The sermon of Ibn Masud (may Allah be pleased with him) and some of his sayings

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "It is enough of a lie for a believer that he relates everything he hears."

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "When you invite a man, you have in effect given him permission (to enter)."

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "The most painful thing in a believer is obscene speech."

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "The worst trait of a believer is obscene speech."

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "A man goes out with his religion with him, then returns with nothing of it left. He goes to a person who has no power to benefit or harm either him or himself, and swears to him by Allah: 'You are a liar and a sinner.' So he returns without having obtained anything of his need, while Allah has become angry with him because of it (the false oath)."

A similar hadith is also narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him).

Itris bin Urqub al-Shaybani came to Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: Destroyed is the one who does not enjoin good and forbid evil. He said: "Rather, destroyed is the one whose heart does not recognise good and whose heart does not reject evil."

The like of this hadith is also narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Whoever wants the Hereafter harms this world, and whoever wants this world harms the Hereafter," and he ordered the people to let what is perishing suffer loss for the sake of what is lasting. And he said: "You are in a time in which the scholars are many and the preachers few, and the givers are many and the askers few. So lengthen the prayer and keep the sermon short, for indeed eloquence has an effect like magic. And after you there will come a time in which the preachers will be many and the scholars few, the askers many and the givers few."

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "You are in a time in which the prayer is long and the sermon short, its scholars are many and its preachers few. And soon a time will come upon you in which the prayer will be short and the sermon long, its preachers many and its scholars few. They will delay the prayer, that is, the Isha prayer, until 'sharq al-mawta' (that is, to the utmost delay). So whoever of you lives to see that time, let him pray the prayer at its proper time, then repeat it with them as a voluntary prayer. You are in a time in which a man is envied for the abundance of his wealth and children, and soon a time will come upon you in which a man will be envied for the fewness of his children and the lightness of his burden. I am not leaving behind among my family anyone whose death would be dearer to me than theirs, nor are they (in my sight) worth more than a household of dung beetles, even though I love them just as you love your families."

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) saw some of his children playing in front of him and said: "In my sight these are of no more importance than an equal number of dung beetles."

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "False testimony is equal to associating partners with Allah," and he recited this verse: "And avoid false speech" [Surah al-Hajj: 30].

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "There is no state of a servant more beloved to Allah than that He finds him with his face covered in dust (in prostration)."

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Charity reaches the Hand of Allah before it reaches the hand of the one who asks," then he recited this verse: "And it is He who accepts repentance from His servants, pardons sins and knows what you do" [Surah al-Shura: 25].

Abu Majid al-Hanafi narrates: A man brought his nephew, who was intoxicated, to Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: I found him intoxicated. Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Shake him, jolt him and smell his breath." The narrator said: So he was shaken, jolted and his breath was smelled, and the smell of wine was found on him. Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) ordered that he be put in prison, then took him out the next day. Then he called for a whip whose tip was pounded until it became soft and bent, and said to the flogger: "Strike, and bring your hand back (instead of raising it with full force), and give every limb its due." So he struck him without severity, and kept him dressed in a cloak and trousers - or a shirt and trousers (while the punishment was carried out). Then he said: "By Allah! The governor of (the tribe of) Taym has done badly; he neither disciplined, and disciplined well, nor did he cover up the disgrace." The man said: O Abu Abd al-Rahman! He is my nephew; I feel for him the same anguish that I feel for my own child. Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Indeed, Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, loves pardon, but it is not appropriate for a ruler that a case of hadd (prescribed punishment) be brought to him and he does not carry it out."
Then he began to narrate a hadith from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him); he said: The first man among the Muslims whose hand was cut off was from the Ansar - or was among the Ansar. It was said: O Messenger of Allah! This man has stolen. And it was as though ashes had been rubbed onto the blessed face of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) (that is, his colour changed). Someone said: O Messenger of Allah! Has this weighed heavily upon you? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "What choice do I have, when you are acting as helpers of Satan against your companion?" Then he said: "Indeed, Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, is Pardoning and loves pardon, but it is not appropriate for a ruler that a case of hadd be brought to him and he does not carry it out." Then he recited this verse: "And let them pardon and overlook. Would you not like Allah to forgive you? And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful" [Surah al-Nur: 22]. And these are the words of Abu Nu'aym.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "When one of you commits an offence liable to a hadd (prescribed punishment), do not invoke curses against him, for in that way you will be helping Satan; rather, supplicate to Allah that He accepts his repentance and has mercy on him."

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "When you see a brother of yours involved in a sin, do not become helpers of Satan against him by saying: 'O Allah, disgrace him! O Allah, curse him!' Rather, ask Allah for well-being for him. For we, the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), would not say anything about anyone until we knew upon what his end came. If his end was upon good, we knew that he had attained good, and if his end was upon evil, we feared for him on account of his deeds."

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "That I should benefit from a whip in the path of Allah (that is, use a riding whip in jihad) is more beloved to me than performing one Hajj after another."

Abu Amr al-Shaybani narrates: Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) had earlier given a concession regarding sarf (currency exchange with excess on one side), and also in the issue that if a man marries a woman and she dies before the marriage is consummated, he may marry her mother. Then he came to Madinah and, it seems, met Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) and retracted (his opinion). Then he went to the money-changers and forbade them from that.

Sa'd bin Iyas al-Bajali (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Sayyiduna Abdullah (bin Mas'ud) (may Allah be pleased with him) used to permit selling one dirham for two dirhams and one dinar for two dinars. Then he returned to Madinah and went to Sayyiduna Umar, Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with them both) and the other Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and they forbade him from that. When he came back, I saw him going around among the money-changers saying: "Woe to you, O people! Do not consume usury (riba), and do not buy one dirham for two dirhams, nor one dinar for two dinars."

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) used to give fatwas on the issue of sarf (currency exchange), until he came to Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) and asked him, and he disliked it. So Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) retracted that view of his.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that a man from Banu Shamkh bin Fazarah married a woman, then he saw her mother and was attracted to her. So he asked Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) for a ruling, and he ordered him to divorce his wife and then marry her mother. So the man married her (the mother), and she bore him children. Then Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) came to Madinah and asked about this issue, and he was told that she was not lawful for him. So when he returned to Kufah, he said to the man: "She is unlawful for you, so leave her."

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "When you meet a wicked sinner, meet him with a stern face."

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "When you see a wicked sinner and you are unable to change him (by word or hand), then at least treat him with a stern face."

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, looked into the hearts of the servants and found the heart of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) to be the best of the hearts of the servants, so He chose him for Himself and singled him out - or he said: sent him with His message. Then, after his (peace and blessings be upon him) heart, He looked into the hearts of the servants and found the hearts of his (peace and blessings be upon him) Companions to be the best of the hearts of the servants, so He made them the ministers (helpers) of His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), fighting for the sake of his (peace and blessings be upon him) religion."

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Indeed, Allah Almighty looked into the hearts of the servants and chose Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), so He sent him with His message and selected him by His knowledge. Then He looked into the hearts of the people and chose his Companions, and made them the ministers of His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the helpers of His religion. So whatever the believers deem good is good with Allah, and whatever the believers deem bad is bad with Allah."

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) heard a man saying: Where are those who renounce this world and long for the Hereafter? Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "They were the people of al-Jabiyah, among whom five hundred Muslims pledged that they would not return until they were killed." So they shaved their heads, met the enemy, and all were killed except one who brought the news of them.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "The Hour will not be established except upon the worst of people, who neither recognise good nor reject evil. They will copulate shamelessly on the road just as animals do on the road. A woman will pass by a man on the road and he will get up to her and fulfil his desire with her, then he will return to his companions laughing at them and they laughing at him, like a heap of rotten dates that are not eaten."

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "The Hour will be established upon the worst of people, upon people who neither enjoin good nor forbid evil. They will copulate shamelessly just as donkeys copulate. A man will take a woman by the hand, go into seclusion with her and fulfil his desire with her, then he will return laughing at his companions and they laughing at him, like a heap of rotten dates that are not eaten."

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Among the greatest sins is that a man says to his brother: 'Fear Allah,' and he replies: 'Worry about yourself; who are you to command me?'"

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "It is enough of a sin for a man that when he is told: 'Fear Allah,' he becomes angry."

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "People will continue to be upon good as long as knowledge reaches them from the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and from their elders; but when knowledge comes from their young ones, that will be the time of their destruction."

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "People will continue to be righteous and steadfast as long as knowledge reaches them from the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and from their elders; but when this knowledge began to reach them from their young ones, they were destroyed."

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "People will remain in goodness as long as knowledge comes to them from their elders and their forebears; and when it comes to them from their young ones, they are ruined."
Shu'bah narrated it thus from Abu Ishaq, from Zayd bin Wahb, and Zayd bin Hibban corroborated him.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "People will remain in goodness as long as knowledge comes to them from the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and from their elders; and when it comes to them from their young ones, they are ruined."

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Indeed Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, looked into the hearts of His servants and found the heart of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) to be the best of the hearts of the servants." Then the narrator mentioned the rest of the hadith like the hadith of Asim.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "When you send blessings upon the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), send blessings upon him in a beautiful way, for you do not know; perhaps it will be presented to him (peace and blessings be upon him)." The narrator said: Then he taught us; he said: "Say: 'O Allah, send Your blessings, Your mercy and Your bounties upon the leader of the Messengers, the imam of the God-fearing and the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), Your servant and Your Messenger, the imam of goodness, the guide to goodness and the Messenger of mercy. O Allah, raise him to the Praised Station (al-Maqam al-Mahmud), for which the first and the last will envy him. O Allah, send blessings upon Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and upon the family of Muhammad, as You sent blessings upon Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and the family of Ibrahim; indeed You are Praiseworthy, Glorious.'"

Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) used to supplicate with this: "O Allah, send Your blessings and Your mercy upon the leader of the Messengers, the imam of the God-fearing and the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), Your servant and Your Messenger, the imam of goodness, the guide to goodness and the Messenger of mercy. O Allah, raise him to the Praised Station (al-Maqam al-Mahmud), for which the first and the last will envy him. O Allah, send blessings upon Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and upon the family of Muhammad, as You sent blessings upon the family of Ibrahim; indeed You are Praiseworthy. O Allah, send down blessings (barakah) upon Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and upon the family of Muhammad, as You sent down blessings upon the family of Ibrahim; indeed You are Praiseworthy, Glorious."
This Abu Salamah, from whom al-Thawri narrated this hadith, is Mis'ar bin Kidam.