Jurisprudence and Juristic Principles

‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said while he was on the pulpit, mentioning charity and refraining from asking people: "The upper hand is better than the lower hand; the upper hand is the giving hand, and the lower hand is the begging hand."

The Mother of the Believers Maymūnah bint al-Hārith (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that she had set free a slave-girl of hers without first seeking the permission of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). On the day when it was her turn to have the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) stay with her overnight, she said to him: "O Messenger of Allah, do you know that I set free my slave-girl?" He said: "Did you?" She replied: ‘Yes.’ He then said: "you would have received a greater reward had you given her to your maternal uncles."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: A man came to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) demanding repayment of a loan in such a rude manner that vexed the Companions and they were about to harm him, but the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Leave him, for he who has a right is entitled to demand it. Give him a camel of the same age as his." They said: "O Messenger of Allah, we found none but older than his." He said: "Give it to him, for the best among you are those who settle their debts in the best manner."

Shurayh ibn Hāni’ reported: I asked 'Ā'ishah, saying: What did the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) use to start with upon entering his house? She said: With the Siwāk (toothstick).

‘Abdullāh ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Who among you considers the wealth of his heirs more beloved to him than his own wealth?" They replied: "O Messenger of Allah, there is no one among us except that he loves his own wealth more." He said: "His wealth is whatever he spends during his life (in good ways), while the wealth of his heir is whatever he leaves after his death."

Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Make haste to perform the Witr prayer before the morning."

Abu Mūsa al-Ash‘ari (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Three types of people will receive a double reward: a man from the People of the Book who believed in his Prophet and then believed in Muhammad, a slave who fulfilled his duties towards Allah and towards his masters, and a man who had a female slave and he taught her good manners, educated her well, then freed her and married her; he will receive a double reward."

Abu Mas‘ūd al-Badri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A man from among those who were before you was called to account (by Allah on the Day of Judgment). No good deeds were found in his record except that he, being a rich man, used to enter into transactions with people and used to command his servants to show leniency towards those who were insolvent. Allah, the Exalted, said: 'We are more entitled to this (leniency) than him. Pardon him.'"

Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The tribe of Banu Salimah wanted to move nearer to the mosque. On learning this, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to them: "I was told that you intend to move nearer to the mosque." They said: "That is true, O Messenger of Allah, we want to." He said: "O Banu Salimah, stay in your neighborhood, your footsteps (to the mosque) are recorded for you; stay in your neighborhood, your footsteps (to the mosque) are recorded for you." Another narration reads: "Every footstep (towards the mosque) merits one higher rank."

‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: It was mentioned before the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) about a man who slept throughout the night until morning. He said, "That is a man in whose ears—or, he said, in whose ear—the devil urinated."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: ''May Allah have mercy upon a man who wakes up at night and prays, and awakens his wife. If she refuses, he sprinkles water on her face. May Allah have mercy upon a woman who wakes up at night and prays, and awakens her husband. If he refuses, she sprinkles water on his face.''

‘Uqbah ibn ‘Āmir (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Lands will be laid open for you, and Allah will spare you the fight. So, let none of you fail to play with his arrows.”

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: A man from among the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) passed by a valley wherein was a little spring of fresh water. He was delighted by it and said to himself: "If I were to retreat from the people and settle in this valley; but I will not do this until I get the permission of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him)." He mentioned this to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) who said (to the man): "Do not do that, for the status of one of you who fights in Allah's cause is better for him than performing prayer in his house for seventy years. Do you not wish that Allah should forgive you and admit you to Paradise? Fight in the cause of Allah, for he who fights in the cause of Allah for a period of time equal to that between two milkings of a she-camel, will be surely admitted to Paradise."

‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Ten practices are part of the Fitrah: Trimming the mustache, letting the beard grow, using the toothstick (tooth-stick), rinsing the nose, trimming the nails, washing the finger joints, plucking the armpit hairs, shaving the pubic hair, and washing the private parts with water (after answering the call of nature)." One of the narrators said: "I have forgotten the tenth; except if it was rinsing the mouth."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When any of you sleeps, the devil ties three knots at the back of his head, striking each knot: Ahead of you is a long night, so keep sleeping. When he wakes up and remembers Allah, one knot is undone; when he performs ablution, one knot is undone; and when he prays, one knot is undone, and he gets up in the morning active and in good spirits; otherwise, he gets up in the morning low-spirited and sluggish."

Ma‘dān ibn Abi Talhah al-Ya‘mari reported: I met Thawbān, the freed slave of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), and he said: Tell me about a deed to perform by virtue of which Allah admits me to Paradise - or he said: I said: about the deeds that Allah loves most - but he remained silent. Then I asked him, but he remained silent. Then I asked him for the third time, and he said: I asked the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) about this, and he said: "Make frequent prostrations to Allah, for you do not make a single prostration to Allah except that Allah raises you one degree therewith and remits one sin from you therewith." Ma‘dān said: Then I met Abu ad-Dardā’ and I asked him and he told me the same as Thawbān.

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When one of you stands up for offering voluntary prayer at night and finds it difficult to recite the Qur'an accurately, and he is unaware of what he is reciting, he should lie down."

Abu Safwān Suwayd ibn Qays (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: Makhramah al-‘Abdi and I brought some linen garments from Hajar. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) came to us and bargained with us for some pants. There was a man present who would weigh merchandise (in scales) for a wage. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: "Weigh, and add some more."

Sahl (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There is a gate in Paradise called Ar-Rayyān through which those who fast will enter on the Day of Judgment. No one else will enter through it. It will be called out: Where are those who fast? They will stand up. No one else will enter through it. Once they have entered, it will be closed, and no one will enter through it."

Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) reported regarding the story of Barīrah and her husband: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to her: "If you would take him back?" She said: "O Messenger of Allah, are you ordering me to do so?" He replied: "I am just interceding." So she said: "I have no need for him."