Hadith of Sahl bin Sa'd al-Sa'idi, from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) that a man peeped in through a hole into the blessed chamber of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), while the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had a comb (an instrument for scratching the head) with which he (peace and blessings be upon him) was scratching his blessed head. He (peace and blessings be upon him) (seeing him) said: "Had I known that you were peeping (inside), I would have poked your eye with it. In fact, the command to seek permission (before entering) has been made obligatory only for the sake of the gaze (protecting privacy from undue intrusion)."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "People will remain in a state of goodness as long as they hasten to break the fast."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Seventy thousand or seven hundred thousand of my Ummah will enter Paradise (at once)." Abu Hazim (may Allah have mercy on him), (the narrator of this report), said: I do not remember (for certain which of these two numbers he (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned). He (peace and blessings be upon him) said (describing their state): "They will be holding one another's hands," or he said: "They will enter holding on to one another (in a line)."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever faces something during his prayer (and wants to alert the imam), clapping is for women and saying 'Subhan Allah' is for men."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A space in Paradise the size of a whip is better than the world and everything in it."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came to us while we were carrying soil on our heads and moving it, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Allahumma la 'aysha illa 'ayshu al-akhirah, faghfir lil-Ansari wal-Muhajirah' (O Allah, the true life is only the life of the Hereafter, so forgive the Ansar and the Muhajirun).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Uhud (the mountain) is one of the pillars of Paradise."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him): "Some harsh words were exchanged between the tribes of Aws and Khazraj, until it reached the point of laying hands on one another. When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was informed of this, he (peace and blessings be upon him) went to them (to make peace between them). Meanwhile Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) gave the call to prayer, but the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) remained there. When his (peace and blessings be upon him) return was delayed, Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) called the iqamah for the prayer, and Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) stepped forward to lead the people. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) arrived and, passing between the rows, reached the row that was directly behind Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). The people clapped (to alert Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)). It was the habit of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) not to look around during the prayer, but when the sound of clapping continued, he turned and saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) there. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gestured to him: 'Stay in your place.' But he said (as he moved back): 'Allah would not have it that the son of Abu Quhafah should stand in front of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) leading the prayer.' Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) addressed the people and said: 'What is the matter with you that when something happened in the prayer you began clapping? Clapping is only for women. Whoever faces something during the prayer should say: "Subhan Allah" (Glory be to Allah).'"

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) that once the mountain of Uhud began to tremble while the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), Sayyiduna Abu Bakr, Sayyiduna Umar and Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with them) were upon it. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Be still, O Uhud, for upon you there is none but a Prophet, a Siddiq and two martyrs."

Abu Yahya (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates: We came, along with some women, to Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa'd al-Sa'idi (may Allah be pleased with him), and he said: "If I were to give you water from the well of Buda'ah to drink, you would dislike it; yet, by Allah, I have given the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) water to drink from it."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) that he heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioning Paradise, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "In it are blessings such as no eye has ever seen, no ear has ever heard, and the thought of which has never crossed the imagination or heart of any human being."

Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that a woman came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and gifted herself to him (peace and blessings be upon him) (that is, offered herself in marriage), but he (peace and blessings be upon him) remained silent. She offered herself again, and still he (peace and blessings be upon him) remained silent. Sayyiduna Sahl (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I saw that woman standing for a long time offering herself, while he (peace and blessings be upon him) remained silent. Then a man stood up, I think he was a Companion from the Ansar, and said: "O Messenger of Allah, if you have no need of her, then marry her to me." He (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "Do you have anything (to give as dowry)?" He said: "By Allah, O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), I have nothing at all." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Go and look for something, even if it is only an iron ring." He went and then came back and said: "By Allah, I have found nothing except this one garment of mine; I will divide it between myself and her." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There is not enough in this garment of yours beyond your own need (that could be of use to her after your own use)."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him): "I was present in the gathering of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) when a woman stood up and submitted that she had gifted herself to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), so let him give his opinion (decision) in the matter. At this a man from the gathering stood up and said: '(O Messenger of Allah,) marry her to me.' But he (peace and blessings be upon him) gave him no reply. Then the woman said the same thing again, that she had gifted herself to him (peace and blessings be upon him), and the man stood up again and made the same request. When he stood up the third time, he (peace and blessings be upon him) asked him: 'Do you have anything (to give as dowry)?' He said: 'No.' He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Go and look.' So he went, searched, came back and said: 'I found nothing.' He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Go and look again, even if it is only an iron ring.' The man went again, came back and submitted: 'I could find nothing at all.' He (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: 'Do you know any part of the Noble Qur'an by heart?' He said: 'Yes, I know such-and-such surahs.' So he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Go, I have married you to this woman in return for the Qur'an you have with you (teaching her those surahs).'"

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The nearness between my being sent and the Hour is like the nearness of this finger to this finger." Sufyan (may Allah have mercy on him) described how by pointing with his index finger.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) that some unpleasant incident (fighting) had taken place among Banu Amr bin Awf, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) went to them in order to make peace between them. He (peace and blessings be upon him) had already prayed Zuhr, so he (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him): "If the time of the Asr prayer comes and I have not (returned), tell Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) to lead the people in prayer." So when the time of Asr came, Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) gave the call to prayer and then the iqamah, and said to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him): "O Abu Bakr, step forward (and lead the prayer)," and Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) stepped forward. Meanwhile the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) arrived and, crossing through the rows, reached (the front row). When the people saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), they clapped (that is, struck their hands together to draw attention). The narrator said: When Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was in prayer, he would not look around; but when he saw that the clapping was not stopping, he turned and found the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) standing behind him. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gestured to him: "Carry on (with the prayer in your place)." Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) paused for a little while, praising Allah Almighty for the words of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him): "Carry on." Then Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) stepped backwards. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw this, he (peace and blessings be upon him) stepped forward and led the people in the (rest of the) prayer. When he (peace and blessings be upon him) had completed his prayer, he asked: "O Abu Bakr, when I had gestured to you, what prevented you from remaining in your place?" Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "It was not fitting for the son of Abu Quhafah to lead the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in prayer." Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said to the people: "When something happens to you during your prayer, the men should say 'Subhan Allah' and the women should clap."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr and Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with them) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Before the presence of Allah, the Glorified and Exalted, there are seventy thousand veils of light and darkness, and no living soul hears even the slightest of the sound or sensation of those veils except that its life departs."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "With Allah Almighty there are (many) treasures of good and evil, whose keys are human beings. So glad tidings to the one whom You (O Allah) have made a key to good and a lock (closing the door) to evil, and woe to the one whom You have made a lock (blocking the way) to good and a key (opening the ways) to evil."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say on the occasion of the Battle of Khaybar: "Tomorrow I will certainly give this banner to a man at whose hands Allah Almighty will grant victory." The people spent that night thinking it over, wondering to whom the banner would be given. When morning came, all the people came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), each of them hoping that the banner would be given to him. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "Where is Ali bin Abi Talib?" The Companions said: "O Messenger of Allah, he has trouble with his eyes." He (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered that he be called, and when he was brought, he (peace and blessings be upon him) applied his blessed saliva to his eyes and supplicated for him, and he was cured at once, as if he had never had any trouble. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) handed him the banner, and Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) asked: "O Messenger of Allah, on what basis shall I fight these people?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Advance with complete calm and dignity until you descend upon their battlefield, then invite them to Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, and to His Messenger, until they become Muslims like us, and inform them of the rights of Allah that are binding upon them. For by Allah, if Allah Almighty guides even one man through you, that is far better for you than a fortune of precious red camels."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, the people of Paradise will see the (lofty) upper chambers of Paradise (because of their height) just as you see an extremely bright, shining star on the eastern or western horizon of the sky."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "In Paradise there is a special gate for those who fast, called al-Rayyan; no one other than them will enter through it. When the last of them has entered, it will be closed. Whoever enters through it will drink his fill, and whoever drinks will never feel thirst again."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) that he heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioning Paradise; he (peace and blessings be upon him) was saying: "In Paradise are blessings that no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and the thought of which has never crossed the heart of any human being."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Spending a morning or an evening in the path of Allah is far better than the world and everything that exists in it."

It is narrated from Qudamah bin Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him) that he said: I saw al-Hajjaj beating Abbas bin Sahl (may Allah have mercy on him) in connection with the affair of Sayyiduna Ibn al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with them both). Just then Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) arrived. He was a very elderly man with his hair in two braids, and he was wearing two garments, namely a waist-wrapper and a sheet. He came and stood between the two rows of people and said: "O Hajjaj, will you not observe the instruction of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) concerning us?" He asked: "What did the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) instruct concerning you people?" He said: "He (peace and blessings be upon him) instructed that 'those of the Ansar who do good should be treated well, and those of them who do wrong should be pardoned.'" The narrator said: On hearing this, al-Hajjaj released him (Abbas bin Sahl (may Allah have mercy on him)).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "I used to eat the pre-dawn meal (suhur) with my family, then (after finishing it) I would hurry so quickly in order to catch the prostration (of the Fajr prayer) with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa'd al-Sa'idi (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A space in Paradise the size of a whip is better than the world and everything in it, and setting out on a campaign in the path of Allah for a morning or an evening is better than the world and everything in it."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "I witnessed three things concerning the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) at the time when his (peace and blessings be upon him) blessed front tooth (ruba'iyah) was broken, his radiant face was wounded, and the helmet worn on his blessed head was smashed. I know well who was washing the blood from his (peace and blessings be upon him) holy face, who was pouring water over him (peace and blessings be upon him), and, the one who provided something (to put on the wound), what he had prepared."
And in Imam Abu Ya'la's transmission the narration breaks off at this point.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) that a man asked him: "Was the blessed face of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) wounded?" He replied: "The blessed face of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was wounded, his (peace and blessings be upon him) front tooth (ruba'iyah) was broken, and the helmet (iron cap) on his (peace and blessings be upon him) blessed head was crushed. Sayyidah Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her), the daughter of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), was washing off the blood, and Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was pouring water for her with a shield. Then, when Sayyidah Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) saw that pouring the water was only increasing the flow of blood, she took a piece of a reed mat and burned it, until, when it had turned to ash, she pressed it onto the wound, and the blood stopped."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) that he heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Tomorrow I will give the banner to a man at whose hands Allah Almighty will grant victory." The narrator said: The people spent the whole night in this suspense, discussing to whom the banner would be given. When morning came, all the people came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), each one hoping that the banner would be given to him. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "Where is Ali bin Abi Talib?" The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), he has trouble with his eyes." At his (peace and blessings be upon him) command he was called, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) applied his saliva to his eyes and supplicated for him, and he was immediately cured, as if he had never had any trouble. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) gave him the banner, and Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), shall I fight them until they become (Muslims) like us?" The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Go with full composure. When you descend upon their territory, invite them to Islam and inform them of the rights of Allah that are binding upon them (after accepting Islam). For by Allah, if Allah Almighty guides even one person through you, that is far better for you than red camels (a precious fortune)."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) that he stated: "Between the place of prayer of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and the (qiblah) wall there was space enough for a goat to pass."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) that a woman came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah! I have come to give myself to you (as an offer of marriage)." The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) looked at her, then cast his gaze over her from top to bottom. When she had remained standing for a long while and he (peace and blessings be upon him) made no decision, she moved to one side and sat down. Then a man from among the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) stood up and said: "O Messenger of Allah! If you have no need of her, then marry her to me." He (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "Do you have anything (to give as dowry)?" He said: "O Messenger of Allah! By Allah, I have nothing." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Go (home) and look." He went, came back and said: "I did not find anything." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Go and look, even if it is only a ring of iron." He went again, came back and said: "O Messenger of Allah! I did not find even a ring of iron, but here is this waist-wrap (izar) of mine," while he did not even have an upper garment. He said: "I will give it to her as her dowry." The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "What good is your waist-wrap? If she wears it, you will have nothing left to wear, and if you wear it, she will have nothing." When the man, after sitting for a long while, got up to leave, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saw him turning away and ordered that he be called. When he came, he (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "How much of the Qur'an do you know?" He said: "I know such-and-such surahs," and he counted those surahs. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Go, I have given her to you in marriage in return for those surahs of the Qur'an that you know (that is, I have married her to you)."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "When this verse was revealed: 'And eat and drink until the white thread becomes distinct to you from the black thread,' (at first) a man would take a white thread and a black thread and would carry on eating and drinking until both became clearly visible to him, until Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, revealed the words 'of the dawn,' and with that the matter (that the threads mean the light of day and the darkness of night) became fully clear."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him): "A number of men from among the Muslims used to attend the prayer with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in such a state that they had tied their garments (wraps) around their necks, because none of them had anything (to wear) except a single garment." And Bishr (may Allah have mercy on him), who is a narrator of it, states that he heard this narration from Abu Hazim (may Allah have mercy on him) himself.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him): "In the blessed time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), the women were ordered during the prayer not to raise their heads (from prostration) until all the men had fully taken their seats on the ground (for the sake of covering, because of the scantiness and shortage of their garments)." Bishr (may Allah have mercy on him) states: I heard this narration from Abu Hazim (may Allah have mercy on him) myself.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whenever anyone making the talbiyah says the talbiyah, everything around him on his right and on his left, up to the furthest limits of the earth, says the talbiyah together with him."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! On the day of the Battle of Uhud we did not see anyone do what so-and-so did. A man came to him (and mentioned his bravery, saying) that when the people were fleeing he did not flee, and he did not leave any of the idolaters, whether alone or separated from his group, without pursuing him and striking him with his sword." The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "Who is he?" The narrator said: His lineage was described to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), but he (peace and blessings be upon him) did not recognise him; then he was described by his features and qualities, and still he (peace and blessings be upon him) did not recognise him, until the man himself appeared. The Companions said: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! This is the man we told you about. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "This one?" They said: Yes. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, he is one of the people of the Fire (Hell)." The narrator said: This weighed very heavily on the Muslims, and they said (in astonishment): "If so-and-so is one of the people of Hell, then which of us will be one of the people of Paradise?" Then a man among those present said: "O my people! Give me time (so that I can look into his affair). By the One in whose hand my soul is! This man will not die in the state he is in this morning, and I will be his companion from among you all and find out how he fares." Then the next day he went out after him: wherever that man attacked, he attacked with him, and wherever he turned back, he turned back too, to see what his end would be, until the man received a painful wound. He hastened to seek death: he placed the hilt of his sword on the ground and put its point between his breasts, then pressed himself onto the sword until it came out through his back. Then the (watching) man came running, saying: "Ashhadu an la ilaha illallah, wa ashhadu annaka Rasulullah (I bear witness that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah, and I bear witness that you are the Messenger of Allah)," until he stood before the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). He (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "And what is this about?" He said: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! The man who was mentioned to you, about whom you said, "He is one of the people of Hell," and this weighed heavily on the Muslims, and they said: If so-and-so is one of the people of Hell, then which of us will be one of the people of Paradise? I said: O my people! Give me time. By the One in whose hand my soul is! This man will not die in the state he is in this morning, and I will be his companion among you. So whenever he attacked, I attacked too, and whenever he turned back, I turned back too, and I kept watching to see what his end would be, until he received a painful wound. He hastened to die: he placed the hilt of his sword on the ground, fixed its point between his breasts and bore down on the sword until it came out through his back. O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! That is the man, who is now writhing from the wounds of his own destruction. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, a man sometimes does the deeds of the people of Paradise as it appears to people, while he is one of the people of Hell; and indeed a man does the deeds of the people of Hell before the people, while he is one of the people of Paradise."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) that some discord had arisen among the tribe of Banu Amr bin Awf, so the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to some of his Companions: "Come with us, so that we may make peace between them." So he (peace and blessings be upon him) went, and his Companions were with him. Meanwhile the time of prayer came, and Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up and gave the call to prayer (adhan). Then he came close to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: Shall I not say the iqamah so that you may lead the people in prayer, since the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) has not yet arrived? He said: "Yes (certainly)." So he said the iqamah, and Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) stepped forward and said the opening takbir to lead the people in prayer. Just then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) appeared from the back of the mosque and began to make his way through the rows towards the qiblah. When the Muslims saw him (peace and blessings be upon him), they clapped to draw the attention of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) kept going forward until he reached the first row. When the people clapped a great deal, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) turned, and there was the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). So he began to step back, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) indicated to him to stay in his place facing the qiblah. He raised his hands and praised Allah, then stepped back until he joined the row. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) went forward and led the people in prayer. When he (peace and blessings be upon him) had finished the prayer, he turned his blessed face towards the people and said: "O people! If something happens to you during the prayer, you should say 'Subhan Allah (Glory be to Allah),' for saying Subhan Allah is for men and clapping is for women." Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) turned to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and asked: "What prevented you from staying in your place when I indicated to you?" He said: It was not fitting for the son of Abu Quhafah to lead the prayer in the presence of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever waits for the prayer remains (in ruling) in the state of prayer, as long as he does not lose his ablution."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Soon after me, people will offer one another condolences over me (over the grief of my death)." (Sayyiduna Sahl (may Allah be pleased with him) states that at that time) people used to say in wonder: What does this mean? Then, when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away, we met one another, and each of us was offering the other condolences over the death of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever fasts on the Day of Arafah, the sins of two consecutive years are forgiven for him."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "On the Day of Resurrection, people will be gathered on a white, reddish-tinged land like a clean, pure loaf of fine flour; there will be no mark on that land for anyone (of dwelling, ownership or recognition)."