The Creed

Jābir (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "On the night I was taken up to heaven, I passed by Jibrīl in the Highest Assembly (of angels) and he was like a worn-out garment for fear of Allah, Exalted and Glorified.”

Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: "How can I feel pleasure when the one (angel) in charge of the Trumpet is holding it to his lips and his forehead is leaning forward, waiting to be given permission to blow?" The Muslims said: "So, what should we say, O Messenger of Allah?" He said: "Say: Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best Disposer of affairs. We relied upon Allah, our Lord." Sufyān, one of the narrators of this Hadīth, might have added this statement: "We relied upon Allah."

Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I was allowed to speak of an angel from the angels of Allah who carry the Throne: (the distance) between his earlobe and shoulder covers a journey of seven hundred years."

‘Ā'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was lying in my house with his thighs or shins uncovered. Abu Bakr sought permission to enter, and he allowed him in, still in that state. Abu Bakr talked (to him). Then ‘Umar sought permission to enter, and he allowed him in while in that very state. ‘Umar talked (to him). Then ‘Uthmān sought permission to enter, so the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) sat down and set right his clothes - Muhammad (one of the narrators) said: I do not say that it happened on the same day - and he (‘Uthmān) then entered and conversed with him. When he left, ‘Ā'ishah said: "Abu Bakr entered and you did not care and did not arrange your clothes, then ‘Umar entered and you did not care and did not arrange your clothes, then ‘Uthmān entered and you got up and set your clothes right!" Thereupon, he said: "Should I not feel shy of a man whom the angels feel shy of?"

‘Abdullāh ibn Az-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say: "(During the battle of Uhud) people retreated and left the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) until some of them reached the villages near a mountain close to Madīnah. They then went back to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). (During the battle) Hanzhalah ibn Abu ‘Āmir confronted Abu Sufyān ibn Harb. When Hanzhalah was about to kill him (Abu Sufyān), Shaddād ibn al-Aswad saw him and struck him with his sword and killed him. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) then said: ‘Your companion Hanzhalah is being washed by the angels, so ask his wife.’ She said: ‘He left in a state of ritual impurity when he heard the call for the battle.’ So the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘That was why the angels were washing him.’”

Ubayy ibn Ka‘b (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When Adam died, the angels washed his body with water an odd number of times, dug him a grave, and said: 'This is the tradition for Adam's children.'"

Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: While Usayd ibn Hudayr was reciting in his dates storehouse at night, his horse got startled and began to jump. He again recited, and the horse got startled and began to jump again. He again recited, and it got startled and began to jump as before. Usayd said: "I was afraid that the horse may trample (my son) Yahya. I stood near it and saw something like a canopy over my head, with what looked like lamps in it, rising up in the sky until I could no longer see it. The next morning, I went to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, I was reciting in my dates storage place late last night, and the horse began to get startled and jump.’ The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Recite, O Ibn Hudayr.’ I said: ‘I have recited, but the horse got startled and jumped again.’ Then the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Recite, O Ibn Hudayr.’ I said: ‘I have recited, but the horse got startled and jumped again.’ The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Recite, O Ibn Hudayr.’ Ibn Hudayr explained: ‘(O Messenger of Allah) I ended (the recitation) because Yahya was near (the horse), and I was afraid it might trample him. Then I saw something like a canopy with what looked like lamps in it rise up in the sky until I could no longer see it.’ Upon this, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Those were angels who were listening to your recitation, and if you had continued, the people would have seen them in the morning, and they would not have concealed themselves from the people.'"

‘Abdullāh ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Allah has angels traveling around on earth conveying to me the greetings of my Ummah.”

Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) on the day (of the battle) of Badr, said: "This is Jibrīl holding the head of his horse and equipped with tools of war."

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: It is as if I am looking at the dust rising in the alleyway of Banu Ghanm from the marching of Jibrīl's parade when the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) set out to Banu Qurayzhah.

Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "This is the one at whose death the Throne shook; the gates of heaven were opened for him; and seventy thousand angles attended his funeral. He was squeezed once then was released."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There are angels at the entrances of Madīnah, so neither the plague nor the Antichrist shall enter it."

Zayd ibn Thābit (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: We were with the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) collecting the Qur'an from parchments. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "How blessed the Levant is!" So we said: "Why is that, O Messenger of Allah?" He said: "Because the angels of the Most Merciful spread their wings over it."

Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When the edge of the sun rises, avoid prayer until it becomes prominent; and if the edge of the sun disappears, avoid prayer until it sets. And do not offer your prayer at the time of sunrise or sunset, for it rises between two horns of a devil – or the devil."

Buraydah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) went out for one of his expeditions, then when he came back, a black slave-girl came to him and said: "O Messenger of Allah, I made a vow that if Allah returned you safely, I would beat the tambourine before you and sing." So the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to her: "If you have made a vow, then beat it, and if you have not, then do not." So she started to beat the tambourine, and Abu Bakr entered while she was beating it. Then ‘Ali entered while she was beating it, then ‘Uthmān entered while she was beating it. Then ‘Umar entered, so she put the tambourine under her buttocks, and sat upon it. So, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, the devil is afraid of you, O ‘Umar! I was sitting while she beat the tambourine, and then Abu Bakr entered while she was beating it, then ‘Ali entered while she was beating it, then ‘Uthmān entered while she was beating it, and then when you entered, O ‘Umar, she put away the tambourine."

‘Āmir reported: I asked ‘Alqamah if Ibn Mas‘ūd was present with the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) on the night of the Jinn (the night when the Prophet met the Jinn). He said: "No, but we were in the company of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) one night, and we missed him. We looked for him in the valleys and the hills and thought that he might have been taken away (by the Jinn) or assassinated. So we spent the worst night which people could ever spend. When it was dawn, we saw him coming from the side of Hirā'. We said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, we missed you and looked for you, but we could not find you, and we spent the worst night which people could ever spend.’ The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘A caller from the Jinn came to me, and I went along with him and recited the Qur’an to them.’ So he then went along with us and showed us their traces and traces of their embers. They (the Jinn) asked him for provision, and he said: ‘For you is each bone on which the name of Allah is mentioned. When it falls in your hand, it will have plenty of flesh; and each piece of dung is a fodder for your beasts.’ The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Do not cleanse (your private parts) with these, for these are the food of your brethren (the Jinn).'"

Jābir (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Satan places his throne upon water; he then sends his troops; the nearer to him in rank are those who are most skillful in creating mischief. One of them comes and says: 'I did such-and-such', to which Satan replies: 'You did nothing.' Then one among them comes and says: 'I did not leave so-and-so until I separated him from his wife.' Satan brings him near him and says: 'You did well.'" Al-A‘mash said: "I think he said: 'He then embraces him.'"

‘Ā'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: A man from the Banu Zurayq, whose name was Labīd ibn al-A‘sam, performed magic on the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and he began to imagine that he had done something that he had not. One day, while he was with me, he supplicated to Allah, the Almighty, and he supplicated for a prolonged period and then said: ‘O ‘Ā'ishah, do you know that Allah has told me regarding the matter I asked Him about? Two men came to me, one of them sat near my head and the other sat near my feet. One of them asked his companion: “What is wrong with this man?” The other replied: “'He is under a magic spell.” The first one asked: “Who performed magic on him?” The other replied: “Labīd ibn al-A‘sam.” The first one asked: “What did he do it with?” The other replied: “With a comb and the hair stuck in it, and the skin of a male date palm pollen.” The first one asked: “Where is it?” The other replied: “In the well of Dharwān.”’ The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) went with some of his Companions to the well. He returned to me and said: ‘O ‘Ā'ishah, by Allah, the water in that well was (red) like a Henna leaf infusion, and the date palms were like the heads of devils.’ I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, should you take (those things) out (of the pollen skin)?’ He said: ‘No. Allah has healed me, and I was afraid that I would spread evil among the people.’ He then ordered the well be filled with earth, and it was filled with earth.”

Ibn Jubayr reported: Abu Jumu‘ah al-Ansāri once came to us and said: "We were with the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and we were ten, including Mu‘ādh ibn Jabal. We said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, is there anyone who will acquire greater rewards than ours? We believed in you and followed you.’ He said: ‘What prevents you from doing so, while the Messenger of Allah is among you, bringing you the revelation from heaven? There are people who will come after you and who will be given a book between two covers (the Qur’an), and they will believe in it and implement its commands. They have a greater reward than yours.'"

Abu Qatādah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) addressed us and said: "You will proceed with your journey along the evening and the night, then you will come to a place of water, Allah willing, in the morning." So the people proceeded, without paying any heed to one another. Abu Qatādah said: "The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) also traveled until it was midnight. I was by his side. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) dozed off and leaned (to one side) of his camel. I went to him and lent him support without waking him up until he sat upright on his riding mount. He went on traveling until a major part of the night was over and (he again) leaned (to one side) of his camel. I supported him without waking him up until he sat on his ride. Then he traveled until it was near dawn. He (again) leaned, but far more, than the two earlier leanings, and he was about to fall down. So I went to him and supported him, and he lifted his head and said: 'Who is this?' I said: 'It is Abu Qātadah.' He (the Prophet again) said: 'How long have you been traveling along with me like this?' I said: 'I have been traveling in this very state since the night.' He said: 'May Allah guard you as you have guarded His Prophet.' He again said: 'Do you see that we are hidden from the people?' And again he said: 'Do you see anyone?' I said: 'Here is a rider.' I again said: 'Here is another rider,' until we gathered together and we were seven riders.' The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) stepped aside of the road and placed his head (for sleep and said): 'Guard our prayers for us.' The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was the first to wake up, and the rays of the sun were falling on his back. We got up startled. He (the Prophet) said: 'Ride on.' So we rode on until the sun had (sufficiently) risen. He then dismounted and called for a jug of water which I had with me. There was a little water in it. He performed an ablution which was less thorough than his usual ablutions, and some water was left. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to Abu Qatādah: 'Keep for us your jug of water; it will have a miraculous affair.' Then Bilāl called (the people) to prayer, and then the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) observed two Rak‘ahs and then observed the morning prayer as he did every day. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) (then) rode on and we rode along with him, and some of us whispered to the others saying: 'How would there be compensation for the negligence we committed in our prayers?' Upon this, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Is there not in me a model for you? There is no negligence in sleeping. The (cognizable) negligence is that one should not observe the prayer (intentionally) until the time of the next prayer comes. So the one who does this (leave a prayer on account of sleep or due to other unavoidable circumstances) should observe the prayer when he becomes aware of it, and on the next day he should observe the prayer at its prescribed time.' Then he (the Prophet) said: 'What do you think the people would do (at this hour) when they would not find their Prophet with them in the morning. Abu Bakr and ‘Umar would say: ‘The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) must be behind you, he cannot leave you behind (him).’ Other people would say: ‘The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) is ahead of you.’ So if they obey Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, they would follow the right path.' So we proceeded on till we came up to the people (from whom we had lagged behind), and the day had considerably risen and everything became hot, and they (the Companions of the Prophet) said: 'O Messenger of Allah, we are dying of thirst.' Upon this, he (the Prophet) remarked: 'There is no destruction for you.' And he then said: 'Bring that small cup of mine.' And he then asked for the jug of water to be brought to him. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) poured water (in that small cup), and Abu Qatādah gave them water to drink. When the people saw that there was (a little) water in the jug, they gathered in crowds around it. Upon this, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Behave well; you will drink to your fill.' They complied. So the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would fill (the cup), and I would serve them until no one was left except me and the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). He then filled (the cup) with water and said to me: 'Drink it.' I said: 'Messenger of Allah, I will not drink until you drink.' Upon this, he said: 'The server of the people is the last among them to drink.' So I drank, and the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) also drank, and the people came to the place of water quite happy and satiated." ‘Abdullāh ibn Rabāh said: "I was narrating this Hadīth in the grand mosque, when ‘Imrān ibn Husayn said: 'See, O young man, how will you narrate, for I was also one of the riders on that night.' I said: 'So you must know this Hadīth well.' He said: 'Who are you?' I said: 'I am one of the Ansār.' Upon this, he said: 'You narrate, for you know your Hadīths better.' I, therefore, narrated it to the people. Then ‘Imrān said: 'I was also present that night, but I do not know anyone who committed it to memory as well as you have.'"