Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal

I said: “O Messenger of Allah(ﷺ), how do we send blessings upon you?” He said: `Say: O Allah, send Your salah (grace, honour and mercy) upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad, as You sent Your salah upon the family of Ibrahim, You are indeed Praiseworthy, Most Glorious. And send Your blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You sent Your blessings upon the family of Ibrahim, You are indeed Praiseworthy, Most Glorious.”

`O Allah, bring it over us with blessing and faith, and with soundness and Islam. My Lord and your Lord is Allah.”

“Let one of you put something in front of him the height of the back of a saddle, then pray.`

I was with the Prophet (ﷺ) and he passed by some palm trees of Madinah, and he saw some people at the top of the palm trees who were pollinating them. He said: “What are these people doing?` said: “They are taking (pollen) from the male and putting it in the female, to fertilise it.” He said: `I do not think this can help in any way.” News of that reached them, so they stopped doing that and came down from the trees, which did not bear any fruit that year as a result. News of that reached the Prophet (ﷺ) and he said: “It was only a thought that crossed my mind. If it helps in any way, then do it. I am only human, just like you, and thoughts may be right or wrong. But if I tell you that Allah, May He be glorified and exalted, said something, I will never tell a lie about Allah, may He be glorified and exalted.” It was narrated from Moosa bin Talhah ( and he narrated a similar report.) a similar report

“Who will take care of them?` Talhah said: “I will.” So they stayed with Talhah. The Prophet (ﷺ) sent out an expedition and one of them (these three men) went on that expedition and was martyred. Then he sent out an expedition, and another of them went on that expedition and was martyred. Then the third one died in his bed. Talhah said: “I dreamt that these three people who had stayed with me were in Paradise, and I saw the one who had died in his bed was ahead of them. I saw the one who was martyred last next to him, and I saw the one who was martyred first at the back. I was confused about that so I went to the Prophet (ﷺ) and told him about that. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “What did you find so strange about that? No one is better before Allah than a believer who lives longer as a Muslim, because of his fasting, takbeer and tahleel.`

“Is Talhah among the people?” Talhah said: “Yes.” He said: “Verily, to Allah we belong and unto Him is our return! I greet people among whom you are and they do not return the greeting.” Talhah said: “I returned the greeting.” `Uthman said: “This is not the way to return the greeting, I made you hear me but you did not make me hear you. O Talhah, I adjure you by Allah, did you hear the Prophet (ﷺ) say: “The blood of a Muslim is not permissible except in one of three cases: if he disbelieves after believing, or he commits zina after having been married, or he kills a soul and may be killed in return.” Talhah said: “Yes, by Allah.” `Uthman said takbeer, then he said: “By Allah, I have never denied Allah since I came to know Him. I never committed zina during the Jahiliyyah or in Islam. I abstained during the Jahiliyyah because I hated it and in Islam so as to maintain my chastity. And I have never killed anyone in return for which killing me would become permissible.”

“I saw in a dream that I was at the gate of Paradise, and I saw them both. Someone had come out from Paradise and he gave permission to the one who died last (to enter); then he came out and gave permission to the one who had been martyred. Then they both came back to me and said to me: Go back, for your time has not yet come.” The next morning, Talhah told the people about that and they were amazed by it. News of that reached the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and he said: “Why are you amazed?` They said: “O Messenger of Allah, this one strove harder in worship and then was martyred for the sake of Allah, but the other one entered Paradise before him?” He said: `Did he not remain for a year after (the other one) died?” They said: “Yes.” He said: “Did he not live until Ramadan came and fast it?” They said: “Yes.” He said: `Did he not pray this many rak`ahs during that year?` They said: “Yes.” The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Verily, the distance between them is the distance between heaven and earth.”

I sat with an old man of Banu Tameem in the mosque of Basrah who had a document in his hand. That was at the time of al-Hajjaj. He said to me: “O slave of Allah, do you think that this document could help me in any way with this governor?” I said: “What is this document?” He said: “This is a document from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) which he wrote for us to say that no transgression should be committed against us with regard to our zakah.” I said: “No, by Allah, I do not think that this document will help you at all. But what is the story about this document?” He said: “I came to Madinah with my father when I was a young boy, with some camels of ours to sell. My father was a friend of Talhah bin `Ubaidullah at-Taimi, so we stayed with him. My father said to him: “Come out with me and sell these camels of mine for me.” Talhah said: “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) has forbidden townsmen to sell for Bedouins. But I will go out with you and sit with you. Offer your camels for sale and if a man comes and makes you an offer and I think he is honest and sincere, I will tell you to sell to him. So we went out to the marketplace and showed the mounts that we had for sale, and Talhah sat nearby. People made offers to us, then when a man offered what we wanted, my father said to Talhah: “Shall I sell to him?” He said: “Yes, I am sure he is honest. So sell to him.” So we sold to him. Then when we took our money and ended our business, my father said to Talhah: “Ask the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) for a document for us, stating that no one should transgress against us with regard to our zakah.” (Talhah) said: “This is your right and it is the right of every Muslim.” He said: “Nevertheless, I would like to have a document from the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ).” So he took us out and brought us to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and said: “O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), this man is a man of the desert and is a friend of ours. He would like you to write a document for him, stating that no one should transgress against him with regard to his zakah.” The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: `That is his right and it is the right of every Muslim.” He said: “O, Messenger of Allah, he would like to have something from you in writing concerning that.” So the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) wrote this document for us.”

When the verse, `Then, on the Day of Resurrection, you will be disputing before your Lord” (az-Zumar ) was revealed, az-Zubair said: “O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), what delights will we be asked about? All we have is the two black ones - dates and water.” He said: `This will certainly take place.”

I heard `Umar (رضي الله عنه) say to ‘Abdur-Rahman, Talhah, az-Zubair and Sa`d: “I adjure you by Allah, by Whose power heaven and earth exist (Sufyan said on one occasion: by Whose leave heaven and earth exist), do you know that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: `We (Prophets) are not to be inherited from; what we leave behind is charity`. They said: “By Allah, yes.”

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Verily, for a man to carry a rope and gather firewood, then come and sell it in the marketplace and make himself independent of means thereby, so that he can spend on his (needs), is better than him asking people, whether they give him anything or not.”

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) mentioned both of his parents together for me on the Day of ‘Uhud (i.e., in the phrase “may my father and mother be sacrificed for you`.]

On the day of al-Khandaq, `Umar bin Abi Salamah and I were in the fort where the wives of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) were, the fort of Hassan. He would lift me up and I would lift him up. When he lifted me up, I saw my father go past on his way to Quraizah, as he was fighting alongside the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) on the day of al-Khandaq. He said: “Who will go to Banu Quraizah and fight them?” I said to him when he came back: “O my father, I recognized you when you were going to Banu Quraizah.” He said: “O my son, by Allah, the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) mentioned both his parents together for me when he said: May my father and mother be sacrificed for you.`

It was narrated from az-Zubair bin al-`Awwam that a man gave a mare called Ghamrah or Ghamra` , then he found a horse or a colt for sale which was said to be from that mare, but he was told not to buy it.

We used to pray Jumu’ah with the Prophet (ﷺ), then we would leave and seek the shade of the fortress, but we would not find any shade except (an area) the width of our feet.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “There has come to you the disease of the nations before you, jealousy and hatred. Hatred is the `shaver` (destroyer) that shaves (destroys) religious commitment; it does not shave hair. By the One in Whose Hand is the soul of Muhammad, you will not believe until you love one another. Shall I not tell you something which, if you do it, you will love one another? Spread (the greeting of) salam amongst yourselves.”

I said to az-Zubair (رضي الله عنه): “Why don`t I hear you narrating from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as I hear Ibn Mas`ood and so and so, and so and so?” He said: “I never left him since I became Muslim, but I heard something from him: `Whoever tells a lie about me deliberately, let him take his place in Hell.””

We said to az-Zubair (رضي الله عنه): “O Abu `Abdullah, what brought you here? You let the caliph down until he was killed, then you came seeking vengeance for him?” Az-Zubair (رضي الله عنه) said: “At the time of the Prophet (ﷺ), Abu Bakr, `Umar and `Uthman and me, we read the verse: “And fear the Fitnah (affliction and trial) which affects not in particular (only those) of you who do wrong (but it may afflict all the good and the bad people).” . But we never knew that it referred to us until the turmoil befell us.”

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Change grey hair, and do not resemble the Jews.`

We came from Liyyah with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and when we reached Sidrah, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood at one side of Qarnul-Aswad, facing it, then he turned his gaze towards Nakhibah (i.e., a valley) and he waited until all the people had stopped too. Then he said: `Hunting in Wajj and cutting down its plants is haram; it is sacred to Allah.” That was before he came to at-Ta`if and besieged Thaqeef.