Riyad as-Salihin 1-The Book of Miscellany-كتاب المقدمات

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The deeds are considered by the intentions, and a person will get the reward according to his intention. So whoever emigrated for Allah and His Messenger, his emigration will be for Allah and His Messenger; and whoever emigrated for worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, his emigration would be for what he emigrated for".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "An army will raid the Ka'bah and when it reaches a desert land, all of them will be swallowed up by the earth." She asked; "O Messenger of Allah! Why all of them?" He answered, "All of them will be swallowed by the earth but they will be raised for Judgement according to their intentions."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

A'ishah (May Allah be pleased with her) narrated that the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "There is no emigration after the conquest (of Makkah) but only Jihad [(striving and fighting in the cause of Allah) will continue] and good intention.* So if you are summoned to fight, go forth."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]..

We accompanied the Prophet (ﷺ) in an expedition when he said, "There are some men in Al-Madinah who are with you wherever you march and whichever valley you cross. They have not joined you in person because of their illness." In another version he said: "They share the reward with you."[Muslim].It is narrated by Bukhari from Anas bin Malik (May Allah be pleased with him): We were coming back from the battle of Tabuk with the Prophet (ﷺ) when he remarked, "There are people whom we left behind in Al- Madinah who accompanied us in spirit in every pass and valley we crossed. They remained behind for a valid excuse."

My father set aside some dinars for charity and gave them to a man in the mosque. I went to that man and took back those dinars. He said: "I had not intended you to be given." So we went to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and put forth the matter before him. He said to my father, "Yazid, you have been rewarded for what you intended." And he said to me, "Ma'n, you are entitled to what you have taken."[Al- Bukhari].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) visited me in my illness which became severe in the year of Hajjat-ul-Wada' (Farewell Pilgrimage). I said, "O Messenger of Allah, you can see the pain which I am suffering and I am a man of means and there is none to inherit from me except one daughter. Should I give two-thirds of my property in charity?" He (ﷺ) said, "No". I asked him, "Then half?" He said, "No". Then I asked, "Can I give away one-third". He said, "Give away one-third, and that is still too much. It is better to leave your heirs well-off than to leave them poor, begging people. You will not expend a thing in charity for the sake of Allah, but you will be rewarded for it; even the morsel of food which you feed your wife". I said, "O Messenger of Allah, would I survive my companions?" He said, "If you survive others and accomplish a thing for the sake of Allah, you would gain higher ranking and standing. You will survive them ... your survival will be beneficial to people (the Muslim) and harmful to others (the enemies of Islam). You will survive others till the people will derive benefit from you, and others would be harmed by you." Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) further said, "O Allah, complete for my Companions their emigration and do not cause them to retract." Sa'd bin Khaulah was unfortunate. Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) lamented his death as he died in Makkah.[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah does not look at your figures, nor at your attire but He looks at your hearts and accomplishments".[Muslim].

"He who fights in order that the Word of Allah remains the supreme, is considered as fighting in the cause of Allah".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "When two Muslims are engaged in a combat against each other with their sword's and one is killed, both are doomed to Hell". I said, "O Messenger of Allah! As to the one who kills, it is understandable, but why the slain one?" He (ﷺ) replied: "He was eager to kill his opponent".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

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

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said that Allah, the Glorious, said: "Verily, Allah (SWT) has ordered that the good and the bad deeds be written down. Then He explained it clearly how (to write): He who intends to do a good deed but he does not do it, then Allah records it for him as a full good deed, but if he carries out his intention, then Allah the Exalted, writes it down for him as from ten to seven hundred folds, and even more. But if he intends to do an evil act and has not done it, then Allah writes it down with Him as a full good deed, but if he intends it and has done it, Allah writes it down as one bad deed".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

He heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: "Three men, amongst those who came before you, set out until night came and they reached a cave, so they entered it. A rock fell down from the mountain and blocked the entrance of the cave. They said: 'Nothing will save you from this unless you supplicate to Allah by virtue of a righteous deed you have done.' Thereupon, one of them said: 'O Allah! I had parents who were old, and I used to offer them milk before any of my children or slaves. One day, I went far away in search of grazing and could not come back until they had slept. When I milked as usual and brought the drink I found them both asleep. I hated to disturb them and also disliked to give milk to my children before them. My children were crying out of hunger at my feet but I awaited with the bowl in my hand for them to wake up. When they awoke at dawn, they drank milk. O Allah! If I did so to seek Your Pleasure, then deliver us from the distress caused by the rock'. The rock moved slightly but they were unable to escape. The next said: 'O Allah! I had a cousin whom I loved more than any one else (in another version he said: as a man can love a woman). I wanted to have sexual intercourse with her but she refused. Hard pressed in a year of famine, she approached me. I gave her one hundred and twenty dinars on condition that she would yield herself to me. She agreed and when we got together (for sexual intercourse), she said: Fear Allah and do not break the seal unlawfully. I moved away from her in spite of the fact that I loved her most passionately; and I let her keep the money I had given her. O Allah! If I did that to seek Your Pleasure, then, remove the distress in which we are.' The rock moved aside a bit further but they were still unable to get out. The third one said: 'O Allah! I hired some labourers and paid them their wages except one of them departed without taking his due. I invested his money in business and the business prospered greatly. After a long time, he came to me and said: O slave of Allah! Pay me my dues. I said: All that you see is yours - camels, cattle, goats and slaves. He said: O slave of Allah! Do not mock at me. I assured him that I was not joking. So he took all the things and went away. He spared nothing. O Allah! If I did so seeking Your Pleasure, then relieve us of our distress.' The rock slipped aside and they got out walking freely".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying: "By Allah, I seek Allah's forgiveness and repent to Him more than seventy times a day."[Al-Bukhari].

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Turn you people in repentance to Allah and beg pardon of Him. I turn to Him in repentance a hundred times a day".[Muslim].

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

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Allah, the Exalted, will continue to stretch out His Hand in the night so that the sinners of the day may repent, and continue to stretch His Hand in the daytime so that the sinners of the night may repent, until the sun rises from the west".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "He who repents before the sun rises from the west, Allah will forgive him".[Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Allah accepts a slave's repentance as long as the latter is not on his death bed (that is, before the soul of the dying person reaches the throat)".[At-Tirmidhi, who categorised it as Hadith Hasan].

I went to Safwan bin 'Assal (May Allah be pleased with him) to inquire about wiping with wet hands over light boots while performing Wudu'. He asked me, "What brings you here, Zirr?" I answered: "Search for knowledge". He said, "Angels spread their wings for the seeker of knowledge out of joy for what he seeks". I told him, "I have some doubts in my mind regarding wiping of wet hands over light boots in the course of performing Wudu' after defecation or urinating. Now since you are one of the Companions of the Prophet (ﷺ), I have come to ask you whether you heard any saying of the Prophet (ﷺ) concerning it?". He replied in the affirmative and said, "He (ﷺ) instructed us that during a journey we need not take off our light boots for washing the feet up to three days and nights, except in case of major impurity (after sexual intercourse). In other cases such as sleeping, relieving oneself or urinating, the wiping of wet hands over light boots will suffice." I, then, questioned him, "Did you hear him say anything about love and affection?" He replied, "We accompanied the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) in a journey when a bedouin called out in a loud voice, 'O Muhammad.' The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) replied him in the same tone, 'Here I am.' I said to him (the bedouin), 'Woe to you, lower your voice in his presence, because you are not allowed to do so.' He said, 'By Allah! I will not lower my voice,' and then addressing the Prophet (ﷺ) he said, 'What about a person who loves people but has not found himself in their company.' Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) replied, 'On the Day of Resurrection, a person will be in the company of those whom he loves.' The Messenger of Allah then kept on talking to us and in the course of his talk, he mentioned a gateway in the heaven, the width of which could be crossed by a rider in forty or seventy years".Sufyan, one of the narrators of this tradition, said: "This gateway is in the direction of Syria. Allah created it on the day He created the heavens and the earth. It is open for repentance and will not be shut until the sun rises from that direction (i.e., the West) (on Doomsday)".[At-Tirmidhi, who categorised it as Hadith Hasan Sahih]

Prophet of Allah (ﷺ) said: "There was a man from among a nation before you who killed ninety-nine people and then made an inquiry about the most learned person on the earth. He was directed to a monk. He came to him and told him that he had killed ninety-nine people and asked him if there was any chance for his repentance to be accepted. He replied in the negative and the man killed him also completing one hundred. He then asked about the most learned man in the earth. He was directed to a scholar. He told him that he had killed one hundred people and asked him if there was any chance for his repentance to be accepted. He replied in the affirmative and asked, 'Who stands between you and repentance? Go to such and such land; there (you will find) people devoted to prayer and worship of Allah, join them in worship, and do not come back to your land because it is an evil place.' So he went away and hardly had he covered half the distance when death overtook him; and there was a dispute between the angels of mercy and the angels of torment. The angels of mercy pleaded, 'This man has come with a repenting heart to Allah,' and the angels of punishment argued, 'He never did a virtuous deed in his life.' Then there appeared another angel in the form of a human being and the contending angels agreed to make him arbiter between them. He said, 'Measure the distance between the two lands. He will be considered belonging to the land to which he is nearer.' They measured and found him closer to the land (land of piety) where he intended to go, and so the angels of mercy collected his soul".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].In another version: "He was found to be nearer to the locality of the pious by a cubit and was thus included among them". Another version says: "Allah commanded (the land which he wanted to leave) to move away and commanded the other land (his destination) to draw nearer and then He said: "Now measure the distance between them.' It was found that he was nearer to his goal by a hand's span and was thus forgiven". It is also narrated that he drew closer by a slight movement on his chest.

I heard Ka'b bin Malik (May Allah be pleased with him) narrating the story of his remaining behind instead of joining Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) when he left for the battle of Tabuk. Ka'b said: "I accompanied Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) in every expedition which he undertook excepting the battle of Tabuk and the battle of Badr. As for the battle of Badr, nobody was blamed for remaining behind as Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and the Muslims, when they set out, had in mind only to intercept the caravan of the Quraish. Allah made them confront their enemies unexpectedly. I had the honour of being with Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) on the night of 'Aqabah when we pledged our allegiance to Islam and it was dearer to me than participating in the battle of Badr, although Badr was more well-known among the people than that. And this is the account of my staying behind from the battle of Tabuk. I never had better means and more favourable circumstances than at the time of this expedition. And by Allah, I had never before possessed two riding-camels as I did during the time of this expedition. Whenever Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) decided to go on a campaign, he would not disclose his real destination till the last moment (of departure). But on this expedition, he set out in extremely hot weather; the journey was long and the terrain was waterless desert; and he had to face a strong army, so he informed the Muslims about the actual position so that they should make full preparation for the campaign. And the Muslims who accompanied Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) at that time were in large number but no proper record of them was maintained." Ka'b (further) said: "Few were the persons who chose to remain absent believing that they could easily hide themselves (and thus remain undetected) unless Revelation from Allah, the Exalted, and Glorious (revealed relating to them). And Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) set out on this expedition when the fruit were ripe and their shade was sought. I had a weakness for them and it was during this season that Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and the Muslims made preparations. I also would set out in the morning to make preparations along with them but would come back having done nothing and said to myself: 'I have means enough (to make preparations) as soon as I like'. And I went on doing this (postponing my preparations) till the time of departure came and it was in the morning that Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) set out along with the Muslims, but I had made no preparations. I would go early in the morning and come back, but with no decision. I went on doing so until they (the Muslims) hastened and covered a good deal of distance. Then I wished to march on and join them. Would that I had done that! But perhaps it was not destined for me. After the departure of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) whenever I went out, I was grieved to find no good example to follow but confirmed hypocrites or weak people whom Allah had exempted (from marching forth for Jihad). Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) made no mention of me until he reached Tabuk. While he was sitting with the people in Tabuk, he said, 'What happened to Ka'b bin Malik?' A person from Banu Salimah said: "O Messenger of Allah, the (beauty) of his cloak and an appreciation of his finery have detained him.' Upon this Mu'adh bin Jabal (MatAllah be pleased with him) admonished him and said to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): "By Allah, we know nothing about him but good.' Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), however, kept quiet. At that time he (the Prophet (ﷺ)) saw a person dressed in white and said, 'Be Abu Khaithamah.' And was Abu Khaithamah Al- Ansari was the person who had contributed a Sa' of dates and was ridiculed by the hypocrites." Ka'b bin Malik further said: "When the news reached me that Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was on his way back from Tabuk, I was greatly distressed. I thought of fabricating an excuse and asked myself how I would save myself from his anger the next day. In this connection, I sought the counsels of every prudent member of my family. When I was told that Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was about to arrive, all the wicked ideas vanished (from my mind) and I came to the conclusion that nothing but the truth could save me. So I decided to tell him the truth. It was in the morning that Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) arrived in Al-Madinah. It was his habit that whenever he came back from a journey, he would first go to the mosque and perform two Rak'ah (of optional prayer) and would then sit with the people. When he sat, those who had remained behind him began to put forward their excuses and take an oath before him. They were more than eighty in number. Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) accepted their excuses on the very face of them and accepted their allegiance and sought forgiveness for them and left their insights to Allah, until I appeared before him. I greeted him and he smiled and there was a tinge of anger in that. He then said to me, 'Come forward'. I went forward and I sat in front of him. He said to me, 'What kept you back? Could you not afford to go in for a ride?' I said, 'O Messenger of Allah, by Allah, if I were to sit before anybody else, a man of the world, I would have definitely saved myself from his anger on one pretext or the other and I have a gifted skill in argumentation, but, by Allah, I am fully aware that if I were to put forward before you a lame excuse to please you, Allah would definitely provoke your wrath upon me. In case, I speak the truth, you may be angry with me, but I hope that Allah would be pleased with me (and accept my repentance). By Allah, there is no valid excuse for me. By Allah, I never possessed so good means, and I never had such favourable conditions for me as I had when I stayed behind.' Thereupon, Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, 'This man spoke the truth, so get up (and wait) until Allah gives a decision about you.' I left and some people of Banu Salimah followed me. They said to me, 'By Allah, we do not know that you committed a sin before. You, however, showed inability to put forward an excuse before Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) like those who stayed behind him. It would have been enough for the forgiveness of your sin that Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would have sought forgiveness for you.' By Allah, they kept on reproaching me until I thought of going back to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and retract my confession. Then I said to them, 'Has anyone else met the same fate?' They said, 'Yes, two persons have met the same fate. They made the same statement as you did and the same verdict was delivered in their case.' I asked, 'Who are they?' They said, 'Murarah bin Ar-Rabi' Al-'Amri and Hilal bin Umaiyyah Al- Waqifi.' They mentioned these two pious men who had taken part in the battle of Badr and there was an example for me in them. I was confirmed in my original resolve. Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prohibited the Muslims to talk to the three of us from amongst those who had stayed behind. The people began to avoid us and their attitude towards us changed and it seemed as if the whole atmosphere had turned against us, and it was in fact the same atmosphere of which I was fully aware and in which I had lived (for a fairly long time). We spent fifty nights in this very state and my two friends confined themselves within their houses and spent (most of their) time weeping. As I was the youngest and the strongest, I would leave my house, attend the congregational Salat, move about in the bazaars, but none would speak to me. I would come to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as he sat amongst (people) after the Salat, greet him and would ask myself whether or not his lips moved in response to my greetings. Then I would perform Salat near him and look at him stealthily. When I finish my Salat, he would look at me and when I would cast a glance at him he would turn away his eyes from me. When the harsh treatment of the Muslims to me continued for a (considerable) length of time, I walked and I climbed upon the wall of the garden of Abu Qatadah, who was my cousin, and I had a great love for him. I greeted him but, by Allah, he did not answer to my greeting. I said to him, 'O Abu Qatadah, I adjure you in the Name of Allah, are you not aware that I love Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ)?' I asked him the same question again but he remained silent. I again adjured him, whereupon he said, 'Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ) know better.' My eyes were filled with tears, and I came back climbing down the wall.As I was walking in the bazaars of Al-Madinah, a man from the Syrian peasants, who had come to sell food grains in Al-Madinah, asked people to direct him to Ka'b bin Malik. People pointed towards me. He came to me and delivered a letter from the King of Ghassan, and as I was a scribe, I read that letter whose purport was: 'It has been conveyed to us that your friend (the Prophet (ﷺ)) was treating you harshly. Allah has not created you for a place where you are to be degraded and where you cannot find your right place; so come to us and we shall receive you graciously.' As I read that letter I said: 'This is too a trial,' so I put it to fire in an oven. When forty days had elapsed and Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) received no Revelation, there came to me a messenger of the Messenger of Allah and said, 'Verily, Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) has commanded you to keep away from your wife.' I said, 'Should I divorce her or what else should I do?' He said, 'No, but only keep away from her and don't have sexual contact with her.' The same message was sent to my companions. So, I said to my wife: 'You better go to your parents and stay there with them until Allah gives the decision in my case.' The wife of Hilal bin Umaiyyah came to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and said: 'O Messenger of Allah, Hilal bin Umaiyyah is a senile person and has no servant. Do you disapprove if I serve him?' He said, 'No, but don't let him have any sexual contact with you.' She said, 'By Allah, he has no such desire left in him. By Allah, he has been in tears since (this calamity) struck him.' Members of my family said to me, 'You should have sought permission from Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) in regard to your wife. He has allowed the wife of Hilal bin Umaiyyah to serve him.' I said, 'I would not seek permission from Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) for I do not know what Messenger of Allah might say in response to that, as I am a young man'. It was in this state that I spent ten more nights and thus fifty days had passed since people boycotted us and gave up talking to us. After I had offered my Fajr prayer on the early morning of the fiftieth day of this boycott on the roof of one of our houses, and had sat in the very state which Allah described as: 'The earth seemed constrained for me despite its vastness', I heard the voice of a proclaimer from the peak of the hill Sal' shouting at the top of his voice: 'O Ka'b bin Malik, rejoice.' I fell down in prostration and came to know that there was (a message of) relief for me. Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had informed the people about the acceptance of our repentance by Allah after he had offered the Fajr prayer. So the people went on to give us glad tidings and some of them went to my companions in order to give them the glad tidings. A man spurred his horse towards me (to give the good news), and another one from the tribe of Aslam came running for the same purpose and, as he approached the mount, I received the good news which reached me before the rider did. When the one whose voice I had heard came to me to congratulate me, I took off my garments and gave them to him for the good news he brought to me. By Allah, I possessed nothing else (in the form of clothes) except these garments, at that time. Then I borrowed two garments, dressed myself and came to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) On my way, I met groups of people who greeted me for (the acceptance of) repentance and they said: 'Congratulations for acceptance of your repentance.' I reached the mosque where Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was sitting amidst people. Talhah bin 'Ubaidullah got up and rushed towards me, shook hands with me and greeted me. By Allah, no person stood up (to greet me) from amongst the Muhajirun besides him." Ka'b said that he never forgot (this good gesture of) Talhah. Ka'b further said: "I greeted Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) with 'As-salamu 'alaikum' and his face was beaming with pleasure. He (ﷺ) said, 'Rejoice with the best day you have ever seen since your mother gave you birth. 'I said: 'O Messenger of Allah! Is this (good news) from you or from Allah?' He said, 'No, it is from Allah.' And it was common with Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) that when ever he was happy, his face would glow as if it were a part of the moon and it was from this that we recognized it (his delight). As I sat before him, I said, I have placed a condition upon myself that if Allah accepts my Taubah, I would give up all of my property in charity for the sake of Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ)!' Thereupon Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, 'Keep some property with you, as it is better for you.' I said, 'I shall keep with me that portion which is in Khaibar'. I added: 'O Messenger of Allah! Verily, Allah has granted me salvation because of my truthfulness, and therefore, repentance obliges me to speak nothing but the truth as long as I am alive." Ka'b added: "By Allah, I do not know anyone among the Muslims who has been granted truthfulness better than me since I said this to the Prophet (ﷺ). By Allah! Since the time I made a pledge of this to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), I have never intended to tell a lie, and I hope that Allah would protect me (against telling lies) for the rest of my life. Allah, the Exalted, the Glorious, revealed these Verses:'Allah has forgiven the Prophet (ﷺ), the Muhajirun (Muslim Emigrants who left their homes and came to Al-Madinah) and the Ansar (Muslims of Al- Madinah) who followed him (Muhammad (ﷺ)) in the time of distress (Tabuk expedition), after the hearts of a party of them had nearly deviated (from the Right Path), but He accepted their repentance. Certainly, He is unto them full of kindness, Most Merciful. And (He did forgive also) the three who did not join [the Tabuk expedition and whose case was deferred (by the Prophet (ﷺ)) for Allah's Decision] till for them the earth, vast as it is, was straitened and their ownselves were straitened to them, and they perceived that there is no fleeing from Allah, and no refuge but with Him. Then, He forgave them (accepted their repentance), that they might beg for His Pardon [repent (unto Him)]. Verily, Allah is the One Who forgives and accepts repentance, Most Merciful. O you who believe! Be afraid of Allah, and be with those who are true (in word and deeds)." (9:117,118).Ka'b said: "By Allah, since Allah guided me to Islam, there has been no blessing more significant for me than this truth of mine which I spoke to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and if I were to tell a lie I would have been ruined as were ruined those who had told lies, for Allah described those who told lies with the worst description He ever attributed to anybody else, as He sent down the Revelation:They will swear by Allah to you (Muslims) when you return to them, that you may turn away from them. So turn away from them. Surely, they are Rijsun [i.e., Najasun (impure) because of their evil deeds], and Hell is their dwelling place - a recompense for that which they used to earn. They (the hypocrites) swear to you (Muslims) that you may be pleased with them, but if you are pleased with them, certainly Allah is not pleased with the people who are Al- Fa'siqun (rebellious, disobedient to Allah)". (9:95,96)Ka'b further added: "The matter of the three of us remained pending for decision apart from the case of those who had made excuses on oath before Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and he accepted those, took fresh oaths of allegiance from them and supplicated for their forgiveness. The Prophet (ﷺ) kept our matter pending till Allah decided it. The three whose matter was deferred have been shown mercy. The reference here is not to our staying back from the expedition but to his delaying our matter and keeping it pending beyond the matter of those who made their excuses on oath which he accepted".[Al- Bukhari and Muslim]Another version adds: "Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) set out for Tabuk on Thursday. He used to prefer to set out on journey on Thursday." Another version says: "Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to come back from a journey in the early forenoon and went straight to the mosque where he would perform two Rak'ah prayer. Afterwards he would seat himself there".

A woman from the tribe Juhainah came to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) while she was pregnant from (Zina) adultery and said to him: "O Messenger of Allah! I have committed an offense liable to Hadd (prescribed punishment), so exact the execution of the sentence." Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) called her guardian and said to him, "Treat her kindly. Bring her to me after the delivery of the child." That man complied with the orders. At last the Prophet (ﷺ) commanded to carry out the sentence. Her clothes were secured around her and she was stoned to death. The Prophet (ﷺ) led her funeral prayers. 'Umar submitted: "O Messenger of Allah! She committed Zina and you have performed funeral prayer for her?" He replied, "Verily, she made repentance which would suffice for seventy of the people of Al-Madinah if it is divided among them. Can there be any higher degree of repentance than that she sacrificed her life voluntarily to win the Pleasure of Allah, the Exalted?".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "If a son of Adam were to own a valley full of gold, he would desire to have two. Nothing can fill his mouth except the earth (of the grave). Allah turns with mercy to him who turns to Him in repentance".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah, the Exalted, smiles at two men, one of them killed the other and both will enter Jannah. The first is killed by the other while he is fighting in the Cause of Allah, and thereafter Allah will turn in mercy to the second and guide him to accept Islam and then he dies as a Shaheed (martyr) fighting in the Cause of Allah."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Wudu' is half of Salah; the utterance of (Al-hamdu lillah - all praise belongs to Allah) fills the Scales of good actions; the utterance of (Subhan Allah wa Al-hamdu lillah) (Allah is far removed from every imperfection and all praise belongs to Allah) fills the space between the heavens and the earth, and Salat (prayer) is light; and charity is the proof of Faith; and endurance is light, and the Qur'an is a plea in your favour or against you. Every person departs; he either ransoms it or puts it into perdition".[Muslim].

Certain people of the Ansar asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and he gave them; then they again asked him and he gave them until all what he possessed was exhausted. Then the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Whatever wealth I have, I will not withhold from you. Whosoever would be chaste and modest; Allah will keep him chaste and modest and whosoever would seek self-sufficiency, Allah will make him self-sufficient; and whosoever would be patient, Allah will give him patience, and no one is granted a gift better and more comprehensive than patience".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "How wonderful is the case of a believer; there is good for him in everything and this applies only to a believer. If prosperity attends him, he expresses gratitude to Allah and that is good for him; and if adversity befalls him, he endures it patiently and that is better for him".[Muslim].

When the last illness of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) made him unconscious, Fatimah (May Allah be pleased with her) exclaimed: "Ah, the distress of my dear father." He (ﷺ) said, "There will be no distress for your father after today". When he died she said: "My father, Allah has called you back and you have responded to His Call. O father! Garden of Firdaus is your abode. O father! We announce to Jibril your death." When he was buried, she said: "Are you satisfied now that you put earth over (the grave of) Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)?"[Al- Bukhari]

The daughter of the Prophet (ﷺ) sent for him as her child was dying, but the Prophet (ﷺ) returned the messenger and sent her good wishes saying, "Whatever Allah takes away or gives, belongs to Him, and everything with Him has a limited fixed term (in this world), and so she should be patient and anticipate Allah's reward." She again sent for him adjuring him for the sake of Allah to come. The Messenger of Allah, accompanied with Sa'd bin 'Ubadah, Mu'adh bin Jabal, Ubayy bin Ka'b, Zaid bin Thabit and some other men went to see her. The child was lifted up to the Messenger of Allah while his breath was disturbed in his chest. On seeing that, the eyes of the Prophet (ﷺ) streamed with tears. Sa'd said, "O Messenger of Allah! What is this?" He replied, "It is compassion which Allah has placed in the hearts of His slaves, Allah is Compassionate only to those among His slaves who are compassionate (to others)".Another version says: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah shows compassion only to those among His slaves who are compassionate".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

'I have grown old, so send me a young boy in order to teach him magic.' The king sent him a young boy to serve the purpose. And on his way (to the magician) the young boy met a monk to whom he listened to and liked it. It became his habit that on his way to the magician, he would meet the monk and sit there and would come to the magician (late). The magician used to beat him because of this delay. He complained about this to the monk who said to him: 'When you feel afraid of the magician, say: Members of my family detained me. And when you fear your family, say: The magician detained me.' It so happened that there came a huge beast and it blocked the way of the people, and the young boy said: 'I will know today whether the magician or the monk is better.' He picked up a stone and said: 'O Allah, if the way of the monk is dearer to You than the way of the magician, bring about death to the animal so that the people be able to move about freely.' He threw that stone at it and killed it and the people began to move about freely. He then came to the monk and told him the story. The monk said: 'Son, today you are superior to me. You have come to a stage where I feel that you would be soon put to a trial, and in case you are put to a trial, do not reveal me.' That young boy began to heal those born blind and the lepers and he, in fact, began to cure people from all kinds of illnesses. When a courtier of the king who had gone blind heard about him, he came to him with numerous gifts and said, 'If you cure me, all these things will be yours.' He said, 'I myself do not cure anyone. It is Allah, the Exalted, Alone Who cures; and if you affirm faith in Allah, I shall also supplicate to Allah to cure you.' This courtier affirmed his faith in Allah and Allah cured him. He came to the king and sat by his side as he used to sit before. The king said to him, 'Who restored your eyesight?' He said, 'My Rubb.' Thereupon he said, 'Do you have another lord besides me?' He said, 'My Rubb and your Rubb is Allah.' So the king kept torturing him untill he revealed the young boy. The young boy was thus summoned and the king said to him, 'O boy, it has been conveyed to me that you have become so much proficient in your magic that you cure the blind and the lepers and you do such and such.' Thereupon he said, 'I do not cure anyone; it is Allah Alone Who cures,' and the king took hold of him and began to torture him until he revealed of the monk. The monk was summoned and it was said to him: 'You should turn back from your religion.' But he refused. The king sent for a saw, placed it in the middle of his head and cut him into two parts that fell down. Then the courtier of the king was brought forward and it was said to him: 'Turn back from your religion.' He, too, refused, and the saw was placed in the midst of his head and he was torn into two parts. Then the boy was sent for and it was said to him: 'Turn back from your religion.' He refused. The king then handed him over to a group of his courtiers, and said to them: 'Take him to such and such mountain; make him climb up that mountain and when you reach its peak ask him to renounce his Faith. If he refuses to do so, push him to his death.' So they took him and made him climb up the mountain and he said: 'O Allah, save me from them in any way you like,' and the mountain began to shake and they all fell down (dead) and that young boy came walking to the king. The king said to him, 'What happened to your companions?' He said, 'Allah has saved me from them.' He again handed him to some of his courtiers and said: 'Take him and carry him in a boat and when you reach the middle of the sea, ask him to renounce his religion. If he does not renounce his religion throw him (into the water).' So they took him and he said: 'O Allah, save me from them.' The boat turned upside down and they all drowned except the young boy who came walking to the king. The king said to him, 'What happened to your companions?' He said, 'Allah has saved me from them,' and he said to the king: 'You cannot kill me until you do what I command you to do.' The king asked, 'What is that?' He said, 'Gather all people in one place and tie me up to the trunk of a tree, then take an arrow from my quiver and say: With the Name of Allah, the Rubb of the boy; then shoot me. If you do that you will be able to kill me.' 'The king called the people in an open field and tied the young boy to the trunk of a tree. He took out an arrow from his quiver, fixed in the bow and said, 'With the Name of Allah, the Rubb of the young boy,' he then shot the arrow and it hit the boy's temple. The young boy placed his hand upon the temple where the arrow had hit him and died. The people then said: 'We believe in the Rubb of this young boy.' The king was told: 'Do you see what you were afraid of, by Allah it has taken place; all people have believed.' The king then commanded that trenches be dug and fire lit in them, and said: 'He who would not turn back from his (the young boy's) religion, throw him in the fire' or 'he would be ordered to jump into it.' They did so till a woman came with her child. She felt hesitant in jumping into the fire. The child said to her: 'O mother! Endure (this ordeal) for you are on the Right Path".[Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) passed by a woman who was crying over a grave and said, "Fear Allah and be patient." She said, "Away from me! My calamity has not befallen you and you are not aware of it." The woman was later told that it was the Prophet (ﷺ) (who had advised her). She came to his door where she found no doorkeeper. She said, "(I am sorry) I did not know you." Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Patience is (becoming) only at the first (stroke) of grief".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].Another narration in Muslim says: The woman was crying over her son.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah, the Exalted, says: 'I have no reward other than Jannah for a believing slave of Mine who remains patient for My sake when I take away his beloved one from among the inhabitants of the world".[Al- Bukhari].

I asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) about pestilence and he said, "It is a punishment which Allah sends upon whomsoever He wills, but Allah has made it as a mercy to the believers. Anyone who remains in a town which is plagued with pestilence maintaining patience expecting the reward from Allah, and knowing that nothing will befall him other than what Allah has foreordained for him, he would receive a reward of Shaheed".[Al-Bukhari].

I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, "Allah, the Glorious and Exalted said: 'When I afflict my slave in his two dear things (i.e., his eyes), and he endures patiently, I shall compensate him for them with Jannah.".[Al-Bukhari].

Ibn 'Abbas (May Allah be pleased with them) asked him whether he would like that he should show him a woman who is from the people Jannah. When he replied that he certainly would, he said, "This black woman, who came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said, 'I suffer from epilepsy and during fits my body is exposed, so make supplication to Allah for me.' He (ﷺ) replied: 'If you wish you endure it patiently and you be rewarded with Jannah, or if you wish, I shall make supplication to Allah to cure you?' She said, 'I shall endure it.' Then she added: 'But my body is exposed, so pray to Allah that it may not happen.' He (Prophet (ﷺ)) then supplicated for her".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

I can still recall as if I am seeing the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) resembling one of the Prophets whose people scourged him and shed his blood, while he wiped blood from his face, he said: "O Allah! Forgive my people, because they certainly do not know".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

"Never a believer is stricken with a discomfort, an illness, an anxiety, a grief or mental worry or even the pricking of a thorn but Allah will expiate his sins on account of his patience".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

I visited the Prophet (ﷺ) when he was suffering fever. I said, "You seem to be suffering greatly, O Messenger of Allah." The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, "Yes, I suffer as much as two persons." I said, "Is that because you have a double reward?" He replied that that was so and then said, "No Muslim is afflicted by a harm, be it the pricking of a thorn or something more (painful than that), but Allah thereby causes his sins to fall away just as a tree sheds its leaves".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "He whom Allah intends good, He makes him to suffer from some affliction".[Al- Bukhari].

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Let not one of you wish for death because of a misfortune which befalls him. If he cannot help doing so, he should say: 'O Allah, keep me alive as long as You know that life is better for me, and make me die when death is better for me".[Al- Bukhari and Muslim].

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

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

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "When Allah intends good for His slave, He punishes him in this world, but when He intends an evil for His slave, He does not hasten to take him to task but calls him to account on the Day of Resurrection."[At-Tirmidhi].

One of the sons of Abu Talhah (May Allah be pleased with him) was ailing. Abu Talhah went out and the boy died in his absence. When he came back, he inquired, "How is the boy?". Umm Sulaim, the mother of the boy, replied, "Better than before". Then she placed his evening meal before him and he ate it; and thereafter slept with her. At last, she said to him: "Arrange for the burial of the boy". In the morning, Abu Talhah went to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and informed him of the event. He enquired, "Did you sleep together last night?" Abu Talhah replied in the affirmative, on which the Prophet (ﷺ) supplicated, "O Allah bless them." Thereafter, she gave birth to a boy. Abu Talhah said to me: "Take up the boy and carry him to the Prophet (ﷺ)"; and he sent some dates with him. The Prophet (ﷺ) enquired, "Is there anything with him?" He said; "Yes, some dates". The Prophet (ﷺ) took a date, chewed it and put it in the mouth of the baby and rubbed the chewed date around the baby's gum and named him 'Abdullah.[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].The narration in Bukhari adds: Ibn 'Uyainah relates that a man from the Ansar told him that he had seen nine sons of this 'Abdullah, every one of whom had committed the Noble Qur'an to memory.The narration of Muslim says: The son of Abu Talhah (May Allah be pleased with him) who was born of Umm Sulaim died. She (Umm Sulaim) said to the members of the family: "Do not tell Abu Talhah about his son until I mention it to him myself." Abu Talhah came (home) and she gave him supper. He ate and drank. She then beautified herself the best way she ever did and he slept with her. When she saw that he was satisfied after sexual intercourse with her, she said, "O Abu Talhah! If some people borrow something from another family and then (the members of the family) ask for its return, would they refuse to give it back to them." He said, "No". She said, "Then hope reward for your son". Abu Talhah got angry, and said; "You left me uninformed until I stained myself (with sexual intercourse) and then you told me about my son. "He went to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and informed him about the matter. Thereupon Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "May Allah bless the night you spent together!" He (the narrator) said: She conceived. (One day) Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was in the course of a journey and she was along with him. When Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to come back to Al-Madinah from a journey, he would not enter it (during the night). When the people came near Al- Madinah, she felt labour pains. He (Abu Talhah) remained with her and Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) proceeded on. Abu Talhah said: "O Rubb, You know that I love to go along with Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) when he goes out and enter along with him when he enters, and I have been detained as You see." Umm Sulaim then said: "O Abu Talhah, I do not feel (so much pain) as I was feeling earlier, so we better proceed on. So we proceeded on and she felt the labour of delivery as they reached (Al-Madinah). She gave birth to a male child. My mother said to me: "O Anas, none should suckle him until you go to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) tomorrow morning." The next morning I carried the baby with me to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and narrated the rest of the story.[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The strong man is not one who is good at wrestling, but the strong man is one who controls himself in a fit of rage."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

I was sitting with the Prophet (ﷺ) when two men began to quarrel and curse each other and the face of one of them turned red and the veins of his neck were swollen (from rage). Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "I know of a word, if he were to utter that, his rage would vanish and that is: A'udhu billahi minash-Shaitan nir-rajim (I seek refuge with Allah from Satan, the accursed)." So they (Companions) said to him: "The Prophet (ﷺ) tells you to utter: 'I seek refuge with Allah from Satan, the accursed".[Al-Bukhariand Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The one who suppresses anger and has the power to give effect to it, will be called out by Allah, the Exalted, to the forefront of the creatures on the Day of Resurrection and he will be asked to choose any of the virgins (Hur) of his liking".[Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi].

A man asked the Prophet (ﷺ) for an advice and he (ﷺ) said, "Do not get angry". The man repeated that several times and he replied, "Do not get angry".[Al-Bukhari].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "A Muslim, male or female, continues to remain under trial in respect of his life, property and offspring until he faces Allah, the Exalted, with no sin record".[At- Tirmidhi].

'Uyainah bin Hisn came to Al-Madinah and stayed with his nephew Hurr bin Qais who was among those whom Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) showed favour to. The knowledgeable people (Qurra'), whether they were old or young, had the privilege of joining Umar's council and he used to consult them. 'Uyainah said to Hurr: "My nephew, the Leader of the Believers shows favour to you. Will you obtain permission for me to sit with him?" Hurr asked 'Umar and he accorded permission. When 'Uyainah came into the presence of 'Umar, he addressed him thus: "O son of Khattab, you neither bestow much on us nor deal with us justly." 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) got angry and was about to beat him up when Hurr said: ''O Leader of the Believers, Allah said to His Prophet (ﷺ): ' Show forgiveness, enjoin what is good, and turn away from the foolish (i.e., don't punish them).' (7:199) This one is from the ignorants. When Hurr recited this, 'Umar became quite motionless in his seat. He always adhered strictly to the Book of Allah.[Al-Bukhari].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "You will see after me favouritism and things which you will disapprove of." They submitted: "What do you order us to do (under such circumstances)?" He replied, "Discharge your obligations and ask your rights from Allah".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

A person from among the Ansar said, "O Messenger of Allah! You appointed such and such person and why do you not appoint me?" Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "After me you will see others given preference to you, but you should remain patient till you meet me at the Haud (Al- Kauthar in Jannah)".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) at one time when he confronted the enemy, and was waiting for the sun to set, stood up and said, "O people! Do not long for encountering the enemy and supplicate to Allah to grant you security. But when you face the enemy, show patience and steadfastness; and keep it in mind that Jannah lies under the shade of the swords." Then he invoked Allah, saying, "O Allah, Revealer of the Book, Disperser of the clouds, Defeater of the Confederates, put our enemy to rout and help us in over-powering them".[Al- Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Truth leads to piety and piety leads to Jannah. A man persists in speaking the truth till he is enrolled with Allah as a truthful. Falsehood leads to vice and vice leads to the Fire (Hell), and a person persists on telling lies until he is enrolled as a liar".'[Agreed upon].

I remember (these words) from Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): "Give up what is doubtful to you for that which is not doubtful; for truth is peace of mind and falsehood is doubt".[At- Tirmidhi].

He (ﷺ) told (us): "Worship Allah Alone and do not associate a thing with Him; and give up all that your ancestors said. "He also commands us to perform Salat (prayers), to speak the truth, to observe modesty and to strengthen the ties of kinship.[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "He who asks Allah for martyrdom, Allah will raise him to the high status of the martyrs, even if he dies on his bed".[Muslim].

"One of the earlier Prophets who was out on an expedition proclaimed among his people that no man should follow him who had married a woman with whom he wished to cohabit but had not yet done so, or who had built houses on which he had not yet put the roofs, or who had bought sheep or pregnant she-camels and was expecting them to produce young. He, then, went on the expedition and approached the town at the time of the 'Asr prayer or little before it. He then told the sun that both it and he were under command and prayed Allah to hold it back for them, so it was held back till Allah gave him victory. He collected the spoils and it (meaning fire) came to devour these, but did not. He said that among the people there was a man who stole from the booty. He told them that a man from every tribe must swear allegiance to him, and when a man's hand stuck to his, he said: "There is thief among you and every individual of your tribe must swear allegiance to me". (In course of swearing of allegiance,) hands of two or three persons stuck to his hand. He said: "The thief is among you". They brought him a head of gold like a cow's head and when he laid it down, the fire came and devoured the spoils. Spoils were not allowed to anyone before us, then Allah allowed spoils to us as He saw our weakness and incapacity and allowed them to us".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Both parties in a business transaction have a right to annul it so long as they have not separated; and if they tell the truth and make everything clear to each other (i.e., the seller and the buyer speak the truth, the seller with regard to what is purchased, and the buyer with regard to the money) they will be blessed in their transaction, but if they conceal anything and lie, the blessing on their transaction will be eliminated."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Once we were sitting in the company of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) when there appeared a man dressed in very white clothes and having extraordinary black hair. No signs of fatigue of journey appeared on him and he was known to none of us. He sat down facing the Prophet (ﷺ) leaning his knees against the knees of the Prophet (ﷺ) and placing both of his palms over his two thighs and said, "O Muhammad (ﷺ)! Tell me about Islam". He (ﷺ) replied, "Islam is to testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah, and that Muhammad (ﷺ) is the Messenger of Allah; that you observe Salat (prayers), pay Zakat, observe Saum (fasting) of Ramadan and perform Hajj (pilgrimage) of the House, provided you have resources of making journey to it." He replied: "You have spoken the truth." We were surprised to see that he had asked him and confirmed the correctness of the answers. He then enquired: "Tell me about Iman." He (ﷺ) said: "It is to believe in Allah, His angels, His Books, His Messengers and the Last Day and that you believe in preordainment (destiny), its bad and good consequences." He said, "You have spoken the truth." He then enquired: "Tell me about Ihsan." He (ﷺ) said, "It is to worship Allah as if you are seeing Him; and although you do not see Him, He sees you." He enquired: "Inform me about the Hour (i.e., the Day of Resurrection)." He (ﷺ) replied, "I have no more knowledge thereof than you". He said, "Inform me about some of its signs." He (ﷺ) said, "They are - that a bondswoman gives birth to her own master, and that you will find the barefooted, naked, poor shepherds competing one another in the construction of higher buildings." Then he departed. The Messenger of Allah kept silent for a while then he said to me, "O 'Umar! Do you know who the questioner was?" I replied, "Allah and His Messenger know better." The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "He was Jibril (Gabriel); he came to you to teach you your religion."[Muslim]

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Fear Allah wherever you are, do good deeds after doing bad ones, the former will wipe out the latter, and behave decently towards people".[At- Tirmidhi].

One day, I was riding behind the Prophet (ﷺ) when he said, "O boy! I will instruct you in some matters. Be watchful of Allah (Commandments of Allah), He will preserve you. Safeguard His Rights, He will be ever with you. If you beg, beg of Him Alone; and if you need assistance, supplicate to Allah Alone for help. And remember that if all the people gather to benefit you, they will not be able to benefit you except that which Allah had foreordained (for you); and if all of them gather to do harm to you, they will not be able to afflict you with anything other than that which Allah had pre-destined against you. The pens had been lifted and the ink had dried up".[At- Tirmidhi].Another narration is: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Safeguard the Commandments of Allah, you will find Him before you. Remember Him in prosperity and He will remember you in adversity. Be sure that which you miss, was not to hit you; and what hits you, was never to miss you. Remember that the Help of Allah is obtained with patience, and relief emerges after distress, prosperity follows adversity, and hardship is followed by ease".

You indulge in (bad) actions which are more insignificant to you than a hair while we considered them at the time of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to be great destroying sins".[Al-Bukhari].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'Verily, 'Allah, the Exalted, becomes angry, and His Anger is provoked when a person does what Allah has declared unlawful".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

He heard the Prophet (ﷺ) said: "There were three men among the Banu Israel, one leper, one bald and one blind. Allah wanted to test them. He therefore, sent to them an angel who came to the leper and asked him what he would like best. He replied: "A good colour, a good skin and to be rid of what makes me loathsome to people". He (the angel) rubbed him and his loathsomeness vanished and he was given a good colour and a good skin. He then asked him what type of property he would like best. The leper replied that he would like camels - [or perhaps he said cattle, for Ishaq (one of the subnarrator of the Hadith) was uncertain, either said: 'Camels,' or: 'Cattle']. He was given a pregnant she-camel. The angel invoked for Allah's Blessing on it. The angel then went to the bald man and asked him what he would like best and he replied: "Good hair and to be rid of what makes me loathsome to people". The angel ran his hand over him and he was given good hair. He then asked him what property he would like best. He replied that he would like cattle, so he was given a pregnant cow. The angel invoked Allah's Blessing on it. The angel then went to the blind man and asked him what he would like best, and he replied: "I wish that Allah restore my sight to me so that I may see people." Thereupon the angel ran his hand over him and Allah restored his sight. The angel then asked what property he would like best. He replied that he would like sheep, so he was given a pregnant ewe. Flocks and herds were produced for the three men, the first having a valley full of camels, the second one, a valley full of cows and the third one full of sheep. Then the angel came in the form of a leper, to the one who had been a leper, and said: "I am a poor man and my resources have been exhausted in my journey, and my only means of reaching my destination are dependent on Allah and then on you, so I ask you by Him Who gave you the good colour, the good skin and the property, for a camel by which I may get to my destination". He replied: "I have many dues to pay." The angel then said: "I think I recognize you. Were you not a leper whom people found loathsome and a poor man to whom Allah gave property?" He replied: "I inherited this property through generations". The angel said: "If you are telling a lie, may Allah return you to your former condition". The angel went in the form of a bald man to the one who had been bald, and said the same as he had said to the former and received a similar reply. So he said: "If you are telling a lie, may Allah return you to your former condition". The angel then went to the one who had been blind and said: "I am a poor traveller and my resources have been exhausted in my journey. My only means of reaching my destination are dependant on Allah and then on you, so I ask you by Him Who restored your eyesight for a sheep by which I may get to the end of my journey". He replied: "Yes, I was blind. Allah restored my eyesight, so take what you wish and leave what you wish. I swear by Allah that I shall not argue with you today to return anything you take, as I give it for Allah's sake". The angel said: "Keep your property. You have all simply been put to a test, and Allah is pleased with you and displeased with both of your companions".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "A wise man is the one who calls himself to account (and refrains from doing evil deeds) and does noble deeds to benefit him after death; and the foolish person is the one who subdues himself to his temptations and desires and seeks from Allah the fulfillment of his vain desires".[At-Tirmidhi].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "It is from the excellence of (a believer's) Islam that he should shun that which is of no concern to him".[At-Tirmidhi].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "No man shall be asked for the reason of beating his wife".[Abu Dawud].

It was asked, "O Messenger of Allah! Who is the most honourable amongst mankind?" He (ﷺ) said, "The most honourable of them is one who is the most pious of them." They said, "We are not asking about this". He said, "Then, the most honourable of men was Yusuf (Joseph), the Prophet of Allah, the son of Allah's Prophet, who was the son of the Prophet of Allah, who was the son of the Khalil of Allah (i.e., Ibrahim (ﷺ))' They said, "We are not asking you about this." He enquired, "Are you then asking me about the classes of the Arabs? The best of them in the Pre- Islamic Period of Ignorance are the best of them in Islam, provided they comprehend the religious knowledge".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The life of the world is sweet and green. Allah makes you generations succeeding one another so that He may try you in respect of your actions. So beware of the beguilements of the world and those of women. The first trial of Banu Israel was through women".[Muslim].

"Allahumma inni as'alukal-huda wat- tuqa wal-'afafa wal-ghina (O Allah! I ask You for guidance, piety, chastity and self- sufficiency)".[Muslim].

I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) 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].

I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) during the sermon of the Farewell Pilgrimage saying, "Be mindful of your duty to Allah; perform your five daily Salat, observe Saum during the month (of Ramadan) , pay the Zakat on your properties and obey your leaders; (if you do so) you will enter the Jannah of your Rubb".[At-Tirmidhi].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "I was shown the past nations. I saw a Prophet who had a very small group (less than ten in total) with him, another Prophet who was accompanied by only one or two men and some did not have even one. Suddenly I was shown a huge crowd and I thought that they were my Ummah, but I was told: 'This is Musa (Moses) and his people, but look towards the other side.' I looked and beheld a great assemblage. I was told: 'These are your people and amongst them there are seventy thousand who shall enter Jannah without being taken to account or torment". Then the Prophet (ﷺ) stood up and went into his apartment, and the Companions began to guess who may be those people who would enter Jannah without any accounting or torment. Some said: "Probably, they are the ones who kept company with Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)". Others said: "Probably, they are the ones who have been born as Muslims and have never associated anyone with Allah in worship". Then Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came out and asked, "What are you discussing?" So they told him. He then said, "They are those who do not make Ruqyah (blowing over themselves after reciting the Qur'an or some prayers and supplications the Prophet (ﷺ) used to say) nor seek it, nor perceive omens (i.e., they are not pessimistic) but keep trust in their Rubb (Allah)." On this 'Ukashah bin Mihsan stood up and asked: "Pray to Allah to make me one of them." The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "You are one of them." Then another man stood up and asked the same thing. The Prophet (ﷺ) answered, "'Ukashah has surpassed you".[Al-Bukhari and Mulsim].

"O Allah! To You I have submitted, and in You do I believe, and in You I put my trust, to You do I turn, and for You I argued. O Allah, I seek refuge with You through Your Power; there is none worthy of worship except You Alone; that You safeguard me against going astray. You are the Ever Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists; the One Who never dies, whereas human beings and jinn will all die".[Al- Bukhari and Muslim].

When (Prophet) Ibrahim (Abraham) was thrown into the fire, he said: "Allah (Alone) is sufficient for us, and, He is the Best Disposer of affairs." So did Messenger of Allah Muhammad (ﷺ) when he was told: "A great army of the pagans had gathered against him, so fear them". But this (warning) only increased him and the Muslims in Faith and they said: "Allah (Alone) is sufficient for us, and He is the Best Disposer of affairs (for us)".[Al-Bukhari].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "A group of people (both men and women) whose hearts will be like the hearts of birds, will enter Jannah".[Muslim].It has been interpreted that such people are those who put their trust in Allah; another interpretation is that these people are tender- hearted.

I went in an expedition along with the Prophet (ﷺ) in the direction of Najd. When Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) returned, I also returned with him. Then the mid-day sleep overtook us in a valley full of prickly shrubs. Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) got down and the people scattered around seeking shade under the trees. Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) hang up his sword on the branch of a tree. We were enjoying a sleep when Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) called us, and lo! There was a desert Arab bedouin near him. He (ﷺ) said, "This man brandished my sword over me while I was asleep. I woke up and saw it in his hand unsheathed. He asked: `Who will protect you from me?' I replied: 'Allah' - thrice". He did not punish him and sat down. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]. In another narration, Jabir (May Allah be pleased with him) said: We accompanied Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) in the campaign of Dhat-ur-Riqa`. We left Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to take rest under a shady tree. One of the polytheists came to him. The sword of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was hanging on a tree. He drew it and said: "Are you afraid of me?'' Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "No". Then he said: "Who will then protect you from me?'' Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) replied, "Allah". And in a narration of Abu Bakr Al-Isma`ili, the polytheist asked: "Who will protect you from me?'' Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) replied, "Allah.'' As soon as he said this, the sword fell down from his hand and Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) catching the sword, asked him, "Who will protect you from me.'' He said, "Please forgive me.'' Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "On condition you testify that there is none worthy of worship but Allah and that I am His Messenger.'' He said, "No, but I promise you that I shall not fight against you, nor shall I be with those who fight with you". The Prophet (ﷺ) let him go. He then went back to his companions and said: "I have come to you from one of the best of mankind".

I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying: "If you all depend on Allah with due reliance, He would certainly give you provision as He gives it to birds who go forth hungry in the morning and return with full belly at dusk".[At-Tirmidhi].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) asked me to recite whenever I go to bed: "Allahumma aslamtu nafsi ilaika, wa wajjahtu wajhi ilaika, wa fawwadtu amri ilaika, wal-ja'tu zahri ilaika, raghbatan wa rahbatan ilaika, la malja wa la manja minka illa ilaika. Amantu bikitabikal-ladhi anzalta, wa nabiyyikal-ladhi arsalta (O Allah! I have submitted myself to You, I have turned my face to You, entrusted my affairs to You; and committed my back to You out of desire for You and fear of You; expecting Your reward and fearing Your punishment). There is no refuge and no place of safety from You but with You. I believe in the Book You have revealed and in the Prophet You have sent." Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said that if anyone recited these words and died that night, he would die in the true religion. In case he remains alive till morning, he will obtain good.[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].In another narration: He reported Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: "If you go to bed, perform the Salat Wudu', lie down on your right side and say [the above Du'a (supplication)] and let these words be your last".

When Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and I were in the cave of Thaur and I saw the feet of the polytheists who were above us at the mouth of the cave (on the eve of the Emigration), I submitted: "O Messenger of Allah! If one of them were to look down below his feet, he would see us". He (ﷺ) said, "O Abu Bakr! What do you think of two whose third is Allah".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Whenever the Prophet (ﷺ) stepped out of his house, he would say, "Bismillah, tawakkaltu 'alallah. Allahumma inni a'udhu bika an adilla aw udalla, aw azilla aw uzalla, aw azlima aw uzlama, aw ajhala aw yujhala 'alayya". "[I go forth. (I begin with the Name of Allah, I trust in Allah; O Allah! I seek refuge in You from leaving or being led astray, or against slipping or being caused to slip; or doing injustice or being done injustice; or doing wrong or having wrong done to me)]".[Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi reported it. According to At-Tirmidhi, this Hadith is classified as Hasan Sahih. Its wording is from Abu Dawud].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Whoever says (upon leaving his house): 'Bismillah, tawakkaltu 'alallah, wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah [I begin with the Name of Allah; I trust in Allah; there is no altering of conditions but by the Power of Allah],' it will be said to him: 'You are guided, defended and protected.' The devil will go far away from him".[Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi and An- Nasa'i].Abu Dawud reported it with this addition: "One devil will say to another: 'How can you deal with a man who has been guided, defended and protected?".

There were two brothers in the days of the Prophet (ﷺ). One of them used to attend the Prophet's circle (to acquire knowledge) and the other used to earn their living). Once the latter complained to the Prophet (ﷺ) against the former (for not earning his living). He (ﷺ) replied, "Perhaps you are being provided because of him".[At- Tirmidhi].

I said, "O Messenger of Allah, tell me something of Islam which I will not ask anyone else about it." He (ﷺ) said, "Say, 'I believe in Allah' and then be steadfast".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Follow the Right Path of Faith strictly, and be steadfast; and keep in mind that none of you can achieve salvation through his (good) actions." Someone asked, "Not even you, O Messenger of Allah?" He (ﷺ) said, "Not even me, unless Allah grants me His Mercy and Grace".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Be prompt in doing good deeds (before you are overtaken) by turbulence which would be like a part of the dark night. A man would be a believer in the morning and turn to disbelief in the evening, or he would be a believer in the evening and turn disbeliever in the morning, and would sell his Faith for worldly goods."[Muslim].

Once I performed the 'Asr prayer in Al-Madinah behind the Prophet (ﷺ). He (ﷺ) got up quickly after finishing the prayer with Taslim, and stepping over the people, went to one of the rooms of his wives. The people were startled at his haste, and when he came out and saw their astonishment at his urgency he said, "I recalled that there was left with me some gold which was meant for charity; I did not like to keep it any longer, so I gave orders that it should be distributed".[Al-Bukhari].In another narration, Messenger of Allah said, "I had left some gold for Sadaqah in the house, and did not wish to keep it overnight".

A man, said to the Prophet (ﷺ) during the battle of Uhud: "Tell me where I shall be if I am killed". When he (ﷺ) replied that he would be in Jannah, the man threw away some dates which he had in his hand and fought until he was killed.[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

There came a man to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said, "O Messenger of Allah, which charity is the most rewardable?" He (ﷺ) said, "That you should give charity (in a state when you are) healthy and stingy and fear poverty, hoping to become rich (charity in such a state of health and mind is the best). And you must not defer (charity to such a length) that you are about to die and would be saying: 'This is for so-and-so, and this for so-and-so.' Lo! It has already come into (the possession of) so-and- so".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) took up a sword on the day of the battle of Uhud and said, "Who will take this sword from me?" Everyone stretched forth his hand saying: "I will take it; I will take it". He (the Prophet (ﷺ)) said, "Who will take it with its full responsibility (i.e., to use it to fight Allah's enemies with it)?" The Companions hesitated. Abu Dujanah (May Allah be pleased with him) said: "I shall take it;" and with it he cracked the skulls of the pagans.[Muslim].

We went to Anas bin Malik (May Allah be pleased with him) and complained to him of suffering at the hands of Al-Hajjaj. He replied: "Show endurance, for no time will come but will be followed by one worse (than the present one) till you meet your Rubb. I heard this from your Prophet (ﷺ)".[Al- Bukhari].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Hasten to do good deeds before you are overtaken by one of the seven afflictions." Then (giving a warning) he said, "Are you waiting for such poverty which will make you unmindful of devotion; or prosperity which will make you corrupt, or disease as will disable you, or such senility as will make you mentally unstable, or sudden death, or Ad-Dajjal who is the worst expected absent, or the Hour, and the Hour will be most grievous and most bitter".[At-Tirmidhi].

On the day of the battle of Khaibar, Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "I shall hand over this banner to one who loves Allah and His Messenger, and Allah will give us victory through him." 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) said: "I had never longed for leadership but that day I expected that I might be called for. However, Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) called 'Ali bin Abu Talib (May Allah be pleased with him) and handed the banner to him and said, "Go forth and do not turn around till Allah bestows victory upon you". (On hearing this) 'Ali proceeded a little and then halted and without turning around inquired in a loud voice: "O Messenger of Allah, for what shall I fight them?" He (ﷺ) replied, "Go on fighting till they affirm that none has the right to be worshiped but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. If they admit that, their lives and their properties will be secured, subject to their obligations according to Islam, and they will be answerable to Allah".[Muslim].

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

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Allah says: ' When a slave of Mine draws near to Me a span, I draw near to him a cubit; and if he draws near to Me a cubit, I draw near to him a fathom. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him running."'.[Al-Bukhari].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "There are two blessings in which many people incur loss. (They are) health and free time (for doing good)".[Al-Bukhari]

The Prophet (ﷺ) would stand (in prayer) so long that the skin of his feet would crack. I asked him, "Why do you do this while your past and future sins have been forgiven?" He said, "Should I not be a grateful slave of Allah?"[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

With the start of the last ten days of Ramadan, Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would pray all the night, and would keep his family awake for the prayers. He tied his lower garment (i.e., avoided sleeping with his wives) and devoted himself entirely to prayer and supplication.[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "A strong believer is better and dearer to Allah than a weak one, and both are good. Adhere to that which is beneficial for you. Keep asking Allah for help and do not refrain from it. If you are afflicted in any way, do not say: 'If I had taken this or that step, it would have resulted into such and such,' but say only: 'Allah so determined and did as He willed.' The word 'if' opens the gates of satanic thoughts".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said. "The (Hell) Fire is surrounded with all kinds of desires and passions, while Jannah is surrounded with adversities."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

I offered Salat (Tahajjud - optional night prayer) with the Prophet (ﷺ) one night, and he started reciting (Surat) Al-Baqarah. I thought that he would bow at the end of one hundred Verses, but he continued reciting; I, then, thought that he would perhaps recite the whole (Surah) in a Rak'ah, but he proceeded on, and I thought he would perhaps bow on completing (this Surah); he then started (reciting Surat) An-Nisa'; he then started (Surat) Al-'Imran and his recitation was unhurried. And when he recited the Verses which referred to the Glory of Allah, he glorified Him (by saying Subhan Allah - My Rubb, the Supreme is far removed from every imperfection), the Great, and when he recited the Verses that mention supplication, he supplicated, and when he recited the Verses that mention seeking Refuge of the Rubb, he sought (His) Refuge. Then he bowed and said: "My Rubb, the Supreme is far removed from every imperfection (Subhana Rabbiyal-Azim);" his bowing lasted about the same length of time as his standing (and then on returning to the standing posture after Ruku') he said: "Allah listened to him who praised Him (Sami' Allahu liman hamidah, Rabbana wa lakal hamd)." Then he stood about the same length of time as he had spent in bowing. He then prostrated himself and said: "My Rubb, the Supreme is far removed from every imperfection (Subhana Rabbiyal-A'la)," and his prostration lasted nearly the same length of time as his standing.[Muslim].

One night I joined the Prophet (ﷺ) in his (optional) Salat. He prolonged the standing so much that I thought of doing something evil. He was asked: "What did you intend to do?" He replied: "To sit down and leave him".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Three follow a dead body: members of his family, his possessions and his deeds. Two of them return and one remains with him. His family and his possessions return; his deeds remain with him".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Jannah is nearer to anyone of you than your shoe-lace, and so is the (Hell) Fire".[Al- Bukhari].

I used to spend my night in the company of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and used to put up water for his ablutions. One day he said to me, "Ask something of me." I said: "I request for your companionship in Jannah". He inquired, "Is there anything else?" I said, "That is all." He said, "Then help me in your request by multiplying your prostrations".[Muslim].

I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, "Perform Salah more often. For every prostration that you perform before Allah will raise your position one degree and will remit one of your sins".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The best of people is one whose life is long and his conduct is good".[At- Tirmidhi].

My uncle Anas bin An-Nadr (May Allah be pleased with him) was absent from the battle of Badr and he said: "O Messenger of Allah! I was absent from the first battle you fought against the pagans, and if Allah let me participate in a battle against the pagans, Allah will see what I do." So he encountered the day of Uhud Battle. The Muslims left the positions (the Prophet (ﷺ) told them to keep) and were defeated, he said: "O Allah! excuse these people (i.e., the Muslims) for what they have done, and I am clear from what the pagans have done". Then he went forward with his sword and met Sa'd bin Mu'adh (fleeing) and said to him: "By the Rubb of the Ka'bah! I can smell the fragrance of Jannah from a place closer than Uhud Mount". Sa'd said: "O Messenger of Allah, what he did was beyond my power". Anas said: "We saw over eighty wounds on his body caused by stabbing, striking and shooting of arrows and spears. We found that he was killed, and mutilated by the polytheists. Nobody was able to recognize him except his sister who recognized him by the tips of his fingers." Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) said: "We believe that the Ayah 'Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah [i.e., they have gone out for Jihad (holy fighting), and showed not their backs to the disbelievers]...' (33:23), refers to him and his like".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

When the Ayah enjoining Sadaqah (charity) was revealed,* we used to carry loads on our backs to earn something that we could give away in charity. One person presented a considerable amount for charity and the hypocrites said: "He has done it to show off." Another one gave away a few Sa' of dates and they said: "Allah does not stand in need of this person's dates". Thereupon, it was revealed:"Those who defame such of the believers who give charity (in Allah's Cause) voluntarily, and such who could not find to give charity (in Allah's Cause) except what is available to them..." (9:79)[Al- Bukhari and Muslim].* This is the A

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Allah, the Exalted, and Glorious, said; 'O My slaves, I have prohibited Myself injustice; and have made oppression unlawful for you, so do not oppress one another. O My slaves, all of you are liable to err except the one whom I guide on the Right Path, so seek guidance from Me so that I will guide you to the Right Path. O My slaves, all of you are hungry except the one whom I feed, so ask food from Me, I will feed you. O My slaves, all of you are naked except those whom I clothe, so ask clothing of Me and I shall clothe you. O My slaves, you commit sins night and day and I forgive all sins, so seek My forgiveness and I shall forgive you. O My slaves, you can neither do Me any harm nor can you do Me any good. O My slaves, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and jinn of you to be as pious as the most pious heart of any man of you, that would not increase My domain a thing. O My slaves, were the first of you, and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to be as wicked as the most wicked heart of any man of you, that would not decrease My domain in a thing. O My slaves, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to stand in one place and make a request of Me, and were I to give everyone what he requested, that would not decrease what I have, any more than a needle decrease the sea if put into it. O My slaves, it is but your deeds that I reckon for you and then recompense you for, so let him who finds good (i.e., in the Hereafter) praise Allah and let him who finds other than that blame no one but himself."'.[Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Allah excuses and grants forgiveness to a person until he attains the age of sixty years".[Al- Bukhari].

'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) used to make me sit with the noble elderly men who had participated in the battle of Badr. Some of them disliked it and said to 'Umar: "Why do you bring in this boy to sit with us when we have sons like him?" 'Umar replied: "Because of the status he has, which you already know about (i.e., belongs to the source of knowledge and the house of the Prophet (ﷺ))." One day, 'Umar called me and seated me in the gathering of those people; and I think that he called me just to show them (of my religious knowledge). 'Umar then questioned them (in my presence). "How do you interpret the ayah of Allah: 'When there comes the Help of Allah (to you, O Muhammad (ﷺ) against your enemies) and the Conquest (of Makkah)."' Someone said that when Allah's Help and the Conquest (of Makkah) came to us, we were called upon to celebrate the Praise of Allah and ask for His forgiveness. Some others remained silent and did not utter a word. Thereupon 'Umar asked me: "Ibn 'Abbas! Do you say the same." I replied: "No". He said: "What do you say then?" I replied: "That is the sign of the Prophet's death about which he had been informed. Allah, the Exalted, says:'When there comes the help of Allah (to you, O Muhammad (ﷺ) against your enemies) and the Conquest (of Makkah)'.So declare the remoteness of your Rubb from every imperfection, and ask for His forgiveness. Verily, He is the One Who accepts the repentance and Who forgives".On that 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) said: "I do not know anything about it other than what you have said".[Al- Bukhari]

After the revelation of (the Surah) "When the Help of Allah comes (to you, O Muhammad (ﷺ) against your enemies) and the Conquest (of Makkah)" (110:1), Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to recite in every prayer: "Subhanaka Rabbana wa bihamdika, Allahum-maghfir li (Far removed You are from every imperfection, our Rubb, and all praise is for You, forgive me, O Allah)".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].Another narration is: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) recited frequently in bowing and prostration: "Subhanaka Rabbana wa bihamdika, Allahum-maghfir li. (Far removed You are from every imperfection, our Rubb, and all praise is for You, forgive me, O Allah)". He elucidated that it has been commanded in the Noble Qur'an to recite: "So glorify the Praises of your Rubb, and ask for His forgiveness. Verily, He is the One Who accepts the repentance and Who forgives". (V.110:1) And he (the Messenger of Allah) acted upon it.According to the narration in Muslim, Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) frequently recited these words just before he passed away: "Subhanaka Rabbana wa bihamdika. Astaghfiruka wa atubu ilaika." I ('Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) asked him: "O Messenger of Allah! What are these new words which I hear from you repeatedly." He replied, "A sign has been appointed for me relating to my people that I should repeat these words at the sight of that sign". Then he recited Surat An-Nasr.Another narration in Muslim related from 'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) is: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) often recited, "Glory be to Allah and praise be to Him; I seek forgiveness of Allah and turn to Him in repentance." I said to him: "O Messenger of Allah, I hear you recite frequently: 'O Allah, You are free from every imperfection our Rubb and all praise is for You; I seek forgiveness of Allah and turn to Him in repentance."' He replied, "My Rubb has informed me that I would soon see a sign regarding my people, whenever I see it, I repeat this statement more often (of His Glorification and Praise and beg pardon of Him and turn to Him). Now I have witnessed the sign. The revelation of Surat An-Nasr and the victory is the conquest of Makkah.""When there comes the Help of Allah (to you, O Muhammad (ﷺ) against your enemies) and the Conquest (of Makkah). And you see that the people enter Allah's religion (Islam) in crowds. So glorify the Praises of your Rubb, and ask His forgiveness. Verily, He is the One Who accepts the repentance and Who forgives." (110:1-3)

Allah the Rubb of honour and glory sent Revelation to His Messenger (ﷺ) more frequently before his death than at any other time.[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Every one will be raised in the condition in which he dies".[Muslim].

I asked: "O Messenger of Allah! Which action is the best?" He (ﷺ) said, "Faith in Allah and Jihad in the way of Allah." I asked: "Which neck (slave) is best (for emancipation)?" He said, "That which is dearest of them in price and most valuable of them to its masters". I asked: "If I cannot afford (it)?" He said, "Then help a labourer or work for one who is disabled". I asked: "If I cannot do (it)?" He said, "You should restrain yourself from doing wrong to people, because it (serves as) charity which you bestow upon yourself".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "When you get up in the morning, charity is due from every one of your joints. There is charity in every ascription of glory to Allah; there is charity in every declaration of His Greatness; there is charity in every utterance of praise of Him; there is charity in every declaration that He is the only true God (worthy of worship); there is charity in enjoining good; there is charity in forbidding evil. Two Rak'ah of Duha (Forenoon prayer) is equal to all this (in reward)".[Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The deeds of my people, good and bad, were presented before me, and I found the removal of harmful objects from the road among their good deeds, and phlegm which might be in a mosque left unburied among their evil deeds".[Muslim].

Some people said to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): "O Messenger of Allah, the rich have taken away (all the) reward. They observe Salat (prayers) as we do; and give Sadaqah (charity) out of their surplus wealth." Upon this he (the Prophet (ﷺ)) said, "Has Allah not prescribed for you (a course) following which you can (also) give Sadaqah? In every declaration of the glorification of Allah (i.e., saying Subhan Allah) there is a Sadaqah, and in every Takbir (i.e., saying Allahu Akbar) is a Sadaqah, and in every celebration of praise (saying Al-hamdu lillah) is a Sadaqah, and in every declaration that He is One (La ilaha illallah) is a Sadaqah, and in enjoining of good is a Sadaqah, and in forbidding evil is a Sadaqah, and in man's sexual intercourse (with his wife) there is a Sadaqah." They (the Companions) said: "O Messenger of Allah, is there reward for him who satisfies his sexual need among us?" He said, "You see, if he were to satisfy it with something forbidden, would it not be a sin on his part? Similarly, if he were to satisfy it legally, he should be rewarded".[Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Do not belittle any good deed, even meeting your brother (Muslim) with a cheerful face".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Every day the sun rises charity (Sadaqah) is due on every joint of a person: you administer justice between two men is a charity; and assisting a man to mount his beast, or helping him load his luggage on it is a charity; and a good word is a charity; and every step that you take (towards the mosque) for Salat (prayer) is a charity and removing harmful things from the road is a charity".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].In Muslim, it is reported on the authority of 'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) that Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Everyone of the children of Adam has been created with three hundred and sixty joints; so he who declares the Glory of Allah (i.e., saying Allahu Akbar), praises Allah (i.e., Al-hamdu lillah), declares Allah to be One (i.e., La ilaha illallah), glorifies Allah, and seeks forgiveness from Allah (i.e., Astaghfirullah), and removes stone, or thorn, or bone from people's path, and enjoins good and forbids evil, to the number of those three hundred and sixty, will walk that day having rescued himself from Hell".

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "He who goes to the mosque at dawn or dusk (for Salat), Allah prepares a hospitable abode for him in Jannah, every time when he walks to it or comes back from it".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

O Muslim women, never belittle any gift you give your neighbour even if it is a hoof of a sheep".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Iman has over seventy branches - or over sixty branches - the uppermost of which is the declaration: 'None has the right to be worshipped but Allah'; and the least of which is the removal of harmful object from the road, and modesty is a branch of Iman."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "While a man was walking on his way he became extremely thirsty. He found a well, he went down into it to drink water. Upon leaving it, he saw a dog which was panting out of thirst. His tongue was lolling out and he was eating moist earth from extreme thirst. The man thought to himself: 'This dog is extremely thirsty as I was.' So he descended into the well, filled up his leather sock with water, and holding it in his teeth, climbed up and quenched the thirst of the dog. Allah appreciated his action and forgave his sins". The Companions asked: "Shall we be rewarded for showing kindness to the animals also?" He (ﷺ) said, "A reward is given in connection with every living creature".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].In the narration of Al-Bukhari, the Prophet (ﷺ) is reported to have said: "Allah forgave him in appreciation of this act and admitted him to Jannah".Another narration says: "Once a dog was going round the well and was about to die out of thirst. A prostitute of Banu Israel happened to see it. So she took off her leather sock and lowered it into the well. She drew out some water and gave the dog to drink. She was forgiven on account of her action".

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "I saw a man going about in Jannah (and enjoying himself) as a reward for cutting from the middle of the road, a tree which was causing inconvenience to the Muslims".[Muslim].Another narration says: "A man who passed by a branch of a tree leaning over a road and decided to remove it, saying to himself, 'By Allah! I will remove from the way of Muslims so that it would not harm them.' On account of this he was admitted to Jannah".According to the narration in Al-Bukhari and Muslim: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "While a man was walking, he saw a thorny branch on the road, so he removed it and Allah appreciated his action and forgave him".

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "He who performs his Wudu' perfectly and comes to Jumu'ah prayer and listens (to the Khutbah) silently, the sins which he has committed since the previous Friday plus three more days (i.e., 10 days) will be forgiven for him. One who distracts himself with pebbles during the Khutbah will not get the (Jumu'ah) reward".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "When a Muslim or a believer washes his face (in the course of Wudu'), every sin he has committed with his eyes is washed away from his face along with water, or with the last drop of water; when he washes his hands, every sin they wrought is erased from his hands with the water, or with the last drop of water; and when he washes his feet, every sin towards which his feet walked is washed away with water, or with the last drop of water, with the result that he comes out cleansed of all sins".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The five (daily) Salat (prayers), and from one Jumu'ah prayer to the (next) Jumu'ah prayer, and from Ramadan to Ramadan are expiations for the (sins) committed in between (their intervals); provided the major sins are not committed".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Should I not direct you to something by which Allah obliterates the sins and elevates (your) ranks." They said: "Yes, O Messenger of Allah". He said, "Performing Wudu' properly, even in difficulty, frequently going to the mosque, and waiting eagerly for the next Salat (prayer) after a Salat is over; indeed, that is Ar- Ribat".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "He who observes the Fajr and 'Asr (prayers) will enter Jannah."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "When a slave of Allah suffers from illness or sets on a journey, he is credited with the equal of whatever good works he used to do when he was healthy or at home".[Al-Bukhari].

Jabir (May Allah be pleased with him) reported that he heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, "Every good deed is charity".[Al-Bukhari].Muslim has reported the same on the authority of Hudhaifah (May Allah be pleased with him).

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "When a Muslim plants a tree, whatever is eaten from it is charity from him and whatever is stolen is charity and whatever is subtracted from it is charity".[Muslim].Another narration says: "If a Muslim plants a tree, or sows a field and men and beasts and birds eat from it, all of it is charity from him".

The tribe Banu Salimah wanted to move nearer to the mosque. On learning this Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to them, "I heard that you intend to move nearer to the mosque". They said, "That is so, O Messenger of Allah, we do want to do that". He said, "O Banu Salimah, keep to your homes, your steps (to the mosque) are recorded".[Muslim].Another narration says: "There is for every step (towards the mosque) a degree (of reward) for you".[Muslim].

There was a man, and I do not know of any other man whose house was farther than his from the mosque, and he never missed Salat (in congregation). It was said to him (or I said to him): "If you buy a donkey you could ride it in the dark nights and in the burning sand." He said: "I do not like my house to be by the side of the mosque, for I (eagerly) desire that my steps towards the mosque and back from it should be recorded when I return to my family." Upon this Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah has granted you all the rewards for you".[Muslim].Another narration says: "You will get the reward for what you have anticipated".

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "There are forty kinds of virtue; the uppermost of them is to lend a (milch) she-goat (to someone in order to benefit from it and then return it). He who practices any of these virtues expecting its reward and relying on the truthfulness of the promise made for it, shall enter Jannah."[Al-Bukhari].

I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) saying, "Protect yourself from (Hell) Fire, by giving of half of a date (in charity)".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].In another narration 'Adi bin Hatim (May Allah be pleased with him) reported Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: "Allah will surely speak with everyone of you without an interpreter. He (the man) will look at his right side and will see nothing but (the deeds) which he had done before, and he will look to his left side and will see nothing but (the deeds) which he had done before. Then he will look in front of him and will find nothing but Hell-fire facing him. So protect (yourselves) from (Hell) Fire, by giving in charity even half a date; and if he does not finds it, then with a kind word".

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah will be pleased with His slave who praises Him (i.e., says Al-hamdu lillah) when he eats and praises Him when he drinks".[Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Giving in charity is an obligation upon every Muslim". It was said (to him): "What about one who does not find (the means) to do so?" He (ﷺ) said, "Let him work with his hands, thus doing benefit to himself and give in charity." It was said to him: "What if he does not have (the means) to do so?" He (ﷺ) said, "Then let him assist the needy, the aggrieved." It was said: "What about if he cannot even do this?" He (ﷺ) said, "Then he should enjoin good." He was asked: "What if he cannot do that?" He (the Prophet (ﷺ)) said, "He should then abstain from evil, for verily, that is a charity from him".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) came in when a woman was sitting beside me. He asked me, "Who is she?" I said: "She is the one whose performance of Salat (prayer) has become the talk of the town." Addressing her, he (ﷺ) said, "(What is this!) You are required to take upon yourselves only what you can carry out easily. By Allah, Allah does not withhold His Mercy and forgiveness of you until you neglect and give up (good works). Allah likes the deeds best which a worshipper can carry out constantly".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

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

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Ruined are those who insist on hardship in matters of the Faith." He repeated this three times.[Muslim]

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The religion (of Islam) is easy, and whoever makes the religion a rigour, it will overpower him. So, follow a middle course (in worship); if you can't do this, do something near to it and give glad tidings and seek help (of Allah) at morn and at dusk and some part of night".[Al-Bukhari].

The Prophet (ﷺ) came into the mosque and noticed a rope stretched between two poles. He enquired, "What is this rope for?" He was told: "This is Zainab's rope. When during her voluntary prayer, she begins to feel tired, she grasps it for support". The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Untie it. You should perform prayers so long as you feel active. When you feel tired, you should go to sleep".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "When one of you feels drowsy during prayer, let him lie down till drowsiness goes away from him, because when one of you performs prayers while feeling sleepy, he does not know whether he seeks forgiveness or abuses himself".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

I used to perform prayer with the Prophet (ﷺ) and his Salat was of a moderate length and his Khutbah too was moderate in length.[Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) made a bond of brotherhood between Salman and Abud-Darda'. Salman paid a visit to Abud-Darda' and found Umm Darda' (his wife) dressed in shabby clothes and asked her why she was in that state. She replied: "Your brother Abud-Darda' is not interested in (the luxuries of) this world. In the meantime Abud-Darda' came in and prepared a meal for Salman. Salman requested Abud-Darda' to eat (with him) but Abud-Darda' said: "I am fasting." Salman said: "I am not going to eat unless you eat." So, Abud-Darda' ate (with Salman). When it was night and (a part of the night passed), Abud-Darda' got up (to offer the night prayer) but Salman asked him to sleep and Abud-Darda' slept. After some time Abud-Darda' again got up but Salman asked him to sleep. When it was the last hours of the night, Salman asked him to get up and both of them offered (Tahajjud) prayer. Then Salman told Abud-Darda': "You owe a duty to your Rubb, you owe a duty to your body; you owe a duty to your family; so you should give to every one his due. Abud-Darda' came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and reported the whole story. Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Salman is right".[Al- Bukhari].

The Prophet (ﷺ) was informed that I said that I would perform prayers the whole night and observe fasting every day as long as I live. Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Is it you who said this?" I said to him, "O Messenger of Allah! I ransom you with my parents, it is I who said that." Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "You will not be able to do that. Observe fast and break it; sleep and get up for prayer, and observe fast for three days during the month; for every good is multiplied ten times and that will be equal to fasting the whole year." I said, "O Messenger of Allah! I can do more than that." He said, "Observe fast one day and leave off the next two days." I said, "O Messenger of Allah! I have strength to do more than that." Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Observe fast every other day, and that is the fasting of Dawud (ﷺ) and that is the most moderate fasting".According to another narration: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "That is the best fasting." I said, "But I am capable of doing more than this". Thereupon, Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "There is nothing better than this." 'Abdullah bin 'Amr (May Allah be pleased with them) said (when he grew old): "Had I accepted the three days (fasting during every month) as the Messenger of Allah had said, it would have been dearer to me than my family and my property".In another narration 'Abdullah is reported to have said: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to me, "O 'Abdullah! Have I not been informed that you observe fast during the day and offer prayer all the night." I replied, "Yes, O Messenger of Allah!" Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Don't do that. Observe fast for few days and then leave off for few days, perform prayers and also sleep at night, as your body has a right upon you, and your eyes have a right upon you; and your wife has a right upon you; your visitors have a right upon you. It is sufficient for you to observe fast three days in a month, as the reward of good deeds is multiplied ten times, so it will be like fasting the whole year." I insisted (on fasting) and so I was given a hard instruction. I said, "O Messenger of Allah! I have strength." Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Observe fast like the fasting of Prophet Dawud (ﷺ); and do not fast more than that." I said: "How was the fasting of Prophet Dawud?" He (ﷺ) said, "Half of the year (i.e., he used to fast on every alternate day)."Afterwards when 'Abdullah (May Allah be pleased with him) grew old, he used to say: "Would that I had availed myself of the concession granted to me by Messenger of Allah."In another narration 'Abdullah is reported to have said: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "I have been informed that you observe fast continuously and recite (the whole of the Qur'an) every night." I said, "Messenger of Allah! It is right, but I covet thereby nothing but good," whereupon he (ﷺ) said, "Then observe fasts like the fasting of Prophet Dawud (ﷺ) as he was the most ardent worshipper of Allah; recite the Qur'an once every month." I said, "O Prophet of Allah! I am capable of doing more than that." He said, "Then recite it (the complete Qur'an) in every twenty days." I said, "O Prophet of Allah I am capable of reciting more than that." He said, "Then recite it once in every ten days." I said, "O Prophet of Allah! I am capable of reciting more than that." He said, "Then recite it once in every seven days, but not recite more than that." The Prophet of Allah also said to me, "You do not know, you may have a longer life". When I grew old I wished I had availed myself of the concession (granted to me by) the Prophet of Allah.In another narration 'Abdullah is reported to have said: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The best fasting with Allah is that of (Prophet) Dawud, and the best prayer with Allah is that of Dawud (ﷺ) for he would sleep half of the night and stand for prayer for the third of it and (then) would sleep sixth part of it; he observed fast one day and leave off the other. He would not flee on meeting the enemy".In another narration 'Abdullah is reported to have said: My father helped me marry a noble woman and he used to inquire of his daughter-in-law regarding her husband. She would say: "He is, indeed, a fine man. Since I have come to him, he has neither stepped on my bed nor he has had sexual intercourse with me". When this state of affairs lasted for some time, my father mentioned the matter to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) who directed my father saying, "Send him to me". I went to him accordingly. He asked me, "How often do you observe fast?" I replied; "Daily". He asked me, "How long do you take in reading the Noble Qur'an completely." I said, "Once every night". Then he narrated the whole story. He (in his old age) would recite one seventh of his nightly recitation to some members of his family during the day to lighten his task at night. Whenever he wished to have a relief from his fast on alternate days, he would give up fasting for a few days and make up deficiency later by observing the number of fasts he had missed. He would not give up the number of fasts altogether because he did not like to abandon what he had settled with Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).

I met Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) he said: "How are you O Hanzalah?" I said, "Hanzalah has become a hypocrite". He said, "Far removed is Allah from every imperfection, what are you saying?" I said, "When we are in the company of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and he reminds us of Hell-fire and Jannah, we feel as if we are seeing them with our very eyes, and when we are away from Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), we attend to our wives, our children, our business, most of these things (pertaining to life hereafter) slip out of our minds." Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) said, "By Allah, I also experience the same thing". So Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) and I went to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and I said to him, "O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), Hanzalah has turned hypocrite." Thereupon Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "What has happened to you?" I said, "O Messenger of Allah, when we are in your company, and are reminded of Hell-fire and Jannah, we feel as if we are seeing them with our own eyes, but when we go away from you and attend to our wives, children and business, much of these things go out of our minds." Thereupon Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "By Him in Whose Hand is my life if your state of mind remains the same as it is in my presence and you are always busy in remembrance (of Allah), the angels will shake hands with you in your beds and in your roads; but Hanzalah, time should be devoted (to the worldly affairs) and time should be devoted (to prayer)". He (the Prophet (ﷺ)) said this thrice.[Muslim].

While the Prophet (ﷺ) was delivering Khutbah (religious talk), he noticed a man who was standing, so he asked about him and was told that he was Abu Israel who had taken a vow to remain standing and not sit, or go into the shade, or speak while observing fasting. Thereupon Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Tell him to speak, to go into the shade, to sit and to complete his fast".[Al- Bukhari].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Should anyone fall asleep at night and fail to recite his portion of the Qur'an, or a part of it, if he recites it between the Fajr prayer and the Zuhr prayer, it will be recorded for him as though he had recited it during the night".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to me, "O Abdullah! Do not be like so-and-so. He used to get up at night for optional prayer but abandoned it later."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

When Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) missed the optional night Salat (Tahajjud) due to pain or any other reason, he would perform twelve Rak'ah during the day time.[Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Do not ask me unnecessarily about the details of the things which I do not mention to you. Verily, the people before you were doomed because they were used to putting many questions to their Prophets and had differences about their Prophets. Refrain from what I forbid you and do what I command you to the best of your ability and capacity".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

One day Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) delivered us a very eloquent Khutbah on account of which eyes shed tears and hearts were full of tears. A man said: "O Prophet of Allah, this is as if it were a parting advice. So advise us". He (ﷺ) said, "I admonish you to fear Allah, to listen and obey even if an Abyssinian slave is appointed as your leader. Because whosoever among you shall live after me, will see much discord. So hold fast to my Sunnah and the examples of the Rightly- Guided Caliphs who will come after me. Adhere to them and hold to it fast. Beware of new things (in Deen) because every Bid'ah is a misguidance".[Abu Dawud and At- Tirmidhi].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Everyone of my Ummah will enter Jannah except those who refuse". He was asked: "Who will refuse?" He (ﷺ) said, "Whoever obeys me, shall enter Jannah, and whosoever disobeys me, refuses to (enter Jannah)".[Al- Bukhari].

My father said that a person ate in the presence of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) with his left hand. He (ﷺ) said, "Eat with your right hand". He said, "I cannot do that." Thereupon he (the Prophet) said, "May you never do that." It was pride that prevented him from doing it. And he could not raise it (the right hand) up to his mouth afterwards.[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Straighten your rows (during Salat) or Allah would create dissension amongst you".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].In another narration reported by Muslim, Nu'man bin Bashir (May Allah be pleased with them) narrated: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to straighten our rows (in Salat), as if he was straightening an arrow with their help until he saw that we had learnt it from him. One day he came out, stood up (for Salat) and was about to say: Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Greatest), (marking the beginning of the prayer) when he saw a man, whose chest was bulging out from the row. He said, "Slaves of Allah, you must straighten your rows or Allah would create dissension amongst you."

A house in Al- Madinah caught fire at night and the roof and wallsfell down upon the occupants. When this was reported to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) he said, "Fire is your enemy; so put it out before you go to bed".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

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

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "My parable and that of yours is like a man who kindled a fire. When it has illuminated all around him, the moths and grasshoppers began to fall therein. He tried to push them away, but they overcame him and jumped into it. I am catching hold of your waists ties (to save you) from fire, but you slip away from my hands".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) commanded the licking of fingers (after eating) and the cleaning of the dish, saying: "You do not know in what portion the Blessing (of Allah) lies".[Muslim].In another narration, Jabir said: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "When a morsel of any of you falls down, you should pick it up and remove any dirt or dust on it and then eat it; and don't leave it for Satan; and do not wipe your hand with the towel until you have licked your fingers, for you do not know in what portion of the food the Barakah* (of Allah) lies".* Barakah is the abundance of goodness and its continuity.

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

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prohibited flicking pebbles by the index finger and the thumb; and he said, "It does not kill a game animal nor does it inflict wound on the enemy, but breaks the tooth and gorges the eye".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].In another narration it is said: A close relative of 'Abdullah bin Mughaffal (May Allah be pleased with him) was hitting with pebbles using the index finger and the thumb; he said: "Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) has forbidden it saying that it does not kill the game". He repeated the act and Ibn Mughaffal said to him: "I told you that the Prophet (ﷺ) had prohibited it but you repeated it. I shall never talk to you."

I saw 'Umar bin Al-Khattab (May Allah be pleased with him) kissing the Black Stone (Al-Hajar Al-Aswad) and saying: "I know that you are just a stone and that you can neither do any harm nor give benefit. Had I not seen Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) kissing you, I would not have kissed you".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

When it was revealed to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): "To Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth, and whether you disclose what is in your own selves or conceal it, Allah will call you to account for it," the Companions of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) felt it hard and severe and they came to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and sat down on their knees and said: "O Messenger of Allah, we were assigned some duties which were within our power to perform, such as Salat (prayer), Saum (fasting), Jihad (striving in the Cause of Allah), Sadaqah (charity). Then this (the above mentioned) Verse was revealed to you and it is beyond our power to live up to it." Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Do you want to say what the people of two Books (Jews and Christians) said before you: 'We hear and disobey?' You should rather say: 'We hear and we obey, we seek forgiveness, our Rubb and unto You is the return."' And they said: "We hear and we obey, (we seek) Your forgiveness, our Rubb! And unto You is the return." When the people recited it and it smoothly flowed on their tongues, then Allah revealed immediately afterwards: "The Messenger (Muhammad (ﷺ)) believes in what has been sent down to him from his Rubb, and (so do) the believers. Each one believes in Allah, His Angels, His Books, and His Messengers. (They say), 'We make no distinction between one another of His Messengers' - and they say, 'We hear, and we obey. (We seek) Your forgiveness, our Rubb, and to You is the return (of all)". When they did that, Allah abrogated this (Ayah) and Allah the Great revealed: "Allah burdens not a person beyond his scope. He gets reward for that (good) which he has earned, and he is punished for that (evil) which he has earned." (The Prophet (ﷺ) said): "Yes. 'Our Rubb! Lay not on us a burden like that which You did lay on those before us (Jews and Christians)". (The Prophet (ﷺ) said): "Yes. 'Our Rubb! Put not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear". (The Prophet (ﷺ) said): "Yes. 'Pardon us and grant us forgiveness. Have mercy on us. You are our Maula (Patron, Supporter and Protector) and give us victory over the disbelieving people".He (the Prophet (ﷺ)) said: "Yes".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "If anyone introduces in our matter something which does not belong to it, will be rejected".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].The narration in Muslim says: "If anybody introduces a practice which is not authenticated by me, it is to be rejected".

Whenever the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) delivered a Khutbah, his eyes would become red, his tone loud and he showed anger as if he were warning us against an army. He (ﷺ) would say, "The enemy is about to attack you in the morning and the enemy is advancing against you in the evening". He would further say, "I am sent with the final Hour like these two fingers of mine." Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) held up his index finger and the middle finger together to illustrate. He used to add: "To proceed, the best speech is the Book of Allah and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (ﷺ), the worst practice is the introduction of new practices in Islam and every Bid'ah is a misguidance". He would also say, "I am, in respect of rights, nearer to every believer than his own self. He who leaves an estate, it belongs to his heirs, and he who leaves a debt, it is my responsibility to pay it off." [Muslim]. Same Hadith as reported by 'Irbad bin Sariyah (May Allah be pleased with him) has already been recorded in the previous chapter regarding safeguarding the Sunnah of the Prophet (ﷺ).(See Hadith number 158)

We were with Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) shortly after dawn when there came to him some people clad in woollen rags, or covered with sleeveless blankets; and with swords hanging down from their necks. Most of them rather, all of them, belonged to the Mudar tribe. The face of the Prophet (ﷺ) changed when he saw them starving. Then he went into his house and came out; then he commanded Bilal (May Allah be pleased with him) to proclaim Adhan (call to prayers). So he proclaimed Adhan and recited Iqamah and the Prophet (ﷺ) led the Salat. Then he delivered a Khutbah saying, "O mankind! Be dutiful to your Rubb, Who created you from a single person (Adam), and from him (Adam) He created his wife (Eve), and from them both He created many men and women; and fear Allah through Whom you demand your (natural) rights, and do not sever the relations of kinship. Surely, Allah is Ever an All-Watcher over you." (4:1) He also recited the Ayah which is in the end of Surat Al-Hashr: "O you who believe! Fear Allah and keep your duty to Him. And let every one look what he has sent forth for the tomorrow". (59:18). Thereafter, every man gave in charity Dinar, Dirham, clothes, measure-fulls of wheat and measure-fulls of dates till he said: "(Give in charity) be it half a date". Then a man of the Ansar came with a bag which was difficult for him to hold in his hand. Thereafter, the people came successively (with charity) till I saw two heaps of food and clothes. I noticed that the face of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was glowing like that of the bright moon or glittering gold. Then he (ﷺ) said, "Whosoever introduces a good practice in Islam, there is for him its reward and the reward of those who act upon it after him without anything being diminished from their rewards. And whosoever introduces an evil practice in Islam, will shoulder its sin and the sins of all those who will act upon it, without diminishing in any way their burden"[Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The first son of Adam* takes a share of the guilt of every one who murders another wrongfully because he was the initiator of committing murder".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].* The son of Adam in the Hadith is said to be Qabil. Allah tells us about his story in Surat Al-Ma'idah (The Table spread with Food). Verses 27-31.

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Whoever guides someone to virtue will be rewarded equivalent to him who practices that good action".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "If anyone calls others to follow right guidance, his reward will be equivalent to those who follow him (in righteousness) without their reward being diminished in any respect, and if anyone invites others to follow error, the sin, will be equivalent to that of the people who follow him (in sinfulness) without their sins being diminished in any respect".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said on the day of the Khaibar Battle, "I will give this banner to a person at whose hands Allah will grant victory; a man who loves Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ), and Allah and His Messenger love him also." The people spent the night thinking as to whom it would be given. When it was morning, the people hastened to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). Every one of them was hoping that the banner would be given to him. He (the Prophet (ﷺ)) asked, "Where is 'Ali bin Abu Talib?" They said: "O Messenger of Allah! His eyes are sore." He (ﷺ) then sent for him and when he came, Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) applied his saliva to his eyes and supplicated. 'Ali (May Allah be pleased with him) recovered as if he had no ailment at all. He (ﷺ) conferred upon him the banner. 'Ali (May Allah be pleased with him) said: ''O Messenger of Allah, shall I fight against them until they are like us?" Thereupon he (the Prophet (ﷺ)) said, "Advance cautiously until you reach their open places; thereafter, invite them to Islam and inform them what is obligatory for them from the Rights of Allah, for, by Allah, if Allah guides even one person through you that is better for you than possessing a whole lot of red camels".[Al- Bukhari and Muslim].

A young man from the tribe of Aslam said, "O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), I wish to fight (in the Cause of Allah) but I do not have anything to equip myself with (for fighting)". He (the Prophet (ﷺ)) said, "Go to so- and-so, for he had equipped himself (for fighting) but he fell ill." So he (the young man) went to him and said, "Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sends you his greetings and says that you should give me the equipment that you have provided yourself with." The man said (to his wife or servant): "O so-and-so, give him the equipment I have collected for myself and do not withhold anything from him. By Allah, if you withhold anything from him, we will not be blessed therein".[Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "He who equips a warrior in the way of Allah (will get the reward of the one who has actually gone for Jihad); and he who looks after the family of a warrior in the way of Allah will get the reward of the one who has gone for Jihad".[Al- Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent a detachment to Banu Lahyan tribe and remarked, "Let one of every two men get ready to advance, and both will earn the same reward".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came across a party of mounted men at Ar-Rauha and asked them, "Who are you?" They answered: "We are Muslims, and who are you?" He said, "I am the Messenger of Allah." A woman from among them lifted a boy up to him and asked: "Can this one go on Hajj?" He (ﷺ) said, "Yes, and you will have the reward."[Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The honest Muslim trustee who carries out duties assigned to him (in another narration he said, "Who gives"), and he gives that in full, with his heart overflowing with cheerfulness, to whom he is ordered, he is one of the two givers of charity".[Al- Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Ad-Deen is sincerity". We said: "For whom?" He replied, "For Allah, His Book, His Messenger and for the leaders of the Muslims and their masses".[Muslim].

I made my covenant with Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) on the observance of Salat, payment of Zakat, and giving counsel to Muslim."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "No one of you becomes a true believer until he likes for his brother what he likes for himself".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Whoever amongst you sees an evil, he must change it with his hand; if he is unable to do so, then with his tongue; and if he is unable to do so, then with his heart; and that is the weakest form of Faith".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Never a Prophet had been sent before me by Allah to his people but he had, among his people, (his) disciples and companions, who followed his ways and obeyed his command. Then there came after them their successors who proclaimed what they did not practise, and practised what they were not commanded to do. And (he) who strove against them with his hand is a believer; he who strove against them with his heart is a believer; and he who strove against them with his tongue is a believer ; and beyond that there is no grain of Faith".[Muslim].

We swore allegiance to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to hear and obey; in time of difficulty and in prosperity, in hardship and in ease, to endure being discriminated against and not to dispute about rule with those in power, except in case of evident infidelity regarding which there is a proof from Allah. We swore allegiance to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to say what was right wherever we were, and not to fear from anyone's reproach.[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The likeness of the man who observes the limits prescribed by Allah and that of the man who transgresses them is like the people who get on board a ship after casting lots. Some of them are in its lower deck and some of them in its upper (deck). Those who are in its lower (deck), when they require water, go to the occupants of the upper deck, and say to them : 'If we make a hole in the bottom of the ship, we shall not harm you.' If they (the occupants of the upper deck) leave them to carry out their design they all will be drowned. But if they do not let them go ahead (with their plan), all of them will remain safe".[Al- Bukhari].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "You will have rulers some of whom you approve and some of whom you will disapprove. He who dislikes them will be safe, and he who expresses disapproval will be safe, but he who is pleased and follows them (will be indeed sinful)". His audience asked: "Shall we not fight them?" He replied, "No, as long as they establish Salat amongst you".[Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) came to visit me one day frightened and he (ﷺ) said: "La ilaha illallah (There is no true God but Allah). Woe to the Arabs because of an evil which has drawn near! Today an opening of this size has been made in the barrier restraining Ya'juj and Ma'juj (Gog and Magog people)." And he (ﷺ) made a circle with his thumb and index finger. I said, "O Messenger of Allah! Shall we perish while still there will be righteous people among us?'' He (ﷺ) replied, "Yes, when wickedness prevails". [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Beware of sitting on roads (ways)." The people said: "We have but them as sitting places." Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "If you have to sit there, then observe the rights of the way". They asked, "What are the rights of the way?" He (ﷺ) said, "To lower your gaze (on seeing what is illegal to look at), and (removal of harmful objects), returning greetings, enjoining good and forbidding wrong".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saw a man wearing a gold ring. So he (the Prophet (ﷺ)) pulled it off and threw it away, saying, "One of you takes a live coal, and puts it on his hand." It was said to the man after Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had left: "Take your ring (of gold) and utilize it," whereupon he said: "No, by Allah, I would never take it when Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) has thrown it away".[Muslim].

'Aidh bin 'Amr (the Companion) (May Allah be pleased with him) visited 'Ubaidullah bin Ziyad (the ruler) and said to him: "Son, I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, 'The worst shepherds (rulers) are those who deal harshly in respect of supervision. Beware, Don't be one of them!"' Ibn Ziyad said to him, "Sit down, you are but husk from among the Companions of the Prophet (ﷺ)." 'Aidh bin 'Amr (May Allah be pleased with him) retorted: "Was there any husk among them? Surely, husk came after them and among others than them".[Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "By Him in Whose Hand my life is, you either enjoin good and forbid evil, or Allah will certainly soon send His punishment to you. Then you will make supplication and it will not be accepted".[At-Tirmidhi].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The best type of Jihad (striving in the way of Allah) is speaking a true word in the presence of a tyrant ruler."[Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi].

A person asked the Prophet (ﷺ) (when he had just put his foot in the stirrup): "What is the highest form of Jihad?" He (ﷺ) said, "Speaking the truth in the presence of a tyrant ruler".[An-Nasa'i].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The first defect (in religion) which affected the Children of Israel in the way that man would meet another and say to him: 'Fear Allah and abstain from what you are doing, for this is not lawful for you.' Then he would meet him the next day and find no change in him, but this would not prevent him from eating with him, drinking with him and sitting in his assemblies. When it came to this, Allah led their hearts into evil ways on account of their association with others." Then he (ﷺ) recited, "Those among the Children of Israel who disbelieved were cursed by the tongue of Dawud (David) and 'Isa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary). That was because they disobeyed (Allah and the Messengers) and were ever transgressing beyond bounds. They used not to forbid one another from the Munkar (wrong, evildoing, sins, polytheism, disbelief) which they committed. Vile indeed was what they used to do. You see many of them taking the disbelievers as their Auliya' (protectors and helpers). Evil indeed is that which their own selves have sent forward before them; for that (reason) Allah's wrath fell upon them and in torment will they abide. And had they believed in Allah and in the Prophet (Muhammad (ﷺ)) and in what has been revealed to him, never would they have taken them (the disbelievers) as Auliya' (protectors and helpers); but many of them are the Fasiqun (rebellious, disobedient to Allah)." (5:78-81)Then he (ﷺ) continued: "Nay, by Allah, you either enjoin good and forbid evil and catch hold of the hand of the oppressor and persuade him to act justly and stick to the truth, or, Allah will involve the hearts of some of you with the hearts of others and will curse you as He had cursed them".[Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi].The wording in At-Tirmidhi is: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "When the Children of Israel became sinful, their learned men prohibited them but they would not turn back. Yet, the learned men associated with them and ate and drank with them. So, they were cursed at the tongues of Dawud and 'Isa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), because they were disobedient and were given to transgression." At this stage Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) who was reclining on a pillow sat up and said, "No, By Him in Whose Hand my soul is, there is no escape for you but you persuade them to act justly."

"O you people! You recite this Verse: 'O you who believe! Take care of your ownselves. If you follow the (right) guidance [and enjoin what is right (Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam orders one to do) and forbid what is wrong (polytheism, disbelief and all that Islam has forbidden)] no hurt can come to you from those who are in error.' (5:105) But I have heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying: "When people see an oppressor but do not prevent him from (doing evil), it is likely that Allah will punish them all."[Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "A man will be brought on the Day of Resurrection and will be cast into Hell, and his intestines will pour forth and he will go round them as a donkey goes round a millstone. The inmates of Hell will gather round him and say: 'What has happened to you, O so-and-so? Were you not enjoining us to do good and forbidding us to do evil?' He will reply: 'I was enjoining you to do good, but was not doing it myself; and I was forbidding you to do evil, but was doing it myself".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "There are three signs of a hypocrite: When he speaks, he lies; when he makes a promise, he breaks it; and when he is trusted, he betrays his trust."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].Another narration adds the words: 'Even if he observes fasts, performs Salat and asserts that he is a Muslim".

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) foretold to us two Ahadith. I have seen one (being fulfilled), and I am waiting for the other. He (ﷺ) told us, "Amanah (the trust) descended in the innermost (root) of the hearts of men (that is, it was in their heart innately, by Fitrah, or pure human nature). Then the Qur'an was revealed and they learnt from the Quran and they learned from the Sunnah." Then the (Prophet (ﷺ)) told us about the removal of Amanah. He said, "The man would have some sleep, and Amanah would be taken away from his heart leaving the impression of a faint mark. He would again sleep, and Amanah would be taken away from his heart leaving an impression of a blister, as if you rolled down an ember on your foot and it was vesicled. He would see a swelling having nothing in it." He (the Prophet (ﷺ)) then took up a pebble and rolled it over his foot and said, "The people would enter into transactions with one another and hardly a person would be left who would return (things) entrusted to him (and there would look like an honest person) till it would be said: 'In such and such tribe there is a trustworthy man.' And they would also say about a person: 'How prudent he is! How handsome he is and how intelligent he is!' whereas in his heart there would be no grain of Faith." Hudhaifah bin Al-Yaman (May Allah bepleased with him) added: I had a time when I did not care with whom amongst you I did business, I entered into a transaction, for if he were a Muslim, his Faith would compel him to discharge his obligation to me; and if he were a Christian or a Jew, his guardian (surety) would compel him to discharge his obligation to me. But today I would not enter into a transaction except with so-and-so.[Al-Bukh ri and Muslim].

`There was nothing that put you out of Jannah except your father's sin. I am not the one to do that, go to my son Ibrahim (Abraham), the beloved man of Allah.' Then Ibrahim (ﷺ) when approached, will say: `I am not the one to do that, for I was only a friend; and that is not a lofty status but ask Musa (Moses) to whom Allah spoke.' They will then go to Musa (ﷺ) but he will say: `I am not the one to do that; go to `Isa (Jesus), Allah's Word and spirit.' `Isa (ﷺ) will say: `I am not the one to do that.' So they will come to me; and I will stand and be given permission. Amanah and ties of relationship will be sent forth and will stand on the sides of the Sirat (that is, the Bridge set over Hell-fire) right and left, and the first of you will pass like lightning.'' I said (that is Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him)" :I ransom you with my father and mother, what is like the movement of lightning?'' The Messenger of Allah replied, "Have you not seen how the lightning goes and returns in the twinkling of an eye? Next (group will pass) like the passing of the breeze, next like the passing of a bird, and the next with the speed of a running man, according to the quality of their deeds. (During all this time) your Prophet (ﷺ) will remain standing on the Bridge saying: `O my Rubb, keep (them) safe, keep (them) safe,' till men's deeds are so weak that a man comes who will be able only to crawl. On both sides of the Bridge pronged flesh hooks, placed under command will be hung and will seize those about whom they receive command, some people being lacerated and escaping and others being thrown violently into Hell.'' Abu Hurairah added: By Him in Whose Hand Abu Hurairah's soul is, the pit of Jahannam (Hell) is seventy years in depth. [Muslim].

When Az-Zubair, got ready to fight in the battle of Al- Jamal, he called me and said: "My son, whoever is killed today will be either a wrongdoer or a wronged one. I expect that I shall be the the wronged one today. I am much worried about my debt. Do you think that anything will be left over from our property after the payment of my debt? My son, sell our property and pay off my debt." Az-Zubair then willed one-third of that portion to his sons; namely 'Abdullah's sons. He said, "One-third of the one-third. If any property is left after the payment of debts, one-third (of the one-third of what is left is to be given to your sons." (Hisham, a subnarrator added: "Some of the sons of 'Abdullah were equal in age to the sons of Az-Zubair, e.g., Khubaib and Abbad. 'Abdullah had nine sons and nine daughters at that time)". (The narrator 'Abdullah added:) He kept on instructing me about his debts and then said: "My son, should you find yourself unable to pay any portion of my debt then beseech my Master for His help." By Allah, I did not understand what he meant and asked: "Father, who is your Master?" He said: "Allah." By Allah! Whenever I faced a difficulty in discharging any portion of his debt; I would pray: "O Master of Zubair, discharge his debt," and He discharged it. Zubair was martyred. He left no money, but he left certain lands, one of them in Al-Ghabah, eleven houses in Al-Madinah, two in Basrah, one in Kufah and one in Egypt. The cause of his indebtedness was that a person would come to him asking him to keep some money of his in trust for him. Zubair would refuse to accept it as a trust, fearing it might be lost, but would take it as a loan. He never accepted a governorship, or revenue office, or any public office. He fought along with Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and Abu Bakr, 'Umar and 'Uthman (May Allah be pleased with them).'Abdullah added: I prepared a statement of his debts and they amounted to two million and two hundred thousand! Hakim bin Hizam met me and asked me: "Nephew, how much is due from my brother as debt?" I kept it as secret and said: "A hundred thousand." Hakim said: "By Allah! I do not think your assets are sufficient for the payment of these debts." I said: "What would you think if the amount were two million and two hundred thousand?" He said: "I do not think that you would be able to clear off the debts. If you find it difficult let me know."Az-Zubair (May Allah bepleased with him) had purchased the land in Al-Ghabah for a hundred and seventy thousand. 'Abdullah sold it for a million and six hundred thousand, and declared that whosoever had a claim against Az-Zubair (May Allah bepleased with him) should see him in Al-Ghabah. 'Abdullah bin Ja'far (May Allah bepleased with him) came to him and said: "Az- Zubair (May Allah bepleased with him) owed me four hundred thousand, but I would remit the debt if you wish." 'Abdullah (May Allah bepleased with him) said: "No." Ibn Ja'far said: ''If you would desire for postponement I would postpone the recovery of it." 'Abdullah said: "No." Ibn Ja'far then said: "In that case, measure out a plot for me." 'Abdullah marked out a plot. Thus he sold the land and discharged his father's debt. There remained out of the land four and a half shares. He then visited Mu'awiyah who had with him at the time 'Amr bin 'Uthman, Al-Mundhir bin Az-Zubair and Ibn Zam'ah (May Allah bepleased with them). Mu'awiyah (May Allah bepleased with him) said: "What price did you put on the land in Al-Ghabah?" He said: "One hundred thousand for a each share. Mu'awiyah inquired: "How much of it is left?" 'Abdullah said: "Four and a half shares." Al-Mundhir bin Az-Zubair said: "I will buy one share for a hundred thousand". 'Amr bin 'Uthman said: "I will buy one share for a hundred thousand". Ibn Zam'ah said: "I will buy one share for a hundred thousand." Then Mu'awiyah asked: "How much of it is now left?" 'Abdullah said: "One and a half share. Mu'awiyah said: "I will take it for one hundred and fifty thousand." Later 'Abdullah bin Ja'far sold his share to Mu'awiyah for six hundred thousand.When 'Abdullah bin Az-Zubair (May Allah bepleased with him) finished the debts, the heirs of Az-Zubair (May Allah bepleased with him) asked him to distribute the inheritance among them. He said: "I will not do that until I announce during four successive Hajj seasons: 'Let he who has a claim against Az-Zubair come forward and we shall discharge it."' He made this declaration on four Hajj seasons and then distributed the inheritance among the heirs of Az-Zubair (May Allah bepleased with him) according to his will. Az- Zubair (May Allah bepleased with him) had four wives. Each of them received a million and two hundred thousand. Thus Az-Zubair's total property was amounted to fifty million and two hundred thousand.[Al-Bukhari]

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Beware of injustice, for oppression will be darkness on the Day of Resurrection; and beware of stinginess because it doomed those who were before you. It incited them to shed blood and treat the unlawful as lawful."[Muslim]

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "On the Resurrection Day, the rights will be paid to those to whom they are due so much so that a hornless sheep will be retaliated for by punishing the horned sheep which broke its horns".[Muslim].

We were talking about the Farewell Pilgrimage without knowing what was it when Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was also present. He (ﷺ) stood up and recited the Praise and Glorification of Allah. He then gave a detailed account of Ad-Dajjal and said, 'Every Prophet sent by Allah had warned his people against his mischief. Nuh (ﷺ) )warned his nation and so did all the Prophets after him. If he (i.e., Ad-Dajjal) appears among you, his condition will not remain hidden from you. Your Rubb is not one-eyed, but Ad-Dajjal is. His right eye is protruding like a swollen grape. Listen, Allah has made your blood, and your properties as inviolable as of this day of yours (i.e., the Day of Sacrifice), in this city of yours (i.e., Makkah), in this month of yours (i.e., Dhul -Hijjah). Listen, have I conveyed Allah's Message to you?'' The people replied in affirmative. There upon he said, "O Allah, bear witness.'' And he repeated it thrice. He (ﷺ) concluded: "Do not revert after me as infidels killing one another". [Al-Bukhari].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Whoever usurps unlawfully even a hand span of land a collar measuring seven times (this) land will be placed around his neck on the Day of Resurrection".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Verily, Allah gives respite to the oppressor. But when He seizes him, He does not let him escape." Then he (ﷺ)) recited, "Such is the Seizure of your Rubb when He seizes the (population of) towns while they are doing wrong. Verily, His Seizure is painful (and) severe". (11:102).[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

"You will go to the people of the Book. First call them to testify that 'there is no true god except Allah, that I am (Muhammad (ﷺ)) the Messenger of Allah.' If they obey you, tell them that Allah has enjoined upon them five Salat (prayers) during the day and night; and if they obey you, inform them that Allah has made Zakat obligatory upon them; that it should be collected from their rich and distributed among their poor; and if they obey you refrain from picking up (as a share of Zakat) the best of their wealth. Beware of the supplication of the oppressed, for there is no barrier between it and Allah".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

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

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "He who has done a wrong affecting his brother's honour or anything else, let him ask his forgiveness today before the time (i.e., the Day of Resurrection) when he will have neither a dinar nor a dirham. If he has done some good deeds, a portion equal to his wrong doings will be subtracted from them; but if he has no good deeds, he will be burdened with the evil deeds of the one he had wronged in the same proportion".[Al-Bukhari].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "A Muslim is the one from whose tongue and hands the Muslims are safe; and a Muhajir (Emigrant) is the one who refrains from what Allah has forbidden".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

A man named Kirkirah, who was in charge of the personal effects of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) passed away and the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "He is in the (Hell) Fire." Some people went to his house looking for its cause and found there a cloak that he had stolen. [Al-Bukhari]

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Time has completed its cycle and has come to the state of the day when Allah created the heavens and the earth. The year consists of twelve months of which four are inviolable; three of them consecutive - Dhul-Qa'dah, Dhul-Hijjah and Muharram and Rajab, the month of Mudar (tribe), which comes between Jumada and Sha'ban. What month is this?" We said, "Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ) know better". The Prophet (ﷺ) remained silent for some time until we thought that he would give it a name other than its real name. Then asked, "Is it not (the month of) Dhul-Hijjah?". We replied in the affirmative. He asked, "Which city is this?". We replied: "Allah and His Messenger know better". He remained silent until we thought that he would give it another name. He (ﷺ) asked, "Is it not Al-Baldah (Makkah)?" We said: "Yes". He (ﷺ) asked, "What day is this?". We said: "Allah and His Messenger know better." He (ﷺ) remained silent until we thought that he would give it another name. He asked, "Is it not the day of An-Nahr (the sacrifice)?". We replied in the affirmative. Thereupon he said, "Your blood, your property and your honour are inviolable to you all like the inviolablity of this day of yours, in this city of yours and in this month of yours. You will soon meet your Rubb and He will ask you about your deeds. So do not turn to disbelief after me by striking the necks of one another. Behold! Let him who is present here convey (this message ) to him who is absent; for many a person to whom a message is conveyed has more retentive memory than the one who hears it." He (ﷺ) again said, "Have I conveyed the message to you? Behold! Have I conveyed the Commandments (of Allah) to you." We submitted: "Yes". He then said, "O Allah, bear witness (to this)".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah decrees the (Hell) Fire and debars Jannah for the one who usurps the rights of a believer by taking a false oath." One man asked: "O Messenger of Allah! Even if it should be for an insignificant thing?" He said, "Even if it be a stick of the Arak tree (i.e., the tree from which Miswak sticks are taken)".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Whosoever among you is appointed by us to a position and he conceals from us even a needle or less, it will amount to misappropriation and he will be called upon to restore it on the Day of Resurrection". ('Adi bin 'Umairah added:) A black man from the Ansar stood up - I can see him still - and said: "O Messenger of Allah, take back from me your assignment." He (the Prophet (ﷺ)) said, "What has happened to you?" The man replied: "I have heard you saying such and such." He (ﷺ) said, "I say that even now: Whosoever from you is appointed by us to a position, he should render an account of everything, big or small, and whatever he is given therefrom, he should take and he should desist from taking what is unlawful".[Muslim].

On the day (of the battle) of Khaibar, some Companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) came and remarked: "So-and-so is a martyr and so-and-so is a martyr". When they came to a man about whom they said: "So-and-so is a martyr," the Prophet (ﷺ) declared, "No. I have seen him in Hell for a mantle (or cloak) which he has stolen".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Faith in Allah and striving in His Cause (Jihad) are the deeds of highest merit." A man stood up said: "O Messenger of Allah! Tell me if I am killed in the Cause of Allah, will all my sins be forgiven?" He (ﷺ) replied, "Yes, if you are killed in the Cause of Allah while you are patient, hopeful of your reward and marching forward not retreating." Then the Prophet (ﷺ) said to him, "Repeat what you have said." The man said: "Tell me if I am killed in the Cause of Allah, will all my sins be remitted?". He replied, "Yes, if you are martyred while you are patient, hopeful of your reward and march forward without retreating, unless, if you owe any debt, that will not be remitted. Angel Jibril told me that".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Do you know who is the bankrupt?" They said: "The bankrupt among us is one who has neither money with him nor any property". He said, "The real bankrupt of my Ummah would be he who would come on the Day of Resurrection with Salat, Saum and Sadaqah (charity), (but he will find himself bankrupt on that day as he will have exhausted the good deeds) because he reviled others, brought calumny against others, unlawfully devoured the wealth of others, shed the blood of others and beat others; so his good deeds would be credited to the account of those (who suffered at his hand). If his good deeds fall short to clear the account, their sins would be entered in his account and he would be thrown in the (Hell) Fire".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Verily, I am only a human and the claimants bring to me (their disputes); perhaps some of them are more eloquent than others. I judge according to what I hear from them). So, he whom I, by my judgment, (give the undue share) out of the right of a Muslim, I in fact give him a portion of (Hell) Fire".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "A believer continues to guard his Faith (and thus hopes for Allah's Mercy) so long as he does not shed blood unjustly".[Al-Bukhari].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Many people misappropriate (acquire wrongfully) Allah's Property (meaning Muslims' property). These people will be cast in Hell on the Day of Resurrection".[Al- Bukhari].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The relationship of the believer with another believer is like (the bricks of) a building, each strengthens the other." He (ﷺ) illustrated this by interlacing the fingers of both his hands.[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Whoever enters our mosque or passes through our market with arrows with him, he should hold them by their heads lest it should injure any of the Muslims".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The believers in their mutual kindness, compassion and sympathy are just like one body. When one of the limbs suffers, the whole body responds to it with wakefulness and fever".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) kissed his grandson Al-Hasan bin 'Ali (May Allah bepleased with them) in the presence of Al-Aqra' bin Habis. Thereupon he remarked: "I have ten children and I have never kissed any one of them." Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) looked at him and said, "He who does not show mercy to others will not be shown mercy".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Some bedouins came to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and asked: "Do you kiss your children?" He said, "Yes". They then said: "By Allah, we do not kiss them." The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, "I cannot help you if Allah has snatched kindness from your hearts".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "He who is not merciful to people Allah will not be merciful to him."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "When one of you leads the Salat, he should not prolong it because the congregation includes those who are feeble, ill or old". One version adds: "those who have to attend to work") While offering prayers alone, you may pray as long as you like".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would sometimes abstain from doing something he wished to do, lest others should follow him and it might become obligatory upon them.[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) prohibited his Companions out of mercy for them, from observing continuous fasting without a break. They said: "But you observe fast continuously". He replied, "I am not like you. I spend the night while my Rubb provides me with food and drink".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].(This means that Allah has bestowed upon him the power of endurance like that of a person who eats and drinks).

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "I stand up to lead Salat with the intention of prolonging it. Then I hear the crying of an infant and I shorten the Salat lest I should make it burdensome for his mother".[Al-Bukhari].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "When anyone offers the Fajr (dawn) prayer, in congregation, he is in the Protection of Allah. So let not Allah call him to account, withdrawing, in any respect, His Protection. Because, He will get hold of him and throw him down on his face in the Hell-fire."[Muslim]

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "A Muslim is a brother of another Muslim. So he should not oppress him nor should he hand him over to (his satan or to his self which is inclined to evil). Whoever fulfills the needs of his brother, Allah will fulfill his needs; whoever removes the troubles of his brother, Allah will remove one of his troubles on the Day of Resurrection; and whoever covers up the fault of a Muslim, Allah will cover up his fault on the Day of Resurrection".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "A Muslim is a brother to a Muslim. He should neither deceive him nor lie to him, nor leave him without assistance. Everything belonging to a Muslim is inviolable for a Muslim; his honour, his blood and property. Piety is here (and he pointed out to his chest thrice). It is enough for a Muslim to commit evil by despising his Muslim brother."[At- Tirmidhi].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Do not envy one another; do not inflate prices by overbidding against one another; do not hate one another; do not harbour malice against one another; and do not enter into commercial transaction when others have entered into that (transaction); but be you, O slaves of Allah, as brothers. A Muslim is the brother of another Muslim; he neither oppresses him nor does he look down upon him, nor does he humiliate him. Piety is here, (and he pointed to his chest three times). It is enough evil for a Muslim to hold his brother Muslim in contempt. All things of a Muslim are inviolable for his brother-in-faith: his blood, his property and his honour".[Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "No one of you shall become a true believer until he desires for his brother what he desires for himself".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Help your brother, whether he is an oppressor or is oppressed". A man enquired: "O Messenger of Allah! I help him when he is oppressed, but how can I help him when he is an oppressor?" He (ﷺ) said, "You can keep him from committing oppression. That will be your help to him".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "A believer owes another believer five rights: responding to greetings, visiting him in illness, following his funeral, accepting his invitation, and saying 'Yarhamuk-Allah (May Allah have mercy on you),' when he says 'Al-hamdu lillah (Praise be to Allah)' after sneezing".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].Muslim's narration is, "There are six rights of a Muslim upon a Muslim: When you meet him, greet him; when he invites you, respond to him; when he seeks counsel, give him advice; when he sneezes and praises Allah, say to him: 'May Allah have mercy on you (Yarhamuk-Allah)'; when he is sick, visit him; and when he dies, follow his funeral".

The Prophet (ﷺ) commanded us to observe seven things and forbade us seven. He ordered us to visit the sick; to follow funeral processions; to respond to a sneezer with 'Yarhamuk-Allah (May Allah have mercy on you)' when he says 'Al-hamdu lillah (Praise be to Allah),' to help the oppressed and to help others to fulfill their oaths, to accept invitation and to promote greeting. He forbade us to wear gold rings, to drink in silver utensils, to use Mayathir (silk carpets placed on saddles), to wear Al-Qassiy (a kind of silk cloth) to wear fine silk brocade.[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Allah will cover up on the Day of Resurrection the defects (faults) of the one who covers up the faults of the others in this world".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Every one of my followers will be forgiven except those who expose (openly) their wrongdoings. An example of this is that of a man who commits a sin at night which Allah has covered for him, and in the morning, he would say (to people): "I committed such and such sin last night,' while Allah had kept it a secret. During the night Allah has covered it up but in the morning he tears up the cover provided by Allah Himself."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "When a slave-girl commits fornication and this fact of fornication has become evident, she must be given the penalty of (fifty) lashes without hurling reproaches at her; if she does it again, she must be given the penalty but she should not be rebuked. If she does it for the third time, he should sell her, even for a rope woven from hair (i.e., something worthless)".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

A man who had drunk wine was brought to the Prophet (ﷺ) and he asked us to beat him; some struck him with their hands, some with their garments (making a whip) and some with their sandals. When he (the drunkard) had gone, some of the people said: "May Allah disgrace you!" He (the Prophet (ﷺ)) said, "Do not say so. Do not help the devil against him".[Al-Bukhari].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "A Muslim is a brother of (another) Muslim, he neither wrongs him nor does hand him over to one who does him wrong. If anyone fulfills his brother's needs, Allah will fulfill his needs; if one relieves a Muslim of his troubles, Allah will relieve his troubles on the Day of Resurrection; and if anyone covers up a Muslim (his sins), Allah will cover him up (his sins) on the Resurrection Day".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "He who removes from a believer one of his difficulties of this world, Allah will remove one of his troubles on the Day of Resurrection; and he who finds relief for a hard-pressed person, Allah will make things easy for him on the Day of Resurrection; he who covers up (the faults and sins) of a Muslim, Allah will cover up (his faults and sins) in this world and in the Hereafter. Allah supports His slave as long as the slave is supportive of his brother; and he who treads the path in search of knowledge, Allah makes that path easy, leading to Jannah for him; the people who assemble in one of the houses of Allah, reciting the Book of Allah, learning it and teaching, there descends upon them the tranquillity, and mercy covers them, the angels flock around them, and Allah mentions them in the presence of those near Him; and he who lags behind in doing good deeds, his noble lineage will not make him go ahead."[Muslim]

Whenever a needy person would come to the Prophet (ﷺ), he would turn to those who were present and say, "If you make intercession for him, you will be rewarded, because Allah decreed what He likes by the tongue of His Messenger".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said to her, "It is better for you to go back to your husband." She asked: "O Messenger of Allah, do you order me to do so." He replied, "I only intercede" She then said: "I have no need for him".[Al-Bukhari].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "On every joint of man, there is charity, on everyday when the sun rises: doing justice between two men is charity, and assisting a man to ride an animal or to load his luggage on it is charity; and a good word is charity, every step which one takes towards (the mosque for) Salat is charity, and removing harmful things from the way is charity".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, 'The person who (lies) in order to conciliate between people is not a liar, when he conveys good or says (something) good".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].The narration in Muslim added: She said, "I never heard him (she meant the Prophet (ﷺ)) giving permission of lying in anything except in three (things): war, conciliating between people and the conversation of man with his wife and the conversation of a woman with her husband".

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) heard the voices of altercation of two disputants at the door; both the voices were quite loud. One was asking the other to make his debts little (so that he could pay them) and was pleading with him to show leniency to him, whereupon the (other one) said: "By Allah, I will not do that". Then there came Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to them and said, "Where is he who swore by Allah that he would not do good?" He said: "O Messenger of Allah, it is me. Now he may do as he desires".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

There was some quarrel among the members of Banu 'Amr bin 'Auf. Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) went with some of his Companions to bring about peace between them and he was detained. The time for Salat approached and Bilal (May Allah be pleased with them) went to Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) and said to him: "Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) has got late and it is the time for Salat. Will you lead Salat?" He said: "Yes, if you desire". Bilal (May Allah be pleased with him) proclaimed the Adhan and then pronounced Iqamah. Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) stepped forward and commenced As- Salat. (He recited Takbir and the people followed him). In the meantime, Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) arrived and, passing through the rows, took his stand in the first row. The people started clapping. It was the habit of Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) that whenever he started praying, he would never look round. He paid no heed (to the clapping). When the clapping increased, he turned round and saw Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He (the Prophet (ﷺ)) beckoned him to continue performing Salat. But Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) raised his hands and praised Allah. Then he retreated, taking his steps backwards. When Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saw that, he went ahead and led Salat. When he finished Salat, he faced the congregation and said, "Why do you clap when something happens during the Salat. Clapping is only for women. If something happens in the course of Salat you should say, Subhan Allah. It is bound to attract attention. And you, Abu Bakr, what prevented you from carrying on with Salat, after I beckoned to do so?" He said, "It was not becoming for the son of Abu Quhafah to lead Salat in the presence of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, "Shall I not inform you about the people of Jannah? It is every person who is, modest and humble (before Allah), a person who is accounted weak and is looked down upon but if he adjures Allah, Allah will certainly give him what he desires. Now shall I not inform you about the inmates of Hell? It is every violent, impertinent and proud man".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

A man passed by the Prophet (ﷺ), so he asked a man who was sitting near him, "What is your opinion about this man?" That man replied: "He is one of the noblest men. By Allah he is certainly a proper person for (a girl) being given in marriage if he seeks to marry, and his recommendation is fit to be accepted if he recommends". Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) remained silent. Then another man passed. Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) enquired, "What is your opinion about this man?" He replied: "O Messenger of Allah, he is one of the poor Muslims. He is not a proper person (for a girl) to be given in marriage to, and his recommendation would not be accepted if he makes one; if he speaks, he is not to be listened to." Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "He is better than the former by earthfuls".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: There was a dispute between the Hell and Jannah. The Hell said: "The haughty and proud are my inmates." Jannah said: "The modest and the humble are my residents". Thereupon, Allah the Exalted and Glorious (addressing Jannah) said: "You are My Mercy, through you I shall show mercy to those whom I wish". (And addressing the Hell), He said: "You are (the means) of My punishment by which I shall punish such of My slaves as I wish and each one of you would have its fill".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "On the Day of Resurrection, there will be brought forth a bulky person whose value to Allah will be less than that of the wing of a mosquito".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

A black woman (or probably a young man) used to clean the mosque. Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) missed her (or him) and asked about her (or him). He was told that she (or he) had died. He (ﷺ) said, "Why did you not inform me?" (It seemed as if) they (Companions) considered the matter insignificant. Then he (ﷺ) said, "Show me her (or his) grave." When it was shown to him, he offered (Janazah-funeral) prayer over it and said, "These graves cover those in them with darkness, and Allah illumines them for the inmates as a result of my supplication for them".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Many a person with shaggy and dusty hair, dusty and driven away from doors (because of their poverty and shabby clothes) were to swear by Allah (that something would happen), Allah will certainly make it happen".[Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "I stood at the gate of Jannah, and (I saw) that the majority of those who entered it are the poor, and the wealthy were kept confined. The inmates of the Fire had been ordered to (enter) the Fire (Hell), and I stood at the gate of Hell and saw that the majority of its inmates are women".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "None spoke in the cradle but only three (persons), Isa (Jesus) son of Maryam (Mary), the second one was the companion of Juraij who was a pious person. Juraij took a secluded monastery for worship and confined himself in it. His mother came to him as he was busy in prayer and she called: 'Juraij.' He said: 'My Rubb, my mother (is calling me while I am engaged in) my prayer.' He continued with the prayer. She returned and she came on the next day and he was (still) busy in prayer. She called: 'Juraij.' And he said: 'My Rubb, my mother (is calling me while I am engaged) in prayer, and he continued with the prayer,' and she returned. Then on the next day she again came while he was busy in prayer and called: 'Juraij.' And he said: 'My Rubb, my mother (is calling me while I am engaged) in my prayer.' And he continued with the prayer. She said: 'My Rubb, don't let him die until he has seen the faces of the prostitutes.' The story of Juraij and that of his meditation and prayer spread amongst Banu Israel. There was a prostitute who had been a beauty personified. She said (to the people): 'If you like, I can lure him to evil.' She presented herself to him but he paid no heed (to her). She came to a shepherd who lived near the temple and she offered herself to him. He (the shepherd) had sexual intercourse with her and so she became pregnant. When she gave birth to a baby she said: 'This is from Juraij.' So they came and asked Juraij to get down and demolished the temple and began to beat him. He asked them what the matter was. They said: 'You have committed fornication with this prostitute and she has given birth to a baby from you.' He said: 'Where is the baby?' They brought him (the baby) and then he said: 'Just leave me so that I should perform prayer.' He performed prayer and when he finished, he lifted the baby in his stomach and asked him: 'O boy, who is your father?' The baby answered: 'He is such and such a shepherd.' So, the people turned towards Juraij, kissed him and touched him (for seeking blessing) and said: 'We are prepared to construct your temple with gold.' He said, 'No just, rebuild it with mud as it had been,' and so they did". (The Prophet (ﷺ) continued:) "Then there was a baby who was sucking at his mother's breast when a person dressed in fine garment came on a priceless riding animal's back. His mother said: 'O Allah, make my child like this one.' He (the babe) left sucking and looked at him, and said: 'O Allah, don't make me like him.' He then returned to the breast and resumed sucking." He (Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) said: As though I can see Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as he is illustrating the scene of his sucking milk with his forefinger in his mouth and sucking that. He (Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him)) further reported Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying, "There happened to pass by them a slave girl who was being beaten and they were saying: 'You have committed fornication and theft.' She was saying: 'Allah is enough for me and He is my Good Protector, and his mother said: 'O Allah, don't make my child like her.' He left sucking looked at her and said: 'O Allah! Make me like her.' It was followed by a conversation between the mother and the child. She said: 'A good looking man happened to pass by and I said: O Allah, make my child like him, and you said: O Allah, don't make me like him, and there passed a girl while they were beating her and saying: You committed fornication and theft, and I said: O Allah, don't make my child like her, and you said: O Allah, make me like her.' The child said: 'That man was a tyrant, and I said: O Allah don't make me like him; and they were saying about the girl: You committed fornication, whereas in fact she had not committed that and they were saying: You have committed theft, whereas she had not committed theft, so I said: O Allah, make me like her".[Al- Bukhari and Muslim].

Six of us were with the Prophet (ﷺ) when the infidels said to him: "Drive these ones away, lest they should begin to venture against us". The six were, myself, Ibn Mas'ud, a man of the Hudhail tribe, Bilal and two other men whose names I don't know. Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) thought what Allah wished him to think, and Allah revealed: "And turn not away those who invoke their Rubb, morning and afternoon seeking His Face." (6:52)[Muslim].

Abu Sufyan passed by Salman, Suhaib and Bilal and some other Companions (May Allah be pleased with them). They said to him: "Did not the swords of Allah exact their due from the foes of Allah?" Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) said to them: "Do you speak like this to the chief of the Quraish and their master?" Then he went to the Prophet (ﷺ) and related this to him. He (ﷺ) said, "Abu Bakr, perhaps you have angered them. If so, you have angered your Rubb". Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) went back to them and said: "Brothers, did I offend you?" They replied: "No. May Allah forgive you, brother".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "I will be like this in Jannah with the person who takes care of an orphan". Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) raised his forefinger and middle finger by way of illustration.[Al- Bukhari].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "He who takes care of an orphan, whether he is his relative or a stranger, will be in Jannah with me like these two". The narrator, Malik bin Anas raised his forefinger and middle finger for illustration.[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "A Miskin (needy) is not the one who can be turned away with a date-fruit or two, or a morsel or two. The true Miskin is one who, despite his poverty, abstains from begging".[Al- Bukhari and Muslim].In another narration Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, " A Miskin is not the one who goes round begging from people and who can be turned away with a morsel or two, or a date-fruit or two. A true Miskin is he who does not find enough to suffice him, does not disclose his poverty so that he might be given alms, and does not stand up to beg".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "One who strives to help the widows and the poor is like the one who fights in the way of Allah." The narrator said: I think that he (ﷺ) added also: "I shall regard him as the one who stands up (for prayer) without rest and as the one who observes fasts continuously".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The worst food is the food of the marriage banquet from which those are left out who would like to come; and to which those are invited who refuse to come. He who rejects an invitation disobeys Allah and His Messenger".[Muslim].In another narration Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The worst food is the food of the marriage banquet to which the rich are invited and from which the poor are left out".[Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Whoever supports two girls till they attain maturity, he and I will come on the Day of Resurrection like this". Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) joined his fingers illustrating this.[Muslim].

A woman came to me with her two daughters. She asked me (for charity) but she found nothing with me except one date-fruit, so I gave it to her. She accepted it and then divided it between her two daughters and herself ate nothing out of that. She then got up and went out. When Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came in, and I narrated to him the story, he said, "He who is involved (in the responsibility) of (bringing up) daughters, and he is benevolent towards them, they would become protection for him against Hell-fire".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

A poor woman came to me carrying her two daughters. I gave her three date-fruits. She gave a date to each of them and then she took up one date-fruit and brought that to her mouth to eat, but her daughters asked her that also. She then divided between them the date-fruit that she intended to eat. This (kind) treatment of her impressed me and I mentioned that to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) who said, 'Verily, Allah has assured Jannah for her, because of (this act) of her," or said, "He (SWT) has rescued her from Hell- Fire".[Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "O Allah, I declare inviolable the rights of two weak ones: the orphans and women".[An- Nasa'i].

Sa'd considered himself better than his inferiors, so the Prophet (ﷺ) said to him, "You are given help and provision because of your weak ones".[Al-Bukhari].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Seek among your weak ones, for you are given provision and help only because of the weak amongst you."[Abu Dawud].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Take my advice with regard to women: Act kindly towards women, for they were created from a rib, and the most crooked part of a rib is its uppermost. If you attempt to straighten it; you will break it, and if you leave it alone it will remain crooked; so act kindly toward women".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].In another narration of Al-Bukhari and Muslim, Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "A woman is like a rib, if you attempt to straighten it, you will break it; and if you benefit from her, you will do so while crookedness remains in her".In another narration of Muslim, Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'Woman has been created from a rib and will in no way be straightened for you; so if you want to benefit from her, you will benefit from her while crookedness remains in her. If you attempt to straighten her, you will break her, and breaking her is divorcing her".

"When the most wicked man among them went forth (to kill the she-camel).' (91:12) signifies that a distinguished, wicked and most powerful chief of the people jumped up to kill the she- camel." Then he (ﷺ) made mention of women and said, "Some of you beat your wives as if they were slaves, and then lie with them at the end of the day".Then he (ﷺ) admonished them against laughing at another's passing of wind, saying, "Why does any of you laugh at another doing what he does himself"[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "A believer must not hate (his wife) believing woman; if he dislikes one of her characteristics he will be pleased with another".[Muslim].

'Amr bin Al-Ahwas Al-Jushami (May Allah be pleased with him) reported that he had heard the Prophet (ﷺ) saying on his Farewell Pilgrimage, after praising and glorifying Allah and admonishing people, "Treat women kindly, they are like captives in your hands; you do not owe anything else from them. In case they are guilty of open indecency, then do not share their beds and beat them lightly but if they return to obedience, do not have recourse to anything else against them. You have rights over your wives and they have their rights over you. Your right is that they shall not permit anyone you dislike to enter your home, and their right is that you should treat them well in the matter of food and clothing".[At- Tirmidhi].

I asked Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): "What right can any wife demand of her husband?" He replied, "You should give her food when you eat, clothe her when you clothe yourself, not strike her on the face, and do not revile her or separate from her except in the house".[Abu Dawud].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The believers who show the most perfect Faith are those who have the best behaviour, and the best of you are those who are the best to their wives".[At-Tirmidhi].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Do not beat Allah's bondwomen." When 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) came to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and complained saying: "The women have become very daring towards their husbands," He (ﷺ) gave permission to beat them. Then many women went to the family of the Messenger of Allah (wives) complaining of their husbands, and he (the Prophet (ﷺ)) said, "Many women have gone round Muhammad's family complaining of their husbands. Those who do so, that is, those who take to beating their wives, are not the best among you".[Abu Dawud].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The world is but a (quick passing) enjoyment; and the best enjoyment of the world is a pious and virtuous woman".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "When a man calls his wife to his bed, and she does not respond and he (the husband) spends the night angry with her, the angels curse her until morning".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].In another narration: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "When a woman spends the night away from the bed of her husband, the angels curse her until morning".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].In another narration: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "By Him in Whose Hand is my life, when a man calls his wife to his bed, and she does not respond, the One Who is above the heaven becomes displeased with her until he (her husband) becomes pleased with her".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "It is not lawful for a woman to observe (voluntary) fasting without the permission of her husband when he is at home; and she should not allow anyone to enter his house without his permission.".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "All of you are guardians and are responsible for your subjects. The ruler is a guardian of his subjects, the man is a guardian of his family, the woman is a guardian and is responsible for her husband's house and his offspring; and so all of you are guardians and are responsible for your subjects."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "When a man calls his wife to satisfy his desire, she must go to him even if she is occupied with the oven".[At-Tirmidhi and An-Nasa'i].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "If I were to order anyone to prostrate himself before another, I would have ordered a woman to prostrate herself before her husband".[At-Tirmidhi]

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Any woman dies while her husband is pleased with her, she will enter Jannah".[At- Tirmidhi].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Whenever a woman harms her husband in this world (that is without any due right), his wife among the (Houris in Jannah) says: 'You must not harm him. May Allah destroy you! He is only a passing guest with you and is about to leave you to come to us".[At-Tirmidhi].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "I am not leaving behind me a more harmful trial for men than women".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "A dinar you spend in Allah's way, or to free a slave, or as a charity you give to a needy person, or to support your family, the one yielding the greatest reward is that which you spend on your family".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The most excellent dinar is one that a person spends on his family, and the dinar which he spends on his riding-animal in the way of Allah (in Jihad), and the dinar he spends on his companions in the way of Allah".[Muslim].

I asked Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), "Would I be rewarded for what I spend on Abu Salamah's sons? For I can't let them go here and there (to beg people)." Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) replied, "Spend on them and you will be rewarded for what you spend on them".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Sa'd bin Abu Waqqas (May Allah be pleased with him) reported in a Hadith included in the chapter of Intention, that Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Whatever you spend seeking thereby the Pleasure of Allah, will have its reward, even the morsel which you put in the mouth of your wife".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "When someone spends on his family seeking his reward for it from Allah, it is counted as a charity from him".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Neglecting one's own dependents is a reason enough for a man to commit a sin".[Abu Dawud]The narration in Muslim is: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "It is enough sin for a person to hold back the due of one whose provision is in his hand".

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Two angels descend every morning, and one says: 'O Allah, give him who spends something, in place of what he spends.' The other one says: 'O Allah, give destruction to him who withholds".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) 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].

Abu Talhah (May Allah be pleased with him) was the richest among the Ansar of Al-Madinah and possessed the largest property from palm-trees, and among his possessions what he loved most, was his garden known as Bairuha' which was opposite the mosque, and Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) often visited it and drank from its fresh water. When this Ayah was revealed: "By no means shall you attain Al-Birr (piety, righteousness - here it means Allah's reward, i.e., Jannah), unless you spend (in Allah's Cause) of that which you love," (3:92), Abu Talhah came to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and said, "Allah says in His Book: 'By no means shall you attain Al-Birr, unless you spend (in Allah's Cause) of that which you love,' and the dearest of my property is Bairuha' so I have given it as Sadaqah (charity) for Allah's sake, and I anticipate its reward with Him; so spend it, O Messenger of Allah, as Allah guides you." Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Well-done! That is profit earning property. I have heard what you have said, but I think you should spend it on your nearest relatives." So Abu Talhah (May Allah be pleased with him) distributed it among nearest relatives and cousins.[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Al-Hasan bin 'Ali (May Allah be pleased with them) took one of the dates of the Sadaqah (charity) and put it in his mouth, whereupon Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Leave it, leave it, throw it away. Do you not know that we do not eat the Sadaqah (charity)?"[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

I was a boy under the care of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and my hand would wander about in the dish. Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to me "Mention Allah's Name (i.e., say Bismillah before you start eating), eat with your right hand and eat from what is near to you". I always followed this way of eating after this incident.[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "All of you are guardians and are responsible for your subjects. The ruler is a guardian and responsible for his subjects; the man is a guardian of his family; the woman is guardian in her husband's house and responsible for her wards; a servant is guardian of his master's property and responsible for his ward. So all of you are guardians and are responsible for your subjects".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Command your children to perform Salat (prayer) when they are seven years old, and beat them for (not offering) it when they are ten, and do not let (boys and girls) sleep together".[Abu Dawud].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Teach a boy Salat (the prayer) when he attains the age of seven years, and punish him (if he does not offer it) at ten".[Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi].The narration in Abu Dawud is: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Order a boy to perform Salat (the prayer) when he is seven years old".

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Jibril kept recommending treating neighbours with kindness until I thought he would assign a share of inheritance".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) commanded me thus, "O Abu Dharr! Whenever you prepare a broth, put plenty of water in it, and and give some of it to your neighbours".[Muslim].In another narration of Muslim, narrated Abu Dharr (May Allah be pleased with him): My friend, (Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)) advised me saying, "Whenever you prepare a broth, put plenty of water in it, and give some to your neighbours and then give them out of this with courtesy."

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "By Allah, he is not a believer! By Allah, he is not a believer! By Allah, he is not a believer." It was asked, "Who is that, O Messenger of Allah?" He said, "One whose neighbour does not feel safe from his evil".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].Another narration of Muslim is: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "He will not enter Jannah whose neighbour is not secure from his wrongful conduct".

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "O Muslim women! No one of you should consider insignificant (a gift) to give to her neighbour even if it is (a gift of) the trotters of a sheep".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "No one should prohibit his neighbour from placing a peg in his wall". Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) added: Now I see you turning away from this (Sunnah), but by Allah, I shall go on proclaiming it.[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "He who believes in Allah and the Last Day let him not harm his neighbour; and he who believes in Allah and the Last Day let him show hospitality to his guest; and he who believes in Allah and the Last Day let him speak good or remain silent".[Al- Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "He who believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him be kind to his neighbour; and he who believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him show hospitality to his guest; and he who believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him either speak good or remain silent".[Muslim].

I said, "O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), I have two neighbours, to which of them should I send a present?" He (ﷺ) replied, "To the one whose door is nearer to you".[Al-Bukhari]

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The best of companions with Allah is the one who is best to his companions, and the best of neighbours to Allah is the one who is the best of them to his neighbour".[At-Tirmidhi].

I asked the Prophet (ﷺ) , "Which of the deeds is loved most by Allah?" Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Salat at its proper time." I asked, ''What next?" He (ﷺ) replied, ''Kindness to parents." I asked, ''What next?" He replied, ''Jihad in the way of Allah."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "No son can repay (the kindness shown by his father) unless he finds him a slave and buys him and emancipates him".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "He who believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him be hospitable to his guest; and he who believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him maintain good the ties of blood relationship; and he who believes in Allah and the Last Day, must speak good or remain silent".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah created all the creatures and when He finished the task of His creation, Ar-Rahm (ties of relationship) said: '(O Allah) at this place I seek refuge with You against severing my ties.' Allah said: 'That I treat with kindness those who treat you with kindness and sever ties with those who sever ties with you.' It said: 'I am satisfied.' Allah said: 'Then this is yours". Then Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Recite this Ayah if you like: 'Would you then, if you were given the authority, do mischief in the land, and sever your ties of kinship? Such are they whom Allah has cursed, so that He has made them deaf and blinded their sight". (47:22,23).[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].The words in Al-Bukhari are: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah (SWT) says: 'He who maintains good ties with you, I maintain good ties with him; and he who severs your ties, I sever ties with him".

A person came to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and asked, "Who among people is most deserving of my fine treatment?" He (ﷺ) said, "Your mother". He again asked, ''Who next?" "Your mother", the Prophet (ﷺ) replied again. He asked, "Who next?" He (the Prophet (ﷺ)) said again, "Your mother." He again asked, "Then who?" Thereupon he (ﷺ) said," Then your father."In another narration: "O Messenger of Allah! Who is most deserving of my fine treatment?" He (ﷺ) said, "Your mother, then your mother, then your mother, then your father, then your nearest, then nearest".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "May he be disgraced! May he be disgraced! May he be disgraced, whose parents, one or both, attain old age during his life time, and he does not enter Jannah (by rendering being dutiful to them)".[Muslim].

A man said to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): "I have relatives with whom I try to keep the ties of relationship but they sever relations with me; and whom I treat kindly but they treat me badly, I am gentle with them but they are rough to me." He (ﷺ) replied, "If you are as you say, it is as if you are feeding them hot ashes, and you will be with a supporter against them from Allah as long as you continue to do so".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "He who desires ample provisions and his life be prolonged, should maintain good ties with his blood relations". [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Abu Talhah (May Allah be pleased with him) was the richest among the Ansar of Al-Madinah and possessed the largest property; and among his possessions what he loved most was his garden known as Bairuha' which was opposite the mosque, and Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) often visited it and drank from its fresh water. When this ayah was revealed: "By no means shall you attain Al-Birr (piety, righteousness - here it means Allah's reward, i.e., Jannah), unless you spend (in Allah's Cause) of that which you love," (3:92). Abu Talhah came to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and said: "Allah says in His Book: 'By no means shall you attain Al-Birr, unless you spend (in Allah's Cause) of that which you love,' and the dearest of my property is Bairuha' so I have given it as Sadaqah (charity) for Allah's sake, and I anticipate its reward with Him; so spend it, O Messenger of Allah, as Allah guides you". Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Well-done! That is profitable property. I have heard what you have said, but I think you should spend it on your nearest relatives." So Abu Talhah distributed it among his nearest relatives and cousins.[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) of Allah and said, "I swear allegiance to you for emigration and Jihad, seeking reward from Allah." He (ﷺ) said, "Is any of your parents alive?" He said, "Yes, both of them are alive." He (ﷺ) then asked, "Do you want to seek reward from Allah?" He replied in the affirmative. Thereupon Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Go back to your parents and keep good company with them".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].In another narration it is reported that a person came to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and sought his permission to participate in Jihad. The Prophet (ﷺ) asked, "Are your parents alive?" He replied in the affirmative. The Prophet a(ﷺ) said, "(You should) consider their service as Jihad."

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The person who perfectly maintains the ties of kinship is not the one who does it because he gets recompensed by his relatives (for being kind and good to them), but the one who truly maintains the bonds of kinship is the one who persists in doing so even though the latter has severed the ties of kinship with him".[Al-Bukhari].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The bond of relationship is suspending from the Throne, and says: 'He who keeps good relations with me, Allah will keep connection with him, but whosoever severs relations with me, Allah will sever connection with him".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

It has been narrated that Maimuna bint Al-Harith (May Allah be pleased with her) had set free a slave-girl without the Prophet's permission. When her turn came (the Prophet (ﷺ) used to visit his wives in turns), she made mention of that to him saying, "Did you know I have set slave-girl free?" He said, "Have you, indeed?" She replied, "Yes". He (ﷺ) then remarked, "Had you given her to your maternal uncles, you would have your reward increased".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

My mother came to me while she was still a polytheist, so I asked Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), "My mother, who is ill-disposed to Islam, has come to visit me. Shall I maintain relations with her?" He (ﷺ) replied, "Yes, maintain relations with your mother".[Al- Bukhari and Muslim].

When Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) told the women that they should give Sadaqah (charity), even if it should be some of their jewellery, I returned to 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud and said, "You are a man who does not possess much, and Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) has commanded us to give Sadaqah. So go and ask him if giving to you will serve the purpose; otherwise, I shall give it to someone else." He asked me that I should better go myself. I went and found a woman of the Ansar at the door of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), waiting to ask a similar question as mine. The Prophet (ﷺ) was endowed with dignity, and so we could not go in. When Bilal (May Allah be pleased with him) came out to us, we said to him: "Go to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and tell him that there are two women at the door who have come to ask him whether it will serve them to give Sadaqah to their husbands and to orphans who are in their charge, but do not tell him who we are. Bilal (May Allah be pleased with him) went in and asked him, and Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) asked him who the women were. When he told him that they were a woman of the Ansar and Zainab, he asked him which Zainab it was, and when he was told it was the wife of 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud, he (ﷺ) said, "They will have a double reward, one for maintaining the ties of kinship and another for Sadaqah".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Heraclius asked me, "What does this Prophet (ﷺ) teach you?" I said, "He orders us to worship Allah Alone and not to associate a thing with Him in worship, to discard what our ancestors said, to perform the Salat (prayer), speak the truth, and maintain the ties of kinship".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "You will soon conquer a land where people deal with Qirat."And according to another version: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "You will soon conquer Egypt where Al-Qirat is frequently mentioned. So when you conquer it, treat its inhabitants well. For there lies upon you the responsibility because of blood ties or relationship (with them)".[Muslim].

When this Verse was revealed: "And warn your tribe (O Muhammad (ﷺ)) of near kindred". (26:214) Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) called the Quraish; when they gathered, he said to them: "O sons of 'Abd Shams; O sons of Ka'b bin Lu'ai, rescue yourselves from the Fire! O sons of Murrah bin Ka'b, rescue yourselves from the Fire! O sons of 'Abd Manaf, rescue yourselves from the Fire! O sons of 'Abdul-Muttalib, rescue yourselves from the Fire! O Fatimah, rescue yourself from the Fire, for I have no power (to protect you) from Allah in anything except that I would sustain relationship with you".[Muslim].

I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying openly not secretly, "The family of so-and-so (i.e., Abu Talib) are not my supporters. My supporter is Allah and the righteous believing people. But they (that family) have kinship (Rahm) with whom I will maintain good the ties of kinship".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

A man came to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and said, "Direct me to a deed which will admit me to Jannah and take me away from the Fire". The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Worship Allah and associate no partner with Him, perform As-Salat, pay Zakat, and maintain the ties of kinship".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "When you break fast, you should do it with a date-fruit for there is blessing in it, and if you do not find a date- fruit, break it with water for it is pure." Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) added: "Charity towards a poor person is charity, and towards a relation is both charity and maintaining the ties (of kinship)".[Tirmidhi].

I had a wife whom I loved but 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) disliked her. He asked me to divorce her and when I refused, 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) went to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and mentioned the matter to him. Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) asked me to divorce her.[At-Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud].

A man came to me and said, "I have a wife whom my mother commands me to divorce". I replied him that I had heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, "A parent is the best of the gates of Jannah; so if you wish, keep to the gate, or lose it."[At-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah].

I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) saying: "A mother's sister is equivalent to (real) mother (in status)".[At-Tirmidhi]

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Shall I not inform you of the biggest of the major sins?" Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) asked this question thrice. We said, "Yes, O Messenger of Allah. (Please inform us.)". He said, "Ascribing partners to Allah, and to be undutiful to your parents". Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sat up from his reclining position and said, "And I warn you against giving forged statement and a false testimony; I warn you against giving forged statement and a false testimony". Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) kept on repeating that warning till we wished he would stop.[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "(Of the) major sins are: to ascribe partners to Allah, disobey parents, murder someone, and to take a false oath (intentionally)".[Al- Bukhari].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "It is one of the gravest sins to abuse one's parents." It was asked (by the people): "O Messenger of Allah, can a man abuse his own parents?" Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "He abuses the father of somebody who, in return, abuses the former's father; he then abuses the mother of somebody who, in return, abuses his mother".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].Another narration is: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "One of the major sins is to curse one's parents". It was submitted: "O Messenger of Allah! How can a man curse his own parents?" He (ﷺ) said, "When someone curses the parents of another man who in return abuses the former's father; and when someone abuses the mother of another man who in return abuses his mother."

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The person who severs the bond of kinship will not enter Jannah".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Allah has forbidden you: disobedience to your mothers, to withhold (what you should give), or demand (what you do not deserve), and to bury your daughters alive. And Allah dislikes idle talk, to ask too many questions (for things which will be of no benefit to one), and to waste your wealth".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The finest act of goodness is that a person should treat kindly the loved ones of his father".

'Abdullah bin 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) met a bedouin on his way to Makkah, he greeted him, offered him to mount the donkey he was riding and gave him the turban he was wearing on his head. Ibn Dinar said to him: "May Allah make you pious! Bedouins can be satisfied with anything you give them (i.e., what you have given the bedouin is too much). Upon this, 'Abdullah bin 'Umar said, the father of this man was one of 'Umar's friends whom he loved best, and I heard Messenger of Allah saying, "The finest act of goodness is the good treatment of someone whom one's father loves".Another narration goes: When 'Abdullah bin 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) set out to Makkah, he kept a donkey with him to ride when he would get tired from the riding of the camel, and had a turban which he tied round his head. One day, as he was riding the donkey, a bedouin happened to pass by him. He ('Abdullah bin 'Umar) said, "Aren't you so-and-so?" The bedouin said, "Yes". He ('Abdullah bin 'Umar) gave him his donkey and his turban and said, "Ride this donkey, and tie this turban round your head". Some of his companions said, "May Allah forgive you, you gave to this bedouin the donkey which you enjoyed to ride for change, and the turban which you tied round your head".'Abdullah bin 'Umar said,"I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, 'The finest act of goodness is the kind treatment of a person to the loved ones of his father after his death,' and the father of this person was a friend of 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him).[Muslim].

We were sitting with Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) when a man of Banu Salamah came to him and asked, "O Messenger of Allah! Is there any obedience to parents left that I can show to them after their death?" He (ﷺ) replied, "Yes, to pray for them, to supplicate for their forgiveness, to fulfill their promises after their death, to maintain the ties of kinship which cannot be maintained except through them, and honour their friends."[Abu Dawud].

I never felt jealous of any of the wives of the Prophet (ﷺ) as much as I did of Khadijah (May Allah be pleased with her), although I have never seen her, but the Prophet (ﷺ) used to mention her very often. Whenever he slaughtered a sheep, he would cut it into pieces and send them to the women friends of Khadijah (May Allah be pleased with her). When I sometimes said to him: "You treat Khadijah in such a way as if there is no woman on earth except her". He (ﷺ) would say, "Khadijah was such and such (commending her and speaking well of her), and I had children from her".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].Another narration is: And if he (ﷺ) slaughtered a sheep, he would send meat to the friends of Khadijah (May Allah be pleased with her) as a present as much as would suffice them.Another narration is: When a sheep was slaughtered, he (ﷺ) would say, "Send this meat to Khadijah's friends." Once, Halah bint Khuwailid (May Allah be pleased with her), sister of Khadijah (May Allah be pleased with her), sought permission of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to enter. He recognized and recalled to his mind the manner of Khadijah (May Allah be pleased with her) and was deeply moved. He said, "O Allah, she must be Halah bint Khuwailid".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

I set out along with Jarir bin 'Abdullah Al-Bajali (May Allah be pleased with him) on a journey and he served me. I said to him: "Don't do that." Thereupon, he said, "I have seen the Ansar doing this with Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and I swore by Allah, whenever I accompany anyone of the Ansar, I would serve him".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

I went along with Husain bin Sabrah and 'Amr bin Muslim to Zaid bin Arqam (May Allah be pleased with them) and, as we sat by his side, Husain said to him, "Zaid, you acquired great merits, you saw Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), listened to him talking, fought by his side in (different) battles, and offered Salat (prayer) behind him. Zaid, you have indeed earned great merits. Could you narrate to us what you heard from Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)?" Zaid said, "By Allah! I have grown old and have almost spent up my age and I have forgotten some of the things which I remembered in connection with Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), so accept what I narrate to you, do not compel me to narrate what I fail to narrate". He then said, "One day Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood up to deliver a Khutbah at a watering place known as Khumm between Makkah and Al-Madinah. He praised Allah, extolled Him, and exhorted (us) and said, 'Amma Ba'du. O people, I am a human being. I am about to receive a messenger (the angel of death) from my Rubb and I will respond to Allah's Call, but I am leaving with you two weighty things: the first is the Book of Allah, in which there is right guidance and light, so hold fast to the Book of Allah and adhere to it.' He exhorted (us to hold fast) to the Book of Allah and then said, 'The second is the members of my household, I remind you (to be kind) to the members of my family. I remind you (to be kind) to the members of my family. Husain said to Zaid, "Who are the members of his household, O Zaid? Aren't his wives the members of his family?" Thereupon Zaid said, "His wives are the members of his family. (But here) the members of his family are those for whom Zakat is forbidden". He asked, "Who are they?" Zaid said, "Ali and the offspring of 'Ali, 'Aqil and the offspring of 'Aqil and the offspring of Ja'far and the offspring of 'Abbas." Husain asked, "For all of them the acceptance of Zakat is forbidden?" Zaid (May Allah be pleased with him) said, "Yes".[Muslim].Another narration is: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "I am leaving behind me two weighty things. One of them is the Book of Allah; that is the strong rope of Allah. Whosoever holds firmly to it, will be the guided, and whosoever leaves it goes astray".

Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) said: "Show reverence to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) by honouring the members of his family."[Al- Bukhari].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The person who is best versed in the recitation of the Book of Allah, should lead the prayer; but if all those present are equally versed in it, then the one who has most knowledge of the Sunnah; if they are equal in that respect too, then the one who has emigrated (to Al-Madinah) first, if they are equal in this respect also, then the oldest of them. No man should lead another in prayer where the latter has authority, or sit in his house, without his permission".[Muslim].In another narration in Muslim: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "One who is senior most in accepting Islam, should lead the Salat (prayer)".Yet another narration is: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "A man who is well versed in the Book of Allah and can recite it better, should lead the Salat (prayer); if (all those present) are equal in this respect, then the man who is senior most in respect of emigration, if they are equal in that respect too, then the oldest of them should lead the prayer".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would place his hands upon our shoulders when we would form rows for As-Salat (the prayer) and say, "Stand in straight rows and do not differ among yourselves, or else your hearts will differ due to disaccord. Let those be nearest to me who are mature and endowed with understanding (of the religion), then those who are nearest to them in these respects and then those who are nearest to them".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Let those be nearest to me in Salat (prayer) who are mature and possess (religious) knowledge, then those who are nearest to them in these respects". He repeated this three times and then added, "Beware of indulging in the loose talks of the markets (when you are in the mosque)".[Muslim].

'Abdullah bin Sahl and Muhaiyisah bin Mas'ud

After the battle of Uhud, the Prophet (ﷺ) arranged the burial of two of the martyrs in one grave. In each case he would ask, "Which one of them had learnt more Qur'an by heart?" Whichever was thus pointed out to him, was placed by him first in the Lahd.[Al- Bukhari].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "It was shown to me in my dream that I was cleaning my teeth with a Miswak and two men came to me, one being older than the other. I gave the Miswak to the younger one, but I was asked to give it to the older, which I did".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "It is out of reverence to Allah in respecting an aged Muslim, and the one who commits the Qur'an to memory and does not exaggerate pronouncing its letters nor forgets it after memorizing, and to respect the just ruler".[Abu Dawud]

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "He is not one of us who shows no mercy to younger ones and does not acknowledge the honour due to our elders".[At- Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud].

A begger asked 'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) for charity and she gave him a piece of bread. Thereafter, one well-dressed person asked her for charity and she invited him to sit down and served him food. When she was asked about the reason for the difference in treatment, she said: "Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) instructed us: 'Treat people according to their status".[Abu Dawud].

'Uyainah bin Hisn came to Al-Madinah and stayed with his nephew Al-Hurr bin Qais who was among those who were close to 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) and had access to his council. The scholarly persons, whether they were old or young, had the privilege of joining his council and he used to consult them. 'Uyainah said to Al-Hurr: "My dear nephew, you have an access to the Leader of the Believers. Will you obtain permission for me to sit with him?" Al-Hurr asked 'Umar and he accorded permission. When 'Uyainah came into the presence of 'Umar, he addressed him thus: "O son of Al-Khattab, you neither bestow much on us nor deal with us justly." 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) got angry and was about to beat him when Al-Hurr said: "O Leader of the Believers, Allah has said to his Prophet (ﷺ): 'Show forgiveness, enjoin what is good, and turn away from the foolish (i.e., don't punish them), [i.e., 'Uyainah] (7:199). This is one of the ignorant ones." By Allah! When al-Hurr recited this, 'Umar became quite motionless in his seat. He always adhered strictly to the Book of Allah.[Al-Bukhari]

I was a boy during the lifetime of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and used to commit to my memory what he said, but I do not narrate what I preserved because there were among us people who were older than me.[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "If a young man honours an older person on account of his age, Allah appoints someone to show reverence to him in his old age"[At-Tirmidhi].

After the death of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) said to 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) : "Let us visit Umm Aiman (May Allah be pleased with her) as Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to visit her". As we came to her, she wept. They (Abu Bakr and 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) said to her, "What makes you weep? Do you not know that what Allah has in store for His Messenger (ﷺ) is better than (this worldly life)?" She said, "I weep not because I am ignorant of the fact that what is in store for Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) (in the Hereafter) is better than this world, but I weep because the Revelation has ceased to come". This moved both of them to tears and they began to weep along with her.[Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "A man set out to visit a brother (in Faith) in another town and Allah sent an angel on his way. When the man met the angel, the latter asked him, "Where do you intend to go?" He said, "I intend to visit my brother in this town." The angel said, "Have you done any favour to him?" He said, "No, I have no desire except to visit him because I love him for the sake of Allah, the Exalted, and Glorious." Thereupon the angel said, "I am a messenger to you from Allah (to inform you) that Allah loves you as you love him (for His sake)"[Muslim].

I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, "Whosoever visits an ailing person or a brother of his to seek the Pleasure of Allah, an announcer (angel) calls out: 'May you be happy, may your walking be blessed, and may you be awarded a dignified position in Jannah".[At- Tirmidhi].

I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) saying, "The similitude of good company and that of bad company is that of the owner of musk and of the one blowing the bellows. The owner of musk would either offer you some free of charge, or you would buy it from him, or you smell its pleasant fragrance; and as for the one who blows the bellows (i.e., the blacksmith), he either burns your clothes or you smell a repugnant smell".[Al- Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "A woman is married for four things: for her wealth, for her lineage, for her beauty or for her piety. Select the pious, may you be blessed!".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said to Jibril (Gabriel), "What prevents you from visiting us more frequently?" Thereupon was revealed the Ayah: "(The angels say:) 'And we (angels) descend not except by the Command of your Rubb. To Him belongs what is before us and what is behind us, and what is between those two". (19:64)[Al- Bukhari].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Keep only a believer for a companion and let only a pious eat your food".[At-Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud].

I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) saying, "Man follows his friend's religion, you should be careful who you take for friends".[At-Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "A person will be summoned with the one whom he loves".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].Another narration is: The Prophet (ﷺ) was asked; "What about a person who loves a people but cannot be with them?" (i.e., either he cannot attain their lofty position of righteousness or that he has not met with them in this life). He (ﷺ) replied, "A person will be in the company of those whom he loves".

A bedouin came to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and said to him, "When will be the Hour (i.e., the Day of Resurrection)?" He (the Prophet (ﷺ)) said, "What preparation have you made for it?" He said, "Only the love of Allah and His Messenger." Then Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "You will be with those whom you love."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].The narration in Muslim is: The man replied: "I have made no significant preparation with regard to Salat (prayer), Saum (fasting) and Sadaqah (charity) but I love Allah and His Messenger".

A man came to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and said, "O Messenger of Allah! What do you think of a man who loves some people but does not go any nearer to their position?" He (ﷺ) replied, "A man will be with those whom he loves".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, "People are like gold and silver; those who were best in Jahiliyyah (Pre-Islamic Period of Ignorance) are best in Islam, if they have religious understanding; and the souls are like recruited soldiers, they get mixed up with those similar with them in qualities and oppose and drift away from those who do not share their qualities".[Muslim].

When delegations from Yemen came to the help of (the Muslim army at the time of Jihad) 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) would ask them, "Is there Owais bin 'Amir amongst you?" (He continued searching him) until he met Owais (May Allah be pleased with him). He said, "Are you Owais bin 'Amir?" He said, "Yes". 'Umar asked, "Are you from the Qaran branch of the tribe of Murad?" He said, "Yes". He 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) again said, "Did you suffer from leucoderma and then you were cured from it but for the space of a dirham?" He said, "Yes". He 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) said, "Is your mother still alive?" He said, "Yes". He 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) said, "I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, 'There would come to you Owais bin 'Amir with the reinforcement from the people of Yemen. He would be from Qaran (the branch) of Murad. He had been suffering from leucoderma from which he was cured but for a spot of a dirham. He has a mother to whom he is very dutiful. If he were to take an oath in the Name of Allah, Allah would fulfill his oath. And if it is possible for you, ask him to ask forgiveness for you.' So, ask forgiveness for me". He Owais (May Allah be pleased with him) did so. 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) then said, "Where do you intend to go?" He said, "To Kufah." He 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) said, "Let me write a letter for you to its governor," whereupon he Owais (May Allah be pleased with him) said, "I love to live amongst the poor people". The following year, a person from among the elite (of Kufah) performed Hajj and he met 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him). 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) asked him about Owais (May Allah be pleased with him). He said, "I left him in a state with meagre means of sustenance in a decayed house." (Thereupon) 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) said, "I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, 'There would come to you Owais bin 'Amir of Qaran, a branch (of the tribe) of Murad, along with the reinforcement of the people of Yemen. He had been suffering from leucoderma which would have been cured but for the space of a dirham. He has a mother to whom he is very dutiful. Were he to swear, trusting Allah, for something, Allah would fulfill his oath. If you can ask him to pray for forgiveness for you, do so". This man went to Owais (May Allah be pleased with him) and asked him to pray for forgiveness for him. Owais (May Allah be pleased with him) said to him, "You have just returned from a blessed journey, it is you who should pray for forgiveness for me; and did you meet 'Umar?" The man said, "Yes". 'Owais (May Allah be pleased with him) then prayed for forgiveness for him. People became aware of the high status of Owais (May Allah be pleased with him) and he set out following his course.[Muslim].Another narration is: A delegation from Kufah came to 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him). Among them was one who used to make fun of Owais (May Allah be pleased with him). 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) enquired, "Is there anyone among you who is from Qaran?" So this man stepped forward. Then 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) said, "I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, 'A man will come to you from Yemen named Owais. He will have left in the Yemen only his mother. He was suffering from leucoderma and prayed to Allah to be cured of it. So he was cured except for a space of the size of a dinar or a dirham. Whoever of you should meet him should ask him to pray for forgiveness for him."'Another narration is: 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) said: "I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, 'The best one of the next generation (At-Tabi'un) is a man called Owais, he will have a mother and he will be suffering from leucoderma. Go to him and ask him to pray for forgiveness for you".[Muslim].

I sought permission of the Prophet (ﷺ) to perform 'Umrah. He granted me leave and said, "Dear brother! Do not forget us in your supplications". ('Umar added): This is something I would not exchange for the whole world.Another narration is: He (ﷺ) said, "Include us, my dear brother, in your supplications." [Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi, who categorized the Hadith as Hasan Sahih. Sheikh Salim Al-Hilali in his book "Bahjatun-Nazireen, Sharh Riyad-us- Saliheen" classifies it as "Da'if", the reason being that 'Asim bin 'Abdullah is "weak" in narration].

The Prophet (ﷺ) used to visit Quba', either mounted or on foot and would offer two Rak'ah prayer in the mosque there.[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].Another narration is: The Prophet (ﷺ) used to visit the mosque at Quba' every Saturday (i.e., every week) either mounted or on foot, and Ibn 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) used to do the same thing.

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "There are three qualities whoever has them, will taste the sweetness of Iman: To love Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ) more than anyone else; to love a slave (of Allah) only for (the sake of) Allah; and to abhor returning to infidelity after Allah has saved him from it as he would abhor to be thrown into the fire (of Hell)".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Seven are (the persons) whom Allah will give Shade of His Thrown on the Day when there would be no shade other than His Throne's Shade: A just ruler; a youth who grew up worshipping Allah; a man whose heart is attached to mosques; two persons who love and meet each other and depart from each other for the sake of Allah; a man whom an extremely beautiful woman seduces (for illicit relation), but he (rejects this offer by saying): 'I fear Allah'; a man who gives in charity and conceals it (to such an extent) that the left hand does not know what the right has given; and a person who remembers Allah in solitude and his eyes well up".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "On the Day of Resurrection, Allah, the Exalted, will say: 'Where are those who have mutual love for the sake of My Glory? Today I shall shelter them in My Shade when there will be no shade except Mine".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "By Him in Whose Hand my soul is! You will not enter Jannah until you believe, and you shall not believe until you love one another. May I inform you of something, if you do, you love each other. Promote greeting amongst you (by saying As-salamu 'alaikum to one another)".[Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "A man set out to visit a brother (in Faith) in another town and Allah sent an angel on his way. When the man met the angel, the latter asked him, "Where do you intend to go?" He said, "I intend to visit my brother in this town". The angel said, "Have you done any favour to him?" He said, "No, I have no desire except to visit him because I love him for the sake of Allah, the Exalted, and Glorious." Thereupon the angel said, "I am a messenger to you from Allah (to inform you) that Allah loves you as you love him (for His sake)".[Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said about the Ansar: "Only a believer loves them, and only a hypocrite hates them. Allah loves him who loves them and Allah hates him who hates them".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah, the Exalted, has said: 'For those who love one another for the sake of My Glory, there will be seats of light (on the Day of Resurrection), and they will be envied by the Prophets and martyrs".[At- Tirmidhi].

I once entered the mosque in Damascus. I happened to catch sight of a young man who had bright teeth (i.e., he was always seen smiling). A number of people had gathered around him. When they differed over anything they would refer it to him and act upon his advice. I asked who he was and I was told that he was Mu'adh bin Jabal (May Allah be pleased with him) The next day I hastened to the mosque, but found that he had arrived before me and was busy in performing Salat. I waited until he finished, and then went to him from the front, greeted him with Salam and said to him, "By Allah I love you." He asked, "For the sake of Allah?" I replied, "Yes, for the sake of Allah". He again asked me, "Is it for Allah's sake?" I replied, "Yes, it is for Allah's sake." Then he took hold of my cloak, drew me to himself and said, "Rejoice,! I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, 'Allah, the Exalted, says: My love is due to those who love one another for My sake, meet one another for My sake, visit one another for My sake and spend in charity for My sake".[Malik].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "When a man loves his brother (for Allah's sake) let him tell him that he loves him".[At- Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) held my hand and said, "O Mu'adh, By Allah, I love you and advise you not to miss supplicating after every Salat (prayer) saying: 'Allahumma a'inni 'ala dhikrika wa shukrika, wa husni 'ibadatika,' (O Allah, help me remember You, expressing gratitude to You and worship You in the best manner)".[Abu Dawud and An- Nasa'i].

A man was with the Prophet (ﷺ) when another man passed by and the former said: "O Messenger of Allah! I love this man (for Allah's sake)". Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) asked, "Have you informed him?" He said, "No". Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) then said, "Tell him (that you love him)". So he went up to the man and said to him, "I love you for the sake of Allah;" and the other replied, "May Allah, for Whose sake you love me, love you."[Abu Dawud].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah, the Exalted, has said: 'I will declare war against him who treats with hostility a pious worshipper of Mine. And the most beloved thing with which My slave comes nearer to Me, is what I have enjoined upon him; and My slave keeps on coming closer to Me through performing Nawafil (voluntary prayers or doing extra deeds besides what is obligatory) until I love him, (so much so that) I become his hearing with which he hears, and his sight with which he sees, and his hand with which he strikes, and his leg with which he walks; and if he asks Me something, I will surely give him, and if he seeks My Protection (refuge), I will surely protect him".[Al-Bukhari]

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "When Allah loves a slave, calls out Jibril and says: 'I love so-and-so; so love him'. Then Jibril loves him. After that he (Jibril) announces to the inhabitants of heavens that Allah loves so- and-so; so love him; and the inhabitants of the heavens (the angels) also love him and then make people on earth love him".[Al- Bukhari and Muslim].Another narration of Muslim is: Messenger of Allah, (ﷺ) said: "When Allah loves a slave, He calls Jibril (Gabriel) and says: 'I love so-and-so; so love him.' And then Jibril loves him. Then he (Jibril) announces in the heavens saying: Allah loves so-and-so; so love him; then the inhabitants of the heavens (the angels) also love him; and then people on earth love him. And when Allah hates a slave, He calls Jibril and says: 'I hate so- and-so, so hate him.' Then Jibril also hates him. He (Jibril) then announces amongst the inhabitants of heavens: 'Verily, Allah hates so- and-so, so you also hate him.' Thus they also start to hate him. Then he becomes the object of hatred on the earth also".[Al- Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah, (ﷺ) appointed a man in charge of an army unit who led them in Salat (prayer); he always concluded his recitation with Surat Al-Ikhlas: "Say (O Muhammad (ﷺ)): 'He is Allah, (the) One. Allah-us-Samad (Allah - the Self-Sufficient). He begets not, nor was He begotten. And there is none equal or comparable to Him."' (112:1-4) Upon their return to Al-Madinah, they mentioned this to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), who said, "Ask him why he does so?" He was asked and he said, "This Surah contains the Attributes of Allah, the Gracious, and I love to recite it. Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) then told them, "Tell him that Allah loves him".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "He who performs the Fajr (dawn) prayer comes under the Protection of Allah, so beware lest Allah questions you about what you owe Him. For if He questions anyone of you and he falls short of fulfilling the duty which he owes Him, He will requite and then throw upon his face into the Hell- fire".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "I have been commanded (by Allah) to fight people until they testify that there is no true god except Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and perform Salat and pay Zakat. If they do so, they will have protection of their blood and property from me except when justified by Islam, and then account is left to Allah".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "He who professes La ilaha illallah (There is no true god except Allah), and denies of everything which the people worship besides Allah, his property and blood become inviolable, and it is for Allah to call him to account".[Muslim].

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

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent us to Huraqat, a tribe of Juhainah. We attacked that tribe early in the morning and defeated them, (then) a man from the Ansar and I caught hold of a man (of the defeated tribe). When we overcame him, he said: 'La ilaha illallah (There is no true god except Allah).' At that moment, the Ansari spared him, but I attacked him with my spear and killed him. By the time we went back to Al-Madinah, news had already reached Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He said to me, "O Usamah, did you kill him after he professed La ilaha illallah (There is no true god except Allah)?" I said, "O Messenger of Allah! He professed it only to save his life." Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) repeated, "Did you kill him after he had professed La ilaha illallah?" He went on repeating this to me until I wished I had not embraced Islam before that day (so that I would have not committed this sin).[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].Another narration is: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Did you kill him in spite of his professing La ilaha illallah?" I said, "O Messenger of Allah! He said out of fear of our arms." He (ﷺ) said, "Why did you not cut his heart open to find out whether he had done so sincerely or not?" He continued repeating it until I wished that I had embraced Islam only that day.

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) dispatched a contingent of the Muslims to a tribe of the polytheists. The two sides met (in combat) at one place. A man among the polytheists was so dashing that, whenever he intended to kill a man from Muslims, he killed him. Amongst the Muslims, too, was a man looking forward to (an opportunity of) his (polytheist's) unmindfulness. He (the narrator) said: We talked that he was Usamah bin Zaid (May Allah be pleased with him). When he raised his sword, he (the soldier of the polytheists) uttered: "La ilaha illallah (There is no true god except Allah)." But he (Usamah bin Zaid) killed him. When the good news of victory reached Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) he asked him (about the events of the battle), and he informed him about the man (Usamah) and what he had done. He (Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)) sent for him and asked him why he had killed him. He (Usamah) said, "O Messenger of Allah, he struck the Muslims and killed such and such of them." And he named some of them. (He continued): "I attacked him and when he saw the sword he said: 'La ilaha illallah."' Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Did you kill him?" He (Usamah) replied in the affirmative. The Messenger of Allah then remarked, "What would you do with regard to (the utterance): La ilaha illallah, when it comes (before you) on the Day of Resurrection?" He (Usamah) said, "O Messenger of Allah! Beg forgiveness for me". He (the Prophet (ﷺ)) said, "What would you do with regard to (the utterance): La ilaha illallah, when it comes (before you) on the Day of Resurrection?" He (Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)) added nothing to it but kept repeating, "What would you do with regard to (the utterance): La ilaha illallah, when it comes (before you) on the Day of Resurrection?".[Muslim].

I heard 'Umar bin Al- Khattab (May Allah be pleased with him) reported saying: "In the lifetime of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) some people were called to account through Revelation. Now Revelation has discontinued and we shall judge you by your apparent acts. Whoever displays to us good, we shall grant him peace and security, and treat him as a near one. We have nothing to do with his insight. Allah will call him to account for that. But whosoever shows evil to us, we shall not grant him security nor shall we believe him, even if he professed that his intention is good."[Al-Bukhari].

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

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Hell will be brought on that Day (the Day of Resurrection) with seventy thousand bridles; and with every bridle will be seventy thousand angels, pulling it".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The least tortured man on the Day of Resurrection is one underneath whose feet will be placed two live coal, and his brain will be boiling, and he would think that he is the most tortured, while he is the least tortured",[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Prophet of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Among the people of Hell are there those who will be emersed in fire to their ankels, some to their knees, some to their waists, and some to their throats".[Muslim].

I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying, "Mankind will stand before Allah, the Rubb of the worlds (on the Day of Resurrection), some of them will stand submerged in perspiration up to half of their ears".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) delivered a Khutbah to us the like of which I had never heard from him before. He said, "If you knew what I know, you would laugh little and weep much". Thereupon those present covered their faces and began sobbing.[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].Another narration is: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) heard of something about his Companions upon which he addressed them and said, "Jannah and (Hell) Fire were shown to me and I have never seen the like of this day in good and in evil. If you were to know what I know, you would laugh little and weep much". His Companions experienced such suffering on that day that had no equal. They covered their faces and began to weep.[Al- Bukhari].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "On the Day of Resurrection, the sun will come so close to people that there would be left only a distance of one Meel". Sulaim bin 'Amir said: By Allah, I do not know whether he meant by "Meel", the mile of the distance measure or the stick used for applying antimony powder to the eye. (Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) is, however, reported to have said:) "The people then will be submerged in perspiration according to their deeds, some up to their ankles, some up to their knees, some up to the waist and some will have the bridle of perspiration (reaching their mouth and nose) and, while saying this Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) pointed to his mouth with his hand".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The people will perspire on the Day of Resurrection and their perspiration will be seventy cubits down in the earth and it will reach up to their ears (they will be bridled with it)".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

We were in the company of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) when we heard a bang. Thereupon Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said. "Do you know what this (sound) is?" We said, "Allah and His Messenger know better." He (ﷺ) said, "That is a stone which was thrown into Hell seventy years before and it has just reached its bottom".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Everyone of you will speak to his Rubb without an interpreter between them. He will look to his right side and will see only the deeds he had previously done; he will look to his left and will see only the deeds he had previously done, and he will look in front of him and will see nothing but Fire (of Hell) before his face. So protect yourselves from Fire (of Hell), even by giving half a date- fruit (in charity)".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "I see what you do not see and I hear what you do not hear; heaven has squeaked, and it has right to do so. By Him, in Whose Hand my soul is, there is not a space of four fingers in which there is not an angel who is prostrating his forehead before Allah, the Exalted. By Allah, if you knew what I know, you would laugh little, weep much, and you would not enjoy women in beds, but would go out to the open space beseeching Allah".[At- Tirmidhi].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Man's feet will not move on the Day of Resurrection before he is asked about his life, how did he consume it, his knowledge, what did he do with it, his wealth, how did he earn it and how did he dispose of it, and about his body, how did he wear it out."[At-Tirmidhi].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) recited, "That Day it (the earth) will reveal its news (about all that happened over it of good or evil)." (99:4). Then he (ﷺ) inquired, "Do you know what its news are?" He was told: "Allah and His Messenger know better". He said, "Its news is that it shall bear witness against every slave man and woman they did on its back. It will say: 'You did this and this on such and such day.' Those will be its news."[At-Tirmidhi]

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "How can I feel at ease when the Angel of the Trumpet, (Israfil) has put his lips to the Trumpet and is waiting for the order to blow it". He (ﷺ) perceived as if this had shocked his Companions, so he (ﷺ) told them to seek comfort through reciting: 'Hasbunallah wa ni'mal-Wakil [Allah (Alone) is Sufficient for us, and He is the Best Disposer of affairs (for us)]".[At-Tirmidhi].

I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, "He who is afraid of the pillage of the enemy, sets out in the early part of the night; and he who sets out early, reaches his destination. Be on your guard that the commodity of Allah is precious. Verily the commodity of Allah is Jannah".[At-Tirmidhi].

I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, "The people will be assembled on the Day of Resurrection barefooted, naked and uncircumcised". I said, "O Messenger of Allah! Will the men and the women be together on that Day; looking at one another?" Upon this Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "O Aishah, the matter will be too serious for them to look at one another".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "He who bears witness that there is no true god except Allah, alone having no partner with Him, that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger, that 'Isa (Jesus) is His slave and Messenger and he (Jesus) is His Word which He communicated to Maryam (Mary) and His spirit which He sent to her, that Jannah is true and Hell is true; Allah will make him enter Jannah accepting whatever deeds he accomplished".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].Another narration in Muslim is: the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Whosoever testifies that there is no true god except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, Allah (SWT) saves him from the Fire (of Hell)".

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Allah, the Almighty, says: 'Whosoever does a good deed, will have (reward) ten times like it and I add more; and whosoever does an evil, will have the punishment like it or I will forgive (him); and whosoever approaches Me by one span, I will approach him by one cubit; and whosoever approaches Me by one cubit, I approach him by one fathom, and whosoever comes to Me walking, I go to him running; and whosoever meets Me with an earth-load of sins without associating anything with Me, I meet him with forgiveness like that".[Muslim]

A bedouin came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and asked him, "O Messenger of Allah, what are the two imperatives which lead to Jannah or Hell". He (ﷺ) replied, "He who dies without associating anything with Allah will enter Jannah, and he who dies associating partners with Allah will enter the Fire".[Muslim]

Mu'adh bin Jabal was riding on the beast with the Prophet (ﷺ), when he (ﷺ) said to him, "O Mu'adh!" Mu'adh replied, "Here I am responding to you, and at your pleasure, O Messenger of Allah." He (ﷺ) again called out, "O Mu'adh." He (again) replied, "Here I am responding your call, and at your pleasure." He (Messenger of Allah) addressed him (again), "O Mu'adh!" He replied, "Here I am responding to you, and at your pleasure, O Messenger of Allah." Upon this he (the Prophet (ﷺ)) said, "If anyone testifies sincerely that there is no true god except Allah, and Muhammad is His slave and Messenger, truly from his heart, Allah will safeguard him from Hell." He (Mu'adh) said, "O Messenger of Allah, shall I not then inform people of it, so that they may have glad tidings." He (ﷺ) replied, "Then they will rely on it alone (and thus give up good works altogether)." Mu'adh (May Allah be pleased with him) disclosed this Hadith at the time of his death, to avoid sinning for concealing.[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

On the day of the battle of Tabuk, the Muslims were hard pressed by hunger and they asked Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): "O Messenger of Allah, grant us permission to slaughter our camels to eat and use their fat". He (ﷺ) accorded permission. On this 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) came and said: "O Messenger of Allah, if it is done, we shall suffer from lack of transportation. I suggest you pool together whatever has been left and supplicate Allah to bless it." Allah will bestow His Blessing upon it. Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) agreed and called for leather mat and had it spread out, and asked people to bring the provisions left over. They started doing it. One brought a handful of corn, another brought a handful of dates, a third brought a piece of bread; thus some provisions were collected on the mat. Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) invoked blessings, and then said, "Now take it up in your vessels". Everyone filled his vessel with food, so that there was not left a single empty vessel in the whole camp. All of them ate to their fill and there was still some left over. Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Any slave who meets Allah, testifying there is no true god except Allah, and that I am His Messenger, without entertaining any doubt about these (two fundamentals), will not be banished from entering Jannah."[Muslim].

I used to lead my people at Bani Salim in Salat (prayer) and there was a valley between me and those people. Whenever it rained, it became difficult for me to cross it for going to their mosque. So I went to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and said, "I have weak eyesight and the valley between me and my people flows during the rainy season and it becomes difficult for me to cross it. I wish you to come to my house and offer Salat at a place so that I could reserve that as a Musalla (place for prayer)." Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "I will do so". So Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) came to my house the (next) morning after the sun had risen high. Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) asked my permission to enter and I admitted him. He did not sit before saying, "Where do you want us to offer Salat in your house?" I pointed to the place where I wanted him to offer prayers. So Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood up for the prayer and started the prayer with Takbir and we aligned in rows behind him; and he offered two Rak'ah prayer and finished them with Taslim, and we also performed Taslim with him. I detained him for a meal called Khazirah which I had prepared for him. (Khazirah is a special type of dish prepared from barley flour and meat soup). When the neighbours got the news that Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was in my house, they started coming till a large number of men gathered in my house. One of them said, "What is wrong with Malik, for I do not see him?" One of them replied, "He is a hypocrite and does not love Allah and His Messenger". On that Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Don't say this. Haven't you seen that he testified that there is no true god except Allah,' for Allah's sake only." The man replied, "Allah and His Messenger know better, but by Allah, we never saw him but helping and talking with the hypocrites." Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) replied, "No doubt, whosoever testifies that there is no true god except Allah, seeking by so professing the pleasure of Allah only, Allah will safeguard him against (Hell) Fire."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Some prisoners were brought to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) amongst whom there was a woman who was running (searching for her child). When she saw a child among the captives, she took hold of it, pressed it against her belly and gave it a suck. Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Do you think this woman would ever throw her child in fire?" We said, "By Allah, she would never throw the child in fire." Thereupon Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah is more kind to his slave than this woman is to her child".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, "When Allah created the creatures, He wrote in the Book, which is with Him over His Throne: 'Verily, My Mercy prevailed over My Wrath"[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].Another narration is: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "(Allah wrote) 'My Mercy dominated My Wrath".Still another narration is: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "(Allah wrote) 'My Mercy surpasses My Wrath".

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah has divided mercy into one hundred parts; and He retained with Him ninety-nine parts, and sent down to earth one part. Through this one part creatures deal with one another with compassion, so much so that an animal lifts its hoof over its young lest it should hurt it".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]Another narration is: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah has one hundred mercies, out of which He has sent down only one for jinn, mankind, animals and insects, through which they love one another and have compassion for one another; and through it, wild animals care for their young. Allah has retained ninety-nine mercies to deal kindly with His slaves on the Day of Resurrection."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].Another narration in Muslim is reported: by Salman Al-Farisi: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah has hundred mercies, out of which one mercy is used by his creation for mutual love and affection. Ninety-nine mercies are kept for the Day of Resurrection."Another narration is: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah created one hundred units of mercy on the Day He created the heavens and the earth. Each one of them can contain all that is between the heaven and the earth. Of them, he put one on earth, through which a mother has compassion for her children and animals and birds have compassion for one another. On the Day of Resurrection, He will perfect and complete His Mercy". (That is He will use all the hundred units of mercy for his slaves on that Day).

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Allah, the Exalted, and Glorious said: 'A slave committed a sin and he said: O Allah, forgive my sin,' and Allah said: 'My slave committed a sin and then he realized that he has a Rubb Who forgives the sins and punishes for the sin.' He then again committed a sin and said: 'My Rubb, forgive my sin,' and Allah (SWT) said: 'My slave committed a sin and then realized that he has a Rubb Who forgives his sin and punishes for the sin.' He again committed a sin and said: 'My Rubb, forgive my sin,' and Allah (SWT) said: 'My slave has committed a sin and then realized that he has a Rubb Who forgives the sin or takes (him) to account for sin. I have granted forgiveness to my slave. Let him do whatever he likes".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].The last sentence "let him do..". means, as long he keeps asking for forgiveness after the commission of sins, and repents, Allah will forgive him because repentance eliminates previous sins". (Editor's Note)

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "By the One in Whose Hand my soul is, were you not to commit sins, Allah would replace you with a people who would commit sins and then seek forgiveness from Allah; and Allah would forgive them".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Were you not to commit sins, Allah would create people who would commit sins and ask for forgiveness and He would forgive them".[Muslim].

We were sitting with Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). Abu Bakr and 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) were also there among the audience. In the meanwhile Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) got up and left us. We waited long for his return: When we were worried about his safety, and got scared, we got up. I, therefore, went out to look for Messenger of Allah and came to a garden which belonged to the Ansar. He (ﷺ) said to me "Go and give glad tidings of Jannah to anyone who testifies 'La ilaha illallah (There is no true god except Allah),' being whole-heartedly certain of it"[Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) recited the Words of Allah, the Exalted, and the Glorious, about Ibrahim (ﷺ) who said: "O my Rubb! They have led astray many among mankind. But whosoever follows me, he verily, is of me". (14:36) and those of 'Isa (Jesus) (ﷺ) who said: "If You punish them, they are Your slaves, and if You forgive them, verily, You, only You, are the All-Mighty, the All-Wise". (5:118). Then he (ﷺ) raised up his hands and said, "O Allah! My Ummah, my Ummah," and wept; Allah, the Exalted, said: "O Jibril (Gabriel)! Go to Muhammad (ﷺ) and ask him: 'What makes you weep?" So Jibril came to him and asked him (the reason of his weeping) and the Messenger of Allah informed him what he had said (though Allah knew it well). Upon this Allah said: "Jibril, go to Muhammad (ﷺ) and say: 'Verily, We will please you with regard to your Ummah and will never displease you".[Muslim].

I was riding a pillion with the Prophet (ﷺ) on a donkey. He (ﷺ) said, "O Mu'adh, do you know what is the right of Allah upon His slaves, and what is the Right of His slaves upon Allah?" I said: "Allah and His Messenger know better". Upon this the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah's Right upon His slaves is that they should worship Him Alone and associate nothing with Him; and His slaves' right upon Him is that He should not punish who does not associate a thing with Him." He (Mu'adh) added: I said to the Messenger of Allah: "Shall I give the glad tidings to people?" He (ﷺ) said, "Do not tell them this good news for they will depend on it alone".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "When a believer is questioned in the grave, he testifies that, 'there is no true god except Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.' About him the Words of Allah, the Exalted, are: 'Allah will keep firm those who believe, with the firm statement (The Testimony of Faith) in this world and the Hereafter)". (14:27)[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "When an infidel accomplishes any good deed, he is rewarded for it in this world; and in the case of a Muslim, Allah stores up his good acts for him in the Hereafter and provides him with subsistence in this life due to his obedience."Another narration is: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah does not wrong a believer a good deed because he is given blessings for it in this world and will be rewarded for it in the Hereafter. But the infidel is given in the world the reward for good deeds, he has performed for the sake of Allah and when he comes to the Hereafter, there is no good deed for which he can be rewarded".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The five daily Salat (prayers) are like a great river running by your door in which you take a bath five times a day."[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Any Muslim dies and forty men who do not associate anything with Allah (in worship), perform his funeral prayer, Allah makes them intercede for him".[Muslim]

There were, about forty of us with Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) in a camp when he said, "Aren't you pleased that you will constitute one-fourth of the inhabitants of Jannah?" We said, "Yes". He again said, "Aren't you pleased that you will constitute one-third of the inhabitants of Jannah?". We said: "Yes." Upon this he (ﷺ) said, "By Him in Whose Hand Muhammad's soul is, I hope that you will constitute one-half of the inhabitants of Jannah; and the reason is that only Muslims will be admitted into Jannah; and you are no more compared to the polytheists than as a white hair on the skin of a black ox, or a black hair on the skin of a white ox."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "On the Day of Resurrection, Allah will deliver to every Muslim, a Jew or a Christian and say: 'This is your ransom from Hell-fire."'Another narration is: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "There would come people amongst the Muslims on the Day of Resurrection with sins as heavy as a mountain, and Allah would forgive them".[Muslim].

I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, "A believer will be brought close to his Rubb on the Day of Resurrection and enveloping him in His Mercy, He (SWT) will make him confess his sins by saying: 'Do you remember (doing) this sin and this sin?' He will reply: 'My Rubb, I remember.' Then He (SWT) will say: 'I covered it up for you in the life of world, and I forgive it for you today.' Then the record of his good deeds will be handed to him".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

A man kissed a woman and he came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and made a mention of that to him. It was (on this occasion) that this Ayah was revealed:"And perform As-Salat (Iqamat-As-Salat), at the two ends of the day and in some hours of the night [i.e., the five compulsory Salat (prayers)]. Verily, the good deeds remove the evil deeds (i.e., small sins)". (11:114)That person said, "O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), does it concern me only?". He (Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)) said, "It concerns the whole of my Ummah".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said, "O Messenger of Allah, I have committed a sin liable of ordained punishment. So execute punishment on me". Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) did not ask him about it, and then came the (time for) Salat (prayers). So he performed Salat with Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). When Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) finished Salat, the man stood up and said: "O Messenger of Allah! I have committed a sin. So execute the Ordinance of Allah upon me". He (ﷺ) asked, "Have you performed Salat with us?" "Yes", he replied. Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Verily, Allah has forgiven you".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah is pleased with His slave who eats a meal and praises Him for it; and takes a drink and praises Him for it".[Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Allah, the Exalted, stretches His Hand during the night so that those who commit sins by day may repent, and He stretches His Hand in the day so that those who commit sins by night may repent. He keeps doing so until the sun rises from the West".[Muslim].

In the Pre-Islamic Period of Ignorance, I used to think that people who used to worship idols, were deviated and did not adhere to the true religion. Then I heard of a man in Makkah who was preaching a message. So I mounted my camel and went to him. I found that (this man who was) Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) remained hidden because of the persecution by his people. I had entered Makkah stealthily and when I met him I asked him, "Who are you?" He (ﷺ) said, "I am a Prophet." I asked; "What is a Prophet?" He said, "Allah has sent me (with a message)". I asked, "With what has He sent you?" He said, "He sent me to strengthen the ties of kinship, to destroy idols so that Allah alone should be worshipped and nothing should be associated with Him". I asked, "Who has followed you in this?" He said, "A freeman and a slave". (At that time only Abu Bakr and Bilal (May Allah be pleased with her) were with him). I said, "I shall follow you". He said, "You can not do that now. Do you not see my situation and that of the people? Go to your people, and when you hear that my cause has prevailed, come to me". So I went back to my people, and while I was with my people, Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) emigrated to Al-Madinah. I continued to ask people about him till some of my people visited Al- Madinah. On their return, I asked them, "How is that man who has arrived in Al-Madinah faring?" They said, "People are hastening to him. His own people had planned to kill him but did not succeed." Then I went to Al-Madinah and came to him and said, "O Messenger of Allah, do you recognize me?" He (ﷺ) said, "Yes, you are the one who met me in Makkah." I said, "O Messenger of Allah, tell me of that which Allah has taught you and of which I am unaware. Tell me about Salat first." He (ﷺ) replied, "Perform the Fajr (morning) Salat, then stop Salat until the sun has risen up to the height of a lance, for when it rises, it rises up between the horns of the devil, and the infidels prostrate themselves before it at that time. Then perform Salat, for Salat is witnessed and angels attend it, until the shadow becomes equal to the length of its object; then stop Salat, for at that time Jahannam (Hell) is heated up. Then pray when the shadow becomes longer, for the prayer is witnessed and angels attend it, until you perform 'Asr prayer; then stop Salat till sun sets, for it sets between the horns of a devil. At that time the infidels prostrate themselves before it." I then asked the Messenger of Allah to tell me about Wudu', and he (ﷺ) said, "When a person begins the Wudu' and washes his mouth and nose, the sins committed by his face, mouth and nostrils are washed out. Then when he washes his face as commanded by Allah, the sins of his face are washed out with the water from the sides of his beard. Then when he washes his hands up to elbows, the sins of his hands are washed out through his fingers with water. Then he passes his wet hands over his head and the sins of the head are washed out through the ends of his hair with water. Then he washes his feet up to the ankles, the sins of his feet are washed out through his toes with water. Then, if he stands up for Salat and praises Allah, glorifies Him, proclaims His Greatness as He deserves and devotes his heart wholly to Allah, he emerges sin free as the day he was born".When 'Amr bin 'Abasah (May Allah be pleased with him) narrated this Hadith to Abu Umamah (May Allah be pleased with him) a Companion of the Prophet (ﷺ), the latter said to him, "Watch what you are saying. O 'Amr bin 'Abasah, a man will be getting all of this in one shot?" 'Amr (May Allah be pleased with him) replied, "O Abu Umamah, I have attained old age, my bones have become dry, my death is approaching and there is no need for me to tell lies concerning Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ). Had I not heard this from the Messenger of Allah only once, twice, thrice (and he counted up to seven) I would never have reported it. Indeed I have heard this frequently".[Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "When Allah intends to show mercy to a people, He collects their Prophet before them and makes him a herald to happiness for them in the Hereafter; and when He intends to destroy a people, He punishes them while their Prophet is alive, and destroys them while he is alive and watches them and makes him witness their destruction because they disbelieved in him and disobeyed his commands".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah says: 'I am just as My slave thinks of Me when he remembers Me.' By Allah! Allah is more pleased with the repentance of His slave than one of you who unexpectedly finds in the desert his lost camel. 'He who comes closer to Me one span, I come closer to him a cubit; and he who comes closer to Me a cubit, I come closer to him a fathom; and if he comes to Me walking, I come to him running".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) saying three days before his death: "Let none of you die unless he has good expectations from Allah".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah, the Exalted, has said: 'O son of adam, I forgive you as long as you pray to Me and hope for My forgiveness, whatever sins you have committed. O son of 'Adam, I do not care if your sins reach the height of the heaven, then you ask for my forgiveness, I would forgive you. O son of 'Adam, if you come to Me with an earth load of sins, and meet Me associating nothing to Me, I would match it with an earthload of forgiveness."'[At- Tirmidhi].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "If a believer had full knowledge of the chastisement of Allah, none would covet His Jannah; and were an infidel to know the Mercy Allah has, none would despair of His Jannah".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "When a dead body is placed on a bier and men carry it on their shoulders, if the deceased was pious, it (the corpse) will say: 'Take me in haste'; but if he was not, it will say (to its bearers): 'Woe to it. Where are you taking it?' Everything except man hears its voice. Had a human being heard its voice, he would have surely died".[Al- Bukhari].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Jannah is nearer to you than your shoelace, and so is the (Hell) Fire".[Al-Bukhari].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said to me: "Recite the Qur'an to me". I said, "O Messenger of Allah! Shall I recite the Qur'an to you, when it has been revealed to you?" He (ﷺ) replied, "I love to hear it recited by others". So I recited to him a portion from Surat An-Nisa'. When I reached the Ayah:"How (will it be) then, when We bring from each nation a witness and We bring you (O Muhammad (ﷺ)) as a witness against these people?". (4:41)He (ﷺ) said, "Enough for now". When I looked at him I saw his eyes were shedding tears.[Al- Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) delivered a Khutbah to us the like of which I had never heard from him before. In the course of the Khutbah, he said: "If you knew what I know, you would laugh little and weep much". Thereupon those present covered their faces and began to sob.[Al- Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "One who weeps out of fear of Allah, will not enter the Hell till milk returns back in the udder; and the dust raised on account of fighting in the path of Allah and the smoke of Hell will never exist together".[At- Tirmidhi].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Seven people Allah will give them His Shade on the Day when there would be no shade but the Shade of His Throne (i.e., on the Day of Resurrection): And they are: a just ruler; a youth who grew up with the worship of Allah; a person whose heart is attached to the mosques, two men who love and meet each other and depart from each other for the sake of Allah; a man whom an extremely beautiful woman seduces (for illicit relation), but he (rejects this offer and) says: 'I fear Allah'; a man who gives in charity and conceals it (to such an extent) that the left hand does not know what the right has given; and a man who remembers Allah in solitude and his eyes become tearful".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

I came to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) when he was performing prayers. He was sobbing and his chest sounded like a boiling kettle.[Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to Ubayy bin Ka'b (May Allah be pleased with him), "Allah (SWT) has ordered me to recite to you Surat-Al-Baiyyinah (98): 'Those who disbelieve ..."Ubayy (May Allah be pleased with him) asked, "Did He name me?" Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) replied in the affirmative. Whereupon Ubayy (May Allah be pleased with him) began to weep.[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

After the death of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), Abu Bakr said to 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them): "Let us visit Umm Aiman (May Allah be pleased with him) as Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to visit her." As we came to her, she wept. They (Abu Bakr and 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) said to her, "What makes you weep? Do you not know that what Allah has in store for His Messenger (ﷺ) is better than (this worldly life)?" She said, "I weep not because I am ignorant of the fact that what is in store for Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) (in the Hereafter) is better than this world, but I weep because the Revelation has ceased to come." This reply moved both of them to tears and they began to weep along with her.[Muslim].

When the illness of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) became serious, he was asked about the leading of Salat and he said, "Ask Abu Bakr to lead Salat." Whereupon, 'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) said; "Abu Bakr is very tender hearted. He is bound to be overcome by weeping when he recites the Qur'an." Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) repeated, "Ask him (Abu Bakr) to lead Salat".In another narration: 'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) said: "When Abu Bakr stands in your place, he will not be able to recite the Noble Qur'an to the people on account of weeping."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Food was brought to 'Abdur-Rahman bin 'Auf (May Allah be pleased with him) when he was observing Saum (fast) and he said: "Mus'ab bin 'Umair (May Allah be pleased with him) was martyred and he was better than me, but only one sheet was available to shroud him. It was so small that when his head was covered; his feet remained uncovered and if his feet were covered, his head remained uncovered. Then the bounties of this world have been bestowed upon us generously. I am afraid that the reward of our good deeds have been awarded to us in this world." On this he began to sob and left the food untouched.[Al- Bukhari].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Nothing is dearer to Allah than two drops and two marks: A drop of tears shed out of fear of Allah and a drop of blood shed in Allah's way. Regarding the two marks, they are: Marks left in the Cause of Allah and a mark left in observing one of the obligatory act of worship of Allah, the Exalted".[At-Tirmidhi].

One day Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) delivered us a very eloquent Khutbah on account of which eyes shed tears and hearts became softened.[Abu Dawud and At- Tirmidhi].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent Abu 'Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah (May Allah be pleased with him) to Bahrain to collect (Jizyah). So he returned from Bahrain with wealth. The Ansar got news of it and joined with the Prophet (ﷺ) in the Fajr prayer. When the Prophet (ﷺ) concluded the prayer, they stood in his way. When he saw them, he smiled and said, "I think you have heard about the arrival of Abu 'Ubaidah with something from Bahrain". They said, "Yes! O Messenger of Allah!". He (ﷺ) said, "Rejoice and hope for that which will please you. By Allah, it is not poverty that I fear for you, but I fear that this world will be opened up with its wealth for you as it was opened to those before you; and you vie with one another over it as they did and eventually it will ruin you as it ruined them".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sat on the pulpit and we sat around him. He said: "What I am concerned most is the flourishment and the beauty of this world will be available to you".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "The world is sweet and green (alluring); and verily, Allah is making you to succeed each other, generations after generations in it in order to see how you act. So beware of this world and beware of women".[Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "O Allah, there is no true life but the life of the Hereafter".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Three (things) follow a dead person: Members of his family, his property and his deeds. Two of them return; and one remains with him. The people and his wealth return; his deeds remain with him".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Among the inmates of Hell, a person who had led the most luxurious life in this world will be brought up on the Day of Resurrection and dipped in the Fire and will be asked: 'O son of Adam! Did you ever experience any comfort? Did you happen to get any luxury?' He will reply: 'By Allah, no, my Rubb.' And then one of the people of Jannah who had experienced extreme misery in the life of this world will be dipped in Jannah. Then he will be asked: 'O son of Adam! Did you ever experience any misery? Did you ever encounter difficulty?' He will say: "By Allah, no my Rubb, I neither experienced misery nor passed through hardship".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "This world (i.e., its pleasures and duration) in comparison with the Hereafter is (similar to the amount of water) one gets when he puts his finger in the sea. Let him then see what it returns with".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was passing through the bazaar with his Companions on his both sides, when he saw a dead skinny lamb. He held its ear and said, "Who of you would like to have it for a dirham". They replied, "We do not like to get it for nothing, and what shall we do with it?". Then he (ﷺ) asked, "Would you like to have it for nothing?". They replied, "Had it been alive, it would have been defective because it is skinny; but when dead it is of no use". Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Truly, the world is more contemptible to Allah than this (the dead lamb) is to you".[Muslim].

I was walking with the Prophet on the stony ground in Al-Madinah in the afternoon when Uhud Mount came into sight. Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "O Abu Dharr!" I said, "O Messenger of Allah, here I am responding to you". He said, "If I had as much gold as the weight of Uhud, it would not please me to have a single dinar out of it with me after the passage of three days, but I would hold back something for the repayment of a debt. I would distribute it among the slaves of Allah like this and like this and like this." And he (ﷺ) pointed in front of him, and on his right side and on his left side. We then walked a little further and he (ﷺ) said: "The rich would be poor on the Day of Resurrection, except he who spent like this and like this and like this,". and he pointed as he did the first time. "But such persons are few". Then he said, "Stay where you are till I come back to you". He (the Prophet (ﷺ)) walked ahead a little further in the darkness of the night and disappeared from my sight. I heard a loud voice. I said (to myself): "The Messenger of Allah might have met (mishap or an enemy)". I wished I could go after him but I remembered his commanding me to stay till he came back. So I waited for him; and when he came, I made mention of what I had heard. He asked, "Did you hear it?". I said, "Yes". Then he said, "It was Jibril (Gabriel), who came to me and said: 'He who dies among your Ummah without having associated anything with Allah (in worship) will enter Jannah.' I said: 'Even if he committed illicit sexual intercourse or steals?' He (Jibril) said: 'Even if he has committed illicit sexual intercourse or steals".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "If I had gold equal to Mount Uhud (in weight), it would not please me to pass three nights and I have a thing of it left with me, except what I retain for repayment of a debt".[Al- Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Look at those who are inferior to you and do not look at those who are superior to you, for this will keep you from belittling Allah's Favour to you."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].This is the wording in Sahih Muslim. The narration in Al-Bukhari is: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "When one of you looks at someone who is superior to him in property and appearance, he should look at someone who is inferior to him".

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "May he be miserable, the worshipper of the dinar and dirham, and the worshipper of the striped silk cloak. If he is given anything, he is satisfied; but if not, he is unsatisfied".[Al-Bukhari]

I saw seventy of the people of the Suffah and none of them had a cloak. They had either a lower garment or a blanket which they suspended from their necks. Some (cloaks) reached halfway down to the legs and some to the ankles; and the man would manage to keep it in his hand to avoid exposing his private parts.[Al- Bukhari].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "The world is the believer's prison and the infidel's Jannah".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) took hold of my shoulders and said, "Be in the world like a stranger or a wayfarer".Ibn 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) used to say: "When you survive till the evening, do not expect to live until the morning; and when you survive until the morning, do not expect to live until the evening; (do good deeds) when you are in good health before you fall sick, and (do good deeds) as long as you are alive before death strikes".[Al- Bukhari].

A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said, "O Messenger of Allah, guide me to such an action which, if I do Allah will love me and the people will also love me." He (ﷺ) said, "Have no desire for this world, Allah will love you; and have no desire for what people possess, and the people will love you."[Ibn Majah]

'Umar bin Al-Khattab (May Allah be pleased with him) spoke at length regarding the worldly prosperity that people had achieved and said: "I saw that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would pass his days in hunger and could not get even degraded dates to fill his stomach".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) died when my house was void of any edible thing except for a small quantity of barley I had on a shelf and from which I kept eating it for a long time. Then when I measured what was left of it, it soon finished.[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

(When he died) Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) left neither a dinar nor a dirham nor a male slave nor a female slave, nor anything else except his white riding mule, his weapons and his land which he had given in charity to wayfarers.[Al- Bukhari].

We emigrated with Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) seeking the pleasure of Allah and expecting our reward from Him. Some of us died without enjoying anything of it. Among them was Mus'ab bin 'Umair (May Allah be pleased with him), who was killed in the battle of Uhud, leaving only a small coloured sheet of wool (which we used as his shroud). When we covered his head with it, his feet were exposed, and when we covered his feet with it, his head was uncovered. So the Prophet (ﷺ) told us to cover his head and to put some Idhkhir (i.e., fragrant grass) over his feet. Others among us enjoy prosperity.[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Were this world worth a wing of mosquito, He would not have given a drink of water to an infidel."[At- Tirmidhi].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Verily! The world is accursed and what it contains is accursed, except remembrance of Allah and those who associate themselves with Allah; and a learned man, and a learning person."[At-Tirmidhi].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Do not crave for property lest you should be absorbed in the desire of worldly life."[At- Tirmidhi]

We were repairing our thatchy hut when Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) passed by and asked us, "What are you doing?" We said, "The thatch had gone weak and we are repairing it." He (ﷺ) said, "I see the sure thing (death) approaching sooner than this."[Abu Dawud].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Verily, there is a Fitnah (trial) for every nation and the trial for my nation (or Ummah) is wealth."[At- Tirmidhi].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "There is no right for the son of adam except in these (four) things: A house to live in, a cloth to cover therewith his private parts, bread and water."[At-Tirmidhi].

I came to the Prophet (ﷺ) while he was reciting (Surat At-Takathur 102):"The mutual rivalry (for hoarding worldly things) preoccupy you. Until you visit the graves (i.e., till you die). Nay! You shall come to know! Again nay! You shall come to know! Nay! If you knew with a sure knowledge (the end result of hoarding, you would not have been occupied in worldly things). Verily, you shall see the blazing Fire (Hell)! And again, you shall see it with certainty of sight! Then (on that Day) you shall be asked about the delights (you indulged in, in this world)!" (102:1-8)(After reciting) he (ﷺ) said, "Son of adam says: 'My wealth, my wealth.' Do you own of your wealth other than what you eat and consume, and what you wear and wear out, or what you give in Sadaqah (charity) (to those who deserve it), and that what you will have in stock for yourself."[Muslim].

A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said, "O Messenger of Allah! By Allah, I love you." He (ﷺ) said, "Think about what you are saying." The man repeated thrice, "I swear by Allah that I love you." He (Prophet (ﷺ)) said, "If you love me, you should be ready for acute poverty; because poverty comes to those who love me, faster than a flood flowing towards its destination."[At-Tirmidhi].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Two hungry wolves sent in the midst of a flock of sheep are no more destructive to them than a man's greed for wealth and fame is to his Deen."[At- Tirmidhi]

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) slept on a straw mat and got up with the marks left by it on his body. Ibn Mas'ud (May Allah be pleased with him) said, "O Messenger of Allah! Would that you make us spread out a soft bedding for you." He (ﷺ) replied, "What have I to do with the world? I am like a rider who had sat under a tree for its shade, then went away and left it."[At- Tirmidhi].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The poor will enter Jannah five hundred years before the rich."[At-Tirmidhi].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "I looked into Jannah and saw that most of its dwellers are the poor; and I looked into Hell and saw that most of its inmates were women."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "I stood at the gate of Jannah and saw that most of those who enter it were poor, whereas the rich were held back; but those who were destined to go to Hell were ordered to be sent there (immediately)."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The most truthful statement a poet has ever made is the saying of Labid: Everything besides Allah is vain."[Al- Bukhari and Muslim].

The family of Muhammad (ﷺ) never ate to the fill the bread of barley for two successive days until he died.[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].Another narration is: 'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) said: Never did the family of Muhammad (ﷺ) eat to the fill, since their arrival to Al-Madinah, the bread of wheat for three successive nights until his death.

"O son of my sister, by Allah, I used to see the new moon, then the new moon, then the new moon, i.e., three moons in two months, and a fire was not kindled in the house of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). "I ('Urwah) said, "O my aunt, what were your means of sustenance?" She said; "Dates and water. But it (so happened) that Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had some Ansar neighbours who had milch animals. They used to send Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) some milk of their (animals) and he gave that to us to drink."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) said that he happened to pass by some people who had a roast lamb before them. They invited him, but he declined, saying: "The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) left the world without having eaten his fill with barley bread."[Al- Bukhari].

The Prophet (ﷺ) neither ate on a dining cloth, nor ate soft bread throughout his life.[Al-Bukhari].One narration adds: He (ﷺ) never even saw a Samit lamb.Samit is an animal prepared for food by removing its hair by boiling water, and then roasted without being skinned. This type of food is preferred by wealthy people. (Editor's Note)

I have seen your Prophet (ﷺ) when he did not find enough of even the inferior quality of dates to eat and fill his belly.[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had never seen bread made out of fine flour throughout his life, since Allah commissioned him until his death. He was asked, "Did you not have sieves at the time of the Messenger of Allah?" He replied, "Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) never saw a sieve." He was asked, "How did you manage to eat barley bread made of unsieved flour?" He said, "We used to ground it and then blew away the husk, and what remained we kneaded into dough."[Al-Bukhari].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) went out (of his house) one day, or one night, and there he met Abu Bakr and 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) also. He (ﷺ) said, "What made you leave your houses at this hour?" They said, "It is hunger, O Messenger of Allah." He said, "By Him in Whose Hands my soul is, what made you leave, made me also leave, so come along!" And he went along with them to a man from the Ansar, but they did not find him in his house. When the wife of that man saw the Prophet, she said, "You are most welcome." Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to her, "Where is so-and-so?" She said, "He went to fetch some fresh water for us." In the meantime, the Ansari came back, saw Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and his two companions and said: "Praise be to Allah, today no one has more honourable guests than I." He then went out and brought them a bunch of date fruit, having dates, some still green, some ripe, and some fully ripe, and requested them to eat from it. He then took his knife (to slaughter a sheep). Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to him, "Do not kill a milch sheep." So he slaughtered a sheep for them. After they had eaten and drunk to their fill, Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to Abu Bakr and 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them), "By Him in Whose Hand my soul is, you will certainly be questioned about this treat on the Day of Resurrection. Hunger brought you out of your homes, and you do not return to your homes till you have been blessed with this treat."[Muslim].

'Utbah bin Ghazwan, the governor of Basrah, delivered a Khutbah. He praised Allah, glorified Him, then said: "Amma b'adu, verily, the world has been given the news of its end and is running to meet its end swiftly. Nothing is left out of it but a very little amount. Similar to the remainder in a dish whose owner is collecting it to drink; and you are going to move to an abode which knows no end, and you should proceed there with the good before you, for we have been informed (by the Prophet (ﷺ)) that a stone would be thrown at one side of the Hell and it would travel down for seventy years but would not reach its bottom. By Allah, it will be filled (with men and jinn). Do you find it strange? We have been informed (i.e., by the Prophet (ﷺ)) that the distance between two shutters of the gate of Jannah is forty years (distance). And a day would come when it would be fully packed; I was the seventh amongst the seven who had been with Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and we had nothing to eat but the leaves of the tree until the sides of our mouth were injured. We found a sheet which we tore into two and divided between myself and Sa'd bin Malik. I made the lower garment with half of it and so did Sa'd. Today, there is none amongst us who has not become the governor of a city, and I seek refuge with Allah that I should consider myself great while I am insignificant to Allah."[Muslim].

'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) showed us a sheet and a thick lower garment and said to us Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was wearing them when he died.[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

By Allah, I am the first Arab who shot an arrow in the Cause of Allah. We fought along with Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) when our food was only the leaves of Hublah and Samur trees (wild trees) until one of us would defecate like the droppings of sheep.[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to supplicate: "O Allah, make the provisions of family of Muhammad (ﷺ) bare subsistence."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

By Allah other than Whom there is none worthy of worship, I used to press my stomach against the earth owing to my hunger; I would tie a stone over it. One day, I was sitting on the way they usually take when the Prophet (ﷺ) passed by me. When he saw me he smiled at me and knew my condition and my feelings. He called me and I replied, "At your service, O Messenger of Allah." He said, "Follow me." So I followed him. Having arrived at home, he sought permission and entered. He allowed me in and I, too, entered. He found milk in a bowl and asked, "Where is this from?" He was told that it was a gift for him from so- and-so. He called me and I responded: "At your service, O Messenger of Allah." He said, "Go to the people of As-Suffah and usher them in." He Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) explained: The people of As-Suffah were guests of Islam; they had no family, no property and no relations. When Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to receive something in charity, he would send it to them without taking anything from it. When he received a present, he would send for them and share it with them. On this occasion, I disliked to give them anything. I said to myself: "This meagre quantity of milk will not be enough for all the people of As-Suffah! I am more deserving of it than anyone else. By drinking it I may attain some strength. When they come, he will order me to give it to them. I do not expect that anything will be left for me from this milk." As there was no alternative but to obey Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ). I went and called them. They came and sought permission which was granted. They took their seats. The Prophet (ﷺ) called me and I responded, "At your service, O Messenger of Allah." He then said, "Take the milk and give it to them." I took the bowl and gave it to one man who drank his fill and returned it to me, and I gave it to the next and he did the same. I went on doing this till the bowl reached Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). By that time all had taken their fill. He (ﷺ) took the bowl, put it on his hand, looked at me, smiled and said, "Abu Hirr." I said, "At your service, O Messenger of Allah." He said, "Now you and I are left." I said, "That is true, O Messenger of Allah." He said, "Sit down and drink." I drank, but he went on saying, "Drink some more." I said, "By Him Who has sent you with the Truth, I have no room for it." He said, "Then give it to me." So I gave him the bowl. He praised Allah, uttered the Name of Allah and drank the remainder.[Al- Bukhari].

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) said: "I would fall in swoon between the pulpit of (the mosque of) Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and the chamber of 'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) and every passer-by would put his foot on my neck thinking I was insane. I was not insane but I was awfully hungry."[Al- Bukhari].

When Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) died, his armour was mortgaged with a Jew for thirty Sa' (measures) of barley.[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) mortgaged his armour for a quantity of barley, and I took to him some barley bread and rancid fat. I heard him saying: "The family of Muhammad never possessed a measure of wheat from dawn to dusk although they were nine houses (to feed)."[Al- Bukhari].

I saw seventy of the people of As-Suffah and none of them had a cloak. They had either a lower cloth or a blanket which they suspended from their necks. Some reached half way down to the legs and some to the ankles, and one of them would manage to keep it in his hand to avoid exposing his private parts.[Al-Bukhari].

The mattress of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was a piece of tanned skin stuffed with palm fibres.[Al-Bukhari].

We were once sitting in the company of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) when a man from the Ansar came and greeted. As he was leaving, Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to him, "O brother of the Ansar, how is my brother Sa'd bin 'Ubadah?" He replied, "He is well." Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) asked, "Which of you is desirous of visiting him?" Having said this he got up and we followed him. We were ten and odd in number and we had neither shoes nor light boots nor caps nor shirts. We walked on foot through the barren plain till we came to the residence of Sa'd (May Allah be pleased with him). His people made way and Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) along with those who accompanied him went up to him.[Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The best of you, are my contemporaries, then those who follow them, then those who will come after them. ('Imran said, I do not know if he said this twice or thrice). Then, they will be followed by those who will testify but will not be called upon to testify; they will betray the trust, and will not be trusted. They will make vows but will not fulfill them, and obesity will prevail among them."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "O son of Adam, if you spend the surplus, it will be better for you; and if you retain it, it will be evil for you. You will not be reprimanded for storing what is enough for your need. First of all spend upon those who are your dependents."[At- Tirmidhi].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Whosoever begins the day feeling family security and good health; and possessing provision for his day is as though he possesed the whole world."[At- Tirmidhi].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Successful is the one who enters the fold of Islam and is provided with sustenance which is sufficient for his day's needs, and Allah makes him content with what He has bestowed upon him."[Muslim].

I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: "Happiness is due to him who is guided to Islam and possesses provision that suffices him for his day and remains content."[At- Tirmidhi].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) went to bed hungry for several successive nights, nor did his family have a thing for supper for many consecutive nights; and their bread was mostly of barley.[At- Tirmidhi].

When Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) led Salat, some people would fall down from their standing posture out of extreme hunger. They were of the people of As-Suffah. The nomad Arabs would say that they were insane. After concluding Salat, Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would turn to them and say, "If you were to know what is in store for you with Allah, the Exalted, you would wish to augment your starvation and lack of provisions."[At-Tirmidhi].

I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: "No man fills a container worse than his stomach. A few morsels that keep his back upright are sufficient for him. If he has to, then he should keep one-third for food, one-third for drink and one-third for his breathing."[At-Tirmidhi].

The Companions of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) mentioned the life of the world before him. He (ﷺ) said, "Do you not hear? Do you not hear? Simplicity (in life) is part of Faith, simplicity is part of Faith."[Abu Dawud].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent us in an expedition under the command of Abu 'Ubaidah (May Allah be pleased with him) to intercept a caravan of the Quraish. He provided us with a bag of dates, apart from which he found nothing for us. Abu 'Ubaidah (May Allah be pleased with him) gave each of us one date (every day). He (the narrator) was asked: "What did you do with that?" He said: We sucked that just like a baby and then drank water over that, and it was sufficient for us for the day until night. We beat off leaves with the help of our sticks, then drenched them with water and ate them. We then went to the seaside, when there appeared before us something like a big mound. We came near it and we found that it was a beast called Al-Anbar. Abu 'Ubaidah (May Allah be pleased with him) said: "It is dead (so it useless for us)." He then said: "No (but it does not matter), we have been sent by Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) in the way of Allah and you are hard-pressed (on account of the scarcity of food), so you can eat that." We, three hundred in number, stayed there for a month until we fattened up (having plenty to eat of that fish). He (Jabir) said: I saw how we extracted pitcher after pitcher full of fat from the cavity of its eye, and sliced from it compact piece of meat equal to a bull or almost like a bull. Abu 'Ubaidah (May Allah be pleased with him) called thirteen men from us and he made them sit in the cavity of its eye, and he held one of its ribs and raised it erect and then saddled the biggest of the camels we had with us and it passed through it (the arched rib), and we carried large pieces of meat for use in our journey. When we came back to Al-Madinah we went to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and told him about that, whereupon he said, "That was a sustenance Allah had brought forth for you. Do you have any piece of meat left with you, for us to eat." Jabir (May Allah be pleased with him) said: We sent to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) some of that (meat) and he ate it.[Muslim].

The sleeves of the shirt of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) reached his wrists.[At-Tirmidhi].

On the day of the battle of Al-Khandaq (the Trench), we were digging the trench when a very hard boulder came in our way. The Companions went to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and told him about it. He said, "I will go down the trench to see it." He stood up and it was noticed that he had tied a stone over his stomach due to intense hunger. We had not tasted anything for three days. He took up a spade and struck the hard rock with it and it turned into sand. I sought his permission to go home, (after reaching home I) said to my wife, "I have seen the Prophet (ﷺ) in a state that I am unable to endure. Have you got anything in the house?" She said, "I have a small quantity of barley and a lamb." I slaughtered the lamb, ground the barley and put the meat in the cooking pot. Then I went to the Prophet (ﷺ). In the meantime the flour had been kneaded and the meat in the pot was nearly cooked. I said to him, "O Messenger of Allah, I have some food, will you come along with one or two Companions?" He asked, "How many men should go there?" I told him the number. He said, "It will be better if they are more in number. Tell your wife not to remove the pot from the hearth nor the bread from the oven till I arrive." Then he said to the Muhajirun and the Ansar: "Let us go (to eat)." They all rose (and went with him). I went to my wife and said, "Bless you, the Prophet (ﷺ), the Muhajirun, the Ansar and the whole company are coming." She said, "Did he (ﷺ) ask you?" I replied in the affirmative. (When they arrived) Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to his Companions, "Enter, but do not crowd in." Then he started breaking up the bread and putting meat on it. He would take from the pot and the oven then would cover them up, approach his Companions and hand it over to them. He would then go back and uncover the pot and the oven. He continued to break up the bread and put meat on it till all had eaten to their fill and still some of the food remained. Then he said to my wife, "Eat from it, and send it as a present, for the people have been afflicted with severe hunger."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].Another narration is: Jabir said: When the trench was being dug, I noticed the signs of hunger on the face of the Prophet (ﷺ). I returned to my wife and said to her, "Have you got anything in the house? I have seen the signs of severe hunger on the face of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)." She brought out a bag which contained a Sa' (a measure that equals approximately 3kg.) of barley. We had a lamb which was reared in the home. I slaughtered the lamb and she ground the flour for baking bread. I then cut the meat and put it in the cooking pot. When I was returning to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), my wife said to me, "Do not embarass me before Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and his Companions." (She said this because she thought that the food would not be enough for everyone, for how can very little food cater for a thousand people?) When I came to him, I said to him in a low tone, "O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), we have slaughtered a small lamb and have ground a Sa' of barley. Please accompany me with a few of your Companions." Thereupon he (ﷺ) announced in a loud voice, "O people of the Trench, Jabir has arranged a feast for you, so all of you are welcome." And addressing me he said, "Do not take the pot off the fire, nor bake the kneaded flour till I arrive." So I came home and he came ahead of the people. My wife said, "It will be a matter of disgrace for you (because there is not enough food)." I said, "I did only what you told me." She brought out the kneaded flour and Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) spat into it, and invoked the blessing of Allah on it, and then he spat into the cooking pot and invoked the blessing of Allah on it. Then he said, "Call another woman to help bake bread and let her take out from the cooking pot, but do not take it off the fire." There were about a thousand guests. All of them ate till they left the food and went off. Our pot still bubbled as before and the dough was being baked as before.

Abu Talhah (May Allah be pleased with him) said to (to his wife) Umm Sulaim(May Allah be pleased with her), "I noticed some weakness in the voice of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and I feel it was due to hunger. Have you got any food?" She said, "Yes." So she brought out barley loaves, took off her head covering, in a part of which she wrapped these loaves and then put them beneath my mantle and covered me with a part of it. She then sent me to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). I set forth and found Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sitting in the mosque in the company of some people. I stood near them whereupon Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) asked, "Has Abu Talhah sent you?" I said, "Yes." Thereupon he said to those who were with him to get up (and follow him). He went forth and so did I, ahead of them until I came to Abu Talhah and informed him. Abu Talhah said, "O Umm Sulaim, here comes Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) along with the people and we do not have enough (food) to feed them." She said, "Allah and His Messenger know better." Abu Talhah went out (to receive him) until he met Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and he came forward along with him until they both (Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and Abu Talhah (May Allah be pleased with him) came in. Then Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "O Umm Sulaim, bring forth what you have with you." So she brought the bread. Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) commanded that the bread be broken into small pieces and after Umm Sulaim (May Allah be pleased with her) had squeezed clarified butter out of a butter container and made it just like soup. Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) recited over it what Allah wished him to recite. He then said, "Allow ten guests to come in." They ate until they had their fill. They then went out. He (Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)) again said, "Allow ten (more to come in)", and he (the host) ushered them in. They ate to their fill. Then they went out. He (ﷺ) again said, "Allow ten (more)," until all the people ate to their fill. They were seventy or eighty persons.[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].Another narration is: Anas said: When all had eaten, the remaining food was collected. It was as much as there was in the beginning.Yet another narration is: Anas said: The groups of ten people ate by turn. After eighty persons had eaten, Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and the family of that house ate, and there was still a quantity left over.Another narration is: Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) said: I visited Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) one day, and found him sitting in the company of his Companions, with a belt tied over his waist. I asked, "Why has Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) tied the belt on his waist?" I was told, "Due to hunger." I went to Abu Talhah (May Allah be pleased with him) the husband of Umm Sulaim (May Allah be pleased with her) and said, "O father, I have seen Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) with a belt tied over his waist. I asked one of his Companions about the reason of it and he said that it was on account of severe hunger." Abu Talhah (May Allah be pleased with him) went to my mother and asked, "Have you got anything?" She said, "Yes. I have a piece of bread and some dry dates. Were Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to come alone, we could feed him his fill, but if he comes along with others, there would not be enough food." Anas then narrated the Hadith in full.

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Richness is not the abundance of wealth, rather it is self-sufficiency."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Successful is the one who has entered the fold of Islam and is provided with sustenance which is sufficient for his needs, and Allah makes him content with what He has bestowed upon him.".[Muslim].

I begged Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and he gave me; I begged him again and he gave me. I begged him again and he gave me and said, "O Hakim, wealth is pleasant and sweet. He who acquires it with self-contentment, it becomes a source of blessing for him; but it is not blessed for him who seeks it out of greed. He is like one who goes on eating but his hunger is not satisfied. The upper hand is better than the lower one." I said to him, "O Messenger of Allah, by Him Who sent you with the Truth I will not, after you, ask anyone for anything till I leave this world." So Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) would summon Hakim (May Allah be pleased with him) to give his rations, but he would refuse. Then 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) would call him but he would decline to accept anything. So 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) said addressing Muslims: "O Muslims, I ask you to bear testimony that I offer Hakim his share of the booty that Allah has assigned for him but he refuses my offer." Thus Hakim did not accept anything from anyone after the death of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), till he died.[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Abu Musa Al- Ash'ari (May Allah be pleased with him) said: "Six of us accompanied Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) in an expedition. We had one camel with us; we rode it in turn. Our feet got injured and my nails also fell out. We wrapped up our feet in rags; and because of this the campaign came to be known as Dhat-ur-Riqa' (the Campaign of Rags)." Abu Burdah (May Allah be pleased with him) says: Abu Musa reported this Hadith but regretted having done so. He said, "Would that I had not mentioned it!" He said so because he disliked to disclose anything concerning his deeds.[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Some booty or prisoners of war were brought to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and he distributed them, giving some men and neglecting others. Then, he was informed that those whom he had not given a thing were displeased. On this the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) praised Allah and glorified Him and said, "It is a fact that I give to one and overlook another. The one I ignore is dearer to me than the one I give. I give to those in whose hearts I perceive anxiety; others I leave with the richness and contentment that Allah has put in their hearts. One of them is 'Amr bin Taghlib." Upon this 'Amr bin Taghlib said, "By Allah I shall not accept a herd of red camels in exchange for what the Prophet said (about me)."[Al-Bukhari].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The upper hand is better than the lower one; and begin (charity) with those who are under your care; and the best charity is (the one which is given) out of surplus; and he who wishes to abstain from begging will be protected by Allah; and he who seeks self- sufficiency will be made self-sufficient by Allah."[Al- Bukhari].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Do not be importunate in begging. By Allah! If one of you asks me for something and I give it to him unwillingly, there is no blessing in what I give him."[Muslim].

Seven, eight or nine people, including myself, were with Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) on an occasion when he (ﷺ) remarked, "Would you pledge allegiance to Messenger of Allah?" As we had taken oath of allegiance shortly before, we said, "We have already done so, O Messenger of Allah." He again asked, "Would you not pledge allegiance to Messenger of Allah?" So we stretched out our hands and said, "We have already made our pledge with you, O Messenger of Allah, on what should we make a pledge with you?" He said, "To worship Allah and not to associate anything with Him, to perform the five (daily) Salat and to obey." Then he added in a low tone, "And not to ask people for anything." Thereafter, I noticed that some of these people who were present did not ask anyone to pick up even the whip for them if it fell from their hands. [Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "If one of you would keep begging (of people) until he meets Allah (on the Day of Resurrection) his face will be without a shred of flesh."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

While Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was on his pulpit (in the mosque) delivering a Khutbah (religious talk) about Sadaqah (charity) and begging, he said, "The upper hand is better than the lower hand, the upper hand is the one which gives and the lower hand is the begging one."[Al- Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "He who begs to increase his riches is in fact asking only for a live coal. It is up to him to decrease it or increase it."[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Begging is a cut that a person inflicts upon his face; except for asking a ruler, or under the stress of circumstances from which there is no escape."[At- Tirmidhi].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "He who suffers poverty and seeks relief from people, he will not be relieved; but he who seeks relief from Allah Alone, he will be relieved sooner or later."[Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "He who guarantees me that he will not beg anything from anyone, I will guarantee him (to enter) Jannah." I said, "I give you the guarantee." Then Thauban (May Allah be pleased with him) never begged anything from anyone.[Abu Dawud].

I stood as surety for a debt and came to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to seek his help in discharging it. Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Wait till we receive charity and I shall give you out of it." He (ﷺ) added, "O Qabisah, begging is not lawful except for three people. One who has incurred debt (for assuming guarantee), for him begging is permissible till the guarantee is discharged and he should then refrain; a person whose property has been destroyed by a calamity is allowed to beg till he attains self-sufficiency; a person who meets with dire necessity (due to hunger) provided that three men of understanding from his people affirm the genuineness (of his poverty), for him begging is lawful till he attains means of his subsistence. Other than these, O Qabisah, anything received through begging is unlawful, its recipient devours it unlawfully."[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "A needy person is not the one who goes from door to door, begging and is turned away with a morsel or two or with a date or two. But a needy person is the one who does not have enough to live upon, and neither from his appearance it occurs that he is needy and should be given alms, nor does he himself beg anything from others."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would give me some gift, but I would say: "Give it to someone who needs it more than I." Thereupon he (ﷺ) would say, "Take it when it comes to you without begging and without greed, and add it to your property. Then use it yourself or give it away in charity. As for the rest, do not covet it." Salim said: 'Abdullah bin 'Umar would never ask anything from anyone, nor would he refuse accepting it when it was given to him. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "It is far better for you to take your rope, go to the mountain, (cut some firewood) carry it on your back, and sell it and thereby save your face than begging from people whether they give you or refuse."[Al-Bukhari].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "It is better for anyone of you to carry a bundle of wood on his back and sell it than to beg of someone whether he gives him or refuses."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "(Prophet) Dawud (ﷺ) ate only out of that which he earned through his manual work."[Al-Bukhari].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "(Prophet) Zakariyya (ﷺ) was a carpenter."[Al-Bukhari].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "No food is better to man than that which he earns through his manual work. Dawud (ﷺ), the Prophet of Allah, ate only out of his earnings from his manual work."[Al- Bukhari].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Envy is permitted only in two cases: A man whom Allah gives wealth, and he disposes of it rightfully, and a man to whom Allah gives knowledge which he applies and teaches it."[Al- Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) asked, "Who of you loves the wealth of his heir more than his own wealth?" The Companions said: "O Messenger of Allah! There is none of us but loves his own wealth more." He (ﷺ) said, "His wealth is that which he has sent forward, but that which he retains belongs to his heir."[Al-Bukhari].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Protect yourself from Hell-fire even by giving a piece of date as charity."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) never said 'no' to anyone who asked him for anything.[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Everyday two angels descend and one of them says, 'O Allah! Compensate (more) to the person who gives (in charity)'; while the other one says, 'O Allah! Destroy the one who withholds (charity, etc)".[Al-Bukhari ].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah, the Exalted, says, 'Spend, O son of Adam, you will also be spent upon."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

A man asked Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), "Which act in Islam is the best?" He (ﷺ) replied, "To feed (the poor and the needy) and to greet those whom you know and those you do not know."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "There are forty kinds of virtue, the highest of which is to gift a (milch) she goat. He who practises any of these virtues, expecting its reward (from Allah) and believing on the verity of the promise made for it, will enter Jannah."[Al-Bukhari].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "O son of Adam, if you spend the surplus, it will be better for you; and if you retain it, it will be bad for you. You will not be reprimanded for keeping what is enough for your need. Begin with those who are your dependents, and the upper hand (i.e., the one that spends in the way of Allah) is better than the lower hand (i.e., the one that receives charity.)"[Muslim].

Whenever the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was asked a thing by one who is about to accept Islam but he would give it. A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and he gave him a herd of sheep scattered between two mountains. When he returned to his people, he said to them: "O my people! Embrace Islam because Muhammad gives like one who has no fear of poverty." Some people would embrace Islam only for worldly gains, but soon Islam becomes dearer to them than the world with all what it contains.[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) distributed some wealth and I said to him, "O Messenger of Allah! Do you not think that there are other people who are more deserving than these whom you gave." He (ﷺ) said, "They had, in fact, left no alternative for me except either they should beg of me importunately or they would regard me as a miser; but I am not a miser."[Muslim].

While I was walking with the Prophet (ﷺ) on his return from the battle of Hunain, a few bedouins caught hold of him and began to demand their shares. They forced him to a tree and someone snatched away his cloak (which got entangled in that thorny tree). The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Give my cloak back to me. Were I to have camels equal to the number of these trees, I would have distributed them all among you, and you would not have found me a miser, or a liar, or a coward."[Al-Bukhari].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Wealth is not diminished by giving (in charity). Allah augments the honour of one who forgives; and one who displays humbleness towards another seeking the pleasure of Allah, Allah exalts him in ranks."[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "I swear by Allah for three (qualities) which I am going to tell you about. Remember them well:(1) The wealth of a man will not diminish by Sadaqah (charity).(2) Allah augments the honour of a man who endures an oppression patiently.(3) He who opens a gate of begging, Allah opens a gate of poverty (or he said a word similar to it)."He (ﷺ) also said, "Remember well what I am going to tell you: The world is for four kinds of people. (1) One upon whom Allah has bestowed wealth and knowledge and so he fears his Rubb in respect to them, joins the ties of blood relationship and acknowledges the Rights of Allah on him (and fulfills them); this type will have the best position (in Jannah). (2) One upon whom Allah has conferred knowledge but no wealth, and he is sincere in his intention and says: 'Had I possessed wealth, I would have acted like so-and-so.' If that is his intention, his reward is the same as that of the other. (3) One whom Allah has given wealth but no knowledge and he squanders his wealth ignorantly, does not fear Allah in respect to it, does not discharge the obligations of kinship and does not acknowledge the Rights of Allah. Such a person will be in the worst position (in the Hereafter). (4) One upon whom Allah has bestowed neither wealth nor knowledge and he says: 'Had I possessed wealth, I would have acted like so-and-so (i.e., he would squander his wealth).' If this is his intention, both will have equal sin."[At- Tirmidhi].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had slaughtered a sheep and distributed major portions of its meat. Then he (ﷺ) asked, "Is there anything left?" She replied, "Nothing, except the shoulder." Thereupon he said, "All of it is left except its shoulder."[At-Tirmidhi].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to me, "Do not hoard; otherwise, Allah will withhold from you."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying: "The case of a miserly man and a generous man who gives in charity is similar to that of two persons who are clad in armour from their breasts up to their collar bones. When the generous man gives in charity, his armour expands so much as to cover his fingertips and toes. When the miser intends to spend something the armour contracts and every ring of it sticks to the place where it is (sinks into his flesh). He tries to loosen it but it does not expand."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "He who gives in charity the value of a date which he legally earned, and Allah accepts only that which is pure, Allah accepts it with His Right Hand and fosters it for him, as one of you fosters his mare, until it becomes like a mountain."[Al- Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "While a man was walking through a barren land, he heard a voice coming out of a cloud saying: 'Irrigate the garden of so-and- so.' Thereupon the cloud drifted in a certain direction and discharged its water over a rocky plain. The streamlets flowed into a channel. This man followed the channel until it reached a garden and he saw the owner of the garden standing in its center, working with his spade spreading the water (changing the course of the water). He asked him: "O slave of Allah, what is your name?" He told his name, which was the same that he heard from the cloud. The owner of the garden then asked him: "O slave of Allah, why did you ask my name?" He replied: "I heard a voice from a cloud which poured down this water saying: 'Irrigate the garden of so-and-so.' I would like to know what do you do with it." He said: "Now that you asked me, I will tell you. I estimate the produce of the garden and distribute one-third of it in charity, I spend one-third on myself and my family and invest one-third back into the garden."[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Beware of oppression, for oppression will be darkness on the Day of Resurrection; and beware of stinginess because it destroyed those who were before you. It incited them to shed their blood and deem unlawful as lawful."[Muslim].

A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said; "I am hard pressed by hunger." He (ﷺ) sent a word to one of his wives who replied: "By Him Who has sent you with the Truth, I have nothing except water." Then he sent the same message to another (wife) and received the same reply. He sent this message to all of them (i.e., his wives) and received the same reply. Then he (ﷺ) said, "Who will entertain this (man) as guest?" One of the Ansar said: "O Messenger of Allah, I will." So he took him home and said to his wife: "Serve the guest of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)."Another narration is: The Ansari asked his wife: "Have you got anything?" She answered: "Nothing, except a little food for the children." He said: "Keep them busy with something, and when they ask for food put them to sleep. When the guest enters, extinguish the light and give him the impression that we are also eating." So they sat down and the guest ate and they passed the night hungry. When he came to the Prophet (ﷺ) in the morning, he said to him, "Allah admired what you did with your guest last night."[Al- Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The food for two suffices for three; and the food for three suffices for four persons."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].In Muslim, Jabir (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The food for one person suffices for two; the food for two suffices for four, and the food fof four suffices for eight persons."

Once we were on a journey with Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) when a rider came and began looking right and left. Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Whoever has an extra mount should offer it to him who is without it, and whoever has surplus food should give it to him who has nothing;" and he continued mentioning other properties until we thought that none of us had any right to surplus of his own property.[Muslim].

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

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "When the Ash'ariyun run short of food in the Jihad or when they are at home in Al-Madinah, they collect all the provisions they have in a sheet and then divide it equally among themselves. They are of me and I am of them."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

A drink was brought to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and he drank some of it. On his right was a boy and on his left were elderly people. He said to the boy, "Would you permit me to give the rest of this drink to these on my left?" The boy said, "O Messenger of Allah, I would certainly not give preference to anyone in anything that might come to me from you." So he handed over the rest of the drink to him.[Al- Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "While Ayyub (ﷺ) the Prophet was taking a bath, naked, a large number of gold locusts fell on him. He tried to collect them in a piece of cloth, when he heard his Rubb (Allah) calling him: 'O Ayyub ! Have I not sufficed you to care for what you see (the worldly possessions)?' Ayyub (ﷺ) said: 'Indeed by Your Power, but I can never do away with Your Blessings."'[Al- Bukhari].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Envy is permitted only in two cases: A man whom Allah gives wealth, and he disposes of it rightfully, and a man to whom Allah gives knowledge which he applies and teaches it."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Envy is justified in regard to two types of persons only: a man whom Allah has given knowledge of the Qur'an, and so he recites it during the night and during the day; and a man whom Allah has given wealth and so he spends from it during the night and during the day."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

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

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) took hold of my shoulders and said, "Be in the world like a stranger or a wayfarer." Ibn 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) used to say: When you survive till the evening do not expect to live until the morning; and when you survive till the morning do not expect to live until the evening. While in good health (do good deeds) before you fall sick; and while you are alive (do good deeds) before death strikes.[Al- Bukhari].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "It is the duty of a Muslim who has something which is to be given as a bequest not to have it for two nights without executing a written will."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].In the narration of Muslim it is narrated as 'three nights'. Ibn 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) said: Since I heard the Messenger of Allah say this, I have never spent a night without having my will with me.

The Prophet (ﷺ) drew a few lines and said, "One of them represents man and another indicates death; and a man continues like this until the nearest line (i.e., death) overtakes him."[Al-Bukhari].

The Prophet (ﷺ) drew up a square and in the middle of it he drew a line, the end of which jutted out beyond the square. Further across the middle line, he drew a number of smaller lines. Then he (ﷺ) said, "The figure represents man and the encircling square is the death which is encompassing him. The middle line represents his desires and the smaller lines are vicissitudes of life. If one of those misses him, another distresses him, and if that one misses him, he falls victim to another."[Al-Bukhari].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Hasten to do good deeds before you are overtaken by one of the seven afflictions." Then (giving a warning) he said, "Are you waiting for poverty which will make you unmindful of devotion, or prosperity which will make you corrupt, or a disease which will disable you, or senility which will make you mentally unstable, or sudden death which will take you all of a sudden, or Ad-Dajjal who is the worst expected, or the Hour; and the Hour will be most grievous and most bitter."[At- Tirmidhi].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Remember more often the destroyer of pleasures - death."[At-Tirmidhi].

When one- third of the night would pass, Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would get up and call out, "O people, remember Allah. The Rajifah (i.e., the first Blowing of the Trumpet which will shake the whole universe and thus cause all life to cease) has come, followed by Ar-Radifah (i.e., the second Blowing of the Trumpet which will restore life and thus mark the Resurrection Day). Death has approached with all that it comprises. Death has approached with all that it comprises." I said: "O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), I frequently invoke Allah to elevate your rank. How much of my supplications should I devote to you?" He said, "You may devote as much as you wish." When I suggested a quarter, he said, "Do whatever you wish, but it will be better for you if you increase it." I suggested half, and he said, "Do whatever you wish, but it will be better for you if you increase." I suggested two- thirds, and he said, "Do whatever you wish but it will be better for you if you increase it." I said, "Shall I devote all my supplications invoking Allah to elevate your rank?" He said, "Then you will be freed from your worries and your sins will be forgiven."[At- Tirmidhi].

reported Whenever it was her turn to spend with Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), he used to go to the Baqi' (graveyard in Al-Madinah) at the last part of night and say, "May you be safe, O abode of the believing people. What you have been promised has come to you. You are tarried till tomorrow and certainly we shall follow you if Allah wills. O Allah, forgive the inmates of the Baqi'-al-Gharqad."[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "(In the past) I forbade you from visiting graves, but visit them now." In another narration Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Whoever wants to visit a graveyard, let him do so, because it reminds us of the Hereafter." [Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) used to teach them (i.e., the Companions) whenever they came out to visit the graveyard to say: "As-salamu 'alaikum ahlad-diyyari minal- Mu'minina wal-Muslimina, wa inna in sha' Allahu bikum lahiqun. As 'alul-laha lana wa-lakumul- 'afiyyah (May you be safe, O inmates of the abodes of the believers and the Muslims, and if Allah pleases, we shall follow you, we pray to Allah for well-being for ourselves and for you)."[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) passed by the graves at Al-Madinah. He turned his face towards them and said, "May you be granted safety, O inmates of the graves. May Allah forgive us and you. You have preceded us, and we are to follow."[At-Tirmidhi].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Let none of you wish for death on account of an affliction that befalls him. If he has no alternative, let him pray: 'Allahumma ahyine ma kanatil-hayatu khairan li, wa tawaffani idha kanatil-wafatu khairan li (O Allah! Give my life so long as the life is good for me, and take away my life if death is good for me)'."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

I went to visit Khabbab bin Aratt (May Allah be pleased with him) during his illness. He had been cauterized in seven places. He said: "Our companions who have died have left (this world) without having enjoyed the pleasures of the world (in order to get a great full reward in the Hereafter) while we have amassed wealth exceeding our needs for which there is no place to keep except in the earth. Had Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) not prohibited us from longing for death, I would have prayed for it." Then we visited him again and he was building a wall. He said: "There is a reward in store for a Muslim in respect of everything on which he spends except for something he places in the earth (i.e., something exceeding our needs or essentials)."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "None of you should wish for death. If he is righteous, perhaps he may add to (his) good works, and if he is a sinner, possibly he may repent (in case he is given a longer life)." [Al-Bukhari]. In Muslim, Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported : Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Let none of you wish for death, nor he ask for it before it comes to him, because when he dies, his actions will be terminated; certainly the age of a (true) believer does not add but good."

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "What is lawful is clear and what is unlawful is clear, but between them are certain doubtful things which many people do not know. So he who guards against doubtful things keeps his religion and his honour blameless. But he who falls into doubtful things falls into that which is unlawful, just as a shepherd who grazes his cattle in the vicinity of a pasture declared prohibited (by the king); he is likely to stray into the pasture. Mind you, every king has a protected pasture and Allah's involved limits is that which He has declared unlawful. Verily, there is a piece of flesh in the body, if it is healthy, the whole body is healthy, and if it is corrupt, the whole body is corrupt. Verily, it is the heart."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) found a dry date-fruit lying in the way and said, "Had it not been for fear of being from charity I would have eaten it."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Piety is good manner, and sin is that which creates doubt and you do not like people to know of it."[Muslim].

I went to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and he asked me, "Have you come to inquire about piety?" I replied in the affirmative. Then he said, "Ask your heart regarding it. Piety is that which contents the soul and comforts the heart, and sin is that which causes doubts and perturbs the heart, even if people pronounce it lawful and give you verdicts on such matters again and again."[Ahmad and Ad- Darmi].

"I am not aware that you suckled me, and you did not inform me." So he ('Uqbah) rode to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) in Al-Madinah and put the matter before him. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "How can you continue (to be her husband) after what you have been told?" 'Uqbah (May Allah be pleased with him) therefore divorced her and she married another man.[Al- Bukhari].

I have retained these words of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), "Leave what causes you doubt and turn to what does not cause you doubt."[At- Tirmidhi].

Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) had a slave who brought him his earnings and Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) would eat from it. One day he brought him something and when Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) had eaten some of it, the slave asked him whether he knew where he had got that (food) from, Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) asked what it was, and he replied: I acted as a soothsayer for a man in the pre-Islamic period, and not being good at it, I deceived him; today he met me and he rewarded me for that soothsaying what you have eaten. Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) put his hand in his mouth and vomited up all that he had eaten.[Al- Bukhari].

'Umar bin Al-Khattab (May Allah be pleased with him) fixed the payment amounting to four thousand dirhams for each of the early Emigrants, but for his son, he fixed only three thousand five hundred. He was asked: "He is also an (early) Emigrant, why have you fixed a lesser sum for him?" He said: "It was his father who took him along with him. He is not like one who emigrated by himself."[Al-Bukhari].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "No one will attain complete righteousness until he abandons (certain) unobjectionable (but doubtful) things so as to remain on his guard against something objectionable."[At-Tirmidhi].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah loves a slave who is pious, free of all wants and the unnoticed."[Muslim].

Someone asked Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): "Who is the best man?" He (ﷺ) answered, "A believer who strives in the Cause of Allah with his life and his wealth." The man asked: "Who is the next?" He said, "One who retires into a narrow valley and worships his Rubb."Another narration is: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "One who fears Allah and safeguards people against his own mischief."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The best possession of a Muslim will be a herd of sheep with which he retires to the top of a mountain or places where rain is expected to fall (pastures) so as to safeguard with his faith from tribulation."[Al- Bukhari].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Every Prophet has tended sheep". He was asked: "And did you?" He replied, "Yes, I tended them for a few carats for the Makkans."[Al-Bukhari].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The best of people is a man who is holding his horse's rein in the way of Allah (in Jihad) and is galloping towards the place wherever he hears a call for war or detects a note of danger; he goes on proceeding, seeking martyrdom or death wherever it is expected. And a man who retires with some sheep in a mountainside or a valley. He performs Salat regularly and pays the Zakat, continues worshipping his Rubb, till death overtakes him. He does not interfere in the affairs of the people except for betterment."[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah has revealed to me that you should humble yourselves to one another. One should neither hold himself above another nor transgress against another."[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Wealth does not diminish by giving Sadaqah (charity). Allah augments the honour of one who forgives; and one who serves another seeking the pleasure of Allah, Allah will exalt him in ranks."[Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) used to do the same.[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

A slave-girl of Al-Madinah would take hold of the hand of the Prophet (ﷺ) and take him wherever she desired.[Al- Bukhari].

'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) was asked: "What did Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to do inside his house?" She answered: "He used to keep himself busy helping members of his family, and when it was the time for Salat (the prayer), he would get up for prayer."[Al-Bukhari].

I came to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) while he was delivering a Khutbah and said: "O Messenger of Allah, a stranger (meaning himself) has come to inquire about his Deen. He is quite ignorant about his Deen." Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) interrupted his Khutbah and turned to me. Then a chair was brought for him and he sat on it. He started instructing me what Allah had taught him. Then he resumed his Khutbah and completed it.[Muslim].

When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) finished eating his food, he would lick his three fingers (i.e., the forefinger, the middle finger and the thumb). He (ﷺ) said, "If anyone of you drops a morsel, he should remove anything harmful from it and then eat it. He should not leave it for Shaitan." He commanded us to clean out the dish saying, "You do not know in what portion of your food the blessing lies."[Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Every Prophet has tended sheep." He was asked: "And did you?" He replied: "Yes, I tended them for a few carats for the Makkans."[Al-Bukhari].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "If I am invited to a meal consisting of a sheep's foot or shoulder, I would respond and I would accept as a gift a shoulder or a foot of a sheep."[Al-Bukhari].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had a she-camel called Al-'Adba' which would not allow any other camel to surpass her. A bedouin came riding his camel which outstripped it. The Muslims were much grieved at this. Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) perceived it and said, "It is Allah's Way that he lowers whatever raises itself in the world."[Al- Bukhari].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "He who has, in his heart, an ant's weight of arrogance will not enter Jannah." Someone said: "A man likes to wear beautiful clothes and shoes?" Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah is Beautiful, He loves beauty. Arrogance means ridiculing and rejecting the Truth and despising people."[Muslim].

A man ate in the presence of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) with his left hand. He (ﷺ) said, "Eat with your right hand." He said: "I cannot." Thereupon he (the Prophet (ﷺ)) said, "May you never be able to do that." It was arrogance that prevented him from doing it, and he could not raise it (the right hand) up to his mouth afterwards.[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Shall I not inform you about the inmates of Hell? It is every violent, impertinent and proud person."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "There was a dispute between Hell and Jannah, and Hell said: 'The haughty and proud are in me.' The Jannah said: 'In me are the weak and the humble.' Thereupon Allah, the Exalted, judged between them saying: 'You the Jannah are My Mercy, and through you I shall show mercy to those whom I wish.' (And addressing the Hell) He said: 'You are My punishment to punish whom I wish amongst My slaves, and each one of you will have its fill."'[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "On the Day of Resurrection, Allah will not look at him who trails his lower garment out of pride."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "There are three (types of) people to whom Allah will not speak on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He purify them, nor look at them, and they will have a painful punishment. These are: An aged man who commits Zina (illicit sexual act), a ruler who lies, and a proud poor person."[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah, the Exalted, says: 'Honour is My Izar and Pride is My Cloak. Whoever vies with Me regarding one of them, shall be tormented."'[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "While a man was walking, dressed in clothes admiring himself, his hair combed, walking haughtily when Allah caused the earth to swallow him. Now he will continue to go down in it (as a punishment) until the Day of Resurrection."[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Man continues to display haughtiness and arrogance until he is recorded among the arrogant and will be therefore afflicted with what afflicts them."[At- Tirmidhi].

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was the best of all the people in behaviour.[Al- Bukhari and Muslim].

I never felt any piece of velvet or silk softer than the palm of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), nor did I smell any fragrance more pleasant than the smell of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). I served him for ten years, and he never said 'Uff' (an expression of disgust) to me. He never said 'why did you do that?' for something I had done, nor did he ever say 'why did you not do such and such' for something I had not done.[Al- Bukhari and Muslim].

I presented a wild ass to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as a gift but he returned it to me. When he perceived signs of despair on my face, he said, "I have declined to accept it because I am in the state of Ihram."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

I asked Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) about virtue and sin, and he said, "Virtue is noble behaviour, and sin is that which creates doubt and you do not like people to know about it."[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) did not indulge in loose talk nor did he like to listen to it. He used to say, "The best of you is the best among you in conduct."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Nothing will be heavier on the Day of Resurrection in the Scale of the believer than good manners. Allah hates one who utters foul or coarse language."[At- Tirmidhi].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was asked about the deed which will be foremost to lead a man to Jannah. He replied, "Fear of Allah and the good conduct." Then he was asked about indulgence which will admit a man to Hell (Fire) and he answered, "The tongue and the genitals."[At- Tirmidhi].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The most perfect man in his faith among the believers is the one whose behaviour is most excellent; and the best of you are those who are the best to their wives."[At- Tirmidhi].

I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying: "A believer will attain by his good behaviour the rank of one who prays during the night and observes fasting during the day."[Abu Dawud].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "I guarantee a house in Jannah for one who gives up arguing, even if he is in the right; and I guarantee a home in the middle of Jannah for one who abandons lying even for the sake of fun; and I guarantee a house in the highest part of Jannah for one who has good manners."[Abu Dawud].

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The dearest and nearest among you to me on the Day of Resurrection will be one who is the best of you in manners; and the most abhorrent among you to me and the farthest of you from me will be the pompous, the garrulous, and Al-Mutafaihiqun." The Companions asked him: "O Messenger of Allah! We know about the pompous and the garrulous, but we do not know who Al-Mutafaihiqun are." He replied: "The arrogant people."[At-Tirmidhi].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to Ashaj Abdul-Qais (May Allah be pleased with him), "You possess two qualities that Allah loves. These are clemency and tolerance."[Muslim].

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah is Forbearer and loves forbearance in all matters."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Allah is Forbearer and He loves forbearance, and rewards for forbearance while He does not reward severity, and does not give for any thing besides it (forbearance)."[Muslim]

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Whenever forbearance is added to something, it adorns it; and whenever it is withdrawn from something, it leaves it defective."[Muslim].

A bedouin urinated in the mosque and some people rushed to beat him up. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Leave him alone and pour a bucket of water over it. You have been sent to make things easy and not to make them difficult."[Al-Bukhari].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Make things easy and do not make them difficult, cheer the people up by conveying glad tidings to them and do not repulse (them)."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "He who is deprived of forbearance and gentleness is, in fact, deprived of all good."[Muslim].

A man asked the Prophet (ﷺ) to give him advice, and he (ﷺ) said, "Do not get angry." The man repeated that several times and he (ﷺ) replied (every time), "Do not get angry."[Al- Bukhari].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Verily Allah has prescribed Ihsan (kindness) for everything. So when you kill, you must make the killing in the best manner; when you slaughter, make your slaughter in the best manner. Let one of you sharpen his knife and give ease to his animal (in order to reduce his pain)."[Muslim].

Whenever the Prophet (ﷺ) was given a choice between two matters, he would (always) choose the easier as long as it was not sinful to do so; but if it was sinful he was most strict in avoiding it. He never took revenge upon anybody for his own sake; but when Allah's Legal Bindings were outraged, he would take revenge for Allah's sake.[Al- Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Shall I not tell you whom the (Hell) Fire is forbidden to touch? It is forbidden to touch a man who is always accessible, having polite and tender nature."[At- Tirmidhii].

I asked the Prophet (ﷺ) "Have you ever experienced a day harder than the day of the battle of Uhud?" He replied, "Indeed, I experienced them (dangers) at the hands of your people (i.e., the disbelievers from amongst the Quraish tribe). The hardest treatment I met from them was on the Day of 'Aqabah when I went to Ibn 'Abd Yalil bin 'Abd Kulal (who was one of the chiefs of Ta'if) with the purpose of inviting him to Islam, but he made no response (to my call). So I departed with deep distress. I did not recover until I arrived at Qarn ath-Tha'alib. There, I raised my head and saw a cloud which had cast its shadow on me. I saw in it Jibril (Gabriel) (ﷺ) who called me and said: 'Indeed, Allah, the Exalted, heard what your people said to you and the response they made to you. And He has sent you the angel in charge of the mountains to order him to do to them what you wish.' Then the angel of the mountains called me, greeted me and said: 'O Muhammad, Allah listened to what your people had said to you. I am the angel of the mountains, and my Rubb has sent me to you so that you may give me your orders. (I will carry out your orders). If you wish I will bring together the two mountains that stand opposite to each other at the extremities of Makkah to crush them in between."' But Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "I rather hope that Allah will raise from among their descendants people as will worship Allah the One, and will not ascribe partners to Him (in worship)."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) never hit anything with his hand neither a servant nor a woman but of course, he did fight in the Cause of Allah. He never took revenge upon anyone for the wrong done to him, but of course, he exacted retribution for the sake of Allah in case the Injunctions of Allah about unlawful acts were violated.[Muslim].

I was walking with Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) who was wearing a Najrani cloak with a very thick border when a bedouin happened to meet him. He took hold of the side of his cloak and drew it violently. I noticed that the violence of jerk had bruised the neck of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). The bedouin said: "O Muhammad! Give me out of Allah's wealth that you possess." Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) turned to him and smiled and directed that he should be given something.[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

I can see the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) look like one of the Prophets of Allah whose people beat and made him bleed while he was wiping the blood from his face and supplicating: "O Allah, forgive my people because they know not."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The strong man is not the one who wrestles, but the strong man is in fact the one who controls himself in a fit of rage."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

A man said to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): "I have relatives with whom I try to maintain good relationship but they sever relations with me; whom I treat kindly but they treat me badly, with whom I am gentle but they are rough to me." He (ﷺ) replied, "If you are as you have said, then it is as though you are feeding them hot ashes and you will not be without a supporter against them from Allah, as long as you do so."[Muslim].

A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: "I join the morning Salat late because of so-and-so who leads it and prolongs it." (Abu Mas'ud said): I have never seen the Prophet (ﷺ) so angry while giving a speech as he was on that day. He (ﷺ) said, "Some of you create hatred among the people against faith. Whoever leads Salat (the prayer), should make it brief because the congregation includes old men and youngsters and those who have some urgent work to do."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) returned once from a journey, and saw a curtain which I had hung along a platform with some pictures on it. The colour of his face changed. He tore it up and said, "O 'Aishah, the most tormented people on the Day of Resurrection are those who contend with Allah in terms of creation."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

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

The Prophet (ﷺ) noticed spittle in the mosque in the direction of the Qiblah. The signs of disgust were perceived on his face. Then, he stood up and scraped it away with his own hand and said, "When you stand in Salat, you hold communion with your Rubb and He is between you and the Qiblah. Let no one therefore cast out his spittle in that direction, but only to his left or under his foot." Then he caught hold a corner of his sheet, spat into it and folded it up and said, "Or he should do like this."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, "All of you are guardians and are responsible for your wards. The ruler is a guardian and responsible for his subjects; the man is a guardian and responsible for his family; the woman is a guardian and is responsible for her husbands house and his offspring; and so all of you are guardians and are responsible for your wards."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Any slave whom Allah makes him in charge of subjects and he dies while he is not sincere to them, Allah will make Jannah unlawful for him."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].Another narration is: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "He who does not look after his subjects with goodwill and sincerity, will be deprived of the fragrance of Jannah."A narration in Muslim is: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "A ruler who, having control over the affairs of the Muslims, does not strive diligently for their betterment and does not serve them sincerely, will not enter Jannah with them."

I heard the the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) supplicating in my house: "O Allah! Treat harshly those who rule over my Ummah with harshness, and treat gently those who rule over my Ummah with gentleness."[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The Banu Isra'il were ruled by the Prophets. When one Prophet died, another succeeded him. There will be no Prophet after me. Caliphs will come after me, and they will be many." The Companions said: "O Messenger of Allah, what do you command us to do?" He said, "Fulfill the pledge of allegiance to which is sworn first (then swear allegiance to the others). Concede to them their due rights and ask Allah that which is due to you. Allah will call them to account in respect of the subjects whom He had entrusted to them."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

I visited 'Ubaidullah bin Ziyad and said to him: "Dear son, I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, 'The worst of rulers are those who treat their subjects harshly. Beware, lest you should be one of them."'[Al-Bukhari].

I said to Mu'awiyah (bin Abu Sufyan) (May Allah be pleased with them): I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, "If Allah invests to someone the affairs of the Muslims and he (i.e., the ruler) ignores their rights, denies their access to him and neglects their needs, Allah will not answer his prayer or realize his hopes and will act towards him with indifference on the Day of Resurrection." So Mu'awiyah appointed a person to keep a vigil on the necessities of the people and to fulfill them.[Abu Dawud and At- Tirmidhi].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Seven are (the persons) whom Allah will give protection with His Shade* on the Day when there will be no shade except His Shade (i.e., on the Day of Resurrection), and they are: A just ruler; a youth who grew up with the worship of Allah; a person whose heart is attached to the mosque; two persons who love and meet each other and depart from each other for the sake of Allah; a man whom a beautiful and high ranking woman seduces (for illicit relation), but he (rejects this offer by saying): 'I fear Allah'; a person who gives a charity and conceals it (to such an extent) that the left hand might not know what the right has given; and a person who remembers Allah in solitude and his eyes well up."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].* The Shade of Allah to which this Hadith refers to is the shade of His Throne.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The just will be seated upon pulpits of light." Those who are fair with regards to their judgement and their family and those who are under them."[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The best of your rulers are those whom you love and who love you, and those who supplicate Allah in your favour and you supplicate Allah in their favour. The worst of your rulers are those whom you hate and who hate you; and whom you curse and who curse you." It was asked (by those who were present): "Should not we oppose them?" He said, "No, as long as they establish Salat; as long as they establish Salat in your midst."[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The people of Jannah will be of three kinds: A just successful ruler, a man who shows mercy to his relatives, and a pious believer who has a large family and refrains from begging."[Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "It is obligatory upon a Muslim to listen (to the ruler) and obey whether he likes it or not, except when he is ordered to do a sinful thing; in such case, there is no obligation to listen or to obey."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Whenever we took a pledge of allegiance to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to hear and obey, he (ﷺ) would say to us, "As far as you are capable of."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "One who withdraws his hand from obedience (to the Amir) will find no argument (in his defense) when he stands before Allah on the Day of Resurrection; and one who dies without having sworn allegiance will die the death of one belonging to the Days of Ignorance."[Muslim].Another narration is: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "He who dies having defected from obedience (to the Amir) and discards his association with the main body of the (Muslim) community, dies the death of one belonging to the Days of Jahiliyyah."

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Hear and obey even if an Abyssinian slave whose head is like a raisin is placed in authority over you."[Al- Bukhari].

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "It is obligatory upon you to listen and obey the orders of the ruler in prosperity and adversity, whether you are willing or unwilling, or when someone is given undue preference to you."[Muslim].

We accompanied Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) on a journey. We halted at a place to take a rest. Some of us began to set right their tents, others began to graze their animals while others were engaged in competing with one another in archery when an announcer of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) announced that people should gather for Salat. We gathered around the Messenger of Allah and he ((ﷺ)) addressed us, saying, "Every Prophet before me was under obligation to guide his followers to what he knew was good for them and to warn the evil thing which he knew. As for this Ummah, it will have sound state and in its early stage of existence; but the last phase of its existence, will be faced with trials and with things you do not recognize. There will be tremendous trials, one after the other, and to each the believer will say, 'That is it'. Whenever a trial arrives the believer will say: 'This is going to bring about my destruction.' When this passes, another calamity will approach and he will say: 'This surely is going to be my end.' Whosoever wishes to be removed from the Fire (Hell) and admitted to Jannah should die with faith in Allah and the Last Day; and he should treat others as he wishes to be treated. He who swears allegiance to an Imam, he should give him the pledge in ratification and the sincerity of his heart. He should obey him to the best of his capacity. If another man comes forward as a claimant (when one has already been installed), behead the second."[Muslim].

Salamah bin Yazid Al-Ju'f (May Allah be pleased with him) asked Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): "O Prophet of Allah! Tell us, what you command us to do if there arises over us rulers who demand of us what is due to them and refuse us what is due to us." Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) turned away from him, but he repeated the same question. Thereupon Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Listen to them and obey them. They are responsible for their obligations and you are accountable for yours."[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "There will be discrimination after my death and there will be other matters that you will disapprove." He was asked: "O Messenger of Allah! What do you command us to do when we are encountered with such happenings?" He answered, "Give what is due from you and supplicate to Allah for your rights."[Al- Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Whosoever obeys me, obeys Allah; and he who disobeys me, disobeys Allah; and whosoever obeys the Amir (leader), in fact, obeys me; and he who disobeys the Amir, in fact, disobeys me."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "If a person notices in his ruler what he dislikes, he should show patience because he who departs from the (Muslim) community a cubit, dies like those who died in the Days of Ignorance."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, "He who insults the rulers Allah will insult him."[At-Tirmidhi].

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to me, "Do not ask for position of authority. If you are granted this position without asking for it, you will be helped (by Allah) in discharging its responsibilities; but if you are given it as a result of your request, you will be left alone as its captive. If you take an oath to do something and then find a better alternative, you should adopt the latter and expiate for your oath."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to me, "O Abu Dharr, I see that you are weak and I like for you what I like for myself. Do not rule over (even) two persons, and do not manage an orphan's property."[Muslim].

I said to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): "Why do you not appoint me to an (official) position?" He (ﷺ) patted me on the shoulder with his hand and said, "O Abu Dharr, you are a weak man and it is a trust and it will be a cause of disgrace and remorse on the Day of Resurrection except for the one who takes it up with a full sense of responsibility and fulfills what is entrusted to him (discharges its obligations efficiently)."[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "You will covet for getting a position of authority, but remember that it will be a cause of humiliation and remorse on the Day of Resurrection."[Al- Bukhari]

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah neither raised up any Prophet nor did He authorize any person with ruling power but for whom there were two types of entourage: one enjoins upon him to do good and incites him to carry it out, and the other enjoins evil and goads him; and the protected (from the bad entourage) is the one whom Allah protects."[Al-Bukhari].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "When Allah desires good for a ruler, He appoints for him a sincere adviser who will remind him if he forgets and helps him if he remembers. When Allah wishes for him the contrary, He appoints for him a bad adviser who will not remind him if he forgets, nor will he help him if he remembers."

I called on the Prophet (ﷺ) with two of my cousins. One of them said to him: "O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), appoint me governor of some land over which Allah has given you authority." The other also requested for something of the same nature. Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "By Allah we do not appoint someone to this post who seeks it or someone who contends for it." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].