Musnad Ahmad

Sayyiduna Talhah bin Ubaidullah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: "Abdullah, Abu Abdullah, and Umm Abdullah are excellent household members."

Sayyiduna Talhah bin Ubaidullah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: Although it is not my habit to narrate ahadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), I certainly heard him say: "Amr bin Al-Aas is among the righteous people of Quraysh, and Abdullah, Abu Abdullah, and Umm Abdullah—what an excellent household they are."

Abdur Rahman bin Uthman says that once we were with Sayyiduna Talha bin Ubaidullah (may Allah be pleased with him), and we had all put on Ihram. After a short while, someone brought a bird as a gift to him. Sayyiduna Talha (may Allah be pleased with him) was sleeping at that time. Some of us ate it, and some abstained. When Sayyiduna Talha (may Allah be pleased with him) woke up, he approved of those who had eaten it and said that we too had eaten someone else's game while in the state of Ihram in the presence of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

It is narrated from Yahya bin Talha, may Allah have mercy on him, that once Sayyiduna Umar Farooq, may Allah be pleased with him, saw Sayyiduna Talha, may Allah be pleased with him, in a disheveled state and asked, "What is the matter? Since the blessed passing of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), you have become disheveled and covered in dust. Do you not like the caliphate of your cousin, that is, mine?" He replied, "That is not the case. The real matter is that I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say that I know a word, that if a person says that word at the time of death, then on the Day of Resurrection it will be a source of light for him and Allah will remove his distress. (I regret that I could not ask the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about that word, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) himself did not tell me, and that is why I am worried.)" Sayyiduna Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "I know that word." Sayyiduna Abu Talha, may Allah be pleased with him, asked, "What is that word?" He replied, "It is the same word that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) presented before his uncle, that is: «لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ» ." Sayyiduna Talha, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "You have spoken the truth. By Allah! That can only be such a word."

Qais says that I have seen the hand of Sayyiduna Talha (may Allah be pleased with him) which had become paralyzed; this was the blessed hand with which he shielded the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) from the arrows of the polytheists during the Battle of Uhud.

It is narrated from Yahya bin Talha, may Allah have mercy on him, that once Sayyiduna Umar Farooq, may Allah be pleased with him, saw Sayyiduna Talha, may Allah be pleased with him, in a disheveled state and asked, "What is the matter? Since the blessed passing of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), you have become disheveled and covered in dust. Do you not like the caliphate of your cousin, that is, me?" He replied, "That is not the case. The real matter is that I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say that I know of a word, that if a person says that word at the time of death, then on the Day of Resurrection it will be a source of light for him and Allah will remove his worries. (I regret that I could not ask the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about that word, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) himself did not tell me, and that is why I am worried.)" Sayyiduna Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "I know that word." Sayyiduna Abu Talha, may Allah be pleased with him, asked, "What is that word?" He replied, "It is the same word that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) presented before his uncle, that is: «لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ»." Sayyiduna Talha, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "You have spoken the truth. By Allah! That is indeed such a word."

Dawud bin Khalid bin Dinar says that he and a man from Banu Taym—whose name was Abu Yusuf—passed by Rabi’ah bin Abi Abdur Rahman. Abu Yusuf said to him, “We find with others such ahadith that we do not find with you?” He replied, “I also have many ahadith, but I heard Rabi’ah bin Hudair—who used to stay close to Sayyiduna Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him)—saying that he never heard Sayyiduna Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrate anything from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) except for one hadith. I asked him, ‘Which is that one hadith?’ So, according to Rabi’ah, Sayyiduna Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: ‘Once we went out with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). When we reached the place called Harrah Waqim (which is a mound in Madinah) and came near it, we saw some curved graves like bows. We asked, “O Messenger of Allah! Are these the graves of our brothers?” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “These are the graves of our companions.” Then we moved on, and when we reached the graves of the martyrs, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “These are the graves of our brothers.”’”

Musa bin Talha narrates from his father that when we used to pray, animals would pass in front of us. We mentioned this to the Prophet (peace be upon him), so the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "If there is something in front of you like the back part of a saddle (placed as a sutrah), then let anything pass by, there will be no harm to your prayer."

Abu Salamah says that once two men from Yemen were guests at Sayyiduna Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him). One of them was martyred while fighting in jihad with the Prophet (peace be upon him), and the other lived for another year after him and eventually passed away a natural death. Sayyiduna Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) once saw in a dream that the one who died a natural death entered Paradise a long time before his companion. Sayyiduna Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) mentioned this dream to the Prophet (peace be upon him). The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked him, "How long did this second man remain on earth after his first companion?" He replied, "For a year." The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "He offered one thousand eight hundred prayers and fasted the month of Ramadan separately." (After all, he will have the reward for that as well.)

Sayyiduna Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that a Bedouin came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allah! What is Islam? He replied: “Five prayers in the day and night.” He asked: Is there any prayer obligatory upon me besides these? He replied: “No.” Then he asked about fasting, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Fasting in the month of Ramadan is obligatory.” He asked: Are there any other fasts obligatory upon me besides this? He replied: “No.” Then Zakat was mentioned, and he again asked: Is there anything else obligatory upon me besides this? He replied: “No.” Upon this he said: By Allah! I will neither decrease nor increase anything from these. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “If he is speaking the truth and acts upon it, he will be successful.”

Once, Sayyiduna Umar Farooq (may Allah be pleased with him) said to Sayyiduna Abdur Rahman bin Awf, Sayyiduna Talha, Sayyiduna Zubair, and Sayyiduna Sa’d (may Allah be pleased with them): I ask you by Allah and by the One by whose command the heavens and the earth are established, do you know that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Inheritance is not established in our wealth; whatever we leave behind is all charity”? They replied in the affirmative.

Abdur Rahman bin Uthman says that once we were with Sayyiduna Talha bin Ubaidullah (may Allah be pleased with him), and we had all put on Ihram. After a short while, someone brought a bird as a gift to him. Sayyiduna Talha (may Allah be pleased with him) was sleeping at that time. Some of us ate it, and some abstained. When Sayyiduna Talha (may Allah be pleased with him) woke up, he approved of those who had eaten it and said that we too had eaten someone else's game while in the state of Ihram in the presence of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Talha (may Allah be pleased with him) that once the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was asked: "What should a person performing prayer use as a sutrah (barrier)?" The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) replied: "He should use anything similar to the rear part of a camel saddle."

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

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) that once the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed by some people who were in the date orchards. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked, "What are these people doing?" The people replied that they were pollinating the female date palms with the male ones. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "I do not think that this brings any benefit." When those people heard this, they did not perform this act that year. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came to know of this, he said, "If they benefit from it, then they should do this work. I only expressed a thought and an opinion, so it is not necessary for you to act upon my opinion. However, when I tell you something regarding Allah, then act upon it, because I can never lie about Allah in any way."

Sayyiduna Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that once I asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), "O Messenger of Allah! How should we send blessings upon you?" He replied: "Say like this: «اَللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ وَبَارِكْ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ كَمَا بَارَكْتَ عَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ» 'O Allah! Send blessings upon Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the family of Muhammad (peace be upon him) as You sent blessings upon Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him); surely, You are Praiseworthy and Glorious. And send blessings upon Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the family of Muhammad (peace be upon him) as You sent blessings upon Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him); surely, You are Praiseworthy and Glorious.'"

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) that whenever the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw a new moon, he would recite this supplication: «اَللّٰهُمَّ أَهِلَّهُ عَلَيْنَا بِالْيُمْنِ وَالْإِيمَانِ وَالسَّلَامَةِ وَالْإِسْلَامِ رَبِّي وَرَبُّكَ اللّٰهُ» "O Allah! Let this moon rise upon us with blessing and faith, with safety and Islam. O moon! My Lord and your Lord is Allah."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) that once the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A person should use anything, even the rear part of a camel's saddle, as a sutrah and then perform prayer."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) that once the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed by some people who were in the date orchards. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked, "What are these people doing?" The people replied that they were pollinating the female date palms with the male ones. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "I do not think that this brings any benefit." When those people heard this, they did not perform this act that year. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came to know of this, he said, "If they benefit from it, then they should do this work. I only expressed a thought and an opinion, so it is not necessary for you to act upon my opinion. However, when I tell you something regarding Allah, then act upon it, because I can never lie about Allah in any way."

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

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Shaddad (may Allah be pleased with him) that a group of three men from Banu Udhrah came to the service of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and accepted Islam. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to the noble Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), "Who will take care of them?" Sayyiduna Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) offered himself, so these people stayed with Sayyiduna Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him). During this time, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) dispatched an army, and one of them joined it and attained martyrdom there. After some time, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) dispatched another army, and the second man also joined it and was martyred during that time, while the third person died a natural death. Sayyiduna Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) says that I saw all three of them—who used to stay with me—in Paradise in a dream. The one who died a natural death was ahead of the other two, the one who was martyred later was in the second position, and the one who was martyred first was last. I was greatly surprised at this. I mentioned this to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), so the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "Why are you surprised at this? There is no one superior in the sight of Allah than that believer who is granted a long life in the state of Islam, due to his tasbih (glorification), takbir (saying Allahu Akbar), and tahlil (saying La ilaha illallah)."

Once, Sayyiduna Uthman Ghani (may Allah be pleased with him) looked down from his upper chamber at those people who had besieged him and greeted them with salam, but they did not respond. Then Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) asked whether Sayyiduna Talha (may Allah be pleased with him) was present among that group. Sayyiduna Talha (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: Yes! I am present. Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) «إِنَّا لِلّٰهِ» and said: I am greeting a group in which you are also present, yet you do not return the salam. Sayyiduna Talha (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I have replied. Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Is this how a reply is given, that my voice reaches you but your voice does not reach me? Talha! I ask you by Allah, did you hear the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "It is not permissible to shed the blood of a Muslim except for one of three reasons: if he becomes an apostate after accepting faith, or if he commits adultery while being married, or if he kills someone and is killed in retaliation"? Sayyiduna Talha (may Allah be pleased with him) affirmed this, upon which Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said Allahu Akbar and declared: By Allah! Since I have known Allah, I have never denied Him. Likewise, neither in the time of ignorance nor in Islam have I ever committed adultery; I refrained from this act in the time of ignorance due to natural aversion, and in Islam I have protected my chastity from it. Also, I have never killed any person for whose killing I could be lawfully killed in retaliation.

Sayyiduna Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that once two men came to the service of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and both accepted Islam at the same time. One of them strove much harder than his companion. This person, who strove harder, participated in a battle and was martyred. The other man lived for another year after him and then passed away a natural death. Sayyiduna Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) says that he saw in a dream that he was near the gate of Paradise. Suddenly, he saw both of them. A man came out from Paradise and gave permission for the one who died later to enter first. After a short while, he came out and gave permission for the martyr to enter as well. Then both of them came to me and said, "You should return, your time has not yet come." When morning came and Sayyiduna Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) mentioned this dream to the people, they were greatly surprised. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came to know of it, he said, "What are you surprised about?" The people said, "O Messenger of Allah! This man strove more and was martyred in the way of Allah, yet the other man entered Paradise before him." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Did he not live for another year after him?" The people said, "Yes, he did." He said, "Did he not reach the month of Ramadan and fast during it?" The people said, "Yes, he did." He said, "Did he not perform so many prostrations during the year?" The people said, "Yes, he did." Upon this, he said, "That is the reason why the difference between them is as great as the distance between the heavens and the earth."

Abu al-Nadr says that during the time of Hajjaj bin Yusuf, an elder from Banu Tamim came and sat next to me in a mosque in Basra. He also had a scroll in his hand. He said to me, "O servant of Allah! What do you think, can this letter benefit me in front of this king?" I asked, "What kind of letter is this?" He replied, "This is the statement of the Prophet (peace be upon him) which he had written for us, that there should be no excess in the collection of zakat from us." I said, "By Allah! I do not think this letter will benefit you (because Hajjaj is very oppressive), but tell me, what is the matter of this letter?" He said, "Once I came to Madinah with my father; at that time I was a young man. We wanted to sell one of our camels. My father was a friend of Sayyiduna Talhah bin Ubaidullah (may Allah be pleased with him), so we went and stayed with him. My father said to him, 'Come with me and help me sell this camel.' He said, 'The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) has forbidden that a townsman should buy or sell on behalf of a villager. However, I will go with you and sit with you. You present your camel before the people. Whomever I am satisfied with, that he will pay the price and prove to be truthful, I will tell you to sell it to him.' So we went out and reached the market and stopped at a place. Sayyiduna Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) sat nearby. Many people came and bargained, until a man came who was ready to pay our asking price. My father asked him, 'Shall I deal with him?' He replied in the affirmative and said, 'I am satisfied that he will pay your price in full, so sell this camel to him.' So we sold the camel to him. When we received the money and our need was fulfilled, my father said to Sayyiduna Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him), 'Please have a letter written by the Prophet (peace be upon him) for us, stating that there should be no excess in the collection of zakat from us.' He replied, 'This is for you and for every Muslim.' The narrator says, 'That is why I wanted to have a letter from the Prophet (peace be upon him) with me.' Anyway, Sayyiduna Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) went with us to the service of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said, 'O Messenger of Allah! This person, who is from a village, is our friend. He wishes that you have a letter written for him of this nature, that there should be no excess in the collection of zakat from him.' He said, 'This is for him and for every Muslim.' My father said, 'O Messenger of Allah! I wish to have a letter from you on this subject with me.' So the Prophet (peace be upon him) had this letter written for us."

The last hadith of Talha ibn Ubaydullah, may Allah be pleased with him.