "O Abu Shuraih! I know better than you (in this respect). Mecca does not give protection to one who disobeys (Allah) or runs after committing murder, or theft (and takes refuge in Mecca).

Abu Hurairah (RAA) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (P.B.U.H.) said, “A believer who is strong (and healthy) is better and dearer to Allah than the weak believer, but there is goodness in both of them. Be keen on what benefits you and seek help from Allah, and do not give up. If anything afflicts you do not say, ‘If I had done such and such things, such and such would have happened.’ But say, ‘Allah decrees and what He wills He does,’ for (the utterance) ‘If I had’ provides an opening for the deeds of the devil.” Related by Muslim.

I came to Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) along with a group of Ash'arites requesting to give us a mount. He (the Holy Prophet) said: By Allah, I cannot provide you with a mount, and there is nothing with me which I should give you as a ride. He (the narrator) said: We stayed there as long as Allah willed. Then there were brought to him (to the Holy Prophet) camels. He (the Holy Prophet) then ordered to give us three white humped camels, We started and said (or some of us said to the others): Allah will not bless us. We came to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) begging him to provide us with riding camels. He swore that he could not provide us with a mount, but later on he provided us with that. They (some of the Prophet's Companions) came and informed him about this (rankling of theirs), whereupon he said: It was not I who provided you with a mount, but Allah has provided you with that. So far as I am concerned, by Allah, if He so wills, I would not swear, but if, later on, I would see better than it, I (would break the vow) and expiate it and do that which is better.

That the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: "Ours is not a bad example: The one who takes back his gift is like the dog who takes back his vomit." [He said:] On this topic, there is the narration from Ibn 'Umar from the Prophet (saws) that he said: "It is not lawful for anyone that has given a gift to take it back, except for a father who gives something to his son."

‘Uqba b. 'Amir told that he said, “Messenger of God, we come to people who do not give us hospitality, or pay what is due to us from them, and we take nothing from them.’’ He replied, “If they make it necessary for you to take it by force, do so.” Tirmidhi transmitted it.

"Some of those who met the Prophet told us that he said: 'The likeness of the one who gives (something), then takes back his gift, is that of a dog which eats, then vomits, then eats its vomit.'"

from Tamim Ad-Dari, regarding this Ayah: O you who believe! When death approaches any of you then take the testimony (5:106). He said: "The people are innocent of it, other than myself and 'Adi bin Badda.' We were Christians who used to frequent Ash-Sham before Islam." They went to Ash-Sham for their business, and they were approached by a freed slave of Banu Sahm, who was called Budail bin Abi Maryam, with some trade. He had a bowl they wanted made of silver, but he wanted a great deal for it. Then he became ill, and willed it to them, and he commissioned them to deliver what was left to his family. Tamim said: "When he died, we took that bowl and we sold it for one-thousand Dirham. Then 'Adi bin Badda and I divided it. When we went to his family to give them what was with us, they searched for the bowl and asked about it. We said: 'He did not leave behind other than this, nor did he give us other than this.'" Tamim said: "When I accepted Islam, after the Messenger of Allah (SAW) had arrived in Al-Madinah, I felt guilty about that, so I went to his family, and informed them about what had happened. I gave them fifty-thousand Dirham and told them my companion had the same. They took him to the Messenger of Allah (SAW) but he asked them for their proof, which they did not have, so he ordered them, to have him to take an oath in accordance with whatever the people of his religion revered, so he took the oath. Then Allah revealed: 'O you who believe! When death approaches any of you then take the testimony...' up to His saying: 'Or else they would fear that oaths will be admitted after their oaths (5:106).'" So 'Amr bin Al-'As and another man stood to take an oath, and the fifty-thousand Dirham was taken from 'Adi bin Badda.'"

The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) gave me a gift, but I said: Give it to one who needs it more than I. He gave me wealth for the second time but I said: Give it to one who needs it more than I. Upon this the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Take out of this wealth which comes to you without your being avaricious and without begging, but in other circumstance's do not let your heart hanker after it.

Salman al-Farisi told of God’s messenger saying in a sermon which he delivered to them on the last day of Sha'ban, “A great month, a blessed month, a month containing a night which is better than a thousand months has approached you people. God has appointed the observance of fasting during it as an obligatory duty, and the passing of its night in prayer as a voluntary practice. If someone draws near to God during it with some good act he will be like one who fulfils an obligatory duty in another month, and he who fulfills an obligatory duty in it will be like one who fulfills seventy obligatory duties in another month. It is the month of endurance, and the reward of endurance is paradise. It is the month of sharing with others, and a month in which the believer’s provision is increased. If someone gives one who has been fasting something with which to break his fast it will provide forgiveness of his sins and save him from hell, and he will have a reward equal to his without his reward being diminished in any respect.” Some of them remarked to God’s messenger that they did not all have the means to give one who had been fasting something with which to break his fast, and he replied, “God gives this reward to him who gives one who has been fasting some milk mixed with water, or a date, or a drink of water with which to break his fast, and anyone who gives a full meal to one who has been fasting will be given a drink from any tank by God and will not thirst till he enters paradise. It is a month whose beginning is mercy, whose middle is forgiveness, and whose end is freedom from hell. If anyone makes things easy for his slave during it, God will forgive him and free him from hell.”

There would soon be turmoil. Behold! there would be turmoil in which the one who would be seated would be better than one who would stand and the one who would stand would be better than one who would run. Behold! when the turmoil comes or it appears, the one who has camel should stick to his camel and he who has sheep or goat should stick to his sheep and goat and he who has land should stick to the land. A person said: 'Allah's Messenger, what is your opinion about one who has neither camel nor sheep nor land? Thereupon, he said: He should take hold of his sword and beat its edge with the help of stone and then try to find a way of escape. O Allah, I have conveyed (Thy Message) ; O Allah, I have conveyed (Thy Message) ; O Allah, I have conveyed (Thy Message). A person said: Allah's Messenger, what is your opinion if I am drawn to a rank in spite of myself, or in one of the groups and made to march and a man strikes with his sword or there comes an arrow and kills me? Thereupon he said: He will bear the punishment of his sin and that of yours and he would be one amongst the denizens of Hell.

A man came to the Prophets and said, "I am ruined!" The Prophet said, "What is the matter with you?" He said, "I have done a sexual relation with my wife (while fasting) in Ramadan" The Prophet said to him, "Can you afford to manumit a slave?" He said, "No." The Prophet said, "Can you fast for two successive months?" He said, "No." The Prophet said, "Can you feed sixty poor persons?" He said, "I have nothing." Later on an Irq (big basket) containing dates was given to the Prophet, and the Prophet said (to him), "Take this basket and give it in charity." The man said, "To poorer people than we? Indeed, there is nobody between its (i.e., Medina's) two mountains who is poorer than we." The Prophet then said, "Take it and feed your family with it."

While I was praying with the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him), a man in the company sneezed. I said: Allah have mercy on you! The people stared at me with disapproving looks, so I said: Woe be upon me, why is it that you stare at me? They began to strike their hands on their thighs, and when I saw them urging me to observe silence (I became angry) but I said nothing. When the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) had said the prayer (and I declare that neither before him nor after him have I seen a leader who gave better instruction than he for whom I would give my father and mother as ransom). I swear that he did not scold, beat or revile me but said: Talking to persons is not fitting during the prayer, for it consists of glorifying Allah, declaring his Greatness. and recitation of the Qur'an or words to that effect. I said: Messenger of Allah. I was till recently a pagan, but Allah has brought Islam to us; among us there are men who have recourse to Kahins. He said, Do not have recourse to them. I said. There are men who take omens. That is something which they find in their breasts, but let it not turn their way (from freedom of action). I said: Among us there are men who draw lines. He said: There was a prophet who drew lines, so if they do it as they did, that is allowable. I had a maid-servant who tended goats by the side of Uhud and Jawwaniya. One day I happened to pass that way and found that a wolf had carried a goat from her flock. I am after all a man from the posterity of Adam. I felt sorry as they (human beings) feel sorry. So I slapped her. I came to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) and felt (this act of mine) as something grievous I said: Messenger of Allah, should I not grant her freedom? He (the Holy Prophet) said: Bring her to me. So I brought her to him. He said to her: Where is Allah? She said: He is in the heaven. He said: Who am I? She said: Thou art the Messenger of Allah. He said: Grant her freedom, she is a believing woman.

"It is not permissible for a man to give a gift and then take it back except a father taking back what he gave to his son. The likeness of the one who gives a gift then takes it back is that of the dog which eats until it is full, then it vomits, and goes back to its vomit."

I came to the Prophet when he was sitting in the shade of the Ka'ba, and when he saw me he said, “By the Lord of the Ka'ba, they are the ones who suffer the greatest loss." I asked, “Who are they, you for whom I would give my father and my mother as ransom?" He replied, “Those who have most property, except those who say, ‘Take this and this and this,’ before them, behind them, on their right and on their left; but they are few." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

"An omen is in a dwelling, a woman or a horse." Abu Dawud said: This tradition was read out to al-Harith b. Miskin and I was witness. It was said to him that Ibn Qasim told him that Malik was asked about evil omen in a horse and in a house. He replied: There are many houses in which people lived and perished and again others lived therein and they also perished. This is its explanation so far as we know. Allah knows best. Abu Dawud said: 'Umar (ra) said: A mat in a house better than a woman who does not give birth to a child.

"I heard that you have been doing some work for the Muslims, and you are given payment for that, but you do not accept it. "I said: "Yes (that is so); I have horses and slaves and am well-off, and I wanted my work to be an act of charity toward the Muslims." 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "I wanted the same thing as you. The Prophet used to give me money, and I would say: 'Give it to someone who is more in need of it than I am. Once he gave me money and I said: 'Give it to someone who us more in need of it that I am, and he said: 'Whatever Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, gives you of this wealth without you asking for it or hoping or it, take it and keep it, or give it in charity, and whatever. He does not give you then do not hope for it or wish for it."'

I heard the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) say: "He who has taken an oath (to do something) but found something else better than that (which brings him closer to Allah), then he should do that which is better in piety (and he should expiate for the breaking of oath)".[Muslim].