Musnad Ahmad

Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent me to Yemen, I was young at that time. I said to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), "I am young and I have absolutely no knowledge of passing judgments." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) struck his hand on my chest and said: "Allah will guide your tongue to the right path and keep your heart firm. When two parties come to you, do not pass judgment in favor of one without hearing the other; in this way, it will be easy for you to judge." He says that after that, I continued to serve as a judge.

The previous hadith is also narrated through another chain of transmission.

The previous hadith is also narrated through another chain of transmission.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that he addressed his companion Hayyan and said: Do you know that I am sending you for the same task for which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent me? He commanded me to level every grave and to obliterate every idol.

Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: "When two parties come to you, do not judge by listening to only one of them, but listen to both sides. You will see how you judge."

Hanish says that once I saw Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) slaughtering two rams. I asked him the reason for this, so he said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) once ordered me to offer a sacrifice on his behalf, (therefore I will continue to offer sacrifice on his behalf till the end).

Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent him after Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) to announce disassociation from the polytheists, he said: "O Messenger of Allah! I am not an eloquent or fluent man, nor am I an orator." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There is no alternative except that either you go or I go." Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "If it is necessary, then I will go." He said: "You go, Allah Almighty will make your tongue firm and keep your heart on the right path." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) placed his hand on his mouth.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that on the day of the Battle of Uhud, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "May Allah fill their houses and graves with fire, for they did not let us perform the Asr prayer until the sun had set."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) cursed ten types of people: the one who consumes usury, the one who gives it to others, the one who writes usurious transactions, the witnesses to usurious transactions, the one who performs halalah, the one for whom halalah is performed, the one who withholds zakat, the woman who tattoos and the woman who gets herself tattooed. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade wailing.

Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I used to visit the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) at a specific time during the night, from which Allah granted me great benefit. On one occasion, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Angels do not enter a house in which there is a dog, a person in a state of major impurity (junub), or any picture or statue." I looked and saw a puppy under the bed, which belonged to Hasan. I took it out.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade me from wearing a ring on the middle finger.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Do not attribute false statements to me, for whoever attributes a false statement to me will enter Hell."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade sacrificing an animal with a broken horn or a cut ear.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade sacrificing an animal whose horn or ear has been cut off.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to say at the end of Witr: «اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِرِضَاكَ مِنْ سَخَطِكَ وَمُعَافَاتِكَ مِنْ عُقُوبَتِكَ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْكَ لَا أُحْصِي ثَنَاءً عَلَيْكَ أَنْتَ كَمَا أَثْنَيْتَ عَلَى نَفْسِكَ» "O Allah! I seek refuge in Your pleasure from Your displeasure, in Your pardon from Your punishment, and I seek refuge in You from You. I cannot enumerate Your praises; You are as You have praised Yourself."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) intended to set out on a journey, he would recite this supplication: «اَللّٰهُمَّ بِكَ أَصُولُ وَبِكَ أَحُولُ وَبِكَ أَسِيرُ» "O Allah! I attack with the blessing of Your name, I move with the blessing of Your name, and I walk with the blessing of Your name."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that when the first ten verses of Surah Bara’ah were revealed, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) called Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) and sent him to the people of Makkah so that he could recite it to them. After he had left, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) called me and said: “Go after Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him), wherever you find him, take that letter from him and you go to the people of Makkah and recite that letter to them.” So I caught up with him at the place of Juhfah and received that letter from him. When Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) returned to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he said: O Messenger of Allah! Has any command been revealed regarding me? He replied: “No! The real matter is that Jibreel (peace be upon him) came to me and said that this message should be delivered by you yourself or by a member of your family, (therefore, I was compelled to assign Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) to this service).”

Harith bin Suwaid (may Allah have mercy on him) says that once a person asked Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), "Did the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) tell you anything specifically, leaving out the common people?" He replied, "The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not tell us anything specifically, leaving out others, except for what is in the sheath of my sword." Then he took out a scroll from it, in which the ages of camels were written, and it was written that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "From 'Ir to Thawr, Madinah Munawwarah is a sanctuary. Whoever introduces an innovation in it or gives refuge to an innovator, upon him is the curse of Allah, the angels, and all people. On the Day of Resurrection, Allah will not accept any obligatory or voluntary act of worship from him. And whoever a slave calls someone other than his master as his master, upon him is the curse of Allah, the angels, and all people. On the Day of Resurrection, Allah will not accept any obligatory or voluntary act of worship from him either. And the responsibility of all Muslims is the same; if an ordinary person grants protection to someone, it must be respected. Whoever violates the protection given by a Muslim, upon him is the curse of Allah, the angels, and all people, and on the Day of Resurrection, no obligatory or voluntary act will be accepted from him."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that on the day of the Battle of Khandaq, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "May Allah fill their houses and graves with fire, for they did not let us perform the Asr prayer until the sun had set."

Yusuf bin Mazin says that a man requested Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, "O Commander of the Faithful! Please describe to us the blessed appearance of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him." He replied: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was not very tall; he was a little taller than medium height, but when he walked among people, he appeared to be the tallest. His complexion was radiant and fair. His blessed head was large, his forehead was bright and broad, his eyelashes were long, his blessed palms and feet were full. When he walked, he lifted his feet, as if descending a slope. The drops of sweat on his radiant face appeared like pearls. I have never seen anyone like him, neither before him nor after him. May my parents be sacrificed for him, peace and blessings be upon him.

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

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that there were many idols placed on the Ka'bah. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) told me to sit down, and he himself climbed onto my shoulders. I tried to stand up but was unable to do so. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stood up with me, and I began to break the idols. At that moment, I felt as if, if I wished, I could touch the horizon.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A people will come who will leave Islam just as an arrow passes through its prey. They will recite the Qur'an but it will not go beyond their throats. Glad tidings are for the one who kills them or is martyred at their hands. Their sign is a man whose hand will be incomplete."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that once the wife of Walid bin Uqbah came to the service of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah! Walid beats me." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to her: "Go and tell him that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has given me protection." After a short while, she came again and said: "Now he has started beating me even more." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) took a corner of his garment and gave it to her and said: "Go and tell him that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) has given me protection." But after a little while, she returned and said: "O Messenger of Allah! He has started beating me even more." Upon this, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) raised both his hands and said: "O Allah! Take understanding from Walid; he has disobeyed me twice."

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

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that on the day of the Battle of the Trench, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was sitting at one edge of the trench when he said: "May Allah fill their houses and graves with fire, for they did not let us perform the Asr prayer until the sun had set."

Abu Al-Tufail says that someone asked Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), "Tell us something that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) told you especially." He replied, "The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not tell me anything privately that he concealed from other people, except for what is in the sheath of my sword." Saying this, he took out a scroll in which it was written: "The curse of Allah is upon the one who slaughters an animal in the name of other than Allah, the curse of Allah is upon the one who gives shelter to an innovator, the curse of Allah is upon the one who curses his parents, and the curse of Allah is upon the one who changes the boundaries of the land."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that on the day of the Battle of the Trench, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "O Allah! Fill their (the polytheists') houses and graves with fire, for they did not let us perform the Asr prayer until the sun had set."

A man asked Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) about the sacrifice of a cow. He replied that one cow suffices for seven people. The man asked, "What if its horn is broken?" He replied, "There is no harm." He asked, "What if it is lame?" He replied, "If it can walk to the place of sacrifice by itself, then slaughter it." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has commanded us to "carefully examine the animal's eyes and ears."

Hanish Kanani (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates that in Yemen, a tribe dug a pit and covered it to hunt a lion. The lion fell into it. Suddenly, a man also fell into the pit, then a second, then a third, until four men fell in (the lion in the pit wounded all of them; seeing this, a man quickly grabbed a spear and struck the lion, thus the lion was killed, and all four men also died from their wounds). The heirs of the deceased drew their weapons and stood facing each other for battle. In the meantime, Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) arrived and said: "Do you want to kill two hundred men in exchange for four? I will judge between you; if you are satisfied with it, then consider the matter settled. The judgment is that the heirs of the one who first fell and was wounded by the lion should be given a quarter of the blood money, and the fourth should be given the full blood money, the second a third, and the third half of the blood money." They refused to accept this decision (because they did not understand it). So they went to the service of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I will judge between you." In the meantime, a man said: "O Messenger of Allah! Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) had already judged between us in this way." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) enforced that decision.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said on the occasion of Ghadir Khumm: "Whoever I am the master of, Ali is also his master." Later, people added to this: "O Allah! Be the friend of whoever is his friend, and be the enemy of whoever is his enemy."

A man asked Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) about the sacrifice of a cow. He replied that one cow suffices for seven people. The man asked, "What if its horn is broken?" He replied, "There is no harm." He asked, "What if it is lame?" He replied, "If it can walk to the place of sacrifice by itself, then slaughter it." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has commanded us to "carefully examine the animal's eyes and ears."

Ibn Aba’d says that once Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said to me: “Ibn Aba’d! Do you know what is the right of food?” I replied: “You tell me, what is its right?” He said: “The right of food is that at its beginning you say: «بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ اَللّٰهُمَّ بَارِكْ لَنَا فِيْمَا رَزَقْتَنَا» ‘In the name of Allah, I begin, O Allah! Bless us in what You have provided for us.’” Then he said to me: “Do you know what is the gratitude after finishing the food?” I replied: “You tell me, what is its gratitude?” He said: “You should say: «اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ الَّذِيْ أَطْعَمَنَا وَسَقَانَا» ‘All praise is due to Allah who fed us and gave us drink.’” Then he said: “Shall I not tell you something about myself and Sayyidah Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her)? Sayyidah Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) was also the daughter of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the most honorable in the eyes of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) among all children, and she was also my life companion. She ground so much grain that marks appeared on her hands, carried so many water skins that marks appeared on her neck, cleaned the house so much that her clothes became dusty, kindled so much fire under the cooking pot that her clothes became worn out, which caused her severe physical pain. Coincidentally, at that time, some captives or servants had come to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). I told her to go and request a servant from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) so that you may get some relief from this hardship. So she went to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and she saw that there was one or more servants with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), but she could not present her request and returned. After this, the narrator mentioned the entire hadith, and at the end, he mentioned this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): ‘Shall I not tell you something better than a servant? When you lie down on your bed, recite Subhan Allah thirty-three times, Alhamdulillah thirty-three times, and Allahu Akbar thirty-four times.’ Upon this, she uncovered her head from the sheet and said: ‘I am pleased with Allah and His Messenger.’ Then the narrator mentioned the complete hadith.”

Ubaidah (may Allah have mercy on him) says that we used to consider the middle prayer (Salat al-Wusta) to be the Fajr prayer, then one day Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated this hadith that during the Battle of Ahzab, when the fighting began, the polytheists prevented us from performing the Asr prayer. On that occasion, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Allah! Fill their bellies and graves with fire, for they did not allow us to perform the Asr prayer until the sun had set." On that day, we realized that the middle prayer (Salat al-Wusta) refers to the Asr prayer.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that once the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent a silk garment to me. I wore it, but when I saw signs of displeasure on the blessed face of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), I, on the order of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), distributed it among my women.

Nazzal bin Sabrah says that once, in his presence, Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) performed the Zuhr prayer, then sat in the courtyard of the mosque to resolve people's issues. When the time for Asr prayer arrived, a vessel of water was brought to him. He took a handful of water and wiped his hands, arms, face, head, and feet with the wet hand. Then, while standing, he drank that water and said that some people dislike drinking water while standing, although the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also did as I have done. And the person who is not without ablution but already has ablution, this is the ablution of that person.

Imam Sha’bi (may Allah have mercy on him) says that Sharaha Hamdaniyyah was addressed by Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him): “It is possible that you were forced into this act? Perhaps he is your husband?” But she kept replying “No” to every question. Thus, Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) flogged her after she gave birth, and then carried out the punishment of stoning on her. Someone asked, “Why did you give her both punishments?” He replied, “I flogged her in the light of the Book of Allah, and I stoned her in the light of the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).”

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The best among you is the one who learns the Qur'an and teaches it."

Abu Wa'il says that once a man came to Sayyidina Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and said, "O Commander of the Faithful! I am unable to pay the amount for my contract of manumission, please help me." He replied, "Shall I not teach you the words that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught me? Even if you have a debt equal to Mount Seer in dinars, Allah will pay it off for you." He said, "Why not?" He (Ali) said, "Keep reciting this supplication: «اَللّٰهُمَّ اكْفِنِي بِحَلَالِكَ عَنْ حَرَامِكَ وَأَغْنِنِي بِفَضْلِكَ عَمَّنْ سِوَاكَ» 'O Allah! Suffice me with what You have made lawful against what You have made unlawful, and make me independent of all others besides You through Your grace.'"

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) supplicated, saying: «اَللّٰهُمَّ بَارِكْ لِأُمَّتِي فِي بُكُورِهَا» "O Allah! Bless my Ummah in their early morning hours."