Sunan Abi Dawud

“Even so do We let it creep into the hearts of the sinners.” He said: Polytheism

Between them and their faith.

I was a prisoner in Syria. A man called me from behind. I turned towards him and suddenly found that it was Raja b. Haiwah. He said: Abu ‘Awn, what is this that the people are telling about al-Hasan? I said: They are much lying to al-Hasan.

I heard Ayyub say: Two kinds of people have lied to al-Hasan: people who believed in free will and they intended that they publicise their belief by it; and people who had enmity with and hostility (for al-Hasan), saying: Did he not say so and so? Did he not say so and so?

Qurrah b. Khalid used to tell us: O young people! Do not think that al-Hasan denied predestination, for his opinion (i.e., belief) was sunnah and sight.

If we learnt that the remark of al-Hasan would reach the extent that it has reached, we would write a book for his withdrawal and call witnesses to him; but we said: This is a remark that surprisingly came out (from him) and it will not be transmitted to others.

Al-Hasan said: I will never return to it.

Al-Hasan never interpreted any Quranic verse but to establish (Divine decree).

We used to say in the times of the Prophet (ﷺ): We do not compare anyone with Abu Bakr. ’Umar came next and then ‘Uthman. We then would leave (rest of) the companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) without treating any as superior to other.

When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was alive, we used to say: The most excellent member of the community of the Prophet (ﷺ) after himself is Abu Bakr, then ‘Umar, then 'Uthman.

I said to my father: Which of the people after the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) is best? He replied: Abu Bakr. I then asked: Who comes next? He said: ‘Umar. I was then afraid of asking him who came next, and he might mention ‘Uthman, so I said: You came next, O my father? He said: I am only a man among the Muslims.

I heard Sufyan say: If anyone thinks that ‘All (Allah be pleased with him) was more deserving for the Caliphate than both of them, he imputed error to Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, the Muhajirun (Immigrants), and the Ansar (Helpers) Allah be pleased with all of them. I think that with this (belief) none of his action will rise to the heaven.

The Caliphs are five: Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthman, ‘All and ‘Umar b. ‘Abd al-Aziz.

Abu Hurairah said that a man came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and said: I saw (in my dream) a piece of cloud from which ghee and honey were dropping. I saw the people spreading their hands. Some of them took much and some a little. I also saw a rope hanging from Heaven to Earth. I saw, Messenger of Allah, that you caught hold of it and ascended by it. Then another man caught hold of it and ascended it. Then another man caught hold of it and ascended it. Then another man caught hold of it, but it broke, and then it was joined and he ascended it. AbuBakr said: May my parents be sacrificed for you, if you allow, I shall interpret it. He said: Interpret it. He said: The piece of cloud is the cloud of Islam; the ghee and honey that were dropping from it are the Qur'an, which contains softness and sweetness. Those who received much or little of it are those who learn much or little of the Qur'an. The rope hanging from Heaven to Earth is the truth which you are following. You catch hold of it and then Allah will raise you to Him. Then another man will catch hold of it and ascend it, Then another man will catch hold of it and it will break. But it will be joined and he will ascend it. Tell me. Messenger of Allah, whether I am right or wrong. He said: You are partly right and partly wrong. He said: I adjure you by Allah, you should tell me where I am wrong. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Do not take an oath.

He refused to tell him (his mistake).

One day the Prophet (ﷺ) said: Which of you had dream? A man said: It is I. I saw as though a scale descended from the sky. You and AbuBakr were weighed and you were heavier; AbuBakr and Umar were weighed and AbuBakr was heavier: Umar and Uthman were weighed and Umar was heavier; than the scale was taken up. we saw signs of dislike on the face of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).

One day the Prophet (ﷺ) asked: Which of you had a dream? He then mentioned the rest of the tradition to the same effect, but he did not mention the word “disliked”. Instead, he said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was grieved about that. He then said: There will be a caliphate on the model of prophecy, then Allah will give the kingdom to whom he wills.

Last night a good man had a vision in which Abu Bakr seemed to be joined to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). ‘Umar to Abu Bakr, and ‘Uthman to ‘Umar. Jabir said: When we got up and left the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), we said: The good man is the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and that their being joined together means that they are the rulers over this matter with which Allah has sent His Prophet (ﷺ). Abu Dawud said: It has been transmitted by Yunus and Shu’aib, but they did not mention ‘Amr b. Aban.

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)! I saw (in a dream) that a bucket was hung from the sky. Abu Bakr came, caught hold of both ends of its wooden handle, and drank a little of it. Next came ‘Umar who caught hold of both ends of its wooden handle and drank of it to his fill. Next came ‘Uthman who caught hold of both ends of its handle and drank of it to his fill. Next came ‘All. He caught hold of both ends of its handle, but it became upset and some (water) from it was sprinkled on him.

The Romans will enter the Levant and stay there for forty days, and no place will be saved from them but Damascus and 'Uman.