Allah Almighty says, "They were only ordered to worship Allah, making their deen sincerely His as people of pure natural belief, and to establish the prayer and pay zakat ­ that is the correct deen," (98:5) and the Almighty says, "Their flesh and blood does not reach Allah but your fear of Him does reach Him." (W22:35; H322:37) and the Almighty says, "Say, 'Whether you conceal what is in your breasts or make it known, Allah knows it.'" (3:29

2. 'A'isha, Umm al-Mu'minin, Umm 'Abdullah said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'An army will invade the Ka'ba. When they are at Bayda', the earth will swallow them up from the first to the last of them.'" She said, "I said, 'Messenger of Allah, how will it swallow them up from the first to the last of them when their traders are among them as well as others who are not really part of them?' He said, 'It will swallow them up from the first to the last of them and then they will resurrected according to their intentions.'" [Agreed upon. This is the version in al-Bukhari.]

3. 'A'isha, may Allah be pleased with her said, "The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'There is no more hijra after the Conquest [of Makka], but there is jihad and intention. When you are called to it then go." [Agreed upon]

4. Abu 'Abdullah Jabir ibn 'Abdullah al-Ansari said, "Once we were with the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, on an expedition and he said, 'There are certain men still in Madina who have accompanied you on every stretch you have travelled and every valley you have crossed. It was only illness that prevented them from coming.'"

One variant has, "from their sharing the reward with us." [Muslim]

Al-Bukhari related it from Anas who said, "We returned from the expedition to Tabuk with the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and he said, 'Some people have stayed behind in Madina and we did not travel through a ravine or a valley without their accompanying us. A valid excuse prevented them from coming.'"

5. Abu Yazid Ma'n ibn Yazid ibn al-Akhnas ­ and he, his father and grandfather were Companions ­ said, "My father, Yazid, had put aside some dinars to give as sadaqa and placed them in the care of a man in the mosque and then I came and took them and brought them to him. He said, 'By Allah, I did not mean you!' I took the case to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and he said, 'Yazid, for you what you intended, and for you, Ma'n, what you took.'" [al-Bukhari]

6. Abu Ishaq Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas Malik ibn Uhayb ibn 'Abdu Manaf ibn Zuhra ibn Kilab ibn Murra ibn Ka'b ibn Lu'ayy al-Qurashi az-Zuhri, one of the ten testified who would have the Garden, may Allah be pleased with them, said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, visited me in the year of the Hajj of Farewell on account of a serious illness I had. I said, 'Messenger of Allah, this illness has affected me as you see and I have property but no heirs other than my daughter. Shall I give two-thirds of my property away as sadaqa?' He replied, 'No.' I asked, 'A half?' He replied, 'No.' He said, 'A third, and a third is great (or a lot). It is better to leave rich heirs than to leave them poor, begging from other people. There is nothing you spend, desiring by it the face of Allah, but that you will be rewarded, even for a morsel you put in your wife's mouth.' I said, 'Messenger of Allah, will I be left behind [in Makka] after my companions leave?' He said, 'You will not be left behind, for any virtuous actions you do will raise you in degree and elevation. And then perhaps you might be left behind so that some people will benefit from you and others be harmed by you. O Allah, let My Companions complete their emigration and do not let them turn back on their heels,' but poor Sa'd ibn Khawla had the Messenger of Allah grieve over his death in Makka." [Agreed upon] [Muslim]

7. Abu Hurayra 'Abdu'r-Rahman ibn Sakhr said that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Allah does not look at your bodies nor your forms but He looks at your hearts and your actions."

8. Abu Musa 'Abdullah ibn Qays al-Ash'ari said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was asked about the man who fights in anger, a man who fights to defend himself and a man who fights to show off, and whether any of these were fighting in the way of Allah The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'The one fights so that the word of Allah will be uppermost is in the way of Allah.'" [Agreed upon]

9. Abu Bakra Nufay' ibn al-Harith ath-Thaqafi said, "The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'When two Muslims clash with their swords, then both the killer and killed are in the Fire.' I asked, "Messenger of Allah, I can understand this with regard to the killer, but what about the murdered man?' He replied, 'He also was eager to kill his companion.'" [Agreed upon]

10. Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The group prayer of a man is some twenty degrees higher than his prayer in his business or his house. That is because when one of you does wudu' thoroughly and then goes to the mosque with no other object than that of doing the prayer, without being impelled by anything other than the prayer, Allah will raise him up a degree with every step he takes, and a wrong action will also fall away from him, until he enters the mosque. When he enters the mosque, he is in prayer the whole time he is waiting for it and the angels pray for him all the time he is sitting there, saying, 'O Allah! Show mercy to him! O Allah! Forgive him! O Allah! Turn towards him!' as long as he has not caused anyone injury and has not broken wudu'." [Agreed upon. This is the version in Muslim]

11. Abu'l-'Abbas 'Abdullah ibn 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas ibn 'Abdu'l-Muttalib said that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said in what he reported from his Lord, the Mighty and Majestic, "Allah wrote good actions and bad actions and then made that clear. Whoever intends to do a good action and then does not do it, Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, will write a full good action for him. If he intends to do it and then does it, Allah will write ten to seven hundred good actions multiplied many times over. If he intends an evil action and then does not do it, Allah will write a full good action for him. If he intends it and then does it, Allah will write one bad action for him." [Agreed upon]

12. Abu 'Abdu'r-Rahman 'Umar ibn al-Khattab said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, "Three men of the past were travelling and took refuge for the night in a cave. They entered it and a rock fell down the mountain and blocked the entrance. They said, 'The only thing that will rescue us from this rock is to call on Allah invoking good actions we have done!' One of them said, "O Allah, my parents are both old and it is my habit never to give milk in the evening either to my family or friends before giving it to them first. One day I went a long way in search of something and did not reach them until they had already gone to bed. I milked their evening drink but found them asleep. I did not want to wake them nor to give my family or friends their evening drink before they had had theirs, so I remained with the cup in my hand waiting for them to wake up until dawn came. The children were at my feet, crying because of hunger. Then they woke up and drank their drink. O Allah, if I did that out of the desire for Your Face, then rescue us from the situation we are in regarding this rock." It opened up a little but they still could not get out. The second said, "O Allah! A cousin of mine was the person I loved more than any other. (Another variant has, "I used to love one of my uncle's daughters with the most intense love it is possible for a man to have for a woman.") I tried to seduce her and she refused me until, one year when she was in dire need, she came to me and I gave her a hundred and twenty dinars provided that she would let me do what I wanted with her. She did that but when I was about to have my way with her, (One variant has, "when I was between her legs.") she said, 'Fear Allah and do not break the seal without having the right to do so.' Then I left her alone in spite of the fact that she was, of all people, the one I loved the most and also left her with the gold I had given her. O Allah, if I did that out of the desire for Your Face, then rescue us from our situation!" The rock moved a little further but they still could not get out. The third said, "O Allah, I employed some workers and gave all of them their wages except for one man who went off without taking what he was owed. I invested his wage until it multiplied in value. After a time he came to me and said, ''Abdullah, pay me my wage!' I said, 'All the camels, cattle, sheep and slaves that you see here have come from your wage.' He said, ''Abdullah, do not make fun of me?' I said, 'I am not making fun of you.' He took them all and drove them off, not leaving anything. O Allah, if I did that out of the desire for Your Face, then rescue us from the situation we are in!" The rock moved away and they walked out.'" [Agreed upon]

Scholars say that it is s a duty to repent of every wrong action. If it is disobedience which occurs between a person and Allah and does not involve the right of another human being, repentance has three preconditions. The first is that one divest himself of disobedience. The second is that he regret doing it. The third is that he resolve not to ever return to it. If one of the three is lacking, then his repentance is not sound. If it involves to another human being, repentance has four preconditions: these three and that he discharges his duty to the other person. If it is money or the like, he pays it to him. If it is a hadd-punishment because of slander and the like it, he give shim power over him or seeks his pardon. If it is slander, he undoes it, He must repent of all wrong actions. If he repents of some of them, the people of truth say that his repentance of them is sound, but he still has the rest. There is much evidence in the Book, the Sunna and the consensus of the Community about the obligation to repent.

Allah Almighty says, "Turn towards Allah, O believers, every one of you, so that perhaps you will have success," (24:31) and the Almighty says, "Ask your Lord for forgiveness and then turn in repentance to Him," (11:3) and the Almighty says, "O you who believe! Turn in sincere repentance to Allah." (66:8)

14. Al-Agharr ibn Yasar al-Muzani said that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "O people! Turn in repentance towards Allah and ask His forgiveness. I turn towards Him a hundred times a day."[Muslim]

15. Abu Hamza Anas ibn Malik al-Ansari, the servant of the Messenger of Allah reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Allah is happier about the repentance of one His slaves than one of you would be about finding your camel which had strayed away from you in the middle of the desert."[Agreed upon]

In the variant of Muslim, "Allah has greater joy at the repentance of one His slaves when he turns towards Him than one of you would have over his mount, which, having escaped from him with his food and drink in the middle of the desert so that he has despaired of finding it and gone to a tree to lie down in its shade, suddenly appears standing by him while he is in that state, so that he takes its reins and then says out of the intensity of his joy, 'O Allah, You are my slave and I am Your Lord!' getting confused because of his intense joy.'"

16. From Abu Musa 'Abdullah ibn Qays al-Ash'ari is that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Allah Almighty will stretch out His hand during the night, turning towards the one who did wrong during the day, and stretch out His hand during the day, turning towards the one who did wrong during the night, until the day the sun rises from the place it set." [Muslim]

17. Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Allah will turn towards anyone who turns in repentance before the time that the sun rises from the place it set." [Muslim]

18. Abu 'Abdu'r-Rahman 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar ibn al-Khattab said that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Allah the Mighty and Majestic accepts the repentance of His servant as long as long as his death-rattle has not begun." [At-Tirmidhi]

19. Zirr ibn Hubays said, "I went to Safwan ibn 'Assal to ask him about wiping over leather socks. He said, 'What has brought you, O Zirr?' I said, 'The search for knowledge.' He said, 'The angels lower their wings to anyone who seeks knowledge, out of pleasure at what he is seeking.' I said, 'I am troubled about wiping over leather socks after defecation and urination. You were one of the Companions of the Prophet, so I have come to ask you whether you heard him mention anything regarding that.' He said, 'Yes. He used to command us when we were travelling ­ or journeying ­ not to remove our leather socks for three days and nights except in the case of janaba. We were not to remove them on account of defecation, urination or sleep.' I said, 'Did you hear him mention anything about love?' He said, 'Yes. Once we were with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, on a journey and, while we were in his presence, a bedouin with a loud voice called out to him, "O Muhammad!" The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, answered him in a similarly loud voice, "Go ahead!" I said to him, "Bother you! Lower your voice! You are in the presence of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and this is forbidden!" He retorted, "By Allah, I will not lower it!" The bedouin said, "Can a man love a people when he has not yet joined them?" The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "A man will be with the one he loves on the Day of Rising."' Safwan continued to relate to us until he mentioned a door in the West the span of whose breadth is ­ or whose breadth it would take a rider ­ forty or seventy years.'"

Sufyan, one its transmitters, said, "It is in the direction of Syria. Allah Almighty, on the day He created the heavens and the earth, created it to be open for repentance and it will not be locked until the sun rises from there." [at-Tirmidhi & others]

20. Abu Sa'id ibn Sa'd ibn Malik ibn Sinan al-Khudri reported that the Prophet of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Among those before you there was a man who killed ninety-nine people. He asked who was the most knowledgeable man in the world and was directed to a monk. He went to him and said that he had killed ninety-nine people and was repentance possible for him? The monk said, 'No,' so he killed him and made it a hundred. Then he again asked who was the most knowledgeable man on earth and was directed to a man of knowledge. He said that he had killed a hundred people, so was repentance possible for him? The man said, 'Yes, who can come between you and repentance? Go to such-and-such a land, where there are some people worshipping Allah Almighty. Worship Allah with them and do not return to your own country. It is an evil place.' So he went and then, when he was half way there, he died. The angels of mercy and angels of punishment started to argue about him. The angels of mercy said, 'He came in repentance, turning with his heart to Allah Almighty.' The angels of punishment said, 'He has not done a single good action.' An angel came in a human form and they appointed him arbitrator between them. He said, 'Measure the distance between the two countries and whichever one he is nearer to, that is the one he belongs to.' They measured and found he was nearer to the land to which he was going, so the angels of mercy took him." [Agreed upon]

In the variant in the Sahih, "He was a hand-span nearer to the virtuous land, so he was put among their people." In the variant in the Sahih, "Allah revealed to this country to distance itself and that one to come nearer. He said, 'Measure the distance between them,' and they found that he was nearer to the good one by a hand-span and he forgave him." In one variant, "He was nearer it by a short neck."

21. 'Abdullah ibn Ka'b ibn Malik, the one of Ka'b's sons who guided him when he went blind, said, "I heard Ka'b ibn Malik relate his account of when he stayed behind the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, on the expedition to Tabuk. Ka'b said, 'I did not stay behind the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, on any another expedition he made at all, except for the Tabuk expedition, although I did not go on the expedition to Badr. No one censured me for staying behind that, because the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and the Muslims set out heading for the caravan of Quraysh until Allah Almighty brought them together with their enemy unexpectedly. I was present with the Messenger of Allah on the night of 'Aqaba when we made a compact on Islam and I would not want to exchange that for having been present at Badr, even though Badr is more renowned than it among the people.

"'Part of my account of when I stayed behind the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, on the expedition to Tabuk was that I had never been either stronger or wealthier than when I stayed behind him on this expedition. By Allah, before it I had never had two riding animals as I did have when that expedition took place. When the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, intended to go on an expedition, he would always indicate another destination until the expedition actually left. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, made this one at a time of intense heat and there was a long journey in prospect and a waterless desert, and a great enemy to face. Therefore he made the whole thing quite clear to the Muslims so that they could make the necessary preparations for the expedition. He told them the direction in which he was intending to go. The Muslims with the Messenger of Allah were numerous and a recording book (meaning a register) was incapable of including all of them.'

"Ka'b said, 'Anyone wanting to absent himself thought that his absence would go unnoticed as long as no revelation was sent down about him from Allah. The Messenger of Allah made that expedition when the fruit was ripe and there was plentiful shade and I inclined towards it. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and the Muslims with him made preparations, and I would go out to make preparations with him as well, but then I would return without having accomplished anything, saying to myself, "I can do it any time I wish." I went on like this until the people were fully prepared, and the Messenger of Allah set out with the Muslims but I had still not completed any of my preparations. Then I began and again returned without accomplishing anything. I continued like this until they had gone on ahead and the expedition had left. I intended to set off and catch up with them, and I wish that I had done so, but that was not decreed for me. When I went out among the people after the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, had left, it saddened me that the only people like me were either men suspected of hypocrisy or men whom Allah Almighty had excused on account of their being among the weak.

"'The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did not mention me until he reached Tabuk. While he was sitting among the people at Tabuk, he said, "What has Ka'b ibn Malik done?" A man of the Banu Salima said, "O Messenger of Allah, he has been held back by his two cloaks and self-conceit.' Mu'adh ibn Jabal, may Allah be pleased with him, said to him, "What an evil thing to say! By Allah, Messenger of Allah, we only know good of him!" The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was silent. While he was like that, he saw a man in white shimmering in the heat and said, "May it be Abu Khaythama!" and it was indeed Abu Khaythama al-Ansari. He is the one who gave a sa' of dates as sadaqa and the hypocrites criticised him.'

"Ka'b said, 'When I heard that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was on his return journey from Tabuk, I became very upset and began to think up lies and to say, "How can I escape his anger tomorrow!" and I consulted everyone among my family capable of giving sound advice for help in respect of that. When it was said that the Messenger of Allah was arriving, all falsehood left me as I knew that nothing would ever save me from him. I resolved to stick to the truth. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, arrived in the morning. Whenever he came back from a journey, he would first go to the mosque and pray two rak'ats in it and then he would sit to receive the people. When he did that, those who had stayed behind went to him making their excuses and swearing to them. There were about eighty men. He accepted what they declared and took their allegiance and asked forgiveness for them and entrusted their secrets to Allah Almighty until I came. When I greeted him, he smiled the smile of someone who is angry and then he said, "Come here." I walked up and then sat down in front of him. He said to me, "What kept you back? Had you not bought a mount?"'

"He said, 'I said, 'Messenger of Allah, by Allah, if I were sitting with anyone else in the world apart from you, I would think that I could escape his anger by making some excuse. I am gifted in argumentation, but, by Allah, I know that if I were to tell you a false story today which might satisfy you with regard to me, Allah would soon make you angry with me. If I tell you the truth, you will be angry with me, but I hope for a good outcome from Allah, the Mighty and Exalted. By Allah, I do not have any excuse. By Allah, I have never been stronger nor wealthier than when I remained behind you."'

"He said, 'The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "This one has spoken the truth. Get up until Allah decides about you." Some men of the Banu Salima followed me and said to me, "By Allah, we have not known you to commit a wrong action before this! Were you unable to offer an excuse to the Messenger of Allah like the others who stayed behind made excuses? The Messenger of Allah's prayer for forgiveness would have compensated for your wrong action."' He said, 'By Allah, they continued to reproach me until I wanted to return to the Messenger of Allah and deny what I had said. Then I said to them, "Has anyone else met with the same as me?" They said, "Yes, two men have met with it. They said the same as you said and the same thing that was said to you was said to them."' He said, 'I said, "Who are they?" They said, "Murara ibn ar-Rabi' al-'Amiri and Hilal ibn Umayya al-Waqifi."' He said, 'They mentioned to me two righteous men who had been present at Badr and had good character.' He said, 'When they mentioned them to me, I was determined.'

"'The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, forbade people to speak to the three of us out of all those who had remained behind him. So the people avoided us (or he said, "changed towards us") until the earth seemed strange to me and it was not the same earth I used to know. We remained that way for fifty days. My two companions were miserable and stayed in their homes, weeping. I was the youngest of them, and was tougher. I used to go out and attend the prayer with the Muslims and I would walk in the markets but no one would speak to me. I went to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and greeted him while he was in his assembly after the prayer and would say to myself, "Did he move his lips to return the greeting or not?" Then I would pray near him and sneak a look at him and he would look at me while I attended to my prayer, but when I turned towards him, he would turn away from me. When that harshness of the Muslims went on too long a time for me, I climbed over the wall of Abu Qatada's garden. He was my cousin and the dearest of people to me. I greeted him, and, by Allah, he did not return the greeting to me. I said to him, "Abu Qatada, I ask you by Allah, do you not know that I love Allah and His Messenger?" He was silent, and I repeated my adjuration and he was still silent. I again repeated my adjuration and he said, "Allah and His Messenger know best." My eyes overflowed with tears and I turned and climbed back over the wall.

"'While I was walking in the market of Madina, a farmer from the people of Syria, who had brought some food to sell in Madina, said, "Who will direct me to Ka'b ibn Malik?" The people began to point me out to him until he came up to me and handed me a letter from the king of Ghassan. I was a scribe and so I read it. It said, "Following on from that: it has reached us that your companion has been harsh to you. Allah has not put you in a place to be humiliated and deprived. Join us and we will console you." When I had read it, I said, "This is also part of the test," and I took it to the oven which burned it up.

"'When forty of the fifty days had passed and revelation was still delayed, a messenger from the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came to me and said, "The Messenger of Allah commands you to withdraw from your wife." I said, "Am I to divorce her or what?" He said, "No, just withdraw from her and do not go near her." He sent the same message to my two companions. I said to my wife, "Join your family and stay with them until Allah decides about this business." The wife of Hilal ibn Umayya went to the Messenger of Allah and said to him, "Messenger of Allah, Hilal ibn Umayya is an old man unable to look after himself and he has no servant. Would you dislike me serving him?" He said, "No, but do not let him come near you." She said, "By Allah, he has no impulse for anything. By Allah, he has remained weeping since the day of this business started until today." Some of my family said to me, "You should ask permission from the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, for your wife. He gave permission to the wife of Hilal ibn Umayya to serve him." I said, "I will not ask the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, for permission for her. How do I know what the Messenger of Allah would say if I asked his permission being a young man!" I remained like that for ten days, and fifty days were completed from the time when speaking to us was first prohibited.

"Then on the morning after the fiftieth night, I prayed Fajr on top of one of our houses. While I was sitting in the grip of the state which Allah Almighty mentioned about us, my self being constricted and the earth seeming narrow for me after it had been wide, I heard someone shouting at the top of his voice from the top of Sal': "Ka'b ibn Malik, good news for you!" I fell down in prostration and knew that relief had come. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, announced to the people the turning of Allah, the Mighty and Exalted, towards us after he had prayed the Fajr prayer. The people came to bring us the good news. They went to my two companions to bring them the good news. One man spurred on his horse to reach me and one of Aslam ran towards me and climbed the mountain. The voice reached me quicker than the horse. When the one whose voice I had heard came to me to give me the good news, I removed my garments and put them on him because of the good news he had brought. By Allah, that day I had no other garments than those. I borrowed two garments and wore them and went to go before the Messenger of Allah. Crowds of people met me to congratulate me on Allah's turning towards me. They were saying to me, "Enjoy the turning of Allah towards you!" until I entered the mosque. The Messenger of Allah was sitting surrounded by people. Talha ibn 'Ubaydullah may Allah be pleased with him, got up, hurrying to shake my hand and congratulate me. By Allah, not one of the Muhajriun got up except him. Ka'b will never forget what Talha did.'

"Ka'b said, 'When I greeted the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, his face was shining with joy and he said, "Rejoice in the best day that has come to you since your mother bore you!" I said, "Is it from you, Messenger of Allah, or from Allah?" He said, "Indeed it is from Allah, the Mighty and Exalted!" When the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was happy, his face used to shine as if it were a part of the moon. We used to recognise that in him. When I sat down in front of him, I said, 'Messenger of Allah, part of my repentance is that I divest myself of my property as sadaqa for Allah and His Messenger." The Messenger of Allah said, "Keep part of your property for yourself. That will be better for you." So I said, "I will keep my share at Khaybar." I said, "Messenger of Allah, Allah Almighty has saved me on account of being truthful, and part of my repentance is that I will speak nothing but the truth for as long as I live." By Allah, I do not know of anyone among the Muslims whom Allah Almighty has tried more. By Allah, I have not inclined to a lie from the time I said that to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, until this very day, and I hope that Allah Almighty will protect me during what remains of my life.'

"He said, 'Allah Almighty then sent down, "Allah has turned towards the Prophet, and the Muhajirun and the Ansar, those who followed him at the 'time of difficulty'" until "He is All-Gentle, Most Merciful to them, and also towards the three who were left behind, so that when the earth became narrow for them, for all its great breadth," until "Fear Allah and be with the truthful." (W9:118-120; H9:117-119)'

"Ka'b said, 'By Allah, after Allah guided me to Islam, Allah did not bestow on me any blessing greater than my truthfulness to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and the fact that I did not lie to him and get destroyed as those who lied were destroyed. When the revelation was sent down, Allah Almighty said about those who lied, the worst thing He said about anyone. Allah Almighty said, "They will swear to you by Allah when you return to them, so that you leave them alone. Leave them alone, then! They are defilement. Their shelter will be Hell as repayment for what they earned. They will swear to you to make you pleased with them, but even if you are pleased with them, Allah is certainly not pleased with degenerate people." (W9:96-97; H9:95-96)'

"Ka'b said, "We three were left apart from those whose excuses had been accepted by the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, when they swore to them and whose allegiance he took and for whom he asked forgiveness. The Messenger of Allah deferred the matter of us until Allah Almighty decided about it and Allah Almighty said, "towards the three who were left behind" and what He mentioned was not our staying back from the expedition but his leaving us and deferring our matter beyond that of the others who stayed behind and made excuses to him which he accepted.'" [Agreed upon]

One variant has, "The Prophet left on the expedition of Tabuk on a Thursday. He liked to set out on Thursdays."

One variant has, "He used to only return from a journey in the morning. When he arrived, he went first to the mosque and prayed two rak'ats in it, and then he would sit in it."

22. Abu Nujayd 'Imran ibn al-Husayn al-Khuza'i reported that a woman from Juhayna came to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, who was pregnant as a result of fornication. She said, "O Messenger of Allah, I have broken a hadd, so carry out the punishment on me. The Prophet of Allah summoned her guardian and said, "Treat her well. When she gives birth, bring her back to me." He did that and the Prophet of Allah commanded that her garment be tied tightly about her and then he commanded that she be stoned. Then he prayed over her. 'Umar said to him, "Do you pray over her, Messenger of Allah, when she committed fornication? He said, "She repented with such a repentance that if it were to be divided out among seventy of the people of Madina, it would be enough for all of them. Can you think of anything better than her offering herself to Allah, the Mighty and Majestic?" [Muslim]

23. Ibn 'Abbas reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "If the son of Adam possessed a valley full of gold he would want to have two valleys, yet his mouth will only be filled by earth. Allah turns towards those who turn in repentance." [Agreed upon]

24. Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Allah, glory be to Him, laughs about two men, one of whom kills the other and yet both of them enter the Garden. One fights in the way of Allah and is killed. Then Allah turns towards the killer, who then becomes Muslim himself and is martyred." [Agreed upon]

Allah Almighty says, "O you who believe! Be steadfast; be supreme in steadfastness" (3:200), and the Almighty says, "We will test you with a certain amount of fear and hunger and loss of wealth and life and fruits. But give good news to the steadfast," (W2:154; H2:155) and the Almighty says, "The steadfast will be paid their wages in full without any reckoning." (W39:11; H39:10) The Almighty said, "But if someone is steadfast and forgives, that is the most resolute course to follow." (W42:40; H42:43) The Almighty says, "Seek help in steadfastness and the prayer. Allah is with the steadfast" (W2:152; H2:153) and the Almighty says, "We will test you until We know the true fighters among you and those who are steadfast" (W47:30; H47:31)

The ayats about the command to be steadfast and the clarification of its excellence are numerous and well-known.

26. Abu Sa'id Sa'd ibn Malik ibn Sinan al-Khudri said, "Some of the people of the Ansar asked for something from the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and he gave it to them. Then they asked him again and he gave to them until he had used up everything he had. He said, 'If I had anything more, I would not keep it from you. Whoever refrains, Allah will spare him from needing to ask. Whoever wants to be independent, Allah will make him so. Whoever shows fortitude, Allah will increase him in that. No one can be given any better and greater gift than fortitude.'" [Agreed upon]

27. Abu Yahya Suhayb ibn Sinan said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'What an extraordinary thing the business of the believer is! All of it is good for him. And that only applies to the believer. If good fortune is his lot, he is grateful and it is good for him. If something harmful happens to him, he is steadfast and that is good for him too.'" [Muslim]

28. Anas said, "When the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was very ill, the pain began to make him faint. Fatima said, 'Have you more pain, father?' He said, 'After today your father will suffer no more pain.' When he died, she said, 'Father, your Lord has answered your prayer. Father, the Garden of Firdaws is your shelter. Father, shall we announce your death to Jibril?' When he was buried, Fatima said, 'Are you happy to put dust on the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace?'" [al-Bukhari]

29. Abu Zayd Usama ibn Zayd ibn Haritha, the client of the Messenger of Allah, one he loved and the son of one he loved, said, "A daughter of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, sent a message to him saying, 'One of my sons is dying, so come.' He sent his greetings to her and said, 'What Allah takes is His and what He gives is His. Everything has a fixed term with Him, so she should show fortitude and expect a reward.' She sent to him imploring him to come to her. He got up with Sa'd ibn 'Ubada, Mu'adh ibn Jabal, Ubayy ibn Ka'b, Zayd ibn Thabit and some other men, may Allah be pleased with them. The child was brought to the Messenger of Allah and he was shuddering. The Prophet's eyes were flowing with tears and Sa'd said, 'Messenger of Allah, what is this?' He said, 'This is an aspect of mercy which Allah has put in the hearts of His slaves.'"

One variant has, "In the hearts of whomever He will of His slaves. Allah is merciful to those of His slaves who are merciful. [Agreed upon]

30. Suhayb reported hat the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Among those before you there was a king who had a sorcerer. When he was old, he said to the king, 'I am old, so send me a lad to whom I can teach sorcery.' He sent him a lad for him to teach. When the boy was on the way, he came upon a monk. He sat down to listen to his words and liked what he heard. Whenever he went to the sorcerer, he would pass by the monk and sit with him. When he came to the sorcerer, the sorcerer would beat him. He complained about that to the monk who said, 'When you are afraid of the sorcerer, say, "My family kept me." And when you are afraid of your family, say, "The sorcerer kept me."'

"While all this was going on, he came upon a great beast which was barring the people's way and said, 'Today I will find out who is better, the sorcerer or the monk.' He took a stone and said, 'O Allah, if what the monk does is preferable to You to what the sorcerer does, then turn this beast aside so that the people can pass.' He threw it and killed the animal and the people went on. He went to the monk and told him and the monk said to him, 'O my boy, today you are better than I am. I see the point that your business has reached. You will be tested and, when you are tested, do not point me out.' The boy used to heal the blind and the lepers and treat people for all their ailments. A companion of the king who was blind heard this and brought him many gifts. He said, 'All that I have gathered for you here is yours if you heal me.' He said, 'I do not heal anyone. It is Allah Almighty who heals. If you believe in Allah Almighty, I will pray to Allah to heal you." So he believed in Allah Almighty and Allah Almighty healed him. He went to the king and sat with him as he used to do. The king said to him, 'Who has returned your sight to you?' He said, 'It was my Lord.' He said, 'You have a Lord other than me?!' He said, 'My Lord and your Lord, Allah.' So he seized him and did not stop torturing him until he pointed out the boy. The boy was brought and the king said to him, 'O boy, your sorcery has reached the point where you heal the blind and the lepers, and you do such-and-such and such-and-such.' He said, 'I do not heal anyone. It is Allah Almighty who heals.' He seized him and did not stop torturing him until he pointed out the monk. The monk was brought and told, 'Renounce your religion.' He refused. He called for a saw and placed the saw on the centre of his head and split it until the two halves fell apart. Then the companion of the king was brought and told, 'Renounce your religion!' He refused, and the the saw was placed on the centre of his head and split it until the two halves fell apart. Then the boy was brought and told, 'Renounce your religion,' and he refused. He handed him over to a group of his companions and said, 'Take him to such-and-such a mountain, and take him up the mountain. When you reach its summit, if he has not renounced his religion, throw him off.' They took him and brought him up the mountain and he said, 'O Allah, save me from them in whatever way You will.' The mountain shook and they fell. He walked to the king and the king said to him, 'What has happened to your companions?' He said, 'Allah Almighty saved me from them.' He handed him over to a group of his companions and said, 'Take him and put him in a ship and take him to the middle of the sea. If he does not recant, then throw him into it.' They took him and he said, 'O Allah, save me from them in whatever way You will.' The ship capsized and they were drowned. He walked back to the king and the king said to him, 'What has happened to your companions?' He said, 'Allah Almighty saved me from them.' He said to the king, 'You will not kill me until you do what I command you.' He said, 'What is that?' He said, 'You should gather the people together on one plain and crucify me on a palm trunk. Then take an arrow from your quiver and put the arrow in the centre of your bow and say, "In the name of Allah, the Lord of the boy," and then shoot it. If you do that, you will kill me.' So he gathered the people together on one plain and crucified him on a trunk and then took his arrow from his quiver and placed the arrow in the middle of the bow and then said, "In the name of Allah, the Lord of the boy," and then shot it and the arrow struck his temple. He put his hand on his temple and then died. The people said, "We believe in the Lord of the boy." The king was brought and told, "Do you not see that, by Allah, your fear has brought about the very thing you were afraid of! The people have believed." So he commanded that a trench be dug with openings onto it and had fires lit in it. He said, 'Throw into it, anyone who does not renounce his religion or tell him to jump.' They did that until a woman came with one of her children. She hesitated to jump into it and the child said to her, 'Mother, be steadfast! You have the truth.'" [Muslim]

31. Anas said, "The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, passed by a woman who was weeping at a grave and said, 'Fear Allah and show fortitude.' She said, not recognising him, 'Leave me alone. You have not been struck by such an affliction as mine!' She was told, 'It is the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.' She went to the door of the Prophet and, finding no one guarding the door, she said, 'I did not recognise you.' He said, 'The time for fortitude is at the first shock.'" [Agreed upon]

In a variant in Muslim, "Weeping for a child of hers."

32. Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Allah Almighty says, 'The Garden will be the reward for My believing slave when I take his close friend from the people of this world and he hopes for the Garden as his reward." [al-Bukhari]

33. 'A'isha asked the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, about the plague and he told her that it was a punishment which Allah Almighty sent against whomever He will but that Allah Almighty had made it a mercy to the believers. "There is no slave who comes into contact with the plague and then remains where he is with fortitude and in expectation of the reward, knowing that only what Allah has written for him will befall him, who will receive any other reward than that of a martyr." [Al-Bukhari]

34. Anas said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, 'Allah the Mighty and Exalted says, 'When I test My slave regarding the two things he loves and he shows fortitude, I repay him for them with the Garden.'" He meant his eyes. [al-Bukhari]

35. 'Ata' ibn Abi Rabah said, "Ibn 'Abbas said to me, 'Shall I show you a woman who is one of the people of the Garden?' I replied, 'Please do.' He said, 'This black woman came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and said, "I have fits during which I expose myself. Pray to Allah Almighty for me." He said, "If you wish, you can show fortitude and you will receive the Garden, and if you wish, I will pray to Allah Almighty to heal you." She said, "I will show fortitude." She said, "I expose myself so pray to Allah that I do not expose myself." So he prayed for her.'" [Agreed upon]

36. Abu 'Abdu'r-Rahman 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud said, "It is as if I could still see the Messenger of Allah talking about one of the Prophets, may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon them, whose people beat him, making his blood flow. While he was wiping the blood from his face, he said, 'O Allah, forgive my people. They do not know.'" [Agreed upon]

37. Abu Sa'id and Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "No fatigue, illness, anxiety, sorrow, harm or sadness afflicts any Muslim, even to the extent of a thorn pricking him, without Allah wiping out his mistakes by it." [Agreed upon]

38. Ibn Mas'ud said, "I visited the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, when he had a fever. I said, "Messenger of Allah, you have a very high fever!' He replied, 'Yes. I have the fever of two of you.' I asked, 'Is that because you will have two rewards?' He said, 'Yes, it is like that. No Muslim is afflicted by harm, whether it is a thorn or something worse, without Allah expiating his evil deeds on that account and his sins fall away from him like leaves from a tree.'" [Agreed upon]

39. Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "When Allah desires good for someone, He afflicts him." [Al-Bukhari]

40. Anas said, "The Messenger of Allah may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'None of you should wish for death because of some harm which has befallen him. If he has got to do something, he should say, 'O Allah, make me live if life is best for me and make me die if death is best for me." [Agreed upon]

41. Abu 'Abdullah Khabbab ibn al-Aratt, said "We complained to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, while he was using his cloak as a pillow in the shade of the Ka'ba, saying, 'Why do you not ask for victory for us? Why do you not make supplication for us?' He replied, 'Among those before you there was a man who was seized and put in a hole in the ground which was dug for him. Then a saw was brought, put to his head and he was sawed in half. Then he was raked with metal teeth through his flesh and bones. None of that turned him from his religion. Allah will complete this business so that a rider will be able to travel from San'a' to Hadramawt fearing none but Allah and wolves against his sheep, but you want to make things happen too quickly." [al-Bukhari]

One variant has, "While he was using his cloak as a pillow and 'we have encountered persecution from the idolaters.'"

42. Ibn Mas'ud said, "On the Day of Hunayn, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, favoured some people over others in his division of the spoils. He gave al-Aqra' ibn Habis a hundred camels and gave 'Uyayna ibn Hisn the same number. He also gave to some of the nobles of the Arabs and favoured them in the division that day. A man said, 'By Allah, this a division which lacks justice and by which the face of Allah is not desired.' I said, 'By Allah, I will inform the Messenger of Allah!' So I went to him and informed him about what he had said. His face changed colour until it was red and then he said, 'Who will be just if Allah and His Messenger are not just?' Then he said, 'May Allah have mercy on Musa! He was abused more than this and he was patient.' I said, 'After this, I will never take any report to him again!'" [Agreed upon]

43. Anas reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "When Allah desires good for one of His slaves, He brings forward the punishment for him in this world. When Allah desires evil for His slave, He withholds from him what is due to him on account of his wrong actions and then settles it on the Day of Rising."

The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The greatest reward goes together with the greatest affliction. When Allah Almighty loves people, He tests them. All who are content receive His good pleasure. Those who are angry receive His anger." [at-Tirmidhi]

44. Anas said, "A son of Abu Talha was ill. Abu Talha went out and the boy died. When Abu Talha returned, he said, 'How is my son?' Umm Sulaym, who was the mother of the boy, said, 'He is quieter than he was.' She brought him his supper and he ate. Then he had sexual intercourse with her and when he had finished, she said, 'Shroud the boy.' In the morning, Abu Talha went to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and informed him. He said, 'Did you have intercourse in the night?' He said, 'Yes.' He said, 'O Allah, bless them both,' and she gave birth to a boy. Abu Talha said to me, 'Carry him to the Prophet.' He sent some dates with him. He said, 'Is there anything with him?' He said, 'Yes, some dates.' The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, took a date and chewed it and then took it from his mouth and put it into the mouth of the child and rubbed its palate with it and named him 'Abdullah." [Agreed upon]

In the variant in al-Bukhari, Ibn 'Uyayna said, "A man of the Ansar said, 'I saw nine sons, all of whom could recite the Qur'an,' meaning the sons of this 'Abdullah who was born."

In a variant in Muslim, "A son of Abu Talha by Umm Sulaym died and she told her family, 'Do not tell Abu Talha about his son until I have told him myself.' She brought him supper and he ate and drank. Then she beautified herself for him better than she had ever beautified herself before, and he had intercourse with her. When she saw that he was full and had had sex with her, she said, 'Abu Talha, what would you think if some people lent something to a family and then asked for their loan back? Can they prevent them?' He replied, 'No.' She said, 'Then seek the reward for your son.'"

He said, "He became angry and then said, 'You left me until I was impure from intercourse and then told me about my son!' He went to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and told him what had happened. The Messenger of Allah said, 'May Allah bless the night for both of you.'" He said, "She became pregnant." He said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was on a journey and she was with him. When the Messenger of Allah came to Madina from a journey, he would never enter it at night. They drew near Madina and she went into labour. Abu Talha stayed with her and the Messenger of Allah went on." He said, "Abu Talha said, 'You know, O Lord, that I like to go out with the Messenger of Allah when he goes out and enter when he enters and I am held back by what You see.' Umm Sulaym said, 'Abu Talha, I am not feeling what I was feeling. Go on.' So he went. She went into labour when they arrived and gave birth to a boy. My mother said to me, 'Anas, no one could make him suckle until she took him to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. In the morning I carried him and took him to the Messenger of Allah,'" and he mentioned the entire hadith.

45. Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The strong man is not the one who throws people in wrestling. The strong man is the one who has control of himself when he is angry." [Agreed upon]

46. Sulayman ibn Surad said, "One day I was sitting with the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, while two men were quarreling. The face of one of them turned red and his veins stood out. The Messenger of Allah said, 'I know a word which, if you say it, will remove what you feel.' (Or he said '"I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Shaytan' will remove from him what he feels.') They told him that the Prophet and two men were were quarreling said, 'Seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Shaytan.'" [Agreed upon]

47. Mu'adh ibn Anas reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "If someone restrains his anger when he is able to give vent to it, Allah ­ glory be to Him and may He will exalted!­ will summon him at the head of creatures on the Day of Rising so that he can chose whichever of the wide-eyed houris he wishes." [Abu Dawud and at-Tirmidhi]

48. Abu Hurayra reported that a man said to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, "Give me counsel." He said, "Do not get angry." He repeated his request several times and he said, "Do not get angry." [al-Bukhari]

49. Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Believers, both men and women, will continue to be afflicted in respect of themselves, their children and their property until they meet Allah without any wrong actions at all." [at-Tirmidhi]

50. Ibn 'Abbas said, "'Uyayna ibn Hisn came and stayed with his nephew, al-Hurr ibn Qays, who was one of the group whom 'Umar brought near to him. The reciters were part of the people of the assembly and council of 'Umar, no matter whether they were mature men or young men. 'Uyayna told his nephew, 'Nephew, you have access to this amir, so ask him for permission for me to see him.' He asked permission and 'Umar gave permission. When he entered, he said, 'O Ibn al-Khattab! By Allah, it is that you do not give enough to us and you do not judge justly between us.' 'Umar was so angry that he wanted to punish him. Al-Hurr said to him, 'Amir al-Mu'minin, Allah Almighty said to His Prophet, "Make allowances for people; command what is right; and turn away from the ignorant." (7:199) This is one of the ignorant.' By Allah, 'Umar did not do less than that when he recited it. He acted in accordance with the Book of Allah Almighty." [al-Bukhari]

51. Ibn Mas'ud reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'After I am gone there will be misappropriation and matters of which you disapprove." They said, "O Messenger of Allah, what do you command us to do?" He said, "To fulfill the rights you owe to others and to ask Allah for what is owed to you." [Agreed upon]

52. Abu Yahya Usayd ibn Hudayr reported that a man of the Ansar said, "Messenger of Allah, will you not appoint me as you appointed so-and-so?" He said, "You will experience misappropriation after I have gone, so be patient until you meet me at the Basin." [Agreed upon]

53. Abu Ibrahim 'Abdullah ibn Abi Awfa reported that on one of the days when he came face to face with the enemy, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, waited until the sun had declined and then stood up and said, "O people! Do not be too eager to meet the enemy, and ask Allah for well-being. When you do meet them, be steadfast. Know that the Garden lies under the shadow of the swords." The the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "O Allah, Sender-down of the Book and Mover of the clouds and Vanquisher of the companies, defeat them and help us against them!" [Agreed upon]

Allah Almighty says, "O who you believe! Fear Allah and be with the truthful' (W9:129; H9:119) and the Almighty says, "Truthful men and truthful women," (33:35) and the Almighty says, "Being true to Allah would be better for them." (W47:20; H47:21)

55. Abu Muhammad al-Hasan ibn 'Ali ibn Abi Talib said, "I memorised from the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: 'Abandon anything that gives you doubt for what gives you no doubt. Truthfulness is peace of mind and lying is doubt." [At-Tirmidhi]

56. Abu Sufyan Sakhr ibn Harb said in a long hadith concerning what happened with Heraclius: "Heraclius said, 'What does he order you to do?' I replied, 'He says, "Worship Allah alone and do not associate anything with Him and abandon what our ancestors said." He commands us to pray, to speak the truth, to be chaste, and to maintain ties of kinship.'" [Agreed upon]

57. Abu Thabit (and it is said Abu Sa'id and Abu'l-Walid) Sahl ibn Hunayf, who was at Badr, reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "If someone asks Allah Almighty for martyrdom with true sincerity, Allah will raise him to the level of the martyrs, even if he dies in his bed." [Muslim]

58. Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "One of the Prophets, may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon them, went on an expedition and said to his people, 'A man who has contracted a marriage with a woman and wants to consummate it but has not yet done so should not go with me, nor should anyone who has built a house and not yet raised its roof, nor anyone who has bought some sheep or pregnant she-camels and is waiting for them to give birth.' So he went on the expedition and approached the town at the time of the 'Asr prayer, or about that time. He said to the sun, 'You are under command and I am under command. O Allah, hold it back for us!' And it was held back until Allah gave him victory. He gathered the booty and it, i.e. the fire, came to consume it, but it did not consume it. He said, 'Some of you have stolen from the booty. A man from every tribe should come and give allegiance.' One man's hand stuck to his hand and he said, 'The theft is among you. Your tribe should give me allegiance.' The hands of two or three men stuck to his hand, and he said, 'The theft is among you.' So they brought a head made of gold looking like the head of a cow and put it down and the fire came and consumed it. Booty was not lawful for anyone before us. Then Allah made booty lawful for us. Allah saw our weakness and incapacity and so He made it lawful for us." [Agreed upon]

59. Abu Khalid Hakim ibn Hizam reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The seller and the buyer have the option to withdraw as long as they have not yet separated. If they speak the truth and make things clear, they will be blessed in their sale. If they conceal things and lie, the blessing of their transaction will be wiped out." [Agreed upon]

Allah Almighty says, "He who sees you stand up to pray and your movements with those who prostrate," (W26:217-218; H26:219-220) and the Almighty says, "He is with you wherever you are." (57:4) The Almighty says, "Allah ­ Him from whom nothing is hidden, either on earth or in heaven." (W3:5; H3:6) The Almighty says, "Your Lord is always lying in wait." (89:14). The Almighty says, "(Allah) knows the eyes' deceit and people's breasts conceal." (40:19)

61. Abu Dharr Jundub ibn Junada and Abu 'Abdu'r-Rahman Mu'adh ibn Jabal is that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Fear Allah wherever you are and follow up an evil action with a good action which will wipe it out. Treat people well." [at-Tirmidhi]

62. Ibn 'Abbas said, "One day I was behind the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and he said, 'Boy, I will teach you some words: Be careful regarding Allah and He will take care of you. Be careful regarding Allah and you will find Him in front of you. When you ask, ask Allah and when you seek help, seek help from Allah. Know that if the whole community were to gather together to help you with something, they would not be able to help you in any way unless Allah had written that for you. And if they were to gather together to harm you in some way, they would not be able to harm you except with something which Allah had written for you. The pens have been lifted and the pages are dry."[at-Tirmidhi]

In another variant than that of at-Tirmidhi, "Be careful regarding Allah and you will find Him before you. Recognise Allah in ease and He will recognise you in hardship. Know that whatever misses you could never have hit you and what hits you could never have missed you. Know that victory comes with fortitude, rescue with constriction, and ease with hardship."

63. Anas said, "You do actions which you see as having no more than a hair's weight of significance while in the time of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, we used to consider them deadly dangerous." [al-Bukhari]

64. Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Allah Almighty is jealous and the jealousy of Allah Almighty is on account of a man coming to something that Allah has made unlawful for him." [Agreed upon]

65. Abu Hurayra heard the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, "Three of the Children of Isra'il were respectively leprous, bald and blind. Allah wanted to put them to the test and so he sent an angel to them. He came to the leper and said, 'What would you like best?' He said, 'A good complexion and clear skin and the thing that I have which makes people find me unclean to be taken from me.' He wiped him and his impurity left him and he gave him a good complexion. He said, 'What property do you like best?' He said, 'Camels (or he said 'cattle' - the relator is uncertain)' and he gave him a pregnant she-camel.' He said, 'May Allah bless you in it.'

"Then he came to the bald one and said, 'What would you like best?' He said, 'A good head of hair and to have what people consider distasteful about me removed from me.' So he touched him and removed what he had and gave him thick hair. He said, 'What property do you like the best?' He said, 'Cattle,' so he gave him a pregnant cow and he said, 'May Allah bless you in it.'

"Then he went to the blind man and said, 'What would you like best?' He said, 'That Allah return my sight to me so that I can see people.' He touched him and Allah returned his sight to him. He said, 'What property do you like the best?' He said, 'Sheep,' and he gave him a pregnant sheep.

"These animals all gave birth and produced offspring. The one had a valley full of camels, the other a valley full of cattle and the other a valley full of sheep.

"Then he went to the leper in his own form and appearance and said, 'I am a poor man who has lost his means on his journey. Today I can seek none but Allah and then you. I ask you, by the One who gave you a good complexion and good skin and property, for a camel so that I can complete my journey.' He said, 'I have many obligations.' He said, 'I seem to recognise you. Were you not a leper, that people found unclean, and poor and then Allah was generous to you?' He said, 'I inherited this property, elder son from elder son.' He said, 'If you are a liar in your claim, may Allah return you as you were!'

"He went to the bald man in his own form and appearance and said to him the same as he had said to the other and he replied to him in the same way. He said, 'If you are a liar, may Allah return you as you were!'

"Then he went to the blind man in his own form and appearance and said to him, 'I am a poor man who has lost his means on his journey. Today I can seek none but Allah and then you. I ask you by the One who returned your sight to you for a sheep so I can complete my journey.' He said, 'I was blind and Allah restored my sight to me, so take what you want and leave what you want. By Allah, I will not be hard on you about anything which you take for Allah, the Mighty and Exalted.' He said, 'Keep your propery. You have been tested and Allah is pleased with you and angry with your companions.'" {Agreed upon]

A variant of al-Bukhari has "I will not praise you (i.e. for leaving what you need.")

66. Abu Ya'la Shaddad ibn Aws reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The intelligent man is the one who subjugates himself and works for what will come after death. The stupid man is the one who follows his own whims and hopes that his desires will be gratified by Allah." [at-Tirmidhi]

At-Tirmidhi and other scholars said that "dâna nafsahu" (subjugates himself) means to make it answerable.

67. Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Part of the excellence of a person's Islam is his leaving alone what does not concern him." [at-Tirmidhi and others]

68. 'Umar reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "A man is not questioned as to why he beat his wife." [Abu Dawud and others]

Allah Almighty says, "O you who believe, have taqwa of Allah with the taqwa due to Him," (3:102) and the Almighty says, "Have taqwa of Allah as much as you are able to." (64:16) This verse clarifies what is meant by the first verse. Allah Almighty says, "O you who believe! Have taqwa of Allah, and speak words which hit the mark." (33:70) The verses which command taqwa of Allah are many and well-known. Allah Almighty says, "Whoever has taqwa of Allah, He will give him a way out and provide for him from where he does not expect." (65:2-3) The Almighty says, "If you have taqwa of Allah, He will you discrimination and erase your bad actions from you and forgive you. Allah's favour is indeed immense." (8:29)

70. Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "This world is green and sweet. Allah has put you in charge of it so be careful how you behave. Beware of this world and beware of women. The first trouble experienced by the Tribe of Israel was on account of women." [Muslim]

71. Abu Mas'ud reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to say, "O Allah, I ask you for guidance, fearful awareness, chastity and independence." [Muslim]

72. Abu Tarif 'Adi ibn Hatim at-Ta'i reported that he heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, "Whoever swears an oath to do something and then sees something nearer to godfearing than it, should do the thing which will result in more fear of Allah." [Muslim]

73. Abu Umama Sudayy ibn 'Ajlan al-Bahili said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, speaking in the Hajj of Farewell. He said, 'Fear Allah, pray your five prayers, fast your month, pay the zakat on your property and obey your amirs and you will enter the Garden of your Lord." [at-Tirmidhi]

Allah Almighty says, "When the Believers saw the Confederates, they said, 'This is what Allah and His Messenger promised us. Allah and His Messenger told us the truth.' It only increased them in faith and in submission." (33:22) The Almighty says, "Those to whom people said: 'The people great army have gathered against you, so fear them.' But that merely increased their faith and they said: 'Allah is enough for us and the best of Guardians.' So they returned with blessings and bounty from Allah and no evil touched them. They pursued the pleasure of Allah. Allah's favour is indeed immense." (3:173-174) The Almighty says, "Put your trust in the Living who does not, die" (25:58) and the Almighty says, "So let the believers put their trust in Allah," (W14:14; H14:11) and the Almighty says, "Then when you have reached a firm decision, put your trust in Allah." (3:159) The verses commanding trust are numerous and well-known. The Almighty says, "Whoever puts his trust in Prophet ­ He will be enough for him." (65:3) The Almighty says, "The believers are those whose hearts tremble when Allah is mentioned, whose faith is increased when His Signs are mentioned to them, and who put their trust in their Lord." (8:2)
 
 

75. Ibn 'Abbas reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to say, "O Allah, I submit to you and I believe in you and I have relied on you and I turn to you and I have argued by you. I seek refuge with Your might, there is no god other than You, from Your misguiding me. You are the Living who does not die while jinn and men will all die." [Agreed upon. This is the version in Muslim.]

76. Ibn 'Abbas said, "'Allah is enough for us and the best Guardian.' Ibrahim, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said this when he was thrown into the Fire and Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said it when they said, 'The people great army have gathered against you, so fear them.' But that merely increased their faith and they said: 'Allah is enough for us and the best of Guardians.' "'" (3:173) [al-Bukhari]

In one variant from Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, he said, "The last words of Ibrahim, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, before he was thrown into the Fire were, 'Allah is enough for me and the best Guardian.'"

77. Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "People will enter the Garden whose hearts are like the hearts of birds." [Muslim]

It is said that this means trusting, and it is said that it means their hearts are tender.

78. Jabir ibn 'Abdullah reported that he went on an expedition with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in the direction of Najd. When the Messenger of Allah returned, he returned with him. Midday overtook them in a valley with a lot of large thorn-trees in it. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, alighted and the people split up to seek the shade of the trees. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, alighted under a tree and hung his sword on it. We went to sleep and then the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, called out to us. There was a bedouin with him and he said, 'This one unsheathed my sword against me while I was asleep. I woke up and he had it unsheathed in his hand and he said, "Who will protect you from me?" I said, "Allah" three times.' He did not punish him, but sat up." [Agreed upon]

In one variant, Jabir said, "We were with the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, at Dhat ar-Riqa'. Then we reached a shady tree and left it for the Messenger of Allah. One of the idolworshippers came while the sword of the Messenger of Allah was hanging from the tree and he unsheathed it and said, 'Do you fear me?' He said, 'No.' He said, 'Who will protect you from me?' He said, 'Allah.'"

In the version of Abu Bakr al-Isma'ili in his Sahih, "He said, 'Who will protect you from me?' He said, 'Allah.'" He said, "The sword fell from his hand and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, took the sword and said, 'Who will protect you from me?' He said, 'Be the best seizer.' He said, 'Will you bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that I am the Messenger of Allah?' He said, 'No, but I will make a pact with you that I will not fight you nor be with a people who fight you.' So he let him go on his way. He went to his companions and said, 'I have come to you from the best of people.'"

79. 'Umar said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, "If you were to rely on Allah as He should be relied on, He would provide for you as He provides for the birds. They go out in the morning hungry and return in the evening full." [at-Tirmidhi]

80. Abu 'Umara al-Bara' ibn 'Azib reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "O so-and-so! When you retire to your bed, say, 'O Allah, I submit myself to You and I have turned my face to You. I have entrusted my affair to You and taken shelter with You out of desire for You and fear of You. There is no shelter nor rescue from You except with You. I have believed in Your Book which You sent down and Your Prophet whom You sent.' If you die during the night, you will die in natural submission, and if you are still alive in the morning, your morning will be good." [Agreed upon]

In a variant in the two Sahih collections, al-Bara' said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to me, 'When you go to your bed, do wudu' as you would for the prayer and then lie on your right side and say..." He mentioned the same words and then said, "Make it the last thing you say."

81. Abu Bakr as-Siddiq said, "When we were in the Cave and the idolaters were looking for us, I could see their feet and said, 'O Messenger of Allah, if one of them were to look under his feet, he would see us.' He said, 'Abu Bakr, what do you think of two people of whom Allah is the third?'" [Agreed upon]

82. Umm al-Mu'minin, Umm Salama, whose name was Hind bint Abi Umayya Hudhayfa al-Makhzumiyya reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to say when he left his house, "In the name of Allah. I have relied on Allah. O Allah, I seek refuge with You from misguiding others or being misguided, or slipping or making others slip, or wronging others or being wronged, or being ignorant or being made ignorant.'" [Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi and others. This is the version of Abu Dawud]

83. Anas reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Whoever says, i.e. when he leaves his house, 'In the name of Allah. I have relied on Allah and there is no power nor strength except by Allah' will be told, 'You have been guided, spared and protected,' and Shaytan will be kept far from him." [Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi, an-Nasa'i and others]

Abu Dawud added, "He, i.e. Shaytan, says to another shaytan, 'How can you get at a man who has been guided, spared and protected?'"

84. Anas said, "There were two brothers in the time of the Prophet. One of them used to come to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and the other one worked for a living. The one who worked complained about his brother to the Messenger of Allah and he said, 'It might well be that you have your provision on account of him." [Muslim]

Allah Almighty says, "Go straight as you have been commanded," (11:112) and the Almighty says, "The angels descend on those who say, 'Our Lord is Allah,' and then go straight: 'Do not fear and do not grieve, but rejoice in the Garden you have been promised! We are your protectors in the life of this world and in the Hereafter. You will have there all that your selves could wish for. You will have there everything you demand. Hospitality from One who is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (W41:29-31; H41:30-32) The Almighty says, "Those who say, 'Our Lord is Allah, and then go straight will feel no fear and will know no sorrow. Such people are the Companions of the Garden, remaining in it timelessly, for ever, as repayment for what they did." (W46: 12-13; H46:13-14)

86. Abu Hurayra said that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Tread the middle way and be upright but know that none of you will be saved by what he does." They said, "Not even you, Messenger of Allah?" He said, "Not even me unless Allah covers me with mercy and bounty from him." [Muslim]

Allah Almighty says, "I exhort you to do one thing alone: to stand before Allah in pairs, and on your own and then reflect" (34:46) and the Almighty says, "In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day, there are signs for people of intelligence: those who remember Allah, standing, sitting, and lying on their sides, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth: 'Our Lord, You have not created this for nothing. Glory to You!" (3:190-191) The Almighty says, "Have they not looked at the camel ­ how it was created? and at the sky, ­ how it was raised up? and at the mountains, ­ how they are embedded? and at the earth ­ how it was smoothed out? So remind them! You are only a reminder." (88:17-21) The Almighty says, "Have they not travelled in the earth and seen?" (40:21)

Allah Almighty says, "So race each other to the good," (W2:147; H2:148) and the Almighty says, "Race each other to forgiveness from your Lord and for a Garden as wide as the heavens and the earth, prepared for the godfearing." (3:133)

88. Abu Sirwa'a 'Uqba ibn al-Harith said, "I prayed the 'Asr prayer behind the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in Madina. He said the salam and then got up hurriedly and stepped over people's shoulders making for the room of one of his wives. The people were alarmed at his speed. He came out to them and saw that they were surprised at his speed and said, 'I remembered a piece of gold that we had and I did not want it to distract me so I ordered that it be distributed.'" [al-Bukhari]

In one variant, "I had left a piece of gold from the sadaqa in the house and I did not want it to remain with me overnight."

89. Jabir said, "A man said to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, on the day of Uhud, 'Where do you think that I will be if I am killed?' He said, 'In the Garden.' So he threw away some dates that were in his hand and then fought until he was killed.'" [Agreed upon]

90. Abu Hurayra said, "A man came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and said, 'O Messenger of Allah, which sadaqa has the greatest reward?' He said, 'The sadaqa that you give when you are healthy but tight-fisted, in fear of poverty and desiring wealth. Do not put it off until death is near and you say, "So-and-so should have this much and so-and-so this much,"' when it already belongs to someone else." [Agreed upon]

91. Anas reported that the Messenger of Allah took a sword on the day of Uhud and said, "Who will take this from me?" They stretched out their hands, every man of them, saying, "Me! Me!" He said, "Who will take it with its right?" The people held back. Abu Dujana said, "I will take it with its right." He took it and split open the heads of the idolaters with it. [Muslim]

92. Az-Zubayr ibn 'Adi said, "We went to Anas ibn Malik and complained to him about what we had met with on the part of al-Hajjaj. He said, 'Be patient. There is no time without the one following it being worse than it until you meet your Lord.' I heard that from your Prophet.'" [al-Bukhari]

93. Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Race to good actions as fast as you can. What are you waiting for except delayed poverty, oppressive wealth, debilitating illness, dottering senility, a swift death or the Dajjal? Or are you waiting for an unseen evil, or the Last Hour? The Last Hour will be most bitter and terrible." [at-Tirmidhi]

94. Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said on the Day of Khaybar, "I will give this banner to a man who loves Allah and His Messenger and Allah will bring about victory at his hands." 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "That is the only day I ever wanted the command (amirate) and I leapt forward for it, hoping that I could claim it. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, summoned 'Ali ibn Abi Talib and gave it to him, saying, 'Go and do not turn aside until Allah gives you victory.' 'Ali went away and then stopped without turning round and shouted, 'O Messenger of Allah! On what basis should I fight the people?' He said, 'Fight them until they bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. When they do that, their blood and their property are protected from you except when a right is involved, and their reckoning is up to Allah.'" [Muslim]

Allah Almighty says, "As for those do jihad in Our Way, We will guide them to Our paths. Truly Allah is with the good-doers," (29:69) and the Almighty says, "And worship your Lord until whay is Certain comes to you." (15:99) The Almighty says, "Remember the Name of your Lord, and devote yourself to Him completely," (73:7) and the Almighty says, "Whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it" (W99:8; H99:7) The Almighty says, "Whatever good you send ahead for your yourselves, you will find it with Allah as something better and as a greater reward." (W73;18; H73:20) The Almighty says, "Whatever good you give away, be Allah knows it." (W2:272; H2:273)

96. Anas reported from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in what he reported from his Lord, the Mighty and Majestic. He said, "When the slave comes towards Me a hand-span, I go an arm-length towards him. When he comes towards Me an arm-length, I go a fathom towards him. When he comes towards Me walking, I go towards him running." [al-Bukhari]

97. Ibn 'Abbas said that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "There are two blessings which deceive many people: health and free time." [al-Bukhari]

98. 'A'isha reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to pray at night until his feet became cracked. "I said to him, 'Why do you do this. Messenger of Allah, when Allah has forgiven you all your past and future wrong actions?' He said, 'Do I not want to be a grateful slave?'" [Agreed upon. This is the variant of al-Bukhari]

99. 'A'isha said, "When the last ten nights [of Ramadan] began, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, would stay up during the night praying, and wake up his family, strive and devote himself to worship." [Agreed upon]

100. Abu Hurayra said that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer although there is good in each. Desire that which will bring you benefit, and seek help from Allah and do not give way to incapacity. If something happens to you, do not say, 'If only I had done such-and-such.' Rather say, 'The decree of Allah. He does what He will.' Otherwise you will open yourself up to the action of Shaytan." [Muslim]

101. Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The Fire is veiled by indulgence of appetites and the Garden is veiled by things people dislike." [Agreed upon]

The variant of Muslim has "surrounded" instead of "veiled" meaning there is this veil between him and it. When he does it, he enters it.

102. Abu 'Abdullah Hudhayfa ibn al-Yaman said, "I prayed with the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, one night, and he began with al-Baqara. I said, 'He will go into ruku' after a hundred verses.' But he continued and I said, 'He will pray with all of it in the rak'at,' but he continued. I said, 'He will do the ruku' after it,' but he went on and then began an-Nisa' and recited it and then began Ali 'Imran and recited that, and he recited with deliberation. When he recited a verse containing glorification, he would glorify. When he recited a request, he would ask, and when he recited a verse seeking refuge, he would seek refuge. Then he went into ruku' and began to say, 'Glory be to my Lord, the Immense.' His ruku' was about the same length as his standing. Then he said, 'Allah hears whoever praises Him. Our Lord, praise is Yours.' Then he stood for a long time, about as long as had bowed. Then he prostrated and said, 'Glory be to my Lord, the Most High.' His prostration was about as long as his standing." [Muslim]

103. Ibn Mas'ud said, "I prayed in the night with the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and he stood so long that I wanted to do something awful." He was asked, "What did you want to do?" He said, "I wanted sit down and leave him." [Agreed upon]

104. Anas reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Three things follow a dead person: his family, his property and his actions. Two of them return and one remains with him. His family and property return and his actions remain." [Agreed upon]

105. Ibn Mas'ud said that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The Garden is nearer to you than the strap of your sandal, and the Fire is the same." [al-Bukhari]

106. Abu Firas Rabi'a ibn Ka'b al-Aslami, the servant of the Messenger of Allah and one of the People of the Suffa, who said, "I used to spend the night with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and I would bring him his wudu' water and whatever he needed. He said, 'Ask of me.' I said, 'I ask you for your friendship in the Garden.' He said, 'Something else as well?' I said, 'I only want that.' He said, 'Help me against your self by means of a lot of prostration.'" [Muslim]

107. Abu 'Abdullah (or it is said Abu 'Abdu'r-Rahman) Thawban, the client of the Messenger of Allah, said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, 'You must do a lot of prostration. For you do not do a single prostration to Allah without Allah raising you up a degree by it and shedding a wrong action from you.'" [Muslim]

108. Abu Safwan 'Abdullah ibn Busr al-Aslami reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The best of people is the one who lives a long life and whose actions are good." [at-Tirmidhi]

109. Anas said, "My uncle, Anas ibn an-Nadr, missed the fighting at Badr and said, 'Messenger of Allah, I missed the first battle in which you fought the idolworshippers. If Allah gives me the opportunity to fight the idolaters, Allah will see what I shall do!' On the Day of Uhud, the Muslims were routed and he said, 'O Allah, I apologise to You for what these people have done (i.e. his companions) and I declare myself innocent to You of what those people have done, (i.e. the idolworshippers).' Then he went forward and Sa'd ibn Mu'adh met him. He said, 'O Sa'd ibn Mu'adh! The Garden, by the Lord of the Ka'ba! I smell its fragrance from below Uhud!' Sa'd said, 'Messenger of Allah, I could not do what he did.'" Anas said, "We found him with about eighty wounds, sword thrusts or spear stabs or arrows. We found that he had been killed and the idolworshippers had mutiliated him. No one could recognise him except for his sister by his fingertips.' Anas said, "We used to think or suppose that this ayat was sent down about him and his like, 'Among the believers are men who have been true to the contract they made with Allah.' (33:23)" [Agreed upon]

110. Abu Mas'ud 'Uqba ibn 'Amr al-Ansari al-Badri said, "When the ayat of sadaqa was sent down, we were working as porters. A man would come and give a lot of sadaqa and they would say, 'Just showing-off!' Another man would come and give a sa' in sadaqa and they would say, 'Allah has no need of the sa' of this person!' So it was revealed, 'As for the people who find fault with those believers who give sadaqa spontaneously, and with those who can find nothing to give but their own efforts ...'"(W9:80; H9:79)" [Agreed upon]

111. Sa'id ibn 'Abdu'l-'Aziz from Rabi'a ibn Yazid from Abu Idris al-Khawlani from Abu Dharr Jundub ibn Junada reported from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in what is related from what Allah the Blessed and Almighty said, "O My slaves! I have forbidden injustice to Myself and I have made it unlawful between you, so do not wrong one another. O My slaves! All of you are misguided except those that I guide, so seek My guidance and I will guide you. O My slaves! All of you are hungry except those that I feed so ask me for food and I will feed you. O My slaves! All of you are naked except those that I clothe so ask me for clothing and I will clothe you. O My slaves! You make mistakes by night and by day and I forgive all wrong actions so ask for My forgiveness and I will forgive you. O My slaves! You will never attain to My harm so as to be able to harm Me and you will never attain to My benefit so as to be able benefit Me. O My slaves! If the first and last of you, all the jinn and all the men among you, possessed the heart of the most godfearing man among you, that would not increase My kingdom in any way. O My slaves! If the first and last of you, all the jinn and all the men among you, possessed the heart of the most evil man among you, that would not decrease My kingdom in any way. O My slaves! If the first and last of you, all the jinn and all the men among you, were to stand in a single place and ask of Me, I could give to every man what he asks without that decreasing what I have any more than a needle when it enters the sea. O My slaves! It is your actions for which I call you to account and then repay you in full. So anyone who finds good should praise Allah and anyone who finds something else should blame none but himself."

Sa'id said, "When Abu Idris related this hadith, he knelt."

Muslim related it and we related it from Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, may Allah have mercy on him, who said, "The people of Syria do not have any hadith nobler than this hadith."

Allah Almighty says, "Did We not let you live long enough for anyone who was going to pay heed to pay heed? And did not the warner come to you?" (35:37)

The scholars say that it means, "He does not need an excuse if He lets him live for this period." It is said that this is when a man reaches the utmost point of being excused.

113. Ibn 'Abbas said, "'Umar used to admit me together with the shaykhs of Badr and it seemed that one of them was annoyed by that and said, 'Why does he admit this one with us when we have sons of his age?' 'Umar said, 'You know well where he is from!' So one day he summoned me and had me come in with them and I thought that he had summoned me that day to show me to them. He said, 'What you say about the words of Allah Almighty, "When Allah's help and victory have arrived" (110:1)?' Some of them said, 'We are commanded to praise Allah and to ask His forgiveness when He helps us and makes us victorious." Some of them were silent and did not say anything. He said to me, 'Is that what you say, Ibn 'Abbas?' I said, 'No.' He said, 'So what do you say?' I said, 'It is the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, being informed of the end of his lifespan. He said, "When Allah's help and victory have arrived," and that is a sign of the end of your life-span, "then glorify your Lord's praise and ask His forgiveness. He is the Ever-Returning."' 'Umar said, 'No one knows better than what you say.'" [al-Bukhari]

114. 'A'isha said, "After 'When Allah's help and victory have arrived' was sent down on him, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did not pray any prayer without saying, 'Glory be to You, Our Lord, and with Your praise. O Allah, forgive me.'" [Agreed upon]

In the variant in the two Sahih collections from him, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to say often in his bowing and prostration, 'Glory be to You, Our Lord, and with Your praise. O Allah, forgive me.'" interpreting the Qur'an.

The meaning of "interpreting the Qur'an" is doing what is commanded in the Qur'an in the words of the Almighty, 'Glorify your Lord's praise and ask His forgiveness.'"

In the variant of Muslim, "The Messenger of Allah may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to say often before he died, 'Glory be to You, Our Lord, and with Your praise. O Allah, I ask your forgiveness and I turn to You.' 'A'isha said, 'I said, "Messenger of Allah, what are these words which I have seen you saying recently?" He said, "I have been given a sign concerning my community. When I saw it, I repeated it: 'When Allah's help and victory have arrived (to the end of the sura.)"'"

In a variant of it, "The Messenger of Allah may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to say often, 'Glory be to You, Our Lord, and with Your praise. O Allah, I ask your forgiveness and I turn to You.' She said, 'I said, "Messenger of Allah, I often see you saying, 'Glory be to You, Our Lord, and with Your praise. O Allah, I ask your forgiveness and I turn to You.'" He said, "I say 'When Allah's help and victory have arrived' meaning the conquest of Makka 'and you have seen people entering Allah's deen in droves, glorify your Lord's praise and ask His forgiveness. He is the Ever-Returning.'"'"

115. Anas said, "Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, made continuous revelation to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, up until the time of his death so that when died the revelation was at its most abundant." [Agreed upon]

116. Jabir reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Every slave of Allah will be raised up according to what he had when he died." [Muslim]

Allah Almighty says, "Whatever good you do, Allah knows it," (W2:213; H2:215) and the Almighty says, "Whatever good you do, Allah knows it." (W2:196; H2:197) The Almighty says, "Whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it" (W99:8; H99:7) The Almighty says, "Whoever acts rightly, it is to his own good." (W45:14; H45:15)

118. Abu Dharr also reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Sadaqa is owed by every joint you have. Every glorification is sadaqa. Every praise is sadaqa. Every 'la ilaha illa'llah' is sadaqa. Commanding the right is sadaqa. Forbidding the wrong is sadaqa. Praying the two rak'ats of Duha (the forenoon) takes care of all that." [Muslim]

119. Abu Dharr also reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The actions of my community, both good and bad, were displayed before me and I found among their good actions removing obstacles from the road and I found among their bad actions spittle in the mosque which is not buried." [Muslin]

120. Abu Dharr also reported that some people said, "Messenger of Allah, the rich people have gone off with all the reward. They pray as we pray, fast as we fast, and then give sadaqa from their excess wealth." He said, "Has Allah not given you something that you can give away as sadaqa? Every glorification is sadaqa. Every 'Allahu akbar' is sadaqa. Every praise is sadaqa and every 'la ilaha illa'llah' is sadaqa. Commanding the right is sadaqa and forbidding the wrong is sadaqa. There is even sadaqa in your sexual intercourse." They said, "Messenger of Allah, can one of us indulge his appetite and then get a reward for it?" He said, "Do you not think that if you did it unlawfully, you would incur a wrong action for it? In the same way if you do it lawfully, you will receive a reward." [Muslim]

121. Abu Dharr said, "The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, told me, 'Do not consider anything correct insignificant, even meeting your brother with a happy face." [Muslim]

122. Abu Hurayra said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'Sadaqa is owed by every limb people have. Every day on which the sun rises in which someone establishes justice between two people is sadaqa. To help a man with his animal and help him onto it is sadaqa. Or to lift his goods onto it is sadaqa. A good word is sadaqa. Every step you take to the prayer is sadaqa. Removing an obstacle from the road is sadaqa." [Agreed upon]

Muslim also related it with the variant of 'A'isha: "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'Allah created three hundred and sixty joints in every one of the children of Adam. Whoever says "Allahu akbar", praises Allah, says "There is no god but Allah", glorifies Allah, asks Allah's forgiveness, removes a stone or a thorn or a bone from people's path, or commands something right or forbids something wrong, has accounted for the whole three hundred and sixty. In the evening of that day, he has moved himself away from the Fire.'"

123. Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Allah will prepare hospitality in the Garden for anyone who goes to the mosque morning and evening for each morning and evening that they go." [Agreed upon]

124. Abu Hurayra also reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "O Muslim women! No one should look down on a gift from her neighbour, even if it is only a sheep's trotter." [Agreed upon]

125. Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Belief has over sixty branches. The best of them is the words, 'There is no god but Allah' and the least of them is to remove an obstacle from the road." [Agreed upon]

126. Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Once a man was walking along a road and became very thirsty. He found a well, climbed down into it and drank. When he came out, he saw a dog driven by thirst to eat mud. He said, 'This dog has reached the same extreme of thirst that I had reached.' So he climbed back down the well, filled his leather sock with water and, holding it between his teeth, climbed back up and let the dog drink Allah thanked him for that and forgave him." They said, "Messenger of Allah, do we then receive a reward on account of animals?'" He said, "There is a reward for every live animal [lit. everything with a moist liver]." [Agreed upon]

In a variant in al-Bukhari, "Allah thanked him for that and forgave him and admitted him into the Garden."

127. Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "I saw a man going about in the Garden who was there on account of cutting down a tree in the middle of the road which had been a nuisance to the Muslims." [Muslim]

One variant has, "A man passed by a fallen branch in the middle of the road and said, 'By Allah, I will remove this from the path of the Muslims so that it does not inconvenience them' and he was admitted into the Garden."

In a variant of the two, "If a man who is walking along on a road finds a thorny branch in the road and removes it, Allah thanks him for doing it and forgives him."

128. Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Anyone who does wudu' thoroughly, then goes to Jumu'a, listens and is silent, will be forgiven until the next Jumu'a and three days more. Whoever plays with pebbles has wasted it." [Muslim]

129. Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "When a Muslim or believer does wudu' and washes his face, he removes from his face with the water, or with the last drop of water, every wrong action which he looked at with his eye. When he washes his hands, he removes from his hands with the water, or with the last drop of water, every wrong action which he did with his hands. When he washes his feet, he removes from his feet with the water, or with the last drop of water, every wrong action which he walked to with his feet, until he emerges free of wrong actions." [Muslim]

130. Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Five prayers, and Jumu'a to Jumu'a, and Ramadan to Ramadan are expiation for everything between them if major wrong actions are avoided." [Muslim]

131. Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Shall I tell you something by which Allah will wipe out wrong actions and raise up degrees?" They said, "Yes indeed, Messenger of Allah." He said, "Doing wudu' thoroughly, even in times of difficulty, taking many steps to the mosque and waiting for the prayer after praying the previous one. That is what you should hold to."[Muslim]

132. Abu Musa al-Ash'ari reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Whoever prays the two cool ones (i.e. the Subh and 'Asr prayers) will enter the Garden." [Agreed upon]

133. Abu Musa reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "When a slave of Allah is ill or travelling, the same is written for him as what he would normally do if he were healthy and at home." [al-Bukhari]

134. Jabir reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Every right thing is sadaqa." [Al-Bukhari. Muslim related it from Hudhayfa]

135. Jabir also reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "No Muslim plants something without what is eaten from it being sadaqa for him. Even what is stolen from it is sadaqa for him. And no one visits it without that being sadaqa for him." [Muslim]

In one variant of it, "No Muslim plants something from which man, animals or birds eat without it being sadaqa for him until the Day of Rising."

In another variant of it, "No Muslim plants a tree or sows a crop from which birds, man or beasts eat without it being sadaqa for him."

136. Jabir said, "The Banu Salama wanted to move near to the mosque and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, heard about it. He said to them, 'It has reached me that you want to move near to the mosque?' They said, 'Yes, Messenger of Allah, we do want that.' He said, 'Banu Salama, keep the houses you have. Your footprints are written down. Keep the houses you have! Your footprints are written down.'" [Muslim]

In one variant, "There is a degree for each footstep."

137. Abu'l-Mundhir Ubayy ibn Ka'b said, "There was a man and I do not know of any man who lived further from the mosque than him. He never missed a prayer. It was said to him ­ or I said to him ­ 'You should buy a donkey which you could ride in the dark and when it is very hot.' He said, 'It would not make me happier if my house were right next to the mosque. I want my steps to the mosque to be written down for me and also my return when I return to my family. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Allah will combine all that for you."'" [Muslim]

In one variant, "You will have what you reckoned."

138. Abu Muhammad 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "There are forty good qualities, the highest of which is giving away all of an animal's milk. If anyone acts with any one of these qualities hoping for its reward and affirming what is promised by it, on account of it Allah will admit him to the Garden." [al-Bukhari]

139. 'Adi ibn Hatim said, "I heard the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, 'Protect yourselves from the Fire, even if only with half a date.'" [Agreed upon]

In a variant in both al-Bukhari and Muslim, he said that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "There is not a single one of you who will not be spoken to directly by his Lord without any mediator in between and he will look to his right and see only what he sent ahead, and will look to his left and see only what he sent ahead. He will look in front of him and see only the Fire facing him. Protect yourselves from the Fire, even if only with half a date. And if you cannot find even that, then with a good word."

140. Anas reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Allah is pleased with His slave who eats a morsel and praises Allah for it or takes a drink and praises Allah for it." [Muslim]

141. Abu Musa reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Every Muslim should give sadaqa." He said, "What about if someone has nothing to give?" He said, "He should get work and earn something and give sadaqa." He said, "And if is unable to do that?" He said, "He should help someone in need." He said, "What if he cannot find anyone?" He said, "He should command what is right or good." He said, "What if he cannot do that?" He said, "He should refrain from evil. That is sadaqa for him." [Agreed upon]

Allah says, "Ta Ha. We did not send down the Qur'an to you to make you miserable," (20:1) and the Almighty says, "Allah desires ease for you; He does not desire difficulty for you." (W2:184; H2:185)

143. Anas said, "Three people came to the houses of the wives of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to ask about how the Prophet worshipped. When they were told, it was as if they thought it was little and said, 'Where are we in relation to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, who has been forgiven his past and future wrong actions?'" He said, "One of them said, 'I will pray all of every night.' Another said, 'I will fast all the time and not break the fast.' The other said, "I will withdraw from women and never marry.' The Messenger of Allah came to them and said, 'Are you the ones who said such-and-such? By Allah, I am the one among you with the most fear and awareness of Allah, but I fast and break the fast, I pray and I sleep, and I marry women. Whoever disdains my sunna is not with me.'" [Agreed upon]

144. Ibn Mas'ud reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Those who make things hard for themselves will be destroyed." He said it three times. [Muslin]

145. Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The deen is easy. Anyone who makes the deen too hard on himself will find it becomes too much for him. So aim for what is right, follow a middle path, accept the good news of the reward for right action, and seek help [to reach your goal by being constant in worshipping] in the morning, evening and some of the night."[al-Bukhari]

In one variant of al-Bukhari, "so aim for what is right, follow a middle path, and head for the goal in the morning, evening and some of the night and you will reach the goal."

146. Anas said, "The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, entered the mosque and there was a rope hanging between two pillars. He asked, 'What is this rope?' They replied, 'The rope belongs to Zaynab. When she is tired, she hangs on to it.' The Prophet said, 'No ­ remove it. You should pray as long as you have the energy for it. When you are tired, you should sit down.'" [Agreed upon]

147. 'A'isha reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "When one of you dozes off while he is praying, he should go and lie down until he is no longer sleepy. If someone prays when he is drowsy, he may not know whether he is asking for forgiveness or asking for something bad for himself." [Agreed upon]

148. Abu 'Abdullah Jabir ibn Samura said, "I used to pray the prayers with the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and his prayer was of medium length and his khutba was of medium length." [Muslim]

149. Abu Juhayfa Wahb ibn 'Abdullah said, "The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, joined Salman and Abu'd-Darda' together in brotherhood. Salman visited Abu'd-Darda' and saw Umm ad-Darda' poorly dressed and said to her, 'What's the matter with you?' She said, 'Your brother Abu'd-Darda' has no need of this world.' Abu'd-Darda' came and made some food for him. Salman said, 'Eat.' He said, 'I am fasting.' Salman said, 'I will not eat unless you eat.'" He said, "He ate. In the night, Abu'd-Darda' went to stand in prayer and Salman said to him, 'Sleep!' and he slept. Then he got up again and Salman said, 'Sleep!' At the end of the night, Salman said, 'Now get up and we will pray.' Salman said to him, 'Your Lord has rights over you and your self has rights over you, so give those with rights their due.' Abu'd-Darda' came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and mentioned this to him and the Prophet said, 'Salman spoke the truth.'" [al-Bukhari]

150. Abu Muhammad 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'As said, "The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was informed that I had said, 'By Allah, I will fast all day and pray all night for as long as I live. The Prophet asked, 'Did you say that ?' I said to him, 'I did say it, may my father and mother be your ransom, Messenger of Allah.' He said, 'You will not be able to do it. So fast and break the fast, and pray and sleep. Fast three days of the month and since every good action is multiplied by ten that will be like fasting all the time.' I said. 'I can do more than that.' He said, 'Then fast one day and break the fast for two days.' I said, "I can do more than that.' He said, 'Then fast one day and break the fast the next. That is the fast of Da'ud, peace be upon him, and it is the fairest fast.' (One variant has, 'It is the best fast.') I said, 'I can do better than that.' The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'There is nothing better than that.' Now I would my acceptance of the three days which the Prophet said over my family and my property."

In one variant, "'Have I not been informed that you fast all day and pray all night?' I said, 'Yes, Messenger of Allah.' He said, 'Do not do it. Fast and break the fast, and sleep and pray. Your body has a right over you, your eye has a right over you, your wife has a right over you, and your visitor has a right over you. It is enough for you to fast three days out of every month. Every good action is multiplied by ten, so that is like fasting all the time.' But I was austere then and made things hard for myself. I said, 'Messenger of Allah, I feel strong.' He said, 'Fast the fast of the Prophet of Allah, Da'ud, but do not do more than that.' I said, 'What is the fast of Da'ud?' He said, 'Half the time.'" When he was old, 'Abdullah used to say, "Would that I had accepted the easement of the Messenger of Allah!"

In one variant, "'Am I not told that you fast all the time and recite the Qur'an every night?' I said, 'Yes, Messenger of Allah, and I only desire good by that.' He said, 'Fast the fast of the Prophet of Allah, Da'ud. He was the person with the most acts of worship. Recite the Qur'an once a month.' I said, 'O Prophet of Allah, I can do more than that.' He said, 'Then recite it in twenty days.' I said, 'O Prophet of Allah, I can do more than that.' He said, 'Then recite it every ten days.' I said, 'O Prophet of Allah, I can do more than that.' He said, 'Then recite it every seven days, but do not exceed that.' I was austere and made things hard for myself and the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to me, 'You do not know. You may live a long time.' Then what the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, had said to me came to pass and when I was old, I wished that I had accepted the easement of the Prophet of Allahmay Allah bless him and grant him peace."

In one variant, "Your child has a right over you."

In one variant, "Someone who fasts all the time has no fast" three times.

In one variant, "The fast which Allah Almighty loves best was the fast of Da'ud, and the prayer which Allah Almighty loves best is the prayer of Da'ud. He used to sleep half of the night and pray one third of it and then sleep a sixth. He used to fast one day and break the fast the next day. He did not flee when he met the enemy."

He said in one variant, "My father married me to a woman of good lineage and he used to consult his daughter-in-law - i.e. his son's wife - and ask her about her husband. She would say to him, 'An excellent man! A man who has not slept with us in a bed nor removed the veil from us since we came to him!' When that went on for a long time, he mentioned that to the Prophet said, 'Send him to me.' So I went to meet him after that and he said, 'How often do you fast?' I said, 'Every day.' He said, 'How often do you complete the Qur'an?' I said, 'Every night.'" and he mentioned something similar to what is above. He used to recite a seventh of what he recited to one of his family reading it in the day so that it would be lessened for him at night. When he wanted to gain some strength, he would break the fast for some days, counting them, and then fast the same number later not wanting to abandon anything that he had told the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, he would do.

All these variants are sound and most are in the two Sahih Collections.

151. Abu Rib'i Hanzala ibn ar-Rabi' al-Usaydi the scribe, one of the scribes of the Messenger of Allah, said, "Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, met me and said, 'How are you, Hanzala?' I said, 'Hanzala is a hypocrite!' I said, Glory be to Allah! What are you saying!' I said, 'We were with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, who reminded us of the Garden and the Fire and it was as if we could see them with our eyes. When we leave the presence of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, we attend to our wives, children and estates in a state of great heedlessness.' Abu Bakr said, 'By Allah, we have experienced the same as this!' So Abu Bakr and I went to visit the Messenger of Allah and I said, 'Hanzala is a hypocrite, Messenger of Allah!' The Messenger of Allahmay Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'Why is that?' I said, 'Messenger of Allah, when we are with you,you remind us of the Garden and Fire and it is as if we could see them with our eyes. When we leave your presence, we attend to our wives, children and estates in a state of great heedlessness.' The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'By the One in whose hand my soul is, if you were to remain in the state you are in when you are in my presence and in the dhikr, the angels would shake hands with you on your bed and in the street, but, Hanzala, different times are not the same.' three times." [Muslim]

152. Ibn 'Abbas said, "Once while the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was speaking, a man remained standing, and he asked about him. They said, 'It is Abu Isra'il who vowed to stand in the sun and not sit down nor seek shade nor speak and to fast.' The Prophet said, 'Command him to speak, to seek shade and to sit down but he should complete his fast.'" [al-Bukhari]