Musnad Ahmad

It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) that once at the time of the Isha prayer, we were waiting for the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), but the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not come for quite a while, to the extent that we began to think that perhaps now the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would not come, and some people even said that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has already performed the prayer, so he will not come now. After a little while, the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came out. We submitted, "O Messenger of Allah! We had thought that you would not come now, and some of us even said that you have already performed the prayer, so you would not come out?" The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Perform this prayer, for you have been given superiority in this prayer over all other communities, and no community before you has performed this prayer."

Abu Idris says that once I attended a gathering in which twenty companions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) were present. Among them was a young and youthful companion, whose complexion was radiant, with large black eyes and shining teeth. Whenever there was a disagreement among the people and he spoke, they would accept his word as final. Later, I found out that he was Mu’adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him). The next day, I came again and found him praying behind a pillar. He shortened his prayer, sat cross-legged, and remained silent. I approached and said, "By Allah! I love you for the sake of Allah’s majesty." He made me swear, "Really?" I also swore. He then said, "Those who love each other for Allah’s sake will be under the shade of Allah’s Throne on the Day when there will be no shade except His. (There is no doubt in the rest of the hadith.) For them, chairs of light will be set up, and due to their nearness to the Lord of the worlds, even the Prophets, the truthful, and the martyrs will envy them." Later, I narrated this hadith to Ubadah bin Samit (may Allah be pleased with him), and he said, "I will narrate to you only that hadith which I myself heard from the tongue of the Prophet (peace be upon him), and it is this: 'My love is assured for those who love each other for My sake; My love is assured for those who meet each other for My sake; My love is assured for those who spend on each other for My sake; and those who love each other for Allah’s sake will be seated on pulpits of light under the shade of the Throne, when there will be no shade except His.'"

It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) that once we were returning from the Battle of Tabuk with the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). During the journey, one day I had the privilege of being close to the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). I submitted, "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), tell me of an action that will admit me to Paradise." The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "You have asked about a great matter, but it is easy for the one for whom Allah makes it easy: establish prayer, and meet Allah in such a state that you do not associate anyone with Him." Then he said, "Shall I not inform you of the foundation of the religion, its pillar, and its highest peak?" I submitted, "O Messenger of Allah! Certainly." He said, "The foundation of this religion is Islam, its pillar is prayer, and its highest peak is jihad." Then he said, "Shall I not tell you the doors of goodness? Fasting is a shield, charity extinguishes sins, and a person’s prayer in the middle of the night is among the doors of goodness." Then the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recited this verse from Surah Sajda: 'Their sides forsake their beds... they know.' Then he said, "Shall I not tell you the sum of these things?" Meanwhile, some people came from the front, and I feared that they might divert the attention of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), so I reminded the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) of his statement. The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) held his tongue and said, "Restrain this." I submitted, "O Messenger of Allah! Will we be held accountable for what we speak?" The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) (gently admonishing) said, "Mu'adh! May your mother lose you! Is there anything that topples people on their faces into Hell except the harvest of their tongues regarding others?"

It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "For the person in whose favor three people bear witness, Paradise becomes obligatory for him." Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) asked, "O Messenger of Allah! What if there are two?" He replied, "If there are two, then the same ruling applies."

It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) that on the occasion of the Battle of Tabuk, the noble companions (may Allah be pleased with them) set out with the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would combine the Zuhr and Asr prayers, and the Maghrib and Isha prayers, and would return and again combine the Maghrib and Isha prayers in the same way. One day, the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "InshaAllah, tomorrow you will reach the spring of Tabuk, and when you reach there, it will be daytime. Whoever reaches this spring should not touch its water until I arrive." So when we reached there, two men had already arrived before us. There was only a little water trickling from the spring, like a shoelace. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked both of them, "Did you touch this water?" They replied, "Yes!" The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) rebuked them severely and said whatever Allah willed. Then the people scooped out a little water with their hands until enough was collected in a vessel. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) washed his face and blessed hands with it, then poured that water back into the spring. Immediately, the spring filled with water, and everyone drank from it to their fill. Then the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me, "O Mu'adh! It may be that you will have a long life and will see this place filled with gardens."

The previous hadith is also narrated through this second chain of transmission.

It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: If you wish, I can tell you what Allah Almighty will say first to the believers on the Day of Resurrection, and what they will reply to Him first. We said, "O Messenger of Allah!" He said: Allah Almighty will say to the believers, "Did you desire to meet Me?" They will reply, "Yes, O Lord!" He will ask, "Why?" The believers will say, "We hoped for Your pardon and forgiveness." He will say, "I have made My forgiveness obligatory for you."

It is narrated from Hazrat Mu’adh (may Allah be pleased with him) that once he rode on a donkey “whose name was Ya’foor and whose rope was made of palm fiber,” and said, “Mu’adh! Ride on it.” I submitted, “O Messenger of Allah! You go ahead.” The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) again said, “You also ride on it.” As soon as I sat behind, the donkey threw us off. The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stood up laughing, and I began to feel sorry for myself. This happened three times in the same way. Finally, the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) mounted and set off. After a short while, the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) extended his hand behind and lightly struck my back with a whip and, calling my name, said, “O Mu’adh! Do you know what right Allah has over His servants?” I submitted, “Allah and His Messenger know best.” The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Allah’s right over His servants is that they worship Him alone and do not associate anything with Him.” Then, after going a little further, he struck my back again and the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “O Mu’adh! Do you know what right the servants have over Allah if they do so?” I submitted, “Allah and His Messenger know best.” The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “That right is that Allah will admit them to Paradise.”

It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: O Mu'adh! If Allah grants guidance to a polytheist through you, it is better for you than red camels.

It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) advised me regarding ten things:
(1) Do not associate anyone with Allah, even if you are killed or burned in fire.
(2) Do not disobey your parents, even if they command you to leave your family and wealth.
(3) Do not deliberately abandon the obligatory prayer, for whoever deliberately abandons the obligatory prayer, Allah's protection is removed from him.
(4) Do not drink alcohol, for it is the root of all indecency.
(5) Guard yourself against sins, for due to sins the displeasure of Allah descends.
(6) Avoid fleeing from the battlefield, even if all the people are killed.
(7) If a plague spreads in a region and you are already there, remain steadfast there.
(8) Continue to spend your wealth on your family.
(9) Do not neglect disciplining them, nor put away the stick out of heedlessness.
(10) And continue to instill the fear of Allah in their hearts.

It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever becomes a ruler over people in any field and keeps himself hidden from the weak and needy, Allah will keep Himself hidden from him on the Day of Resurrection.

It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) that once the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recited this verse: "The Companions of the Right" and "The Companions of the Left," and he made fists with both of his hands and said, (Allah Almighty says), "This fist is for the people of Paradise, and I do not care, and this fist is for the people of Hell, and I do not care about them either."

When Hazrat Mu’adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) arrived in Yemen, a woman from the tribe of Khawlan came to meet him, accompanied by her twelve children. She had left their father at home. The youngest among her children was one whose beard had fully grown. The woman stood up and greeted Hazrat Mu’adh (may Allah be pleased with him). Two of her sons were holding her by her sides. She asked, “O man! Who has sent you?” Hazrat Mu’adh (may Allah be pleased with him) replied, “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) has sent me.” The woman said, “Alright, the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has sent you and you are his envoy. So, O envoy! Will you not tell me something?” Hazrat Mu’adh (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “Ask whatever you wish to ask.” She said, “Tell me, what is the right of a husband over his wife?” He replied, “As much as possible, she should fear Allah, listen to him, and obey him.” She said, “I ask you by Allah, please tell me and tell me correctly, what is the right of a husband over his wife?” He replied, “Are you not satisfied that you listen to him, obey him, and fear Allah?” She said, “Why not, but still, please tell me in detail, because I have left their old father at home.” Hazrat Mu’adh (may Allah be pleased with him) said to her, “By the One in whose hand is the life of Mu’adh, when you return home and see that leprosy has torn his flesh and his nostrils have been pierced from which pus and blood are flowing, and in order to fulfill his right you begin to drink that pus and blood with your mouth, even then you will not have fulfilled his right.”

It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: A person does no deed greater than the remembrance of Allah that can save him from the punishment of Allah. It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) that once the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Shall I not tell you of the best deed in the sight of your Lord, the one that raises you to the highest ranks, better for you than spending gold and silver, and better than meeting your enemy in the battlefield so that you strike their necks and they strike your necks? The companions (may Allah be pleased with them) asked: O Messenger of Allah! Why not? The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The remembrance of Allah Almighty.

Abu Idris says that once I attended a gathering in which twenty companions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) were present. Among them was a young and youthful companion, whose complexion was radiant, with large black eyes and shining teeth. Whenever there was any disagreement among the people and he spoke, they would accept his word as final. Later, I found out that he was Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him). The next day, I came again and found him praying behind a pillar. He shortened his prayer and sat quietly with his knees drawn up. I approached and said, "By Allah! I love you for the sake of Allah's majesty." He made me swear, "Really?" I also swore. He then said (most likely), "Those who love each other for Allah's sake will be under the shade of Allah's Throne on the Day when there will be no shade except His. (After this, there is no doubt in the rest of the hadith.) For them, chairs of light will be set up, and due to their nearness to the Lord of the Worlds, even the Prophets (peace be upon them), the truthful, and the martyrs will envy them." Later, I narrated this hadith to Ubadah bin Samit (may Allah be pleased with him), and he said, "I will narrate to you only that hadith which I myself heard from the tongue of the Prophet, and it is this: 'My love is assured for those who love each other for My sake; My love is assured for those who meet each other for My sake; My love is assured for those who spend on each other for My sake; and My love is assured for those who join with each other for My sake.'"

It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: On the Day of Resurrection, Muslims will be raised in such a state that there will be no hair on their bodies, they will be beardless, their eyes will be darkened with antimony, and they will be people of thirty years of age.

Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) says that once, at night, I went out in search of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). I was told that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had gone out. Whoever I passed by would say that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) just passed by here, until I found him standing at a place, performing prayer. I also stood behind him. The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) started the prayer and kept it long, until when he finished his prayer with salam, I submitted, "O Messenger of Allah! Tonight you performed a very long prayer." The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Yes! This was a prayer of encouragement and warning. In this prayer, I asked my Lord for three things, out of which He granted me two and denied me one. I requested my Lord not to destroy my ummah by drowning in the sea, and He accepted my request. Then I requested Him not to impose an external enemy upon them, so He accepted this request as well. Then I requested my Lord not to divide us into different sects, but He did not accept this request."

It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: O Mu'adh! Whoever dies in such a state that he does not associate anyone with Allah, he will enter Paradise.

It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent me to Yemen to collect Zakat and instructed me to collect a one-year-old cow for every thirty cows and a two-year-old cow for every forty cows. The people offered me Zakat for the numbers between forty and fifty, sixty and seventy, eighty and ninety, but I refused and said that I would first ask the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). So I presented myself before the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and related this incident. The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) instructed me to collect a one-year-old cow for every thirty cows, a two-year-old cow for every forty cows, two one-year-old cows for sixty, one two-year-old and one-year-old cow for seventy, two-year-old cows for eighty, three one-year-old cows for ninety, one two-year-old and two one-year-old cows for one hundred, two-year-old and one-year-old cow for one hundred and ten, three two-year-old cows or four one-year-old cows for one hundred and twenty, and also instructed that Zakat should not be collected for numbers in between until the animal is a year old or six months old, and explained that ( "kasr" or) Zakat is not obligatory for less than thirty.

Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) mentioned the plague during a sermon in Syria and said: "This is a mercy from your Lord, the supplication of the Prophets, and the way of death for the righteous before you. O Allah! Grant the family of Mu'adh a share of this mercy." Then, when he descended from the pulpit and reached home and saw his son Abdur Rahman (he had been afflicted by the plague), he said: "This is truly from your Lord, so do not be among those who doubt." Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "InshaAllah, you will find me among those who are patient."

It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) that in the presence of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), there was a heated argument between two men, and one of them became so angry that I can still imagine his nose turning red due to anger. The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), seeing his condition, said: "I know a word which, if this man afflicted with anger were to say, his anger would go away, and that word is: 'Allahumma inni a'udhu bika min ash-shaytan ir-rajim.'"

It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever performs the five daily prayers, performs Hajj of the House of Allah, and fasts in the month of Ramadan, his sins will be forgiven, and it is a right upon Allah, whether he migrates or remains in the place where he was born. I said, "O Messenger of Allah! Should I not give this glad tidings to the people?" The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Mu'adh! Let them continue to act. There are one hundred levels in Paradise, and between each two levels is a distance of one hundred years. And Firdaus is the highest and best level of Paradise; from it the rivers of Paradise flow forth. Therefore, when you ask Allah, ask for Jannat al-Firdaus."

It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) that I heard the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: Soon you will migrate towards Syria and it will be conquered at your hands, but there a disease of boils and blisters will be imposed upon you, which will seize a person by the leg of the ladder. Allah will grant them martyrdom through it and purify their deeds. O Allah! If You know that Mu'adh bin Jabal heard this hadith from the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), then grant him and his family an ample share of it. Consequently, all of them were afflicted with the plague and not a single one of them remained alive. When the plague swelling appeared on the finger of martyrdom of Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him), he would look at it and say: I would not prefer to have a red camel in exchange for this.

It is narrated from Hazrat Ibn Abi Laila (may Allah be pleased with him) on the authority of Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) that during the blessed era of Hazrat Musa (peace be upon him), two men stated their lineage; one of them was a Muslim and the other a polytheist. The polytheist said to the other, "I am so-and-so, son of so-and-so," and he counted nine names from among his ancestors and said, "Who are you? May your mother not remain!" He replied, "I am so-and-so, son of so-and-so, and I disassociate myself from those beyond that." Hazrat Musa (peace be upon him) called the people together and said, "A decision has been made between you two. O you who attribute yourself to nine men! All of them are in Hell, and the tenth, you yourself, will be with them in Hell. And O you who attribute your lineage to your parents! You are one of the people of Islam."

It is narrated from Hazrat Muadh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: If three children of a Muslim husband and wife pass away, Allah Almighty will, by His grace and mercy, admit them into Paradise. The companions (may Allah be pleased with them) asked, "O Messenger of Allah! What if there are two children?" He replied, "The same ruling applies to them." They asked, "What if there is one?" He replied, "The same ruling applies to him as well." Then he said, "By the One in Whose hand is my soul, even a miscarried fetus will pull its mother into Paradise, provided she was patient over it."

It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever dies in such a state that he does not associate anyone with Allah, will enter Paradise.

It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever, being in a state of ablution, goes to sleep at night while remembering Allah, then wakes up during any part of the night and asks Allah for any good of this world or the Hereafter, Allah surely grants it to him.

It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) promised us regarding five things: whoever does these deeds will be under Allah's protection—one who visits the sick, one who participates in a funeral, one who goes out for jihad in the way of Allah, one who goes to the imam to honor and respect him, or a person who stays in his house so that people remain safe from his harm and he remains safe from the harm of people.

It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) that on the occasion of the Battle of Tabuk, if the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) set out before the decline of the sun, he would delay the Zuhr prayer and combine both Zuhr and Asr prayers at the time of Asr. And if he set out after the decline of the sun, he would first perform both Zuhr and Asr prayers. And if he set out after Maghrib, he would perform the Isha prayer together with Maghrib beforehand and then set out.

When Hazrat Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) arrived in the land of Shaam, he found out that the people of Shaam did not perform Witr. He asked Hazrat Amir Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him), "What is the reason that I do not see the people of Shaam performing Witr?" Hazrat Amir Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) asked, "Is it obligatory upon them?" Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) replied, "Yes! I heard the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: 'My Lord has added one prayer for me, and it is Witr, the time of which is between the 'Isha prayer and the rising of Fajr.'"

It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) that once I was riding behind the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) on a donkey. Only the back part of the saddle was between me and the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) called me by name and said, "O Mu'adh! Do you know what right Allah has over His servants?" I replied, "Allah and His Messenger know best." The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "(Allah's right over His servants is) that they worship Him alone and do not associate anything with Him." Then the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Do you know what right the servants have over Allah if they do so?" The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "That right is that Allah will not punish them."

The previous hadith is also narrated through this second chain of transmission.

The previous hadith is also narrated through this second chain of transmission.

It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) that once the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me, "Shall I not guide you to a door from among the doors of Paradise?" I said, "Why not?" The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah."

It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) that when the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent him towards Yemen, he asked him, "If a decision comes before you, how will you resolve it?" He replied, "I will decide it in the light of the Book of Allah." The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked, "If you do not find it in the Book of Allah, then what will you do?" He replied, "Then I will decide in the light of the Sunnah of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)." The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked, "If you do not find its ruling in my Sunnah either, then what will you do?" He replied, "Then I will exercise ijtihad with my own opinion and I will not fall short in it in any way." Upon this, the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) struck his blessed hand on my chest and said, "All praise is due to Allah who has guided the messenger of His Messenger to that which pleases His Messenger."

It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: When a woman causes distress to her husband in this world, then from among the wide-eyed maidens of Paradise who will be his wife, she says to that woman: "Do not trouble him, may Allah ruin you! He is only a guest with you for a few days; soon he will leave you and come to us."

It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: The key to Paradise is bearing witness that "There is no god but Allah."

It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The meaning of 'their sides forsake their beds' is that a person gets up at night for Tahajjud."

Yazid bin Umairah reports that when the time of death of Hazrat Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) approached, someone said to him, "O Abu Abdur Rahman! Advise us." He said, "Make me sit up," and then said, "Knowledge and faith remain in their respective places; whoever sets out in search of them, it is he who finds them." He repeated this sentence three times. Then he said, "Acquire knowledge from four persons: Hazrat Abu Darda (may Allah be pleased with him), Hazrat Salman Farsi (may Allah be pleased with him), Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him), and Hazrat Abdullah bin Salam (may Allah be pleased with him), who was formerly a Jew and later became a Muslim. And regarding him, I heard the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say that he will be the tenth among ten persons in Paradise."

It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) that when the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent him to Yemen, he said: "Beware of a life of luxury and comfort, for the servants of Allah do not live a life of luxury and comfort."