Musnad Ahmad

Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) says that I have recited seventy surahs after hearing them from the blessed mouth of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and Sayyiduna Zaid bin Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) was among the scribes of revelation, who had sheep and used to play with the children.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that once I heard a person reciting a verse of the Noble Qur'an. I had heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) recite it in a different way, so I took him to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and mentioned this matter. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "Both of you are correct. Those before you were destroyed because of their disagreements, so do not differ."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that once I heard a person reciting a verse of the Noble Qur'an. I had heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) recite it in a different way, so I took him to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and mentioned this matter. Upon hearing this, the color of the blessed face of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) changed, or I noticed signs of displeasure on the blessed face of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and he said, "Both of you are correct. Those before you were destroyed because of their disagreements, so do not differ."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "If I were to take a close friend (khalil) from among my Ummah, I would have taken Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)."

Zirr says that once a man asked Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him): How do you recite this verse: «مِنْ مَاءٌ غَيْرُ يَاسِنٍ» or «آسِنٍ» — with ya or with alif? Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: Have you memorized the entire Qur'an except for this verse? He said: (You can estimate from this) I recite the Mufassalat in one rak'ah. Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Like poetry? I also know examples where the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recited two surahs in one rak'ah, both of which were from the Mufassalat. It should be noted that in the Mushaf of Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him), the Mufassalat began from Surah Rahman.

Ibn Adhnan says that once I lent Sayyiduna Alqamah (may Allah be pleased with him) two thousand dirhams as a loan. When he received his share from the spoils of war, I said to him, "Now please repay my loan." He said, "Give me a year's respite." I refused and took my money from him. After some time, I came to him, and he said, "By refusing, you caused me great distress." I said, "Well, that was your action." He asked, "What do you mean?" I said, "You yourself narrated to us this hadith of Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'A loan is equivalent to half of charity.'" He said, "Yes, that is so." I said, "Now take it again."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The eyes also commit adultery, the hands also commit adultery, the feet also commit adultery, and so does the private part."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "He will not enter Paradise who has even a mustard seed's weight of arrogance in his heart, and he will not enter Hell who has even a mustard seed's weight of faith in his heart."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that one of the people of Suffah passed away, and two dinars were found in his sheet. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "These are two coals of Hell."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, in the commentary of « ﴿وَلَقَدْ رَآهُ نَزْلَةً أُخْرَى﴾ » [النجم : 13] that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "I saw Jibreel Amin (the Trustworthy Gabriel) in his original form near Sidrat al-Muntaha; he had six hundred wings, from which pearls and rubies were falling."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever recites this supplication: «اللّٰهُمَّ فَاطِرَ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ عَالِمَ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ إِنِّي أَعْهَدُ إِلَيْكَ فِي هَذِهِ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا أَنِّي أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ وَحْدَكَ لَا شَرِيكَ لَكَ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُكَ وَرَسُولُكَ فَإِنَّكَ إِنْ تَكِلْنِي إِلَى نَفْسِي تُقَرِّبْنِي مِنْ الشَّرِّ وَتُبَاعِدْنِي مِنْ الْخَيْرِ وَإِنِّي لَا أَثِقُ إِلَّا بِرَحْمَتِكَ فَاجْعَلْ لِي عِنْدَكَ عَهْدًا تُوَفِّينِيهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ إِنَّكَ لَا تُخْلِفُ الْمِيعَادَ» 'O Allah! O Creator of the heavens and the earth! Knower of the unseen and the seen! I make a covenant with You in this worldly life that I bear witness there is no deity except You, You are alone, You have no partner, and that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is Your servant and Messenger. If You leave me to myself, then You have brought me close to evil and far from good. I rely only on Your mercy, so keep this covenant with You and fulfill it for me on the Day of Resurrection. Surely, You do not break Your promise.' Then Allah Almighty will say to His angels on the Day of Resurrection: 'My servant has made a covenant with Me, so fulfill it.' Thus, he will be admitted into Paradise." Suhail says: I told Qasim bin Abdur Rahman that 'Awn narrated this hadith to me, so he said: In our house, every girl recites this supplication in her seclusion."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No one is permitted to talk after the 'Isha prayer except for two persons: one who is praying or one who is traveling."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to recite this verse in this way: «﴿وَلَقَدْ يَسَّرْنَا الْقُرْآنَ لِلذِّكْرِ فَهَلْ مِنْ مُدَّكِرٍ﴾» [القمر : 40].

Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that when we used to sit in Tashahhud with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), we would say: "Peace be upon Allah from His servants, peace be upon so-and-so and so-and-so." When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) heard us saying this, he said: "Allah Himself is the embodiment of peace, so when any one of you sits in Tashahhud, he should say: «التَّحِيَّاتُ لِلّٰهِ وَالصَّلَوَاتُ وَالطَّيِّبَاتُ السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ وَرَحْمَةُ اللّٰهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ السَّلَامُ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى عِبَادِ اللّٰهِ الصَّالِحِينَ» 'All verbal, physical, and bodily acts of worship are for Allah alone. O Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)! May Allah's peace, mercy, and blessings descend upon you. Peace be upon us and upon the righteous servants of Allah.' When he says this phrase, it will include every righteous servant in the heavens and the earth. «أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ» 'I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah, and that Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is His servant and His Messenger.' Then after this, he may supplicate for whatever he wishes."

Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that when we used to sit in Tashahhud with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), we would say: "Peace be upon Allah from His servants, peace be upon Jibreel, peace be upon Mika'il, peace be upon so-and-so and so-and-so." When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) heard us saying this, he said: "Allah Himself is the embodiment of peace, so when any one of you sits in Tashahhud, he should say: «التَّحِيَّاتُ لِلّٰهِ وَالصَّلَوَاتُ وَالطَّيِّبَاتُ السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ وَرَحْمَةُ اللّٰهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ السَّلَامُ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى عِبَادِ اللّٰهِ الصَّالِحِينَ» 'All verbal, physical, and bodily acts of worship are for Allah alone. O Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)! May Allah's peace, mercy, and blessings descend upon you. Peace be upon us and upon the righteous servants of Allah.' When he says this phrase, it will include every righteous servant in the heavens and the earth. «أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ» 'I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah, and that Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is His servant and His Messenger.' Then after this, he may supplicate for whatever he wishes."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) taught us the words of Tashahhud in prayer: «التَّحِيَّاتُ لِلّٰهِ وَالصَّلَوَاتُ وَالطَّيِّبَاتُ السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ وَرَحْمَةُ اللّٰهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ السَّلَامُ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى عِبَادِ اللّٰهِ الصَّالِحِينَ أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ» The translation of which is: “All verbal, physical, and bodily acts of worship are for Allah alone. O Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)! Peace be upon you, and may Allah’s mercy and blessings descend upon you. Peace be upon us and upon the righteous servants of Allah. I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah, and that Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is Allah’s servant and His Messenger.”

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) in a marfu' form that Allah has sent down no disease except that He has also sent down its cure. Whoever knows it, knows it, and whoever remains unaware of it, remains unaware.

Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Paradise is closer to you than the strap of your sandal, and the same is the case with Hell."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that during the blessed era of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the moon was split into two parts once, to the extent that I saw the moon between its two pieces.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that once Umm al-Mu'mineen Sayyidah Umm Habibah (may Allah be pleased with her) was making this supplication: "O Allah! Grant me benefit from my noble husband, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), my father Abu Sufyan, and my brother Mu'awiyah." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) heard her supplication and said: "You have asked Allah for a fixed term, a few numbered days, and apportioned sustenance. None of these things can reach you before their appointed time, nor can they be delayed beyond their fixed time. If you had asked Allah to protect you from the punishment of Hell and the punishment of the grave, that would have been better and more virtuous." The narrator says that a man asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! Are pigs and monkeys the transformed forms of humans?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whichever people Allah transformed, their progeny was never left behind, whereas monkeys and pigs have existed from before." The narrator says that a man asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) whether monkeys are the transformed forms of humans. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whichever people Allah transformed, their progeny was never left behind, whereas monkeys and pigs have existed from before."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Once Satan passed by me, I caught him and began to strangle him, his tongue came out until I felt the coolness of his tongue on my hand, and he began to say, 'You have caused me great pain, great pain.'"

Once Alqama and Aswad both came to the service of Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him). When the time for prayer came, Alqama and Aswad stood behind him. Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) took their hands and made one stand on his right side and the other on his left side. Then, when both of them bowed (in ruku'), they placed their hands on their knees. Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him), seeing this, struck their hands and joined his own hands together, interlacing his fingers, and placed both hands between his thighs, and said: "I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) doing it this way." Benefit: This act is called «تطبيق», and in the beginning, this was the method of ruku'. Later, this ruling was abrogated, but Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) did not accept its abrogation until the end.

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

Khameer bin Malik says that once a government order was issued that the Qur'anic manuscripts should be changed (so that no arrangement other than the copies compiled by Sayyiduna Uthman Ghani, may Allah be pleased with him, should remain). When Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, found out, he said: Whoever among you can hide his copy, let him hide it, because whoever hides something will come with it on the Day of Resurrection. Then he said: I have recited seventy surahs from the blessed mouth of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Should I abandon those things which I have obtained from the blessed mouth of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)?

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that once two men named Aqib and Sayyid came from Najran. They came with the intention of having a mutual imprecation (mubahala) with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). One of them said to the other, "Do not engage in mubahala (and mutual cursing) with him, because if he is truly a Prophet and he sends a curse upon us through mubahala, then neither we nor our descendants will ever succeed." So both of them came to the service of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said, "We will not do mubahala with you. We are ready to give you whatever you demand, just send with us a trustworthy man." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "I will send with you such a trustworthy man who truly deserves to be called trustworthy." Upon hearing this, the noble Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) started raising their heads and looking (in anticipation). Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "O Abu Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah! Stand up." When both of them were about to leave, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "He is the trustworthy one of this Ummah."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) would lie down on his bed to sleep, he would place his right hand under his cheek and would supplicate: «اللّٰهُمَّ قِنِي عَذَابَكَ يَوْمَ تَجْمَعُ عِبَادَكَ» "O Lord! Save me from the punishment of the Day when You will gather Your servants."

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

Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would turn to the right and to the left in such a manner while saying salam that the whiteness of his blessed cheeks would become visible.

Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) — who is truthful and believed — told us this hadith: “The creation of each one of you is gathered in the womb of his mother for forty days, then he is a clot of blood for the same period, then a lump of flesh for the same period. Then an angel is sent to him and breathes the soul into him. Then he is commanded with four things: his provision, his lifespan, his deeds, and whether he will be wretched or blessed. By the One in Whose hand is the soul of Abdullah, one of you may do the deeds of the people of Paradise until there is only a cubit between him and it, but what has been written overtakes him and he does the deeds of the people of Hell and enters it. And one of you may do the deeds of the people of Hell until there is only a cubit between him and it, but what has been written overtakes him and he does the deeds of the people of Paradise and enters it.”

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught me the words of Tashahhud just as he would teach a surah of the Noble Qur'an, while my hand was in the blessed hand of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): «التَّحِيَّاتُ لِلّٰهِ وَالصَّلَوَاتُ وَالطَّيِّبَاتُ السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ وَرَحْمَةُ اللّٰهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ السَّلَامُ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى عِبَادِ اللَّهِ الصَّالِحِينَ أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ» "All verbal, physical, and financial acts of worship are for Allah alone. O Prophet (peace and blessings be upon you)! Peace be upon you, and the mercy and blessings of Allah descend upon you. Peace be upon us and upon the righteous servants of Allah. I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah, and that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is His servant and His Messenger." As long as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was among us, we used to say these words. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away, we started saying «السَّلَامُ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ».

Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) says that whoever wishes to meet Allah tomorrow on the Day of Resurrection in a state of Islam, he should adhere to these obligatory prayers whenever they are called for, because they are among the Sunnahs of guidance, and Allah has prescribed the Sunnahs of guidance for your Prophet. If you start praying in your homes as those who stay behind pray in their homes, then you will have abandoned the Sunnah of your Prophet, and when you abandon the Sunnah of your Prophet, you will go astray. Whoever performs ablution and does it well, then sets out towards any mosque, for every step he takes, one rank will be raised for him, one sin will be forgiven, and one good deed will be written for him. And I have seen that only the hypocrite, whose hypocrisy was well known, would stay behind from the congregational prayer, and also that a man would be brought to the mosque supported by two men and would be made to stand in the row.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that once I prayed at night with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stood for such a long time that I began to intend something bad in my heart. His students asked: What did you intend? He replied: That I would sit down and leave the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) standing.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The fire of Hell has been made forbidden for every person who is dignified, gentle-natured, easy-going (not quarrelsome), and close to people."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that once we asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about walking with a funeral procession. He (peace be upon him) said: "A pace that does not amount to running; if he was righteous, then he is being quickly taken towards his good end, and if he was not so, then the people of Hell should be kept far away. And the funeral should be followed, not preceded (the funeral should be in front and those walking should be behind it)."

Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When a hadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is narrated before you, then think of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in a manner that is based on correctness, guidance, and piety.

Abdur Rahman bin Yazid says that he performed Hajj with Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him). Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) threw seven pebbles at Jamrah Aqabah and kept the House of Allah (the Ka'bah) on his left side and Mina on his right side, and said: This is the place where Surah Al-Baqarah was revealed to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

Abdur Rahman bin Yazid says that Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) stoned the Jamrah 'Aqabah from the bottom of the valley, keeping the mountain behind his back, and after stoning he said: This is the place where Surah Al-Baqarah was revealed to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that a black slave came and met the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). After some time, he passed away. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was informed. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "See if he has left anything behind?" The people informed that he had left two dinars as inheritance. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "These are two coals of Hell."

Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that I used to greet the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) with salam during prayer and he would respond to me. But one day I greeted him with salam and he did not respond. I felt great distress because of this. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) finished the prayer, I said: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! Previously, when I greeted you during prayer, you would respond to me? He replied: "Allah the Exalted sends new commands in His matters as He wills."

Masruq reports that a woman once came to Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) and said, “I have heard that you forbid women from adding hair to their own hair?” He replied, “That is correct.” The woman asked, “Do you find this ruling in the Qur’an, or have you heard any statement from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding this?” He replied, “I find this ruling both in the Qur’an and in the statement of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).” The woman said, “By Allah! I have thoroughly searched the Mushaf that is between the two covers, and I have not found this ruling anywhere in it.” Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) asked, “Did you find this verse in it: «﴿وَمَا آتَاكُمُ الرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَاكُمْ عَنْهُ فَانْتَهُوا﴾» [الحشر : 7] ‘Whatever the Messenger gives you, take it, and whatever he forbids you, abstain from it’?” She said, “Yes!” He said, “Then I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbidding these things: the one who plucks hair, the one who files teeth, the one who adds hair to her own hair, and the one who tattoos, except in the case of illness.” The woman said, “What if the women of your household do these things?” Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) replied, “Go and see.” The woman went to his house, then returned and said, “I did not find anything objectionable there.” He said, “If it were so, I would not forget the advice of the righteous servant, Prophet Shu’ayb (peace be upon him): ‘I cannot forbid you from something and then do it myself (that I forbid you from something and then myself continue to do it).’”