al-Harith bin Hassan al-Bakri (may Allah be pleased with him)

Simak bin Harb (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Sayyiduna al-Harith bin Hassan (may Allah be pleased with him), who had the honour of companionship with the Messenger, got married. In those days it was the custom that when a man married, he would remain secluded with his wife for a few days and would not go out for the morning prayer. (But he went out for the morning prayer,) and it was said to him: Are you going out, when only this very night you consummated your marriage with your wife? He said: "By Allah! A woman who keeps me from the morning prayer in congregation is a bad woman."

Sayyiduna al-Harith bin Hassan al-Bakri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I passed by an old woman of Banu Tamim at al-Rabadhah who had been left stranded. She asked: Where are you headed? We said: We are going to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). She said: Then take me with you, for I have a need with him. I entered the mosque, and the mosque was packed with people; a black banner was fluttering, and Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him), with a sword hung at his side, was standing before the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). So I sat down in the mosque. When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) went inside, he gave me permission and I went in. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Was there anything between you and Banu Tamim?" I said: Yes, O Messenger of Allah! We defeated them. And I passed by an old woman of theirs at al-Rabadhah who had been left stranded, and she said: I have a need with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). So I brought her with me, and here she is at the door. The narrator said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) gave her permission and she came in. When she had sat down, I said: O Messenger of Allah! If you see fit, make al-Dahna' the boundary between us and Banu Tamim, for it was once ours. The narrator said: At this the old woman sat bolt upright in anger, seized by tribal pride, and said: O Messenger of Allah! Then where will you drive your Mudar? The narrator said: I said: O Messenger of Allah! By Allah, I am just as someone of old said: "A young camel carried its owner's death" — that is, I brought her along without the least sense that she would become my opponent. I seek refuge with Allah and His Messenger from being like the envoy of Ad. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "What is the story of the envoy of Ad?" I said: You have asked one who knows it well. The narrator said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "He wants me to ask him for the story." Affan, one of the narrators, said: He said: I seek refuge with Allah from being as someone of old said. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "What did the one of old say?" He said: You have asked one who knows it well. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Go on, (tell it)" — he wanted to hear the story from him. So he related the story: The people of Ad were struck by drought, so they sent their envoy Qayl. He stayed with Mu'awiyah bin Bakr for a month; he would give him wine to drink, and the two Jaradahs (slave girls by that name) would sing to him — Sallam said: meaning the two singing slave girls. The narrator said: Then he set off until he reached the mountains of Mahrah, and said: O Allah! You know that I have not come to ransom a captive or to treat a sick person, so give Your servants (the people of Ad) to drink what You wish to give them to drink, and give Mu'awiyah bin Bakr to drink along with them for a month, so that he may be repaid for the wine that he drank at his house. The narrator said: Then black clouds passed by, and a voice called out from them: Choose from among the clouds. He said: This is surely a black cloud. The narrator said: Then a voice called out from it: Take it as ash-scattering ruin; it will leave none of Ad. The narrator said: I said: O Messenger of Allah! It has also reached me that the wind sent against them was no more than what would pass through the hole of a ring. Abu Wa'il (may Allah have mercy on him) said: The same report reached us too.

Sayyiduna al-Harith bin Hassan al-Bakri (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I came to Madinah and saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) delivering a sermon; Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) had a sword hung at his side, and black banners were planted. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had sent Amr bin al-As (may Allah be pleased with him) on an expedition."

Sayyiduna al-Harith bin Hassan al-Bakri (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I came to Madinah and saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) standing on the pulpit, and Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) was standing before him (peace and blessings be upon him) with a sword hung at his side, and suddenly black banners came into view. I asked: What is this? The people said: Amr bin al-As (may Allah be pleased with him) has returned from a campaign."

Sayyiduna al-Harith bin Hassan al-Bakri (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "We came to Madinah, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was on the pulpit, and Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) was standing before him (peace and blessings be upon him) with a sword hung at his side, and suddenly black banners came into view. I asked: What are these banners? The people said: Amr bin al-As (may Allah be pleased with him) has returned from a campaign."

Sayyiduna al-Harith bin Hassan al-Bakri (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "We came to Madinah, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was on the pulpit, and Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) was standing before him (peace and blessings be upon him) with a sword hung at his side, and suddenly black banners came into view. I asked: What are these banners? I was told: Amr bin al-As (may Allah be pleased with him) has returned from a campaign."