Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah

Hazrat Abu Raja (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates that the place of tears of Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) had become like worn-out straps due to the flowing of tears.

Hazrat Mughira bin Saad bin Akhram says that when Abdullah used to pass by the blacksmiths in the market and saw the things taken out from their fire, tears would come to his eyes.

Hazrat Abi Salih narrates that when the people of Yemen came during the time of Abu Bakr and they heard the Qur'an, they began to weep. Abu Bakr said, "We used to be like this as well, then our hearts became hardened."

It is narrated from Abu Saeed, the freed slave of Abu Asid, that when Umar had finished the prayer, he sent the people out of the mosque and started walking towards us. When he saw his companions, he put down the "Durrat" and sat down, and said, "Pray." So all the people started praying. Then they began to pray one by one, until it was my turn to pray, and I also prayed, and at that time I was a slave. I saw Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that he prayed and wept so much that even a woman whose child is lost does not weep that much. I thought to myself, "Is this the same person about whom people say that he is very hot-tempered?"

Hazrat Ubayy bin Ka'b said that it is necessary for you to adhere to the Sunnah and the correct path. Because there is no person who is on the Sunnah and the correct path, and whose eyes overflow with tears due to the fear of Allah, and then the fire of Hell touches him. And there is no person who is on the Sunnah and the correct path, and whose skin trembles out of fear of Allah, except that his example is like a tree that had dried up and was in that state when suddenly a wind blew and all its leaves fell off. In the same way, his sins fall away from him. Moderation is better in the Sunnah and the correct path; striving in anything other than the Sunnah and the correct path—just examine your deeds. If there is moderation and striving in them, then these deeds are indeed upon the way of the Prophets and their Sunnah.

Hazrat Abdullah bin Shaddad narrates that I heard the sound of Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) sobbing while I was in the last row, and he was reciting the verse {إنَّمَا أَشْکُو بَثِّی وَحُزْنِی إِلَی اللہِ } of Surah Yusuf.

Hazrat Salim bin Abdullah narrates that Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) recited the verse of the Holy Qur'an { وَإِنْ تُبْدُوا مَا فِی أَنْفُسِکُمْ ، أَوْ تُخْفُوہُ یُحَاسِبْکُمْ بِہِ اللَّہُ } and began to weep. When this action reached Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them), he said, "May Allah have mercy on Abu Abdur Rahman; he did what the companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) did at the time of the revelation of this verse." Then, later, this verse was abrogated by this verse: { لَہَا مَا کَسَبَتْ وَعَلَیْہَا مَا اکْتَسَبَتْ }

Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "You should weep, and if you cannot weep, then assume the appearance of one who is weeping."

Hazrat Alqamah bin Waqas narrates that Umar used to recite Surah Yusuf in the Isha prayer, and I was in the last row. When the mention of Yusuf (peace be upon him) came, I heard the sound of his sobbing.

Hazrat Shaqiq bin Salamah narrates that we went to visit Khabbab, and he said, "In this chest, there are eighty thousand (80,000) knots tied and kept, and I have never refused any beggar from them." We asked him, "Why are you weeping?" He replied, "My companions have departed, and the world did not harm them in the least, and now we are left behind to such an extent that we see no place for ourselves except the earth (i.e., the grave)."

Hazrat Abdullah bin Ubaidah says that Safiyyah, the wife of the Prophet (peace be upon him), saw people recite the verse of prostration and then perform prostration, so she called out, "This is merely prostration and supplication, but where has the weeping gone?"

Hazrat Bakhtari bin Ziyad bin Kharijah narrates that a man from the tribe of ‘Abad passed by a blacksmith’s open furnace and stopped to watch. Then, for as long as Allah willed, he kept watching, until finally he let out a scream and died.

Hazrat Ibn Abi Mulaykah (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates that I saw Hazrat Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) weeping. When he saw me, he said, "Are you surprised at my weeping out of fear of Allah? So if you cannot weep, then at least make a face as if you are weeping, to the extent that someone among you might say, 'Look at him, look at him.' Surely, even this moon weeps out of fear of Allah."

Hazrat Ibn Buraidah said that if the weeping of all the people on the face of the earth were compared to the weeping of Dawud (peace be upon him), it would still not be equal to it. And if the weeping of Dawud (peace be upon him) and all the people of the earth were compared to the weeping of Adam (peace be upon him) at the time when he was sent down to the earth, then the weeping of Adam (peace be upon him) would surpass them all.

Hazrat A'mash (may Allah have mercy on him) says that Abu Salih (may Allah have mercy on him) used to lead us in prayer, and due to the tenderness of his heart, he was unable to recite (properly).

Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) bin Ahmar narrates that a certain person told me that I went to Rabee'ah and he was crying in prayer.

Hazrat Safwan bin Muhriz says that when Rabee’ah recited the verse of the Holy Qur’an { وَسَیَعْلَمُ الَّذِینَ ظَلَمُوا أَیَّ مُنْقَلَبٍ یَنْقَلِبُونَ }, he began to weep so much that it seemed to me as if his chest was being crushed.

Hazrat Ya'la (may Allah be pleased with him) bin Ata (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates from his mother, who used to grind kohl for Abdullah bin Amr, that Abdullah bin Amr used to extinguish the lamp and weep until his eyes became damaged.

Hazrat Abdullah narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) instructed me to recite (the Qur'an) to him. I said, "Should I recite it to you while it has been revealed to you?" He (peace be upon him) replied, "I desire to hear it from someone else." Abdullah says that I began reciting Surah An-Nisa until I reached { فَکَیْفَ إذَا جِئْنَا مِنْ کُلِّ أُمَّۃٍ بِشَہِیدٍ وَجِئْنَا بِکَ عَلَی ہَؤُلاَئِ شَہِیدًا }. Then I raised my head, or someone nudged me from one side, and I saw that his (the Prophet's) tears were flowing.

It is narrated in a marfu’ form from Hazrat Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) in the same manner.

Ibrahim Taimi (may Allah have mercy on him) says that I found sixty companions of Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) in this mosque, the youngest of whom was "Harith bin Suwaid," and I heard them reciting {إذَا زُلْزِلَتْ… الخ }. When they reached (فَمَنْ یَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّۃٍ خَیْرًا یَرَہُ), they began to weep, then said that this is indeed a very severe reckoning.

It is narrated from Hasan that one of the companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) passed by another who was reciting Ayat al-Kursi and weeping, and he was reciting it repeatedly. So he said, "Have you people not heard the statement of Allah { وَرَتِّلِ الْقُرْآنَ تَرْتِیلاً }? This is that tartil (measured recitation)."

Hazrat Abdullah bin Shaqiq Al-Uqaili narrates that I heard Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) say: "For me to weep out of fear of Allah until tears flow down my cheeks is more beloved to me than giving away gold equal to my own weight in charity. By the One in whose hand is the soul of Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him), whenever any Muslim weeps out of fear of Allah and his tears fall upon the earth, the fire of Hell cannot touch him until a drop of water that has fallen from the sky returns to its original place—and that can never happen."

Mahdi bin Maymun (may Allah have mercy on him) says that I heard Muhammad say that a companion of the Prophet (peace be upon him) would not find anything to eat for three days at a time, so he would take leather, roast it, and break it into pieces, and when he found nothing at all, he would tie stones to his stomach.

Hazrat Wahb bin Munabbih says that among the Children of Israel there were some ignorant youths. They read the Book and acquired knowledge, and then they began to seek wealth and nobility in exchange for reading it. And it was they who started this innovation. In return for it, they sought honor and worldly wealth, thus they themselves went astray and led others astray as well.

Hazrat Abu Dawood said that the heart also becomes rusty like iron. He was asked what is the remedy for this, so he replied that a person should remember Allah.

Hazrat Abdullah bin Ubaid bin Umair (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates that Ayub had two brothers. Both of them came together, but due to the smell coming from Ayub, they could not come near him. So one of them said, "If Allah Almighty had seen any good in Ayub (peace be upon him), He would not have brought him to this state." Upon hearing this, Ayub (peace be upon him) wept so intensely as he had never wept before. Then Ayub (peace be upon him) said, "O Allah, if You know that I have never slept with a full stomach on any night while I was aware of the place of a hungry person, then confirm my truthfulness." So his truthfulness was confirmed, and both of them were listening. Then he prayed, "O Allah! If You know that I have never worn a shirt while I was aware of the place of a naked person, then confirm my truthfulness." So his truthfulness was confirmed, and both of them were listening. Then Ayub (peace be upon him) fell into prostration and prayed, "O Allah! I will not raise my head until You remove my grief." Then he did not raise his head until Allah removed his grief.

Hazrat Hilal bin Yusuf states that it is narrated from Isa (peace be upon him) that when any of you gives charity, he should do so with his right hand and keep it hidden even from his left hand. And when any of you is fasting, he should apply oil and wipe his lips with oil so that the onlookers do not assume that he is fasting. And when any of you prays at home, he should definitely set up a sutrah, because just as sustenance is distributed, so is praise.

Hazrat Bakr bin Ma'az (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates that when Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) saw Rabi' bin Khuthaym approaching, he would say, "Give glad tidings to those who are humble. By Allah, if the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had seen you, he would have loved you."

Hazrat Bakr bin Ma’az (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates that the daughter of Rabi’ bin Khuthaym came while his companions were sitting with him, and she asked, “O father! May I go to play?” He replied, “No.” His companions said to him, “O Abu Yazid, let her go.” He replied, “I have not seen in my book that it is said to her, ‘Go and play,’ but rather it is written, ‘Go and speak good words and do good deeds.’”

Hazrat Rabi’ used to say: O Bakr bin Ma’az! Use your tongue for beneficial matters. Avoid harmful speech. I consider people to be unaware regarding my piety. Obey Allah in those matters which you know. Refer whatever reaches you to the one who knows about it. For knowingly making a mistake is more dangerous than an error. Not everything of yours is good, but it is better than evil. Not all the things given to the Prophet ﷺ have reached you, and you do not understand everything you read. The things that are hidden from people are apparent to others. Seek a remedy for them. Then, addressing himself, he would say: Its cure is to repent in the court of Allah and then not to sin again.

Hazrat Bakr says that when Rabee’ bin Khuthaym went to the mosque of his people, the people said to him, “O Rabee’, sit with us today and talk.” Bakr says that when Rabee’ sat with them, a stone came from somewhere and injured his head, so he said, { فَمَنْ جَائَہُ مَوْعِظَۃٌ مِنْ رَبِّہِ فَانْتَہَی فَلَہُ مَا سَلَفَ } that when a person receives an admonition from his Lord and then refrains.

Hazrat Rabi’ bin Khuthaym used to say that there is no good in any speech except for nine things: declaring the oneness of Allah, glorifying Allah, proclaiming the greatness of Allah, praising Allah, your asking a good question, your seeking refuge from evil, your enjoining good, your forbidding evil, and your recitation of the Holy Qur’an.

Hazrat Bakr says that when Rabi’ was asked, “How did you spend your morning, O Abu Yazid?” he would reply, “We spent our morning like the weak and the sinners. We eat our sustenance and await our death.”

Hazrat Bakr narrates that Ibn al-Kawwa’ (may Allah have mercy on him) said to Rabi’ bin Khuthaym, “We see that you neither mention anyone’s faults nor do you find fault with anyone.” He replied, “Woe to you, O Ibn al-Kawwa’, I am not even pleased with my own self that, having become free from my own faults, I should begin to find faults in people. People fear Allah because of the sins of others, while remaining fearless of their own sins.”

Hazrat Rabi' says that people are of two types: believers and ignorant. Do not trouble the believer and do not act ignorantly towards the ignorant.

It is narrated from Hazrat Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) that when Rabi’ was asked why he did not use medicine, he replied: At first, I intended to do so, but then I remembered the people of ‘Ad and Thamud and the Companions of the Well, and many other nations in between. I realized that those people also had afflictions and there were healers among them as well. Yet, both the one who treated and the one who was treated have all passed away.

Hazrat Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says that Rabee’ bin Khuthaym used to say in the morning: Do good deeds and speak good words. And keep the company of righteous people regularly, and when you commit a sin, repent, and when you do a good deed, move forward even more. Remain steadfast in whatever action you do, and entrust to Allah whatever you are doubtful about. Do not harm a believer and do not act ignorantly with an ignorant person. And do not let your hopes become too long, otherwise your hearts will become hard. { ولا تکونوا … الخ } And do not be like those who said, “We have heard,” but they did not listen.

Hazrat Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says that Rabee’ (may Allah have mercy on him) used to say: Remember death frequently, by which you will not taste such hardship before.

Hazrat Umair bin Ishaq said that I have seen the companions (Sahabah) more than those who passed before me, and I have not seen any people more forbearing and gentle than them.