Musnad Ahmad

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 people of Paradise will enter in such a state that there will be no hair on their bodies, they will be beardless, their eyes will be kohl-lined, and they will be people of thirty or thirty-three years of age.

It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Just as there is a wolf for the sheep, likewise there is a satanic wolf for man, who seizes the sheep that remains alone and separated from the flock. Therefore, protect yourselves from living alone in the valleys, and make it obligatory upon yourselves to stay with the congregation of Muslims and the general public.

Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that once, at night, the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) began the prayer, and in it he performed bowing, prostration, and standing with great excellence. I mentioned this to the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), so he said, "Yes! This was a prayer of encouragement and warning. In this prayer, I asked my Lord for three things, of which He granted me two and refused one. I requested my Lord not to destroy my Ummah by drowning them in the sea, and He accepted my request. Then I requested Him not to impose an external enemy upon them, and 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 once the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) delayed coming out in the morning so much that the sun was about to rise. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came out quickly and led a short prayer. After finishing the prayer with salam, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Remain seated in your places." Then, turning towards us, he said, "I will tell you the reason for my delay in coming. Last night, I stood for Tahajjud prayer and prayed as much as Allah willed. During the prayer, I became drowsy, and when I became alert, suddenly my Lord came to me in a most beautiful form and said, 'O Muhammad! Over what are the angels of the highest assembly disputing?' I replied, 'My Lord! I do not know.' (This question and answer happened two or three times.) Then my Lord placed His palms between my shoulders, the coolness of which I felt in my chest and breast, until all the things of the heavens and the earth became clear before me, and I recognized them. After that, Allah again asked, 'O Muhammad! Over what are the angels of the highest assembly disputing?' I replied, 'About the expiations (kaffarat).' He said, 'What are the expiations?' I replied, 'Walking with one's feet to the Friday prayer, sitting in the mosque after the prayer, and completing ablution despite difficulty.' Then He asked, 'What are the things that raise ranks?' I replied, 'The things that cause high ranks are the best speech, spreading salam, feeding others, and praying at night when people are asleep.' Then He said, 'O Muhammad! Ask.' I said, 'O Allah! I ask You for pure things, for protection from evil deeds, for love of the poor, and that You forgive me and turn Your special attention to me. And when You intend to test any people, then grant me death before being afflicted by the trial. And I ask You for Your love, the love of those who love You, and the love of deeds that bring me closer to Your love.' And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, 'This incident is true, learn it and teach it to others.'"

It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) that he heard the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say: Whoever receives a wound or suffers pain in the way of Allah, on the Day of Resurrection he will come with it flowing even more, but on that day its color will be like saffron and its fragrance like musk. And whoever receives a wound in the way of Allah, the seal of the martyrs is placed upon him. Whoever sincerely prays to Allah for martyrdom and then departs from this world by natural death, he will receive the reward of a martyr. And any Muslim who fights in the way of Allah even for the time it takes for milk to flow from a she-camel’s teats, Paradise becomes obligatory for him.

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 extremely angry. The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), seeing his condition, said: "I know a word which, if this man afflicted with anger says it, his anger will go away, and that word is: 'A'udhu billahi min ash-shaytan ir-rajim' (I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed devil)."

It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) that a man came to the service of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said, "O Messenger of Allah! What do you say about a man who meets a strange woman and does with her everything that a man does with his wife, except intercourse?" Upon this, Allah the Exalted revealed this verse: "Establish prayer at the two ends of the day and at some hours of the night; indeed, good deeds erase bad deeds." The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to that person, "Perform ablution and offer prayer." I asked, "O Messenger of Allah! Is this command specific to him or general for all Muslims?" The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "It is general for all Muslims."

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 frees a Muslim slave, it will become a ransom for him from Hell.

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 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?" He replied, "What is that?" The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "'La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah' (There is no power and no strength except with Allah)."

It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) that he heard the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: Whoever among the Muslims fights in the way of Allah even for the time it takes for milk to flow from a she-camel’s udder, Paradise becomes obligatory for him. Whoever sincerely asks Allah for martyrdom and then dies a natural death, he will receive the reward of a martyr. And whoever is wounded or suffers any harm in the way of Allah, on the Day of Resurrection he will come with that wound flowing even more, but its color will be like saffron and its fragrance like musk. And whoever is wounded in the way of Allah, the seal of the martyrs is placed upon him.

It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) that once the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent me to a town in Arabia and ordered me to collect a share of the land and bring it. Sufyan says that by the share of the land, a third or a fourth part is meant.

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."

It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) that one day the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) took his hand and said, "O Mu'adh! I love you." Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) replied, "O Messenger of Allah! May my parents be sacrificed for you, I also love you." The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Mu'adh! I advise you not to leave this supplication after any obligatory prayer: 'O Allah! Help me to remember You, to thank You, and to worship You in the best manner.'" Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) gave the same advice to his student Sanabihi, who gave it to his student Abu Abdur Rahman (may Allah be pleased with him), and he gave the same advice to his student Uqbah bin Muslim.

It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) that, by Allah! Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) will be in Paradise, and he said that the dreams and wakefulness of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) are all true. The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said that once, in a dream, I was inside Paradise and I saw a palace there. I asked the people, "Whose is this?" They replied, "This belongs to Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him)."

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 flourishing of Bayt al-Maqdis is a sign of the desolation of Madinah Munawwarah, and the desolation of Madinah Munawwarah is a sign of the beginning of wars, and the beginning of wars is a sign of the conquest of Constantinople, and the conquest of Constantinople will be a prelude to the emergence of Dajjal. Then the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) struck his thigh or shoulder and said: All these things are as true and certain as your sitting here is certain.

It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) that once the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) set out with the people for the expedition of Tabuk. In the morning, he led the people in the Fajr prayer, and the people began to mount their rides. When the sun had risen, the people, due to traveling all night, began to doze off. Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) kept walking behind the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), staying close to him, while the people had left their rides, which had thus scattered along the paths and were grazing here and there. Suddenly, his ride bolted. Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) caught it by the reins and pulled it, so it ran swiftly, causing the Noble Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) camel to also bolt. The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) lifted his cloak and looked back, and there was no one in the army closer to the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) than Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him). So the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) called out to him, “Mu'adh!” He replied, “At your service, O Messenger of Allah!” The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Come closer,” so he drew even nearer until their rides were side by side.

The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “I did not think the people would be so far from us.” Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “O Prophet of Allah! The people are dozing, so their rides have scattered, grazing here and there.” The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Sleepiness also overcame me.” When Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) saw the cheerfulness and privacy on the Noble Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) blessed face, he said, “O Messenger of Allah! If you permit, may I ask a question that has made me sick and sorrowful?” The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Ask whatever you wish.” He said, “O Prophet of Allah! Tell me of an action that will admit me to Paradise. I will not ask you anything else besides this.” The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Very good (three times), you have asked a great thing (three times), but for whom Allah intends good, it is made very easy.” Then the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) repeated whatever he said to him three times, due to his eagerness and so that it would become firm for him.

Then the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Have faith in Allah, have faith in the Last Day, establish prayer, worship Allah alone, do not associate anything with Him, until you depart from this world in that state.” Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “O Prophet of Allah! Please repeat this.” The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) repeated this three times. Then the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “O Mu'adh! If you wish, shall I tell you about the foundation of this religion, what upholds it, and its highest peak?” Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “O Prophet of Allah! Certainly, may my parents be sacrificed for you, do tell me.” The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “The foundation of this religion is that you bear witness that there is no god but Allah, He is alone and has no partner, and that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is His servant and Messenger. What upholds this religion is establishing prayer and giving zakat, and its highest peak is striving in the path of Allah (jihad fi sabilillah). I have been commanded to fight the people until they establish prayer, give zakat, and bear witness to the oneness of Allah and the messengership. When they do so, they have protected their lives and wealth from me, except for the right of this word, and their reckoning is with Allah the Exalted.”

The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also said, “By the One in Whose hand is the soul of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), in no deed—except for the obligatory prayer—by which the ranks of Paradise are sought, does a person’s face become pale nor his feet become dusty as they do in striving in the path of Allah (jihad fi sabilillah), and no person’s record of deeds becomes as heavy as it does by that animal which is used in the path of Allah or by mounting someone on it in the path of Allah.”

It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) that the prayer has passed through three stages, then he described the details of these conditions.

It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) that prayer passed through three stages, and fasting also passed through three stages. As for the conditions of prayer, when the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) arrived in Madinah Munawwarah, he used to pray facing Bayt al-Maqdis for seventeen months, until Allah Almighty revealed the command of changing the Qiblah, and the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) turned his face towards Makkah Mukarramah. This was one stage. People used to gather for prayer and inform others, and for this, they began to ring a bell or came close to ringing a bell. Then an Ansari companion came and said to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him): "O Messenger of Allah! I saw a man in a dream—while I was between sleep and wakefulness—who was wearing green clothes. He stood facing the Qiblah and gave the call to prayer (Adhan). After some time, he sat down, then stood up again and repeated the same words of the Adhan, but added 'Qad qamatis salah.' And if people do not deny me, I can say with certainty that I was awake at that time, not asleep." Upon hearing this, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Teach these words to (Hazrat) Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) so that he may give the Adhan." Thus, Hazrat Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) was the first person to give this Adhan. Meanwhile, Hazrat Umar Farooq (may Allah be pleased with him) also came and said to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "O Messenger of Allah, I also saw exactly the same dream, but the Ansari man has already narrated his dream before me." These are two stages. The narrator says that previously, when someone saw people in the mosque in congregation, he would inquire how many rak'ahs had been performed so far, and it would be indicated to him. He would first perform those rak'ahs, then join the remaining prayer. One day, Hazrat Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) came and said: "I will adopt whatever state and condition I find you (the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him) in, and later I will complete my missed prayer." Because when he arrived, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had already led part of the prayer. So he stood with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) completed the prayer, he also stood up and completed his prayer. Upon seeing this, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) has set a way for the people, so you should do the same." These are three stages.

As for the stages of fasting: When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) arrived in Madinah Munawwarah, he commanded fasting three days every month and fasting on the day of Ashura. After that, the fasts of Ramadan were made obligatory. This noble verse was revealed: "O you who believe! Fasting has been prescribed for you..." So whoever wished would fast, and whoever wished would feed the poor, and that would suffice. Then Allah Almighty revealed another verse: "The month of Ramadan is that in which the Qur'an was revealed..." So whoever among you witnesses the month of Ramadan must fast in it. After this, except for the sick and the traveler, the concession was ended, and fasting was made obligatory for others. However, for the elderly who could not bear to fast, the permission to feed (the poor) remained. These are two stages.

In the beginning of Islam, it was permissible to eat, drink, and approach women until one slept; after sleeping, until the time of breaking the next day's fast, eating, drinking, and intercourse were not allowed. Once, Hazrat Umar Farooq (may Allah be pleased with him) intended to have relations with his wife. His pure wife said: "I had fallen asleep." Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) thought that his wife was making an excuse to avoid intercourse. Nevertheless, Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) had relations with his wife. Similarly, an Ansari companion once intended to eat and drink after iftar. People said: "Wait, let us warm the food for you." That Ansari companion fell asleep. When morning came, Allah Almighty revealed the noble verse: "It has been made lawful for you to go unto your wives on the night of the fast..." (Al-Baqarah, 187), meaning that it is permissible to have intercourse with wives during the nights of fasting. In the same way, the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) fasted three days every month from Rabi' al-Awwal to Ramadan for nineteen months.

Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that once, at night, the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) began to pray, and in it he performed bowing, prostration, and standing with great excellence. I mentioned this to the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), so he said, "Yes! This was a prayer of encouragement and warning. In this prayer, I asked my Lord for three things, of which He granted me two and refused one. I requested my Lord not to destroy my ummah by drowning them in the sea, and He accepted this request of mine. Then I requested Him not to impose an external enemy upon them, so He also accepted this request of mine. Then I requested my Lord not to divide us into different sects, but He did not accept this request of mine."

It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) that one day I met the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he said to me, "O Mu'adh! I love you." I replied, "O Messenger of Allah! By Allah, I also love you." The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Mu'adh! I advise you not to leave this supplication after any obligatory prayer: 'O Allah! Help me to remember You, to thank You, and to worship You in the best manner.'"

It is narrated from Hazrat Muadh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: At the time of departing from this world, whoever's last words are "La ilaha illallah" (There is no god but Allah), Paradise becomes obligatory for him.

It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) once said: Seek refuge with Allah from that greed which reaches the state of sealing the hearts; also seek refuge from that greed which leads to something purposeless; and seek refuge with Allah from such greed where there is no greed at all.

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 to Yemen, he instructed him to take as zakat one-year-old cow from every thirty cows, and one two-year-old cow from every forty, and from every adult, to collect one dinar or its equivalent in Yemeni cloth called "Ma'afir."

It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) that he asked the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), "What is the most excellent form of faith?" The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied, "To love and hate for the sake of Allah, and to keep your tongue busy with the remembrance of Allah." He asked, "O Messenger of Allah! Anything else?" The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Like for people what you like for yourself, and dislike for them what you dislike for yourself."

It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) conveyed this Divine statement: My love is assured for those who love each other for My sake, who meet each other for My sake, and who spend on each other for My sake.

It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) that he asked the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), "What is the most excellent form of faith?" The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied, "To love and hate for the sake of Allah, and to keep your tongue busy with the remembrance of Allah." He asked, "O Messenger of Allah! Anything else?" The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Prefer for people what you prefer for yourself, and dislike for them what you dislike for yourself, and speak good words or remain silent."

It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Shall I not tell you the doors of goodness? Fasting is a shield, charity extinguishes sins just as water extinguishes fire, and a person's praying at midnight is among the doors of goodness. Then the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recited this verse from Surah As-Sajdah: "Their sides forsake their beds... they know."

It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) heard a caller saying during one of his journeys: "Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar." The Prophet said, "This is upon the sound nature (fitrah)." Then the caller said, "Ashhadu an la ilaha illallah," so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "He has testified to the truth." When he said, "Ashhadu anna Muhammadur Rasulullah," the Prophet said, "He has come out of Hell. Go and see; either you will find him a shepherd who has separated himself or a captive." The people went and saw that he was a shepherd, and when the time for prayer had come, he had given the call to prayer (adhan).

It is narrated from Hazrat Muadh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not give me any command regarding cattle less than thirty.

Abu Qilabah says that when the plague spread in Syria, Hazrat Amr bin Al-Aas (may Allah be pleased with him) said to the army, "This punishment has descended, so to save yourselves from it, go into the mountain passes and valleys." When Hazrat Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) heard this, he did not confirm his statement and said, "Rather, this is martyrdom and mercy and the supplication of your Noble Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). O Allah! Grant Mu'adh and his family a share of Your mercy." Abu Qilabah (may Allah have mercy on him) says, "I understood the meaning of martyrdom and mercy, but I did not understand what was meant by the supplication of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Later, I found out that once the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was praying at night, and while supplicating, he said, 'Then fever or plague,' repeating this phrase three times. In the morning, someone from his family asked, 'O Messenger of Allah! I heard you making this supplication last night?' The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) asked, 'Did you really hear that supplication?' He said, 'Yes!' The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, 'I requested my Lord not to destroy my Ummah due to famine, so my Lord accepted this supplication. Then I requested that He not impose an external enemy upon them who would shed their blood freely, so my Lord accepted this supplication as well. Then I requested that they not be divided into different sects so that they taste each other's violence, but He did not accept this request. Upon this, I said, "Then fever or plague," three times.'"