Musnad Ahmad

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) said: "Whoever seizes the wealth of a Muslim by swearing a false oath will meet Allah while He is angry with him."

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 the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A believer is not one who curses, taunts, uses obscene language, or speaks indecently."

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: "There are two types of people whom our Lord loves very much. One is the person who leaves his bed and blanket, his family and neighborhood, and goes out for prayer. Allah Almighty says: 'O My angels! Look at My servant who has left his bed and blanket, his neighborhood and family, and has come for prayer out of longing for the blessings present with Me and fear of the punishment with Me.' And the second is the person who goes out for jihad in the way of Allah. When people are defeated and begin to flee, he knows well what punishment there is for fleeing from the battlefield and what reward there is for returning. So he returns and continues to fight until his blood is shed, and this action of his is also only out of longing for My blessings and fear of My punishment. So Allah Almighty says to His angels: 'Look at My servant who returned out of longing for My blessings and fear of My punishment until his blood was shed.'"

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) used to supplicate: «اللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ الْهُدَى وَالتُّقَى وَالْعَفَافَ وَالْغِنَى» "O Allah! I ask You for guidance, piety, chastity, and self-sufficiency (freedom from need before the creation)."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that once Allah Almighty sent the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to admit a man into Paradise, and it happened that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) entered a church where some Jews were sitting, and a Jew was reciting the Torah before them. When the mention of the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) attributes came, they stopped. In one corner of the church, there was a sick man. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked them, “Why did you stop?” The sick man said, “From here begins the mention of a Prophet’s attributes, that is why they have stopped.” Then that sick man crawled forward, took hold of the Torah, and began to read it until he reached the mention of the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) attributes and the attributes of his Ummah. He said, “These are your signs and the signs of your Ummah. I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah and you are the Messenger of Allah.” As soon as he said this, his soul departed. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to his companions (may Allah be pleased with them): “Love your brother (and take him away).”

Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Protect yourselves from saying about any person that such-and-such a person died or was killed as a martyr, because some people fight for the acquisition of war booty, some for making a name for themselves, and some participate in battle so that people may see their status. If you must bear witness about someone, then bear witness for those people whom the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent in a military expedition and they were martyred, and they had supplicated: "O Allah! Convey this message from us to our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that we have met You, You are pleased with us, and You have made us pleased with Yourself."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that I have performed two rak'ahs (units of prayer) in Mina with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and also with Sayyiduna Abu Bakr and Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both). Would that I could have a share in two accepted rak'ahs instead of four rak'ahs.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that once the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Tonight, at a place called Hajun, I was reciting the Qur'an to my jinn companions."

Qabeesah bin Jabir narrates that once I brought an old woman from Banu Asad to the service of Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him), and he said: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "May Allah curse the woman who plucks hair, the one who creates gaps between her teeth, and the one who tattoos, who alter the creation of Allah."

Qabeesah bin Jabir narrates that once I brought an old woman from Banu Asad to the service of Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him)... so he said: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "May Allah curse the woman who plucks hair, the one who creates gaps between her teeth, and the one who tattoos, who alter the creation of Allah."

Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Abusing a Muslim is wickedness, and fighting him is disbelief."

Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him) says that once a man from Banu Bajilah—whose name was Nahik bin Sinan—came to the service of Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: "I recite the Mufassalat (short surahs) in one rak'ah." Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Like inferior poetry? Or like low-quality prose? Whereas they have been called Mufassalat for this very reason so that you may recite them separately. I also know examples where the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recited two surahs in one rak'ah." And by this, the first twenty surahs of the Mufassalat according to the compilation of Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) are meant, which include Surah Rahman and Surah Najm—these two surahs in one rak'ah, and in another rak'ah, Surah Dukhan and Surah Naba.

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: "Every deceiver will have a flag on the Day of Resurrection, and it will be announced that this is the deception of such-and-such person."

Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "It is extremely bad for any man among you to say, 'I have forgotten such and such verse.' Rather, he should say, 'Such and such verse has been made to be forgotten by me.' Guard this Qur'an, for it escapes from people's hearts more swiftly than a camel escapes from its rope."

Ibn Sakhbara (may Allah have mercy on him) says that on the occasion of Hajj, I set out from Mina to Arafat with Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him). He kept reciting the Talbiyah throughout the journey. He was a man with curly hair and wheat-colored complexion. He had two braids and, like the villagers, had wrapped a blanket around himself. Seeing him reciting the Talbiyah, many people gathered around him and began to say: "O villager! Today is not the day of Talbiyah, today is the day of Takbir." Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) turned to me and said: "People are unaware or have forgotten. By the One who sent Muhammad (peace be upon him) with the truth, I set out with the Prophet (peace be upon him), and the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not abandon the Talbiyah until the stoning of Jamrat al-Aqabah. However, in between, the Prophet (peace be upon him) would also say Tahleel and Takbir."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that I never saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) supplicating against the Quraysh except on one day. Once, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was praying, and some people from the Quraysh were present on his right and left, and a camel's entrails were lying near the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The people of Quraysh said, "Who will take these entrails and put them on his back?" 'Uqbah bin Abi Mu'ayt volunteered himself, brought the entrails, and placed them on the back of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), due to which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) could not raise his head. When Sayyidah Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) found out, she came quickly, removed it from the back of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), threw it far away, and began to curse those who had committed this vile act. After finishing the prayer, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Allah! Seize the chiefs of Quraysh. O Allah! Seize 'Utbah bin Rabi'ah, Shaybah bin Rabi'ah, Abu Jahl, 'Uqbah bin Abi Mu'ayt, Ubayy bin Khalaf, or Umayyah bin Khalaf." Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) says that I saw all of them killed at the Battle of Badr and dragged and thrown into a well, except for Umayyah or Ubayy, whose limbs had been cut off, so he was not thrown into the well.

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 best of people are those of my generation, then those who come after them, then those who come after them, then those who come after them. After that, there will come a people whose testimony will precede their oath, and whose oath will precede their testimony."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, that all the nations were presented before the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, then his own nation was presented, whose great number pleased the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, very much. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was informed that along with these people, there are seventy thousand individuals who will enter Paradise without any reckoning.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that on the day of the Battle of Badr, we were three men riding on one camel each. In this way, Sayyiduna Abu Lubabah (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) were companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). When it was the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) turn to walk on foot, both of them said, "We will walk in your place (you remain riding)." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "You two are not stronger than me, nor am I in less need of reward than you."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that once the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) went out to relieve himself and said to me, "Bring me three stones." I was able to bring two stones and a dry piece of dung. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) took the two stones and threw away the piece of dung, saying: "This is impure."

Sufyan once mentioned the tashahhud narrated by Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) and mentioned the complete chain of narration. The previous hadith is also narrated through this second chain.

Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him) says that once (a man from Banu Bajilah) — whose name was Nahik bin Sinan — came to the service of Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: I recite the Mufassalat (short surahs) in one rak'ah. Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Like inferior poetry? Or like low-quality prose? Whereas the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not do so, rather he would recite similar surahs, such as Surah Rahman and Surah Najm, in one rak'ah. Then Abu Ishaq mentioned ten rak'ahs with twenty surahs, and by this are meant the first twenty surahs of the Mufassalat according to the compilation of Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him), which end at Surah Takweer and Surah Dukhan.

Abdur Rahman bin Yazid says that I was in the plain of Muzdalifah with Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him). He performed two prayers, each prayer with a single adhan and iqamah, and ate food between the two. He performed the Fajr prayer when dawn had broken (or the narrator said that some people were saying that true dawn had appeared and some were saying that it had not yet appeared). Then he narrated this statement of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "Only at this place has the time of these two prayers been changed. People come to Muzdalifah at night, and the Fajr prayer should be performed at this time."

Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recited this verse to me in this way: «﴿إِنِّي أَنَا الرَّزَّاقُ ذُو الْقُوَّةِ الْمَتِينُ﴾»

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, regarding the interpretation of this statement of Allah, the Exalted: « ﴿مَا كَذَبَ الْفُؤَادُ مَا رَأَى﴾ » [النجم : 11] "The heart did not lie [about] what it saw," that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, saw Jibreel, peace be upon him, in a fine silk garment, filling all the space between the heaven and the earth.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), Sayyiduna Abu Bakr, and Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) used to say the takbeer every time they bowed, rose, stood, and sat. And they would turn to the right and left in such a way while saying salam that the whiteness of the blessed cheeks of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would be visible.

Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that once I asked the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): "Which deed is most beloved to Allah?" The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) replied: "Prayer at its proper time, kindness to parents, and striving in the way of Allah." If I had asked further questions, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) would have answered them as well.

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) said the takbeer while teaching us the prayer and raised his hands, then when he bowed (in ruku'), he placed his hands together between his knees. When Sayyiduna Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) learned of this, he said, "My brother has spoken the truth. We used to do it this way at first, but later we were commanded to hold the knees."

Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that once the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led a prayer; I do not remember whether there was some deficiency or excess in it. In any case, when he finished with salam, he performed two prostrations of forgetfulness.

Abdur Rahman bin Yazid says that Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) continued to recite the Talbiyah while returning from Muzdalifah and said: I heard the One upon whom Surah Al-Baqarah was revealed reciting the Talbiyah at this very place.

Abu Majid says that once a man brought his nephew to Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) and said, "This is my nephew and he has drunk alcohol." Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said that in Islam, the first person whose hand was cut off was a man who had stolen. People brought him to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said, "O Messenger of Allah! He has committed theft." At this, the color of the blessed face of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) changed. Someone asked, "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! What happened?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "You have become helpers of Satan against your companion, while Allah is forgiving and loves forgiveness, and it is not permissible for any ruler that a case of hadd (prescribed punishment) comes to him and he does not implement it." Then he recited this verse: «﴿وَلْيَعْفُوا وَلْيَصْفَحُوا أَلَا تُحِبُّونَ أَنْ يَغْفِرَ اللّٰهُ لَكُمْ وَاللّٰهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ﴾» [النور : 22] "They should forgive and overlook. Do you not wish that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful."

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) says: We have seen such a time that the prayer would not be established until our rows were completed. Therefore, whoever wishes to meet Allah tomorrow on the Day of Resurrection in a state of Islam should adhere to these obligatory prayers whenever they are called to them, because these are among the Sunnahs of guidance, and Allah has prescribed the Sunnahs of guidance for your Prophet.

Hazrat Ma'di Karib says that once we went to the service of Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) and requested him to recite Surah Ta-Sin Mim—which consists of two hundred verses. He said, "I do not remember this Surah, but you should go to the person who memorized and learned it directly from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), that is, Sayyiduna Khabbab bin Aratt (may Allah be pleased with him)." So we went to Sayyiduna Khabbab bin Aratt (may Allah be pleased with him), and he recited that Surah to us.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that I heard a man reciting Surah Ahqaf, and he was reciting it in a different way. Another man was reciting it in another way, different from his companion, and I was reciting it in a third way, different from the way both of them were reciting. We went to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and informed him about it. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) became angry, the color of his blessed face changed, and he said: "Do not differ, for those before you were destroyed because of their differences." Zur says that there was a man sitting with them, and he said that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) commands you that each of you should recite the Qur'an as he has been taught, for it was only differences that destroyed those before you. Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I do not know whether the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said this specifically to him, or whether he knew what was in the heart of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). And the narrator said that the man was Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him).

Tariq bin Shihab once said to Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him): "O Abu Abdur Rahman! A man greeted you with salam and in reply you said, 'Allah and His Messenger have spoken the truth'?" He replied: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Near the Day of Judgment, salam will become exclusive, trade will become so widespread that a wife will help her husband in trade, and family ties will be severed.'"

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that once the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) led five rak'ahs in the Zuhr or Asr prayer. After finishing the prayer, someone asked: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)! Has there been an increase in the number of rak'ahs of the prayer?" The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) replied: "No." The people said that you have led five rak'ahs. So the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) performed two prostrations of forgetfulness (sahw) and said: "I am also a human being. Just as you remember, I also remember, and just as you forget, I also forget."

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 kills a snake will receive seven good deeds, whoever kills a frog will receive one good deed, and whoever does not kill a snake out of fear has no connection with us."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that once the chiefs of Quraysh passed by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), while Sayyiduna Khabbab, Sayyiduna Suhaib, Sayyiduna Bilal, and Sayyiduna Ammar (may Allah be pleased with them) were sitting with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Seeing them, the chiefs of Quraysh said: "O Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), are you pleased only with these people?" Upon this, these verses of the Noble Qur'an were revealed: « ﴿وَأَنْذِرْ بِهِ الَّذِينَ يَخَافُونَ أَنْ يُحْشَرُوا إِلَى رَبِّهِمْ . . . . . وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالظَّالِمِينَ﴾ » [الأنعام : 51-58] "And warn with it those who fear that they will be gathered to their Lord. . . . . . And Allah knows best the wrongdoers."