Musnad Ahmad

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sa’d (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The best remembrance is that which is hidden, and the best provision is that which suffices.”

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

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) that a Bedouin came to the service of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said, “Teach me a supplication that I may recite.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “You should say: «لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ ، اللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ كَبِيرًا وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ كَثِيرًا وَسُبْحَانَ اللّٰهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللّٰهِ الْعَزِيزِ الْحَكِيمِ» ‘There is no deity except Allah, He is alone, He has no partner, Allah is the Greatest, all praise is for Allah alone, Allah is free from all defects and shortcomings, Who is the Lord of all the worlds. The ability to avoid sin and to do good deeds comes only from Allah, Who is the Most Mighty, the Most Wise.’ Recite these words five times.” The Bedouin said, “All these words are related to my Lord, what is there for me?” He (the Prophet) said: “You should say: «اَللّٰهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَارْحَمْنِي وَارْزُقْنِي وَاهْدِنِي وَعَافِنِي» ‘O Allah! Forgive me, have mercy on me, grant me sustenance, grant me guidance, and grant me well-being.’”

Sayyiduna Sa’d (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that on the day of the Battle of Uhud, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gathered his parents for me (that is, he said to me, “May my parents be sacrificed for you”).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sa’d (may Allah be pleased with him) that once the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) addressed the noble companions (may Allah be pleased with them) and said: “Is any one of you incapable of earning a thousand good deeds in a day?” The companions (may Allah be pleased with them) said: O Messenger of Allah! Who has the strength for that? The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Let him say «سُبْحَانَ اللّٰهِ» a hundred times; a thousand good deeds will be written for him in his record of deeds and a thousand sins will be erased.”

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) turned to the right side to say salam, his right cheek would be visible with its brightness, and when he turned to the left side to say salam, the whiteness of his left cheek would be seen.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever, upon hearing the words of the muezzin, says: «وَأَنَا أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ رَضِينَا بِاللّٰهِ رَبًّا وَبِمُحَمَّدٍ رَسُولًا وَبِالْإِسْلَامِ دِينًا» ‘I also bear witness that there is no deity except Allah, and that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is His servant and Messenger. I am pleased and content with Allah as my Lord, with Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) as my Messenger, and with Islam as my religion,’ all his sins will be forgiven.”

Sayyiduna Sa’d (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I am the very first man among the Arabs who shot an arrow in the path of Allah. We witnessed a time when we used to fight in jihad alongside the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and at that time we had nothing to eat except the branches of grapevines and the leaves of acacia trees. Each one of us would pass stool like a goat does, with nothing else mixed in it. And today, the people of Banu Asad reproach me for my Islam—if that is the case, then I have suffered a great loss and all my efforts have been wasted.

Mus'ab bin Sa'd says that four blessed verses of the Qur'an were revealed about my father. My father says that in one battle I obtained a sword. I said: O Messenger of Allah! Please grant this to me. He said: "Put it down." I again said: O Messenger of Allah! Please grant this to me, will I be considered like the person who has no need? The Prophet (peace be upon him) again said: "Put it back where you found it." Upon this, the opening verse of Surah Al-Anfal was revealed. Then, when I accepted Islam, my mother said to me: Has Allah not commanded you to maintain ties of kinship and to treat your parents well? By Allah! I will neither eat nor drink until you renounce Muhammad (peace be upon him). So it happened that she stopped eating and drinking until people forced her mouth open with a stick and poured something to drink into it. Upon this, the following verse was revealed: «﴿وَوَصَّيْنَا الْإِنْسَانَ بِوَالِدَيْهِ حَمَلَتْهُ أُمُّهُ وَهْنًا عَلَى وَهْنٍ . . . . . بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ﴾ [لقمان : 14-15]» "We have enjoined upon man kindness to his parents... but if they strive to make you associate with Me that of which you have no knowledge, do not obey them..." Then once the Prophet (peace be upon him) came to visit me when I was ill. I asked: O Messenger of Allah! Should I bequeath all my wealth? The Prophet (peace be upon him) forbade me from this. He also forbade me when I asked about half, but when I asked about a third, he remained silent, and after that, people started acting upon it. Then, before the prohibition of alcohol was revealed, an Ansari arranged a feast. The guests ate and drank well and became intoxicated with wine, and began to boast to one another. The Ansar said that the Ansar are better, and the Muhajirun began to consider themselves better. During this, a man picked up the jawbone of a camel and injured another man's nose. The one whose nose was injured was our master Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him). Upon this, the verse of Surah Al-Ma'idah regarding the prohibition of wine was revealed.

Ghanim says that I asked Sayyiduna Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) about Hajj Tamattu', so he replied: We performed Hajj Tamattu' at a time when they, that is, Sayyiduna Amir Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him), had not yet accepted Islam in the houses of Makkah Mukarramah.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "For any one of you to have his stomach filled with vomit is better than to have it filled with poetry."

Mus'ab bin Sa'd says that once I prayed with my father, and in bowing (ruku'), I joined my hands and placed them between my knees. He struck my hands and said that in the beginning we used to do like this, but later we were commanded to place our hands on our knees.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sa’d (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever eats seven Ajwa dates in the morning on an empty stomach, no poison or magic will harm him that day.”

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

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “I declare the area between the two boundaries of Madinah as a sanctuary (Haram), therefore no tree should be cut here, nor should any animal be hunted here.” And he said, “Madinah is the best place for people, if only they had certainty about it. If anyone leaves here out of dislike, Allah Almighty will settle someone better than him in his place. And whoever remains steadfast in facing the hardships and difficulties of this place, I will intercede for him on the Day of Resurrection.”

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) that once the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was coming from ‘Aliyah. On the way, he passed by the mosque of Banu Mu’awiyah. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) entered this mosque and offered two rak’ahs of prayer. We also performed this prayer with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). After that, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) made a long supplication, and after finishing, he said: “I asked my Lord for three things, of which He granted me two and did not grant one. One request I made was that my Ummah should not be destroyed by drowning in the sea; Allah granted me this request. The second request I made was that my Ummah should not be destroyed by famine; Allah granted me this request as well. And the third request I made was that my Ummah should not fight among themselves, but Allah refused to grant this supplication.”

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sa’d (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “I am amazed at the decree and decision of Allah regarding the believing servant: if any good comes to him, he gives thanks to his Lord, and if any calamity befalls him, he is patient over it with the intention of reward (both patience and gratitude are beloved to Allah). The believer is rewarded for everything, even for the morsel that he lifts and places in his wife’s mouth.”

Mus'ab bin Sa'd says that once I prayed with my father, and in bowing (ruku'), I clasped my hands together and placed them between my knees. He forbade me from this and said that in the beginning we used to do this, but later we were prohibited from it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas, Sayyiduna Khuzaymah bin Thabit, and Sayyiduna Usamah bin Zaid (may Allah be pleased with them) that once the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “This plague is a punishment that came upon the nations before you. Therefore, if an area is afflicted with this epidemic, do not go there, and if you are in an area where this epidemic spreads, do not leave from there.”

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I will describe to you a characteristic of the Dajjal which no prophet before me has described. Remember! The Dajjal will be one-eyed (and will claim lordship), whereas Allah is not one-eyed."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sa’d (may Allah be pleased with him) that once the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) gave wealth and property to some people, but did not give anything to one man among them. Sayyiduna Sa’d (may Allah be pleased with him) said: O Messenger of Allah! You gave to so-and-so and so-and-so, but you did not give anything to this person, even though I think he is a true believer. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Is he not a Muslim?” This question and answer happened three times. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “I give to some people and leave those who are more beloved to me, and I do not give them anything out of fear and concern that they might be dragged on their faces and thrown into Hell.”

Abu Nu'aym says that I met Sufyan in Makkah Mukarramah, and the very first thing he asked me was, "How is Shuja', that is, Abu Badr?"

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) that once Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) sought permission from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to enter the house. At that time, some women of the Quraysh were sitting with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), talking, asking him for more (maintenance), and their voices were raised. But when Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked for permission to enter, all of them quickly adjusted their veils and became silent. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) began to smile. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “O enemies of your own souls! You fear me but do not fear the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)?” They said: “Yes! Because you are harsher and sterner than the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).” The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Umar! Whenever Satan sees you walking on a path, he leaves that path and takes another.”

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) that during the blessed era of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), we used to lease out our fields and would stipulate as compensation that the produce which grew over the water channels and which was irrigated naturally would be ours. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade leasing land in this manner, and permitted leasing land in exchange for gold and silver.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sa’d (may Allah be pleased with him) that when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) appointed Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) as his deputy in Madinah during the expedition of Tabuk and left him there, he (Ali) said: “O Messenger of Allah! Will you leave me behind with the children and women?” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Are you not pleased that your relation to me is the same as that of Harun (peace be upon him) to Musa (peace be upon him), except that there is no prophethood after me?”

Once, Sayyiduna Sa’d (may Allah be pleased with him) heard one of his sons making this supplication: “O Allah! I ask You for Paradise, its blessings, its silk garments, and such-and-such things, and I seek refuge with You from the Fire of Hell, its chains, its shackles, and such-and-such things.” So he said to him, “You have asked Allah for great good and sought refuge with Allah from great evil. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Soon there will come a people who will exceed the limits in supplication,’ and he recited this verse: «﴿ادْعُوا رَبَّكُمْ تَضَرُّعًا وَخُفْيَةً إِنَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُعْتَدِينَ﴾ [الأعراف : 55]» ‘Call upon your Lord with humility and in secret. Surely, He does not love those who exceed the limits.’ It is sufficient for you to say: «اَللّٰهُمَّ أَسْأَلُكَ الْجَنَّةَ وَمَا قَرَّبَ إِلَيْهَا مِنْ قَوْلٍ أَوْ عَمَلٍ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ النَّارِ وَمَا قَرَّبَ إِلَيْهَا مِنْ قَوْلٍ أَوْ عَمَلٍ» ‘O Allah! I ask You for Paradise and for every word and deed that brings one closer to it, and I seek refuge with You from Hell and from every word and deed that brings one closer to it.’”

Mus'ab says that Sayyiduna Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) used to emphasize these five words and would narrate them from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that «اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ الْبُخْلِ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ الْجُبْنِ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ أَنْ أُرَدَّ إِلَى أَرْذَلِ الْعُمُرِ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ فِتْنَةِ الدُّنْيَا وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ عَذَابِ الْقَبْرِ» "O Allah! I seek refuge in You from miserliness and stinginess, I seek refuge in You from cowardice, I seek refuge in You from being returned to a decrepit old age, I seek refuge in You from the trials of the world, and I seek refuge in You from the punishment of the grave."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever wishes to humiliate the Quraysh, Allah will humiliate him.”

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas, may Allah be pleased with him, that I heard the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, say: “Whoever wishes to humiliate the Quraysh, Allah will humiliate him.”

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) that Sayyiduna Uthman bin Maz'un (may Allah be pleased with him) wished to adopt seclusion, but the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not permit him to do so. If the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had permitted him in this matter, then we too would have at least castrated ourselves.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sa’d (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “It is not permissible for any Muslim to cut off relations with his brother for more than three days.”

Say three times: “There is no god but Allah” «لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ وَحْدَهُ», and spit lightly to your left three times, and recite «اَعُوْذُ بِاللّٰهِ», and do not say such things again in the future.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) that once a bowl of tharid was brought to the service of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) ate from the food in it, and some of it was left over. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "From this corridor, a man of Paradise will now come who will eat this leftover food." Sayyiduna Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) says that I had left my brother Umair making ablution, and I thought in my heart that Umair would come from here. But Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Salam (may Allah be pleased with him) came from there and he ate that food.

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

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sa’d (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) once supplicated: «اَللّٰهُمَّ بَارِكْ لِأَهْلِ الْمَدِينَةِ فِي مَدِينَتِهِمْ وَبَارِكْ لَهُمْ فِي صَاعِهِمْ وَبَارِكْ لَهُمْ فِي مُدِّهِمْ اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَبْدُكَ وَخَلِيلُكَ وَإِنِّي عَبْدُكَ وَرَسُولُكَ وَإِنَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ سَأَلَكَ لِأَهْلِ مَكَّةَ وَإِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ لِأَهْلِ الْمَدِينَةِ» “O Allah! Bless the people of Madinah in their Madinah, and grant blessing in their Sa’ and Mudd. O Allah! Ibrahim was Your servant and friend, and I am Your servant and Messenger. Ibrahim supplicated to You for the people of Makkah, and I am supplicating to You for the people of Madinah.” Then he said, “Madinah Munawwarah is surrounded by the nets of angels; at every entrance there are two angels appointed for its protection. Neither plague nor Dajjal can enter it. Whoever intends evil against it, Allah will melt him as salt melts in water.”

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) that once the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) came to us, and at that time he was striking one hand on the other and kept saying, "Sometimes the month is like this and like this." The third time, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) folded one finger out of the ten fingers of his hands.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) that once the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Sometimes the month is like this and like this." The third time, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) folded one finger out of the ten fingers of his hands (meaning that the month can be twenty-nine (29) days).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sa’d (may Allah be pleased with him) that once the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “A month is sometimes like this, like this, and like this.” The third time, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) folded one finger out of the ten fingers of his hands (meaning a month of twenty-nine (29) days).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Soon there will come a people who will eat by means of their tongues (eloquence), just as a cow eats from the earth with its tongue."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) that I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "The best death is that a person dies for the sake of the truth."