The Creed

‘Abdullāh ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: A Jew came to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "O Muhammad, Allah holds the heavens on one Finger, the earths on one Finger, the mountains on one Finger, the trees on one Finger, and the creatures on one Finger, then He says: 'I am the King.”" Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) laughed until his molars showed. Then he recited: {And they have not appraised Allah with true appraisal.} [Sūrat Az-Zumar: 67]

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No Muslim regularly attends the mosques to perform prayer and remember Allah, but Allah is delighted for him just as the family of one who was away, is delighted upon his return."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Verily Allah said: Whoever shows hostility to a pious worshipper of Mine, I declare war against him. My slave does not draw near to Me with anything dearer to Me than what I have made obligatory for him. My slave continues to draw near to Me by doing supererogatory deeds until I love him. When I love him, I become his hearing with which he hears, his sight with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes, and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask Me for something, I would surely give it to him, and were he to seek refuge with Me, I would surely grant him refuge. I do not hesitate to do anything as I hesitate to take the soul of the believer, for he hates death, and I hate to hurt him."

Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When Allah fashioned Adam in Paradise, He left him (in the form He created him) as long as He desired to leave him (i.e. for a certain period of time). Satan started to go round Adam looking at him. Once he saw that Adam had a hollow body, he realized that he was a weak creature."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There are two things in people that are signs of disbelief: defaming lineages and wailing over the dead."

‘Imrān ibn Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) saw a man wearing a brass ring on his hand and said: “What is that?” The man said: “It is for a weakening ailment.” He said: “Take it off, for it will only increase your weakness. If you die with it on, you will never succeed.”

An-Nawwās ibn Sam‘ān (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessing be upon him) mentioned the Anti-Christ one morning, (sometimes describing him) to be insignificant and at other times important, till we thought that he might be amidst a cluster of date-palms. We departed from the presence of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) but returned shortly after. He noticed that (concern) in us. So he said: "What is the matter with you?" We said: "O Messenger of Allah, you mentioned the Anti-Christ this morning, belittling him and mentioning his importance, till we thought that he might be amidst a cluster of the date-palms." He said: "It is not the Anti-Christ that I fear for you; if he were to appear while I am in the midst of you, then I will be his adversary on your behalf. And if he appears while I am not among you, then each man will have to fend for himself. Allah will take care of every Muslim after me. He is young, with curly hair, and his eyes protruding. I compare him to ‘Abd al-‘Uzza ibn Qatān. If anyone of you sees him, let him recite the initial verses of Sūrat al-Kahf. He will appear from what is between the Levant and Iraq, causing devastation toward the right and toward the left. O worshipers of Allah! Hold fast!" We said: "O Messenger of Allah, how long will he linger on the earth?" He said: "Forty days, a day like a year, a day like a month, a day like a week, and the remainder of his days are like your days." We said: "O Messenger of Allah, do you think that during the day that is like a year, the prayer of one day will be sufficient for us?" He said: "No; you will have to estimate it." We said: "O Messenger of Allah, how fast will he move on the earth?" He said: "Like a rain storm driven by the wind. He will come upon a people and call them, and they will deny him and reject his claims. Then he will leave them, and their wealth will follow him. They will awaken in the morning with nothing left. Then he will come upon a people and call them, and they will respond to him, believing in him. So he will order the heavens to bring rain, and it will rain, and he will order the land to sprout, and it will sprout. Their cattle will return to them with their coats the longest, their udders the fullest, and their stomachs the fattest. Then he will come upon some ruins, saying to it: ‘Bring me your treasures!’ He will turn to leave it, and it will follow him like drone bees. Then he will call a young man, full of youth, and he will strike him with the sword, cutting him into two pieces. Then he will call him, and he will come forward with his face beaming and laughing. So while he is doing that, ‘Īsa, the son of Mariyam (peace be upon him), will descend in eastern Damascus at the white minaret, wearing two garments lightly dyed with saffron and placing his hands on the wings of two angels. When he lowers his head, drops fall of it, and when raises it, gems like pearls drop from him. His breath will not reach any disbeliever but that he will die, and his breath will reach as far as his sight. So he will pursue him (the Anti-Christ) and will catch up with him at the gate of Ludd, where he will kill him. Then people whom Allah will have protected will come to ‘Īsa, the son of Mariyam, and he will wipe their faces and inform them of their ranks in Paradise, it will be under such conditions that Allah will reveal to him: ‘I have brought forth from among My slaves such people against whom none will be able to fight; you take these people safely to At-Tūr.’ Then Allah will send Gog and Magog, and they will swarm down from every mound. The first of them will pass by the lake of Tiberias and drink out of it. And when the last of them will pass, he will say: ‘There was once water there.’ ‘Īsa and his companions will then be besieged there (and they will be so hard pressed) that the head of an ox will be dearer to one of them than one hundred dinars is to one of you today. Prophet ‘Īsa and his companions will supplicate Allah, Who will send to them insects which will attack their (Gog and Magog) necks, and in the morning they will perish like one single person. Prophet ‘Īsa and his companions will then come down to the earth (from the mountain they were on), and they will not find on the earth as much space as a single span that is not filled with their putrefaction and stench. Prophet ‘Īsa and his companions will then again beseech Allah, Who will send birds whose necks will be like those of Bactrian camels, and they will carry them and throw them where Allah wills. Then Allah will send rain which no house of clay or hair will keep out, and it will wash the earth until it will appear like a mirror. Then the earth will be told to bring forth its fruit and restore its blessing and, as a result thereof, a group of persons will be able to eat from one pomegranate and seek shelter under its skin, and a cow will give so much milk that a whole party will be able to drink it. And a camel will give so much milk that a whole tribe will be able to drink from it, and sheep will give so much milk that a whole family will be able to drink from it; and at that time, Allah will send a pleasant wind which will soothem even under their armpits, and it will take the life of every Muslim, and only the wicked people will survive, and they will commit adultery like monkeys, and those are the people to whom the Last Hour will come."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Do you know who the bankrupt is?" They said: "The bankrupt among us is the one who has neither money nor belongings." He said: "Verily, the bankrupt in my Ummah is the one who comes on the Day of Resurrection with prayers, fasting, and Zakah, but he comes while he has hurled abuse at this one, slandered that one, unlawfully consumed the wealth of this one, shed the blood of that one, and beat this one. So, this one will be given of his good deeds and that one will be given of his good deeds. If his good deeds run out before justice is fulfilled, some of their sins will be cast upon him and then he will be thrown into Hellfire."

Ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: There were about forty of us with the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) in a tent when he said: "Would it please you to be one-fourth of the inhabitants of Paradise?" We said: 'Yes.' He said: "Would it please you to be one-third of the inhabitants of Paradise?" We said: 'Yes.' Thereupon he said: "By the One in Whose hand Muhammad's soul is! I hope that you would be one-half of the inhabitants of Paradise; for none shall enter Paradise except a Muslim soul, and you, compared to the polytheists, are no more than a white hair on the skin of a black ox, or a black hair on the skin of a red ox."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, when Allah loves a slave, He calls Jibrīl (Gabriel) and says: I love so-and-so, so love him. So, Gabriel loves him. Then, he (Gabriel) calls out in heaven, saying: Indeed, Allah loves so-and-so, so love him. And the inhabitants of heaven love him. Then, acceptance is established for him on earth. And if Allah hates a slave, He calls Gabriel and says: I hate so-and-so, so hate him. So, Gabriel hates him. Then, Gabriel calls out to the inhabitants of heaven, saying: Indeed, Allah hates so-and-so, so hate him. So, they hate him, and hatred is established for him on earth."

Jarīr ibn ‘Abdullāh (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: 'The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) sent a brigade to (the tribe of) Khath‘am. Some of their people sought protection by resorting to prostration but were hastily killed. When the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was informed of that, he ordered half the blood money to be paid for them, saying: "I am not responsible for any Muslim who stays among the polytheists." They asked: "Why, O Messenger of Allah?" He said: "Their fires should not be visible to one another.''

‘Abdullāh ibn Waqdān As-Sa‘di (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I was with a delegation that went to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) each of us with something to ask of him. I was the last of them to enter upon him, and I said: "O Messenger of Allah, I have left people behind me claiming that Hijrah has ceased." He said: "Hijrah will not cease so long as the disbelievers are being fought."

‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) set out for Badr. When he reached Harrat al-Wabarah, a man met him who was known for his courage and support of others. The Companions of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) were pleased to see him. He said: "I have come so that I may follow you and get a share from the booty." The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: "Do you believe in Allah and His Messenger?" He said: 'No.' The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Then go back, for I will not seek help from a polytheist." He went on until we reached Ash-Shajarah, where the man met him again. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) asked him the same question again, and the man gave him the same answer. he said: "Then go back, for I will not seek help from a polytheist." The man returned and overtook him at Baydā'. He asked him as he had asked previously: "Do you believe in Allah and His Messenger?" The man said: 'Yes.' The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: "Then come along with us."

Anas ibn Mālik and Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with both of them) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said that Allah, the Almighty, said: "If the slave draws closer to Me by a hand-span, I shall draw closer to him by a cubit; and if he draws closer to Me by a cubit, I shall draw closer to him by the span of two outstretched arms. If he comes to Me walking, I shall come to him running."

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: "On the Day of Resurrection, Allah will deliver to every Muslim a Jew or a Christian and say: 'This is your ransom from Hellfire.'" Another narration reads: "On the Day of Resurrection, there will come people from the Muslims with sins as huge as mountains, and Allah will forgive them."

‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that he heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) say: "I will certainly expel the Jews and the Christians from the Arabian Peninsula until only Muslims are left in it."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Verily, Allah has ninety-nine names, one-hundred minus one. Whoever memorizes them all will enter Paradise."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Faith has over seventy branches - or over sixty branches - the most excellent of which is the declaration that 'lā ilāha illa Allah (there is no god but Allah)', and the lowest of which is the removal of what is harmful from the way; and modesty is a branch of faith."

‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Islam is built on five: testifying that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger, establishing prayer, giving Zakah, performing Hajj to the (Sacred) House, and fasting Ramadān."

Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Whoever of you sees something evil, let him change it with his hand; and if he is not able, then with his tongue; and if he is not able, then with his heart, and that is the weakest of faith."