Musnad Ahmad

It is narrated from Hazrat Abdullah bin Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him) that once we were with the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) on a journey in the month of Ramadan. When the sun had set, the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered someone, "O so-and-so! Get down and mix sattu (barley drink) for us." He said, "O Messenger of Allah! There is still some part of the day left." The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) again told him, "Get down and mix sattu." So he acted upon this. The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) took the vessel in his hand and drank from it. After that, pointing with his hand towards the west, he said, "When the sun sets here and the night comes from here, then the fasting person should break his fast."

Abdullah bin Abi Al-Mujahid says that there was a difference of opinion between Hazrat Abdullah bin Shaddad (may Allah be pleased with him) and Abu Burdah (may Allah be pleased with him) regarding the issue of deferred sale. Both of them sent me to Hazrat Abdullah bin Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him) saying: Ibn Shaddad and Abu Burdah convey their greetings to you and are asking whether you people used to conduct deferred sales of wheat, barley, and olives during the blessed era of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)? He replied: Yes! During the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), after acquiring war booty, we used to conduct deferred sales with wheat, barley, raisins, or whatever things people had. I asked him: Was it with those who owned fields or those who did not own fields? He replied: We did not ask them about this matter. Then both of them sent me to Hazrat Abdur Rahman bin Abza (may Allah be pleased with him). I asked him about this issue, and he gave the same answer as Hazrat Ibn Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him). It is narrated from Hazrat Abdullah bin Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Turn over the pots and whatever is in them.

Shaibani (may Allah have mercy on him) says that I heard Ibn Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him) saying that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade nabidh (fermented drink) in green pitchers. I asked him, "What is the ruling regarding white pitchers?" He replied, "I do not know."

Abu Ya'foor says that one of my partners asked Abdullah bin Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him) in my presence about the ruling on locusts. He replied, "There is no harm in it," and said, "I participated in seven battles with the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and during those battles we used to eat locusts."

It is narrated from Hazrat Abdullah bin Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him) that once we were with the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) on a journey in the month of Ramadan. When the sun had set, the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered someone, "O so-and-so! Get down and mix sattu (barley drink) for us." He said, "O Messenger of Allah! There is still some part of the day left." The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) again told him, "Get down and mix sattu." So he acted upon this. The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) took the vessel in his hand and drank from it. After that, pointing with his hand towards the west, he said, "When the sun sets here and the night comes from here, then the fasting person should break his fast."

It is narrated from Hazrat Ibn Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him) that once some donkeys came into our possession outside the settlement. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Whatever is in the pots, throw it all out." Saeed bin Jubair (may Allah have mercy on him) explained the reason for this, that they used to eat filth.

It is narrated from Hazrat Ibn Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him) that when the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would raise his head from bowing (ruku), he would say "Sami' Allahu liman hamidah" and then say: "O our Lord Allah! All praise is for You, equal to the fullness of the heavens and the earth, and equal to the fullness of whatever else You will."

It is narrated from Hazrat Abdullah bin Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to supplicate: O Allah! Purify me with snow, hail, and cold water. O Allah! Cleanse my heart from slips just as a white garment is cleansed from dirt. Place between me and my sins as much distance as there is between the east and the west. O Allah! I seek refuge in You from a heart devoid of humility, a soul that is never satisfied, an unaccepted supplication, and knowledge that is of no benefit. O Allah! I seek refuge in You from these four things. O Allah! I ask You for a life of piety, a good death, and a return free from disgrace.

It is narrated from Hazrat Ibn Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him) that when Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) reached Yemen, he saw that the Christians there prostrated before their priests and religious leaders. It occurred to his heart that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is even more deserving of such reverence. Therefore, after returning from Yemen, he submitted, "O Messenger of Allah! I saw the Christians prostrating before their priests and religious leaders. It comes to my heart that you are more deserving of such reverence than them." The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "If I were to command anyone to prostrate before another, I would have commanded a woman to prostrate before her husband. And no woman can fully fulfill the rights of Allah until she fully fulfills the rights of her husband, even if the man desires to fulfill his wish from her while she is baking bread on the stove, she should fulfill his wish."

The previous hadith is also narrated through this second chain, but with this addition: "I asked those people, 'Why do you do this?' They said, 'This was the way of honoring the prophets (peace be upon them) before us.' I said, 'Then we are more entitled to do this with our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).' The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said, 'Just as they altered their books, they also lied about their prophets. Allah Almighty has given us something better in its place, that is, Salam (greeting of peace), which is the way of honoring among the people of Paradise.'"

Ali narrated to us, Mu'adh ibn Hisham narrated to us, my father narrated to me, from al-Qasim ibn 'Awf, a man from the people of Kufa, one of the Banu Murrah ibn Hammam, from 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Layla, from his father, from Mu'adh ibn Jabal, who said: He came to al-Sham and saw the Christians, and he mentioned its meaning, except that he said: So I said, "Why do you do this?" They said, "This was the greeting of the prophets before us." So I said, "We are more deserving to do this with our Prophet." So the Prophet of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "They have lied about their prophets just as they have altered their book. Indeed, Allah, Mighty and Majestic, has given us something better than that: the greeting of peace, the greeting of the people of Paradise."

It is narrated from Hazrat Ibn Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him) that when someone would bring the zakat of his wealth to the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would supplicate for him. One day, I also brought the zakat of my father's wealth, so the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Allah, send blessings upon the family of Abu Awfa."

Ismail (may Allah have mercy on him) says that I asked Hazrat Ibn Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him), "Did the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) give glad tidings to Hazrat Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her)?" He replied, "Yes! The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) gave her the glad tidings of a palace made of wood in Paradise, in which there will be neither noise nor fatigue."

It is narrated from Hazrat Ibn Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him) that we set out with the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) for Umrah, performed the Tawaf of the House of Allah, then went out and performed Sa’i between Safa and Marwah. We were walking with the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) protecting him from the people of Makkah, lest any polytheist might shoot an arrow at him or cause him any harm. I heard him supplicating against the armies of the polytheists: "O Allah, Revealer of the Book! Swift in reckoning, Defeater of the armies, defeat them and shake them."

Talhah (may Allah have mercy on him) says that I asked Abdullah bin Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him), "Did the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) make any will (wasiyyah)?" He replied, "No." I said, "Then how did he command the Muslims to make a will while he himself did not make one?" He replied, "The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) made a will to act upon the Book of Allah (but did not make any specific will to anyone)."

It is narrated from Hazrat Ibn Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him) that a man came to the service of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said, "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! I cannot memorize even a small portion of the Holy Qur'an, so teach me something that will suffice for me." The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Say: Subhan Allah, walhamdulillah, wa la ilaha illallah, wallahu akbar, wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah." He said, "O Messenger of Allah! This is for Allah, what is there for me?" The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Say: O Allah! Forgive me, have mercy on me, grant me well-being, guide me, and provide for me." Then that man turned and went away, and he had tightly closed both his hands. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "This person has gone away with his hands filled with goodness."

It is narrated from Hazrat Ibn Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him) that once I was present in the service of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when a slave (boy) came and said, "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! This is an orphan boy whose wife, mother, and an orphan sister are with him. Feed us from those things which Allah has fed you. May Allah give you so much from Himself that you become pleased." Then the narrator mentioned the complete hadith.

It is narrated from Hazrat Ibn Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him) that a man came to the service of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said, "O Messenger of Allah! There is a boy here who is near death. He is being prompted to say 'La ilaha illallah' but he is unable to say it." The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked, "Did he not recite this kalimah during his life?" He said, "Why not!" The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Then at the time of death, someone has prevented him..." Then the narrator mentioned the complete hadith.

Benefit: Abdullah, the son of Imam Ahmad, says that my father did not narrate these two hadiths, but he had written them in the book and then crossed them out, because he did not trust the ahadith of Faid bin Abdur Rahman, and in his view, he was abandoned in hadith.

Abu Abd al-Rahman said: And it was in my father's book: Yazid ibn Harun narrated to us, Fa'id ibn Abd al-Rahman informed us, he said: I heard Abdullah ibn Abi Awfa, he said: I was with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, when a boy came to him and said: O Messenger of Allah, there is here an orphan boy who has a widowed mother and an orphan sister; feed us from what Allah, the Exalted, has fed you; may Allah give you from what is with Him until you are pleased. Then he mentioned the hadith in full.

Abu Abd al-Rahman said: And it was in my father's book: Yazid ibn Harun narrated to us, Fa'id ibn Abd al-Rahman informed us, he said: I heard Abdullah ibn Abi Awfa, he said: A man came to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and said: O Messenger of Allah, here is a boy who is in the throes of death, and it is said to him: Say: There is no god but Allah, but he is unable to say it. He said: "Did he not use to say it during his life?" He said: Yes. He said: "So what prevented him from saying it at his death?" Then he mentioned the rest of the hadith at length. My father did not narrate these two hadiths, he struck them out from his book, because he was not satisfied with the hadith of Fa'id ibn Abd al-Rahman, and he considered him abandoned in hadith.

It is narrated from Hazrat Abdullah bin Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him) that once we were on a journey and we could not find water. After a short while, we saw water at a place. People started bringing water to the service of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Whenever someone brought water, the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would say: "The water-bearer of any people drinks last." This continued until all the people had drunk the water.

It is narrated from Hazrat Abdullah bin Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him) that once we were with the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) on a journey in the month of Ramadan. When the sun had set, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked for water. Someone said, "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! There is still some part of the day left." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) again asked him to bring water. This happened three times. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "When the sun sets here and the night comes to this place, then the fasting person should break his fast."

Saeed bin Jumhan (may Allah have mercy on him) says that we were fighting the Khawarij along with Hazrat Abdullah bin Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him) when a slave of Hazrat Abdullah bin Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him) joined the Khawarij. They were on that side and we were on this side. We called out to him, saying, "O Firoz! O Firoz!" and said, "O wretch! Your master, Hazrat Ibn Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him), is here." He replied, "They would have been good people if they had migrated from among you." They asked, "What is this enemy of Allah saying?" We conveyed his statement to them, so he said, "Will I migrate again after the migration I made with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)?" Then he said, "I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: Glad tidings for the one who kills them or whom they kill."

Saeed bin Jumhan (may Allah have mercy on him) says that once I was present in the service of Hazrat Ibn Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him), and by that time his eyesight had gone. He asked me, "Who are you?" I replied, "I am Saeed bin Jumhan." He asked, "How is your father?" I said, "He was killed by the Azariqah." He said twice, "May the curse of Allah be upon the Azariqah. The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) told us that they are the dogs of Hell." I asked him, "Is this meant only for the people of the Azariqah sect or for all the Khawarij?" He replied, "It is meant for all the Khawarij." Then I said, "Sometimes the ruler also commits oppression and injustice against the people." He pressed my hand hard and pinched me very sharply and said, "O Ibn Jumhan! Woe to you, follow the main body (sawad-e-azam), follow the main body. If the ruler listens to you, then go to his house, to him, and mention to him what you know. If he accepts it, very good, otherwise you are not more knowledgeable than him."

It is narrated from Hazrat Ibn Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him) that when someone would bring the zakat of his wealth to the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would supplicate for him. One day, I also brought the zakat of my father's wealth, so the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Allah, send blessings upon the family of Abu Awfa."

Hijri says that I participated in the funeral of the daughter of Abdullah bin Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him). He himself was riding a black mule. The women said to his guide, "Take him ahead of the funeral." So he did so. I heard him asking, "Where is the funeral?" (because he had become blind). The guide replied, "Behind you." After this happened once or twice, he said, "Did I not forbid you from taking me ahead of the funeral?" Then he heard the voice of a woman who was wailing. He stopped her and said, "Did I not forbid you from this? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade wailing. However, if you wish to shed tears, then do so." Then, when the funeral was placed in front, he moved forward, said four takbirs, and stood for a little while. Seeing this, some people began to say "Subhan Allah." He turned and said, "Did you think I was going to say a fifth takbir?" They replied, "Yes." He said, "The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), after saying the takbirs, would also stand for a little while." Then, when the funeral was placed, Abdullah bin Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him) sat down. Someone asked him about the meat of domesticated donkeys. He replied, "On the occasion of the Battle of Khaybar, we found some domesticated donkeys outside the city. People attacked them and slaughtered them. While their meat was still boiling in some pots, the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) announcer called out, 'Pour it away.' So we poured it away." And I saw on the body of Abdullah bin Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him) a very fine garment made of green silk.