Musnad Ahmad

Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Soon a time of disliked matters and tribulations will begin." The noble Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) asked: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! What should a person among us do if he reaches that time?" He replied: "Continue to fulfill the obligations that are due from you, and ask Allah for your own rights."

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

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that once we were with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in a cave, when suddenly a snake came out of its hole. We quickly moved forward, but it outpaced us and went back into its hole. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "It has escaped your harm just as you have escaped its harm."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that once we were with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in a cave, and there Surah Mursalat was revealed to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). We began to memorize it after hearing it from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Suddenly, a snake came out of its hole. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Kill it." We quickly moved forward, but it got ahead of us and slipped into its hole. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Allah has saved it from your harm just as He has saved you from its harm."

Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that I was present with Sayyiduna Miqdad bin Aswad (may Allah be pleased with him) — and being his companion was more beloved to me than anything else. He went to the service of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and, after cursing the polytheists, said: O Messenger of Allah! By Allah! We will not say as the Children of Israel said to Musa (peace be upon him): "You and your Lord go and fight, we are sitting here." Rather, we will fight on your right, your left, in front of you, and behind you. I saw that the blessed face of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was shining with happiness.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) regarding the interpretation of the Qur'anic verse: «﴿وَمَنْ يُرِدْ فِيهِ بِإِلْحَادٍ بِظُلْمٍ نُذِقْهُ مِنْ عَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ﴾» [الحج : 25] that whoever intends to commit deviation in the Haram of Makkah, whether he resides in «عدن أبين», Allah will surely make him taste a painful punishment.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that once the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led five rak'ahs in Zuhr or Asr prayer. When it was realized, he performed two prostrations of forgetfulness (sujood as-sahw) and said, "These two prostrations are for the one who fears any deficiency or excess in his prayer."

Huzail bin Shurahbeel says that once a man came to Sayyiduna Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him) and asked him this question: If a person’s heirs include a daughter, a granddaughter, and a full sister, how will the inheritance be distributed? He replied that half of the total wealth will go to the daughter and the other half to the sister, and nothing will be given to the granddaughter. Then those people went to Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) and asked him the same question and also mentioned the answer of Sayyiduna Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him). Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: If I also give the same verdict, then I would go astray and would not be among the rightly guided. I will give the same decision as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave: the daughter will get half of the total wealth, the granddaughter will get one-sixth so that two-thirds are completed, and whatever remains will go to the sister.

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 sit between the two rak'ahs as if he were sitting on a hot stone.

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: "If, while praying, you are in doubt whether you have prayed three rak'ahs or four, but your predominant assumption is that you have prayed four rak'ahs, then recite the tashahhud and, before saying the salam, perform two prostrations of forgetfulness while sitting. Then recite the tashahhud again and say the salam."

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: "If, while praying, you become doubtful whether you have prayed three rak'ahs or four, then if your predominant thought is that you have prayed three rak'ahs, stand up and pray one rak'ah, then say salam and perform two prostrations of forgetfulness (sahw), and recite tashahhud and then say salam. But if your predominant thought is that you have prayed four rak'ahs, then recite tashahhud and, before saying salam, perform two prostrations of forgetfulness while sitting, then recite tashahhud again and say salam."

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 three children of a Muslim husband and wife die before reaching puberty, they will become a strong fortress for them against Hell." Someone asked: O Messenger of Allah! What if someone has lost two children? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The same ruling applies." Sayyiduna Abu Darda (may Allah be pleased with him) said: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! I have sent forth two children? He replied: "The same ruling applies." Sayyiduna Ubayy ibn Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) — who is famous as the leader of the reciters — said: Only one of my children has died? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The same ruling applies to him, but this matter is related to the initial moments of grief (as to who is patient at that time and who is not, because later on everyone becomes patient)."

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

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

Ibn Sirin (may Allah have mercy on him) says that once Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) participated in the funeral of an Ansari. The people there began to seek forgiveness aloud, but Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) did not object to this. According to another narrator, the people brought him in from the foot side of the grave, and he did not object to this either.

Ibn Sirin (may Allah have mercy on him) says that once I and Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) attended the funeral of an Ansari. At his instruction, the deceased was brought into the grave from the foot side by the people.

Anas bin Sirin (may Allah have mercy on him) says that among all people, the best at performing prayer during travel and at home was Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him).

Anas bin Sirin (may Allah have mercy on him) says that I saw Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) peeking at something during prayer.

Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: None of you should give Satan any power over himself, not even to the extent of a portion, and he should not think that it is necessary for him to return only from the right side. I have seen the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that his return was often from the left side.

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 a very bad thing that any one of you says, 'I forgot such-and-such verse,' rather he should say, 'It was made to be forgotten by me.'"

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that once a man came to the service of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allah! If I accept Islam and adopt good deeds, will I be held accountable for the deeds of the time of ignorance? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When you accept Islam and adopt good deeds, you will not be held accountable for the deeds of the time of ignorance, but if you continue to do bad deeds after accepting Islam, then you will be held accountable for both the former and the latter."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that a Jew came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: O Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)! Do you know that on the Day of Resurrection, Allah Almighty will hold all creatures on one finger, all the heavens on one finger, all the earths on one finger, all the trees on one finger, and all the moist soil on one finger, and He will say: I am the True King? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) laughed so much at his words that his blessed teeth became visible, and upon this Allah revealed this verse: « ﴿وَمَا قَدَرُوا اللّٰهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ﴾ » "They did not appraise Allah with true appraisal as is His due."

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 prophet had a close friend (wali) from among the other prophets, and my close friend is my father (the ancestor) and the Friend of my Lord, Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him)." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recited this verse in full: «﴿إِنَّ أَوْلَى النَّاسِ بِإِبْرَاهِيمَ لَلَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُ وَهَذَا النَّبِيُّ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا . . .﴾» [آل عمران : 68] "Indeed, the people who are closest to Ibrahim are those who followed him, and this Prophet, and those who believe . . ."

Abdur Rahman bin Yazid says that on the occasion of Hajj, Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) stoned the Jamrah Aqabah with seven pebbles from the bottom of the valley while riding, and he said takbeer with every pebble. At that time, he kept the Jamrah Aqabah on his right side and faced towards the House of Allah. Then he said, "By Him besides whom there is no deity, that Being also stood here upon whom Surah Al-Baqarah was revealed."

Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the one who consumes usury, the one who gives it, the one who writes it down, and its witnesses while they are aware, and women who tattoo and get themselves tattooed for the sake of beauty, those who conceal zakat, and the Bedouin who becomes apostate after migration, have been declared accursed by the tongue of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) until the Day of Judgment.

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 besides whom there is no deity! One of you may perform the deeds of the people of Paradise until there is only a cubit between him and Paradise, but what has been written overtakes him, and he performs the deeds of the people of Hell and thus enters it. And one of you may perform the deeds of the people of Hell until there is only a cubit between him and Hell, but what has been written overtakes him, and he performs the deeds of the people of Paradise and thus enters it."

Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever is killed unjustly in the world, a share of its sin is also upon the first son of Adam (Qabil), because he was the first to establish the practice of killing."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When you are three people, then two of you should not whisper to each other excluding the third, because this will cause grief to the third."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that once a man kissed a strange woman, then, feeling remorse, he came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to ask about its expiation. Upon this, Allah revealed this verse: «﴿وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ طَرَفَيِ النَّهَارِ وَزُلَفًا مِنَ اللَّيْلِ إِنَّ الْحَسَنَاتِ يُذْهِبْنَ السَّيِّئَاتِ﴾» [هود : 114] "Establish prayer at the two ends of the day and at some hours of the night; indeed, good deeds erase bad deeds." He asked: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! Is this command specific to me? He replied: "No, rather this command is for every person of my Ummah who commits such an act."

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: "A person continues to tell lies until he is written as a «كذاب» with Allah, and a person continues to speak the truth until he is written as a «صديق» with Allah."

Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that whoever buys an animal with tied udders should return it and give along with it one sa’ of wheat (so that it equals the amount of milk used), and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade going out of the city to meet traders before they arrive. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade going out of the city to meet traders before they arrive.

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 is no arbitrator—who decides between people—except that he will be stopped on the Day of Resurrection, an angel will be holding him by the back of his neck and will make him stand over Hell. Then he will raise his head and look towards Allah Almighty. If it is commanded from there that he is a sinner, then the angel will throw him into Hell, where he will tumble for forty years."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The cycle of day and night and time will not end, that is, the Hour will not be established until a man from my Ahl al-Bayt rules over the Arabs whose name will correspond to my name."

Abdullah bin Utbah says that once someone came to Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) and asked this question: If a man marries a woman without specifying a dowry, and before consummation he dies, what is the ruling? Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) did not give an immediate answer, and the questioners left. After some time, they came again and asked him the same question. He said: I will state before you the conclusion I have reached through my own reasoning; if my answer is correct, it will be by Allah’s guidance, and if it is wrong, it will be from myself. The decision is that this woman should be given the dowry similar to that of women like her, she will also inherit, and she must observe the waiting period (‘iddah). Upon hearing this decision of Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him), a man from the tribe of Ashja’ stood up and said: I bear witness that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave the same ruling in this matter. Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: If there is any witness to this, present him. So Sayyiduna Abu al-Jarrah (may Allah be pleased with him) testified to it.

The previous hadith is also narrated through this second chain, however, there is an addition in it that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave the same verdict in the case of Barwa' bint Washiq, and this was testified by Sayyiduna Abu Sinan and Sayyiduna Jarrah (may Allah be pleased with them both), who were men from the tribe of Ashja'.

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 be upon him), we would say: “Peace be upon Allah from His servants, peace be upon Jibreel, peace be upon Mika’eel, peace be upon so-and-so and so-and-so.” When the Prophet (peace and blessings 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، أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ» ‘All verbal, physical, and bodily acts of worship are for Allah alone. O Prophet (peace and blessings be upon you)! 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. 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.” 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 once someone asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "Which sin is the greatest?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: "To associate someone with Allah, especially when it is Allah Who created you." The questioner asked: "After that, which sin is the greatest?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "To kill your child out of fear that he will eat with you." The questioner asked: "After that?" He replied: "To commit adultery with your neighbor's wife." Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) says that Allah Almighty revealed this verse in confirmation of this: « ﴿وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَدْعُونَ مَعَ اللّٰهِ إِلَهًا آخَرَ وَلَا يَقْتُلُونَ النَّفْسَ الَّتِي حَرَّمَ اللّٰهُ إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ وَلَا يَزْنُونَ وَمَنْ يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ يَلْقَ أَثَامًا﴾ » [الفرقان : 68] "And those who do not associate anyone with Allah, and do not kill a soul whom Allah has forbidden except by right, and do not commit adultery. Whoever does this shall meet a penalty."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that once some people asked: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! Will we be held accountable for the deeds of the time of ignorance? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When you accept Islam and adopt good deeds, then you will not be held accountable for the deeds of the time of ignorance, but if you continue to do bad deeds after accepting Islam, then you will be held accountable for both the former and the latter."

Masruq (may Allah have mercy on him) says that once, in the main mosque, a man was saying that on the Day of Resurrection, a smoke will descend from the sky, it will take away the eyes and ears of the hypocrites, and it will enter the breaths of the Muslims causing a condition like cold. I went to Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) and told him this. He was sitting reclining, but upon hearing this, he sat up straight and said: O people! Whoever knows something well can speak about it, and whoever does not know something well should say that Allah knows best, because it is also a sign of a person's wisdom that he says "Allah knows best" about what he does not know. The revelation of the mentioned verse happened in this context: when the Quraysh exceeded all limits in disobeying the Prophet (peace be upon him), the Prophet (peace be upon him) prayed for a famine upon them like that in the time of Yusuf (peace be upon him). So, the Quraysh were surrounded by famine and difficulties, to the extent that they were forced to eat bones, and the situation became such that when anyone looked towards the sky, due to hunger, he would see smoke between himself and the sky. Upon this, Allah revealed this verse: « ﴿فَارْتَقِبْ يَوْمَ تَأْتِي السَّمَاءُ بِدُخَانٍ مُبِينٍ o يَغْشَى النَّاسَ هَذَا عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ﴾ » [الدخان : 10-11] "Wait for the Day when a clear smoke will come from the sky, which will envelop the people; this is a painful punishment." After this, some people came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said, "O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)! Pray for rain for Banu Mudar, they are perishing." So the Prophet (peace be upon him) prayed for them, and this verse was revealed: « ﴿إِنَّا كَاشِفُو الْعَذَابِ قَلِيلًا﴾ » [الدخان : 15] "We are removing the punishment from them." But when, after receiving prosperity, they returned to their previous actions, this verse was revealed: « ﴿يَوْمَ نَبْطِشُ الْبَطْشَةَ الْكُبْرَى إِنَّا مُنْتَقِمُونَ﴾ » [الدخان : 16] "On the Day We will seize them with a mighty grip, We will indeed take retribution." And this refers to the Battle of Badr. If it had been the Day of Resurrection, Allah would not have removed that punishment from them.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that once I recited « ﴿فَهَلْ مِنْ مُذَّكِرٍ﴾ » with a "dhāl" in the presence of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "This word «﴿فَهَلْ مِنْ مُدَّكِرٍ﴾» [القمر : 40] is with a 'dāl'."