Musnad Ahmad

Abu Burdah (may Allah have mercy on him) says that once I was sitting with my father when Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) came. He greeted us with salam and entrusted my father with some matter of the people, and said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) instructed me: "Ask Allah for guidance, and by guidance, take it to mean guidance of the path. And ask Allah for correctness and soundness, and by that, take it to mean the straightness of an arrow." Also, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade me from wearing a ring on the index or middle finger. The narrator says that Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was standing, so I could not properly understand the gesture of his fingers. Then he said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade me from red-striped and silk garments. We asked: O Commander of the Faithful! «مِيثَرَة» (this word is used in the hadith), what is meant by it? What is this thing? He replied: Women used to make something to place on the saddles of their husbands' mounts (which is called a saddlecloth), that is what is meant. Then we asked what is meant by «قِسِّيَّة»? He replied: The garments from Syria which have patterns like citron fruit on them. Abu Burdah (may Allah have mercy on him) says that when I saw garments made of linen, I understood that these are the ones.

Nu’man bin Sa’d says that a man asked Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him): O Commander of the Faithful! After Ramadan, which month’s fasting do you emphasize for me to observe? He replied: I heard only one man ask the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) such a question, and after him, you are the only person from whom I am hearing this question. In response, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “If you want to fast in any month after Ramadan, then fast in the month of Muharram, for it is Allah’s month. In it is a day on which Allah accepted the repentance of a people, and Allah will accept the repentance of a people (again).”

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 بُكُوْرِهَا» "O Allah! Bless my Ummah in their early morning hours."

Abdu Khair (may Allah have mercy on him) says that once I was present in the service of Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) when he had already performed the prayer. He asked for water. We began to wonder, after having prayed, what would he do with the water now? His purpose was only to teach us. So, a basin and a vessel were brought to him. He picked up the vessel and poured water over his hands and washed them three times. Then he poured it into the basin, rinsed his mouth three times, put water into his nose, cleaned his nose three times, and washed his face three times. He washed both his arms up to and including the elbows three times each. Then he put his hands back into the vessel and wiped his head once with both palms, and washed both his feet up to and including the ankles three times each. Then he said: Whoever wants to know the way of ablution of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to perform ablution in this manner.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered me to stay with him at the time of sacrifice, and to distribute the skins and coverings of those camels, as well as the meat, and also ordered that nothing from them should be given to the butcher as wages, and said that we used to give him his wages from our own side.

The previous hadith is also narrated through another chain, but at its end, it does not mention that we used to pay his wages from our own pocket.

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) said: "May 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."

Once, a woman who had committed adultery was brought before Sayyiduna Umar Farooq (may Allah be pleased with him). After her crime was proven, Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) ordered her to be stoned. As people were taking her to be stoned, they met Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) on the way. He inquired about her, and the people informed him that she had committed adultery and Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) had ordered her to be stoned. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) freed the woman from their hands and sent those people back. Those people presented themselves before Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). He asked, "Why have you returned?" They said, "Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) sent us back." He said, "Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) would not have done this without reason; he must have some knowledge regarding this matter." So, he sent for Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) arrived, appearing somewhat displeased. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked him the reason for sending the people back. He replied, "Did you not hear the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: 'Three types of people are exempt from accountability: the sleeping person until he wakes up, the child until he reaches puberty, and the insane person until his sanity returns'?" He said, "Of course." Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "This woman is insane from such-and-such tribe. It is possible that when the person committed adultery with her, she was not in her senses and was insane." Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "Brother! I did not know." He said, "Then I do not know either." However, Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) did not carry out the punishment of stoning upon her after that.

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 بُكُوْرِهَا» "O Allah! Bless my Ummah in their early morning hours."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, in a marfu’ form that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, forbade the recitation of the Noble Qur’an while in the state of bowing (ruku’), and said: “When you go into ruku’, then glorify the greatness of Allah, and when you go into prostration (sajdah), then supplicate to Him, for it is hoped that your supplication will be accepted.”

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 بُكُوْرِهَا» "O Allah! Bless my Ummah in their early morning hours."

Once, the mention of the Khawarij was made in the presence of Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), so he said: Among them there will be a man who is deformed in creation. If you had not gone to extremes, I would have told you the promise that Allah has made, through the tongue of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), to those who kill them. The narrator says: I asked him, "Did you really hear any statement from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding this?" He replied three times: Yes! By the Lord of the Ka'bah.

Nu’man bin Sa’d says that once we were sitting with Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), he recited this verse: «﴿يَوْمَ نَحْشُرُ الْمُتَّقِينَ إِلَى الرَّحْمَنِ وَفْدًا﴾ [مريم : 85]» “The Day of Resurrection will be when We will gather the righteous before the Most Merciful as a delegation.” And he said: By Allah! They will not be gathered walking on their feet, rather, they will be mounted on such she-camels as no creature has ever seen before, with golden saddles on them, and they will ride upon them until they knock at the gates of Paradise.

Ikrimah (may Allah have mercy on him) says that I returned from Muzdalifah with Sayyiduna Imam Hussain (may Allah be pleased with him), and I heard him continuously reciting the Talbiyah until he had stoned Jamrah Aqabah. I asked him about this, and he said: I had returned from Muzdalifah with my father, and I heard him also continuously reciting the Talbiyah until he had stoned Jamrah Aqabah. And he told me that he had returned from Muzdalifah with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) continuously reciting the Talbiyah until he had stoned Jamrah Aqabah.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that a man came to the presence of the Messenger and said: O Messenger of Allah! Tell me of a month, besides Ramadan, in which I can fast. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "If you want to fast in any month after Ramadan, then fast in the month of Muharram, for it is the month of Allah. In it is a day on which Allah accepted the repentance of a people, and Allah will accept the repentance of a people."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that once some people from the Quraysh came to the service of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said, "We are your neighbors and your allies. Some of our slaves have come to you; they have no inclination towards the religion nor any interest in its understanding. In reality, they have seized our property and wealth and fled. Therefore, please hand them over to us." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him), "What is your opinion?" He replied, "It is true that they are your neighbors." At this, the color of the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) blessed face changed. Then he asked Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) for his opinion, and he also said, "They are indeed your neighbors and allies." At this, the color of the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) face changed (because, in general, this supported the words of the polytheists).

Nu’man bin Sa’d says that a man asked Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), “Can I recite (Qur’an) during bowing (ruku’) and prostration (sujud)?” He replied: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “I have been forbidden from reciting the Qur’an while in the state of bowing and prostration. When you bow, then glorify the greatness of Allah, and when you prostrate, then make supplication with full attention, for it is likely that your supplication will be answered.”

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "In Paradise, there are such lofty chambers whose inside can be seen from the outside, and whose outside can be seen from the inside." A Bedouin asked: "O Messenger of Allah! For whom are these?" He replied: "For the person who speaks good words, feeds the needy, and when people are asleep at night, stands in prayer solely for the pleasure of Allah."

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 بُكُوْرِهَا» "O Allah! Bless my Ummah in their early morning hours."

Abdullah bin Saba says that once, while delivering a sermon, Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: By the One who splits the grain and creates the living being! This beard will surely be dyed with the blood of this head. The people said: O Commander of the Faithful! Tell us his name and address, we will wipe out his lineage. He said: I beseech you by Allah, do not kill anyone except my killer. The people said: When you know this, then appoint your deputy over us. He said: No, I will leave you in the same state as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) left you.

Abu Abdur Rahman Salmi says that once Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) delivered a sermon and said: O people! Carry out the prescribed punishments on your male and female slaves as well, whether they are married or unmarried, because once a slave woman of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) committed adultery. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered me to carry out the punishment on her. When I was about to carry out the prescribed punishment, I found out that her period of postnatal bleeding was still fresh. I feared that she might die from the lashes, so I went to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and mentioned the whole matter. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "You did well."

Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent me to Yemen, I said to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), "You are sending me to judge among a people who are older than me." He said: "Allah will guide your tongue to the right path, and will keep your heart firm."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There will be a market in Paradise, but there will be no buying or selling in it. There will only be images of men and women; whichever image a person likes, he will enter into it. Also, in Paradise, there will be a gathering of the wide-eyed maidens (Hoor al-‘Ayn), such that no creature in the world has ever seen anything as beautiful as them. They will raise their voices and say: 'We are everlasting, we shall never perish; we are always pleased, we shall never be displeased; we have been brought up in luxury and comfort, so we shall never experience hardship. Glad tidings for the one who is for us and for whom we are.'"

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

Once, Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) washed each limb three times while performing ablution, wiped his head, and drank the leftover water from the ablution. Then he said, "Whoever wants to see the way of ablution of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), let him see this."

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. Fighting them is obligatory upon every Muslim."

Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: On the day of the Battle of Badr, we would seek refuge with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him); on that day, none of us was closer to the enemy than the Prophet (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) stood at the plain of Arafat during the Farewell Pilgrimage and said: "This is the place of standing, and the whole of Arafah is a place of standing." Then after sunset, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) departed, seated Sayyiduna Usamah (may Allah be pleased with him) behind him, and increased the pace of his mount. People began to rush to the right and left, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) turned to them and said: "O people! Adopt calmness and tranquility." Then when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) reached Muzdalifah, he combined the Maghrib and Isha prayers and stayed there the whole night. In the morning, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came to Mount Qazah, stood there, and said: "This is the place of standing, and the whole of Muzdalifah is a place of standing." Then as he proceeded and reached the valley of Muhassir, he stopped there for a moment, then made his camel run swiftly until he had crossed that valley (because it was a place of punishment). Then he stopped his mount and seated Sayyiduna Fadl (may Allah be pleased with him) behind him, and as he continued, he reached Mina and came to Jamrat al-Aqabah and pelted it with pebbles. Then he went to the place of sacrifice and said: "This is the place of sacrifice, and the whole of Mina is a place of sacrifice." Meanwhile, a young woman from Banu Khath'am came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to ask a question and said: "My father is very old, he is almost finished, but Hajj is obligatory upon him. Can I perform Hajj on his behalf?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Yes! You can perform Hajj on behalf of your father." While saying this, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) turned the neck of Sayyiduna Fadl (may Allah be pleased with him) (because he was looking at the woman). Sayyiduna Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) saw this and asked: "O Messenger of Allah! For what wisdom did you turn his neck?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I saw that both were young, and I did not feel secure from Satan regarding them, so I turned their faces away." Anyway, after a short while, another man came and said: "O Messenger of Allah! I had my hair cut before sacrificing, what should I do now?" He said: "Now perform the sacrifice, there is no harm." Another person came and said: "O Messenger of Allah! I performed the Tawaf al-Ziyarah before shaving my head." He said: "No problem, now shave or shorten your hair." After this, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) reached the Sacred Mosque for Tawaf al-Ziyarah, performed Tawaf, drank Zamzam, and said: "O Banu Abd al-Muttalib! Continue fulfilling the responsibility of giving water to the pilgrims. If people had not overpowered you, I would have drawn water from it myself, bucket after bucket."

Abu Abdur Rahman Salami (may Allah have mercy on him) says that one day Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) took my hand and we kept walking together until we sat down by the bank of the Euphrates. Then Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said that one day the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The wretchedness or happiness of each of you is present and determined in the knowledge of Allah." The noble Companions (may Allah be pleased with them all) asked: O Messenger of Allah! Then why should we act? He said: "Keep doing deeds, for each will be made easy for that which he was created." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recited this verse of the Qur'an: «﴿فَأَمَّا مَنْ أَعْطَى وَاتَّقَى o وَصَدَّقَ بِالْحُسْنَى o فَسَنُيَسِّرُهُ لِلْيُسْرَى o وَأَمَّا مَنْ بَخِلَ وَاسْتَغْنَى o وَكَذَّبَ بِالْحُسْنَى o فَسَنُيَسِّرُهُ لِلْعُسْرَى﴾ [الليل : 5-10]» "As for him who gives, fears (Allah), and affirms the good, We will make smooth for him the path to ease. But as for him who is miserly, considers himself self-sufficient, and denies the good, We will make smooth for him the path to hardship."

Abu Hayyah (may Allah have mercy on him) says that once I saw Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) urinating in the courtyard, then he called for water and first washed and cleaned both his hands, then rinsed his mouth three times, put water into his nose three times, washed his face three times, washed both his hands up to the elbows three times, wiped his head, washed both his feet up to the ankles, and then took the leftover water from the ablution and drank it while standing, and said: I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) doing exactly as you have seen me do, and I wanted to show you the way of ablution of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) once washed each part of the body three times while performing ablution.

Abu Hayyah (may Allah have mercy on him) says that I once saw Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) performing ablution. He first cleaned both his palms, then washed his face three times, and both arms three times, wiped his head, then washed both feet up to the ankles, then stood up and drank the leftover water from the ablution, and said: I wanted to show you the way the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed ablution.

Abu Matar Basri—who met Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him)—narrates that once Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) bought a garment for three dirhams. When he wore it, he recited this supplication: «اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ الَّذِي رَزَقَنِي مِنْ الرِّيَاشِ مَا أَتَجَمَّلُ بِهِ فِي النَّاسِ وَأُوَارِي بِهِ عَوْرَتِي» "All praise is due to Allah who granted me this clothing, by which I appear beautiful among people and conceal my private parts." Then he said that he had heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recite this supplication as well.

On one occasion, Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said that whoever wants to see the ablution of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) should look at me. Then he performed ablution, washing each limb three times, wiped his head, and drank the leftover water from the ablution.

Abu Matar Basri, who met Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), narrates that once Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) bought a garment for three dirhams. When he wore it, he recited this supplication: «اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ الَّذِي رَزَقَنِي مِنْ الرِّيَاشِ مَا أَتَجَمَّلُ بِهِ فِي النَّاسِ وَأُوَارِي بِهِ عَوْرَتِي» "All praise is due to Allah who granted me this clothing, by which I appear beautiful among people and conceal my private parts." Then he said that I also heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recite this supplication.

Abu Matar says that once we were sitting with the Commander of the Faithful, Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), at the time of decline (zawal) in the mosque near the Bab al-Rahbah, when a man came and said, "Show me how the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed ablution." Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) called his servant Qanbar and said, "Bring water in a bowl." Then he washed his hands and face three times, rinsed his mouth three times, put one finger in his mouth, put water in his nose three times, washed his arms three times, wiped his head once—wiping the inner part from the face side and the outer part from the head side—and washed his feet up to the ankles three times. At that time, his beard was hanging over his chest. Then after ablution, he drank a sip of water and said, "Where is the one who asked about the ablution of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to perform ablution in this manner."

Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) says that I never heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) combine his parents for anyone except Sayyiduna Sa’d (may Allah be pleased with him). On the day of the Battle of Uhud, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was saying to Sayyiduna Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him): “Sa’d, shoot arrows, may my parents be sacrificed for you.”

Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that I once submitted in the presence of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him): "O Messenger of Allah! Why do you prefer other families of Quraysh over us?" The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Do you also have something?" I replied: "Yes! The daughter of Sayyiduna Hamza (may Allah be pleased with him)." He said: "She is my foster niece." (In fact, the Prophet (peace be upon him) and Sayyiduna Amir Hamza (may Allah be pleased with him) were foster brothers as well as uncle and nephew.)

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that once a mule was presented to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) as a gift. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) rode it. A companion (may Allah be pleased with him) asked: If we also wish to obtain such an animal? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Do you want to crossbreed donkeys with horses? This is done by those who are ignorant."

Abu Hayyah (may Allah have mercy on him) says that once Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Shall I not show you how the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) performed ablution? We said: Why not. He said: Then bring me a basin and a vessel of water. So first he washed both his hands three times, then rinsed his mouth three times, put water into his nose three times, washed his face three times, washed his hands up to the elbows three times, wiped his head, and washed both his feet up to the ankles three times.