Musnad Ahmad

Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that at the time of the Battle of Badr, the Companion who captured my father Abbas as a prisoner was Sayyiduna Abu Yasar Ka'b bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him), who belonged to Banu Salamah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked him, "Abu Yasar! How did you capture him?" He replied, "A man helped me in this task whom I had never seen before nor after, and his appearance was such and such." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "An angel helped you in this task." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Sayyiduna Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him): "O Abbas! Pay the ransom for yourself, your nephew Aqil bin Abi Talib, Naufal bin Harith, and your ally Utbah bin Jahdam—who belonged to Banu Fihr." He refused and said, "I had accepted Islam a long time ago, but the Quraysh had forcibly detained me." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Allah knows your real situation. If your claim is true, Allah will reward you for it, but we are responsible for what is apparent, so at least pay the ransom for your own life." The ransom that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) took from him was twenty uqiyah of gold. He requested the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to set aside his ransom for him, but the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) refused and said, "This is what Allah has made us take from you." He said, "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! I have no wealth left." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "What about the wealth that you entrusted to Umm al-Fadl when you left Makkah, and at that time there was no third person with you both? And you said, 'If I perish on this journey, then this much is for Fadl, this much for Qutham, and this much for Abdullah.'" Sayyiduna Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said upon hearing this, "By the One Who sent you with the truth, no one except me and my wife knew about this, and I know that you are the Messenger of Allah."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that at the place of Hudaybiyyah, some people shaved their heads and some shortened their hair. So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Allah! Forgive those who shaved their heads." One person said: Please supplicate for those who shortened their hair as well. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) on the third or fourth time said for those who shortened their hair: "O Allah! Forgive those who shortened their hair as well." The companions (may Allah be pleased with them) asked: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! What is it about those who shaved their heads that you are showing them so much compassion? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "These people did not fall into doubt." After saying this, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) went back.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that once the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ate the meat of the shoulder, then performed the prayer with the previous ablution without renewing it.

Hajjaj says that Ata bin Abi Rabah, may Allah have mercy on him, did not see any harm in a Muhrim wearing a garment dyed with saffron, provided it had been washed and there remained no trace or particle of saffron in it.

The previous narration is also reported as marfu‘ from Sayyiduna Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that on the day of Eid, it pleased the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to take his family to the Eidgah. Once, we set out, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led the prayer on the day of Eid before the sermon, without any adhan or iqamah. Then he delivered the sermon. Afterwards, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came to the women, preached to them, and instructed them to give charity. Upon this, I saw that the women began to take off their earrings and rings, etc., and started handing them over to Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The best days on which you can get cupping done are the seventeenth, nineteenth, and twenty-first dates," and he said that "On the night of Mi'raj, whichever group of angels I passed by, they all said to me: O Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)! Make cupping obligatory upon yourself."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that once we traveled between Makkah and Madinah with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). At that time, we were in a state of security, there was absolutely no fear of anything, yet even then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed the prayer as two rak‘ahs (shortened it) until we returned.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had a kohl container, from which he (peace be upon him) used to apply (antimony called) ithmid kohl every night before sleeping. He (peace be upon him) would apply kohl three times in each eye.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) married Sayyidah Maymunah (may Allah be pleased with her) at Sarif while he was in the state of Ihram, and after returning from Hajj, he consummated the marriage with her at Sarif itself.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had a kohl container, from which he (peace be upon him) used to apply (antimony called) ithmid kohl every night before sleeping. He (peace be upon him) would apply kohl three times in each eye.

Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that the verse «﴿كُنْتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ . . . . .﴾ [آل عمران : 110]» "You are the best nation produced [as an example] for mankind..." refers to those people who migrated to Madinah with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Jibreel (peace be upon him) led me in prayer twice near the Ka'bah and said: 'O Muhammad! (peace and blessings be upon him), this has been the time for you and the Prophets before you.' Thus, he led me in the Zuhr prayer when the sun had declined and the shadow had become equal to the length of a strap, and he led me in the Maghrib prayer when the fasting person breaks his fast and it becomes permissible for him to eat and drink."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that once the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) combined the Zuhr and Asr prayers, and the Maghrib and Isha prayers in Madinah Munawwarah. At that time, there was neither any fear nor rain. Someone asked Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) what the purpose of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was in doing so. He replied that the purpose of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was that his Ummah should not be in difficulty.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that once I stayed the night at the house of my maternal aunt, Umm al-Mu'mineen Sayyidah Maymunah bint Harith (may Allah be pleased with her). During the night, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stood up to pray and performed ablution, so I also performed ablution to join the prayer and stood on his left side. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) turned me around and placed me on his right side.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to recite Surah As-Sajdah and Surah Ad-Dahr in the Fajr prayer on Friday, and in the Jumu'ah prayer he used to recite Surah Al-Jumu'ah and Surah Al-Munafiqun.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to recite Surah As-Sajdah and Surah Ad-Dahr in the Fajr prayer on Friday.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that once the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed in a garment—wrapping it well around himself—and used its extra part to protect himself from the heat and cold of the ground.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that once I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) from behind, and when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would go into prostration, the whiteness of his blessed armpits could be seen.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that once the iqamah for the Fajr prayer was given, so I stood up to pray two rak‘ahs because I had not been able to pray them. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw me praying and came close and said: "Will you pray four rak‘ahs for Fajr?"

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) began the recitation from where Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) had left off.

Once, Walid sent a man to Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) to ask about the blessed practice of the Prophet (peace be upon him) on the occasion of Salat al-Istisqa. He replied that once the Prophet (peace be upon him) went out (to lead the prayer for rain) in such a manner that he was humble and submissive, without any adornment, walking slowly and with dignity. The Prophet (peace be upon him) led the people in two rak'ahs as he would lead them in Eid, but he did not deliver a sermon as you do.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that Allah Almighty has made prayer obligatory upon you through the tongue of your Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): four rak‘ahs for the resident, two rak‘ahs for the traveler, and one rak‘ah for the one who prays in fear.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that on one occasion, on the day of Eid al-Fitr or Eid al-Adha, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) went out and led the people in two rak‘ahs, then returned, and he did not perform any prayer before it nor after it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) traveled from Madinah Munawwarah, and he (peace be upon him) did not fear anyone except Allah, yet even so, until he returned, he performed prayers as two rak‘ahs (shortened the prayer).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "After the conquest of Makkah, migration is no longer obligatory, but jihad and intention remain. Therefore, when you are called to go out for jihad, then you should go out."

Saeed bin Jubair (may Allah have mercy on him) says that once Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) remembered the day of Thursday and said: What was the day of Thursday? Saying this, he began to weep until I saw tears flowing down his cheeks like a string of pearls. He said that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Bring me writing materials, I will write something for you after which you will never go astray." People began to say: What has happened, can the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also speak incoherently?

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that nabidh used to be prepared for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in a waterskin.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I was helped by the east wind (the wind that comes from the direction of the door of the Ka'bah), and the people of 'Ad were destroyed by the west wind."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) conducted li'an (mutual cursing) even when the woman was pregnant.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever intends to perform Hajj should fulfill this intention quickly, because sometimes the mount is lost, sometimes a person falls ill, and sometimes a need arises as an obstacle."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that a red-colored sheet was spread in the blessed grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Wear white clothes, for they are the best of your clothes, and shroud your dead in them. And the best kohl among you is antimony (ithmid)."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A previously married woman has more right over herself than her guardian, but a virgin woman should be asked for her permission, and her silence is her permission."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade the use of the earnings of a prostitute, the price of a dog, and the price of wine.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), in a marfu‘ (attributed to the Prophet) narration, that the earnings of a prostitute, the price of a dog, and the price of wine are forbidden to use.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade selling something ahead before taking possession of it. The narrator asked about its meaning, so he said that it means that dirhams are exchanged for dirhams and the grain is deferred.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came to Makkah in the year of Hudaybiyyah, he passed by the Quraysh who were sitting in Dar al-Nadwah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to his companions (may Allah be pleased with them): "These people are talking among themselves about your physical weakness, so when you reach the Ka'bah, show your strength by performing ramal (brisk walking) in the first three circuits of tawaf." Accordingly, the companions (may Allah be pleased with them) did so. The polytheists began to say: Are these the same people about whom we were saying that they have become weak and feeble? Not only are they willing to walk, but they are even running.

Ibn Abi Mulaykah (may Allah have mercy on him) says that Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) wrote to me in a letter that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The oath is upon the defendant."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with both of them) that when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was on a journey, he would perform only two rak'ahs (shortened prayer).