The Creed

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said on the Day of Khaybar: "Verily, I shall give this banner to a man who loves Allah and His Messenger, and Allah will grant victory at his hands." ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb said: I never liked leadership except on that day. He said: I kept showing myself in the hope that I might be called for it. He said: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) called ‘Ali ibn Abi Tālib and gave it to him and said: "Proceed and do not look back until Allah grants you victory." He said: ‘Ali walked for a while and then stopped without looking back and shouted: O Messenger of Allah, on what should I fight the people? He said: "Fight them until they testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. If they do so, their blood and properties become inviolable for you, except what is rightly justified, and their reckoning is with Allah."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When Allah created the creation, He wrote in a book, which is with Him over the Throne: Verily, My mercy predominates over My anger." Another narration: "My mercy predominated My anger.'' Another narration: "My mercy preceded My anger.''

An-Nu‘mān ibn Bashīr (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The believers, in their mutual love, compassion, and sympathy, are like a single body; if one of its organs suffers, the whole body will respond with sleeplessness and fever."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) dispatched a secret troop of ten men under the leadership of ‘Āsim ibn Thābit al-Ansāri (may Allah be pleased with him). They proceeded until they reached Al-Had'ah, a place between ‘Usfān and Makkah, when the news reached a branch of the tribe of Hudhayl called Banu Lihyān. About one hundred of their archers hurried to track them. When ‘Āsim and his companions sensed them, they took refuge in a safe place. Their trackers circled them and said: "Come down and surrender. We give you our pledge and covenant that we will not kill any of you." ‘Āsim ibn Thābit (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O people, as for me, I will not go down to be under the protection of disbelievers. O Allah, let your Prophet know what has happened to us." The disbelievers then shot arrows at them until they killed ‘Āsim. Three of the men went down trusting their pledge and covenant; Khubayb, Zayd ibn Ad-Dathinnah, and a third man. When the disbelievers captured them and tied them up with the strings of their bows, the third companion said: "This is the start of a betrayal. By Allah, I will not go with you. I have a clear example in these (killed companions)." So they dragged him and tried to force him to accompany them, but he refused, so they killed him. They took Khubayb and Zayd ibn Ad-Dathinnah with them and sold them as slaves in Makkah. This incident took place after the battle of Badr. Khubayb was bought by the children of Al-Hārith ibn ‘Āmir ibn Nawfal ibn ‘Abd Manāf. It was Khubayb who had killed Al-Hārith in the battle of Badr. Khubayb remained as their prisoner for a several days, until they decided to kill him. Khubayb borrowed a razor from one of Al-Hārith’s daughters to shave his pubic hair. Without her being aware, her little son crawled towards Khubayb. When she saw her son on Khubayb's knee and he had the razor in his hand, she was so alarmed that Khubayb noticed the agitation on her face. He said: "Are you afraid that I will kill him? No, I will never do that." She later commented: "By Allah, I never saw a prisoner better than Khubayb. By Allah, I once saw him eating a bunch of grapes from his hand while he was chained up, but there was no such fruit at that time in Makkah. It must have been a blessing that Allah had bestowed upon Khubayb." When they took him out of the Sacred Precincts, so they could kill him outside its boundaries, Khubayb asked them to let him pray two Rak‘ahs. They allowed him to do so, so he offered the two Rak‘ahs. Then he said: "Had I not reckoned that you would think that I was anxious, I would have prayed more. O Allah, remove them altogether; slay them one by one and spare none of them." He then recited these poetic verses: "I do not care how I will be killed as long as I will die in the cause of Allah, as a Muslim. This is for Allah's sake, and if He so wills, He may bless torn and amputated limbs." It was therefore Khubayb who established the Sunnah (practice) for any Muslim who is about to be killed to pray two Rak‘ahs. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) related to his Companions what had happened to the ten Companions on the day that it happened. Later, when some disbelievers from the Quraysh were informed that ‘Āsim had been killed; they sent people to fetch a recognizable part of him to confirm his death. They did so, because ‘Āsim had previously killed one of their chiefs. So Allah sent a swarm of bees, resembling a shady cloud, to hover over the body of ‘Āsim to shield him from their messengers, so they could not cut off any part of him.

‘Ali ibn Rabī‘ah reported: I was there when a mount was brought to ‘Ali ibn Abi Tālib (may Allah be pleased with him) to ride on. When he put his foot in the stirrup, he said: "In the name of Allah". When he settled himself on its back, he recited: "Exalted is He who has subjected this to us, and we could not have otherwise subdued it. And indeed we, to our Lord, will surely return." He then recited: "Praise be to Allah" three times, and then: "Allah is the Greatest" three times. Then he said: "Exalted are You above any imperfection. I have wronged myself, so forgive me, for none but You can forgive sins" and then he laughed. It was asked: "O Commander of the Believers, what made you laugh?" He replied: "I saw the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) doing as I have done then he laughed." I asked him: ”O Messenger of Allah, what made you laugh?” He said: “Your Lord, the Exalted, is pleased when His slave seeks His forgiveness; he (the slave) knows that none can forgive sins except Allah."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The Muslim's right over his fellow Muslim is six." It was said: What are they, O Messenger of Allah? He said: "When you meet him, greet him with peace; when he invites you, accept his invitation; when he seeks your advice, advise him; when he sneezes and praises Allah, say Tasmīt to him; when he falls sick, visit him; and when he dies, follow him."

Abdullāh ibn ‘Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: We were on a journey with the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and we halted at some place to rest. Some of us began to mend their tents; others began to compete with one another in shooting; and others began to graze their beasts. An announcer of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) announced that we should gather for prayer. So we gathered around the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). He said: "It was the duty of every prophet before me to guide his people to what he knew was good for them and warn them against what he knew was bad for them. The safety of this Ummah of yours lies in its early generations, whereas its late generations will be afflicted with trials and with things that you would reject. There will be tremendous trials, one after the other, each making the previous one dwindle into significance. When they are afflicted with a trial, the believer will say: 'This is going to bring about my destruction.' When it is over, they will be afflicted with another trial and the believer will say: 'This surely is going to be my end.' Anyone wishes to be saved from the Hellfire and be admitted to Paradise should die while having belief in Allah and the Last Day, and should treat people as he wishes to be treated by them. Anyone pledges allegiance to a ruler, giving him the grasp of his hand and sincerity of his heart, he should obey him to the best of his capacity. If another man comes forward disputing his authority, then you should behead the latter."

Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever imitates a people is one of them."

‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I asked the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him): "Which sin is the gravest in the sight of Allah?" He said: "To set an equal to Allah while He created you." I said: "This is, indeed, grave." I said: "What comes next?" He said: "To you kill your child lest he should share your food with you." I said: "What comes next?" He said: "To commit adultery with your neighbor's wife."

Abu Ayyūb al-Ansāri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "It is unlawful for a Muslim to desert his fellow Muslim for more than three nights. As they meet, both of them turn their backs on each other. But the best of them is the one who starts by greeting the other."

Abu Sirmah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever causes harm will be harmed by Allah, and whoever causes hardship will be put in hardship by Allah."

‘Ā’ishah, Mother of the Believers, (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said during his illness from which he did not recover: "May the curse of Allah be upon the Jews and Christians; they took the graves of their prophets as mosques." She said: If it were not for that, his grave would be made prominent; yet, it was feared that it might be taken as a mosque.

‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "He is not one of us who slaps the cheeks, splits the collars, and calls out with the calls of Jāhiliyyah (pre-Islamic era of ignorance)."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "He who has wronged his brother, concerning his honor or anything else, let him ask for his pardon today before there comes a time when there will be neither a dinar nor a dirham. If he has good deeds, an amount equivalent to the wrong he has done will be taken from his good deeds. If he has no good deeds, then some of his companion's bad deeds will be taken and loaded upon him."

Samurah ibn Jundub (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Among them are those whom the fire will reach up to their ankles, others up to their knees, others up to their waists, and others up to their collarbones."

Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: It was time for prayer. Those who were close to their homes went to their families (to perform ablution). Some people remained. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was brought a stone pot. It was too small for him to open his palm therein. All of the people made ablution.” They said: “How many of you were there?” He said: "Eighty and more.” Another narration reads: "The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) called for water, and he was brought a wide shallow vessel with some water in it. He put his fingers in it. Anas said: "I saw water flowing from between his fingers. I then counted those who performed ablution and found them between seventy and eighty."

Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Allah Almighty said: 'O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I shall forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and were you then to meet Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I shall bring you forgiveness nearly as great as it is.'"

Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Every person will be resurrected in the same state he died in."

‘Ā’ishah, the Mother of the Believers (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say: "People will be gathered on the Day of Judgment barefooted, naked, and uncircumcised." I said: O Messenger of Allah, men and women together, looking at each other?! He replied: "O ‘Ā’ishah, the situation will be too grave for them to be looking at each other."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated directly from the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: "Allah, Glorified and Exalted, laughs at two men, one of them kills the other, yet both enter Paradise. This one fights in the cause of Allah, so he gets killed. Then Allah forgives the killer, and becomes a Muslim and dies as a martyr."