Knowledge

Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: While we were sitting with the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) in the mosque, a man came riding on a camel. He made his camel kneel in the mosque, tied its foreleg, and said: "Who amongst you is Muhammad?" At that time, the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) was sitting amongst us, leaning on his arm. We replied: "This white man reclining on his arm." The man then addressed him: "O son of ‘Abdul-Muttalib!" The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I am here to answer you." The man said to the Prophet: "I want to ask you something and will be hard in questioning. So do not get angry." The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Ask whatever you want." The man said: "I ask you by your Lord, and the Lord of those who came before you. Has Allah sent you as a messenger to all mankind?" The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) replied: "By Allah, yes." The man further said: "I ask you by Allah. Has Allah ordered you to offer five prayers in a day and night?" He replied: "By Allah, yes." The man further said: "I ask you by Allah. Has Allah ordered you to observe fasts during this month of the year?" He replied: "By Allah, yes." The man said: "I ask you by Allah. Has Allah ordered you to take this charity from our rich people and distribute it amongst our poor people?" The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) replied: "By Allah, yes." Thereupon, that man said: "I have believed in all that you have been sent with, and I have been sent by my people as a messenger. I am Dimām ibn Tha‘labah, from the brothers of Banu Sa‘d ibn Bakr."

Abu Wāqid al-Hārith ibn ‘Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was sitting in the mosque with some people when three men came over. Two of them stepped toward the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), and one left. The two stood nearby the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). One of them saw an empty place in the circle, and he sat in it. The other one sat behind them. The third one, however, left. When the Messenger (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) finished, he said: "Shall I not inform you about these three persons? One of them sought refuge with Allah, so Allah gave him refuge. The second one felt shy, so Allah was shy towards him. And the last one turned away, so Allah turned away from him."

Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Make matters easy and do not make them difficult, and give people glad tidings and do not drive them away."

Shaqīq ibn Salamah (may Allah have mercy on him) reported: Ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) used to give us a reminder every Thursday. A man said to him: "O Abu ‘Abdur-Rahmān, we would like for you to give us a reminder every day!" He said: "What prevents me from doing so is that I dislike to bore you. I give you an admonition every now and then, just as the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was giving them to us, out of fear that we might become bored."

Mu‘āwiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say: "When Allah intends good for someone, He grants him the understanding of the religion. Indeed, I am only a distributor, and Allah is the Giver. This Ummah will continue to follow Allah's laws, not being harmed by those who oppose them, until Allah's command comes to pass."

‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: Once I came riding a female donkey when I had almost attained the age of puberty. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was leading people in prayer at Mina with no wall in front of him, and I passed in front of part of the row. I dismounted and let the female donkey loose to graze and I joined the row and none objected to that.

Abu Mūsa (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The guidance and knowledge with which Allah has sent me are like abundant rain that fell on some ground. A part of it was good, absorbing the water, so it brought forth abundant herbage and pasture; and there were some bare patches in it that retained the water by which Allah gave benefit to people who drank, watered, and grew plants. But some of it fell on another flat portion that could not retain the water or produce herbage. That is like the one who becomes versed in Allah's religion and receives benefit from the message entrusted to me by Allah, so he knows for himself and teaches others; and it is like the one who does not show regard to that and does not accept Allah's guidance with which I have been sent."

‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Ās (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to supplicate with these words: "O Allah, I seek refuge with You from the dominance of debt, the dominance of the enemy, and the gloat of the enemies."

Abu Mas‘ūd al-Ansāri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: A man said: "O Messenger of Allah, I would almost fail to attend the prayer because so-and-so prolongs it when he leads us." I never saw the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) more angry in giving admonition than he was on that day. He said: "O people, you cause aversion to others. Whoever leads people in prayer should make it brief, for among them are the sick, the weak, and those with needs to be fulfilled."

Zayd ibn Khālid al-Juhani (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about the lost and picked up item that is made of gold or silver, whereupon he said: "Remember the description of its container and the string with which it is tied. Make a public announcement of it for one year. If nobody comes and claims it, then utilize the money but keep it as a trust with you. If its owner comes back one day seeking it, then return it to him." Then, he asked him about the lost camel, whereupon the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "It is none of your concern. Leave it, for it has its feet and a water container (reservoir), and it will reach water and eat from the trees until its owner finds it." He then asked him about the lost sheep, whereupon he said: "Take it, for it is either for you, or for your brother, or for the wolf."

Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: Whenever the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) spoke a word, he would repeat it thrice until it is understood from him. Whenever he greeted a group of people, he would greet them thrice.

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: It was said: "O Messenger of Allah, who will be the happiest of people to receive your intercession on the Day of Judgment?" The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I thought no one would ask me about this Hadīth before you, O Abu Hurayrah, given the keenness I have seen from you regarding the Hadīths. The happiest of people to receive my intercession on the Day of Judgment is the one who says, 'there is no god but Allah' sincerely from his heart or his soul."

‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Ās (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Verily, Allah does not take away knowledge by snatching it from the people; rather, He takes away knowledge with the death of the scholars until, when He leaves no scholar behind, the people turn to the ignorant as their leaders. They are asked, so they give religious judgments without knowledge; thus they are led astray and lead others astray.”

Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: A woman came to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah, men have taken the biggest share of your company. So, kindly allocate a day to us to come to you so you would teach us from what Allah has taught you." He said: "Assemble on such-and-such day." They assembled and the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) came to them and taught them from what Allah had taught him and he then said: "No woman among you loses three of her children to death except that they will screen her from Hellfire." A woman said: "What about two?" Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "And two."

Abu Shurayh Khuwaylid ibn ‘Amr al-Khuzā‘i al-‘Adawi (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that he said to ‘Amr ibn Sa‘īd ibn al-‘Ās, when the latter was sending troops to Makkah (to fight ‘Abdullāh ibn Az-Zubayr): "O Commander, allow me to tell you what the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said on the day following the Conquest of Makkah. My ears heard it, my heart understood it thoroughly, and I saw it with my own eyes when he spoke it. He glorified Allah and praised Him then said: 'It was Allah, the Almighty, and not the people, who made Makkah a sanctuary, so it is impermissible for anyone who believes in Allah and the Last Day to shed blood in it or to cut down its trees. If someone argues that fighting in it is permissible because the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) fought in it, say to him: 'Allah gave permission to His Messenger and did not give permission to you.' Allah only gave me permission for a few hours of daytime, and its sanctity today is as it was yesterday. So, let those who are present inform those who are absent (of what I just said)." Abu Shurayh was asked: "What did he say to you?" He replied: He said: "O Abu Shurayh, I know better than you in this respect. Makkah does not give protection to a sinner, a fugitive murderer, or a thief."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever tells a lie about me intentionally, let him take his seat in Hellfire."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever tells a lie about me intentionally, let him take his seat in Hellfire."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: When Allah, the Almighty, enabled His Messenger to conquer Makkah, the tribe of Khuzā‘ah killed a man from the tribe of Banu Layth in revenge for a person who was killed from their tribe before Islam. So the Messenger (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) got up and said: "Allah, the Almighty, held back the elephant from Makkah, but He enabled His Messenger and the believers to conquer it. Fighting in it was not permitted for anybody before me, nor will it be permitted for anybody after me; it was permitted for me only for a short while during the day. Verily, it is from this moment a sanctuary; its trees should not be cut down; its grass should not be removed; its thorny shrubs should not be uprooted; and lost items found in it should not be taken except by one who intends to look for its owner. And if somebody is killed, his heir has the option to either kill in retaliation or accept blood money." A man from Yemen named Abu Shāh stood up and said: "Write that for me, O Messenger of Allah", The Messenger (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Write that for Abu Shāh." Then Al-‘Abbās stood up and said: "O Messenger of Allah, except for lemongrass, for we use it in our houses and graves." The Messenger (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Except for lemongrass."

Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr reported: I said to Ibn ‘Abbās: "Nawf al-Bakāli claims that Mūsa is not the Mūsa of the Children of Israel; that he is a different Mūsa." He said: "The enemy of Allah has lied. Ubay ibn Ka‘b reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Mūsa stood to deliver a speech before the Children of Israel and the people asked him: ‘Who is the most learned person among the people?’ Mūsa replied: ‘I am.’ Allah rebuked him because he did not attribute the knowledge to Him. So Allah revealed to him: ‘At the junction of the two seas, there is a servant of Ours who is more learned than you.’ Mūsa asked: ‘O my Lord, how can I meet him?’ Allah said: ‘Take a fish and put it in a basket and then set out, and where you lose the fish, you will find him.’ So he set out along with his boy-servant Yūsha‘ ibn Nūn, and they carried a fish inside a large basket until they reached a rock (on which) they both laid their heads down and slept. The fish snuck out of the basket and slipped off through the sea. Mūsa and his boy-servant were astonished. They continued on through the rest of the night and day, and the next morning Mūsa said to his boy-servant: ‘Bring us our meal; truly, we have suffered much fatigue on this journey.’ Mūsa did not feel tired until he had passed the place that Allah had told him to look for. His boy-servant then said to him: ‘Do you remember when we rested on the rock? Well, I forgot all about the fish; and it was none other than the devil who made me forget.’ Mūsa said: ‘That was what we have been looking for,’ so they returned, retracing their footsteps. When they reached the rock, they found a man shrouded with a robe. Mūsa greeted him with the greeting of peace. Al-Khidr said: ‘Is there (such a greeting of) peace in your land?’ Mūsa said: ‘I am Mūsa.’ He said: ‘Are you the Mūsa of the Children of Israel?’ Mūsa said: ‘Yes,’ and added: ‘May I follow you so you can teach me something of the guidance that you have been taught?’ Al-Khidr said: ‘You will not be able to have patience with me. O Mūsa. I have some of Allah's knowledge, which He has bestowed upon me that you do not know, and you too, have some of Allah's knowledge, which He has bestowed upon you that I do not know.’ Mūsa said: ‘If Allah wills, you will find me patient, and I will not disobey you.’ So they set out walking along the shore, until a boat passed by and they asked the crew to let them on board. The crew recognized Al-Khidr and allowed them on board free of charge. A bird came and perched on the edge of the boat and pecked in the sea once or twice. Al-Khidr said: ‘My knowledge and your knowledge compared to Allah's knowledge are like the pecking of that bird in the sea.’ Al-Khidr then broke one of the boat's panels and pulled it out. Mūsa said to him: ‘These people gave us a free ride, yet you have broken their boat so its people will drown!’ Al-Khidr said: ‘Did I not say that you would not be able to have patience with me?’ Mūsa said: ‘Call me not to account for what I forgot and be not hard upon me in my affairs.’ So Mūsa’s first questioning was due to forgetfulness. They both continued on and came upon a boy playing with some other boys. Al-Khidr took hold of the boy's head and pulled it right off with his hands, killing him. Mūsa said to him: ‘Have you killed an innocent soul without a right?’ He said: ‘Did I not say to you that you would not be able to have patience with me?’ Ibn ‘Uyaynah said: ‘And this was more assertive.’ They continued on until they came to a town and they asked the people for some food, but they refused to entertain them. They found a wall in the town that was on the point of falling down. Al-Khidr set it straight with his own hands. Mūsa said: ‘If you had wished, surely, you could have asked for wages for that!’ He said: "This is the parting between you and me.’" The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "May Allah have mercy on Mūsa! If only he had had more patience so Allah could have told us more about them both!"

Abu Mūsa (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about a man who fights out of valor, fights out of chauvinism, and fights out of ostentation. Which one of them is in the cause of Allah? The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever fights so that the word of Allah be supreme is indeed in the cause of Allah."

Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: As the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was riding a mount with Mu‘ādh behind him, he said: "O Mu‘ādh ibn Jabal!" He replied: "Here I am at your service, O Messenger of Allah." He again said: "O Mu‘ādh!" Mu‘ādh replied: "Here I am at your service, O Messenger of Allah." This was said three times. Then, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There is no one who bears witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger, sincerely from his heart, except that Allah will make him forbidden to Hellfire." He said: "O Messenger of Allah, should I not inform the people of that so that they may rejoice?" He replied: "Then they would rely on this alone." Mu‘ādh narrated this Hadīth at the time of his death to avoid the sin of concealing knowledge.

Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: Umm Sulaym, the wife of Abu Talhah, came to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah, verily, Allah does not feel shy of the truth. If a woman had a wet dream, would it be obligatory on her to take a ritual bath?" He replied: "Yes, if she sees vaginal fluid."