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: "I will wait for you at the Hawd (Pond) of Kawthar. At that time, there will be a dispute before me regarding some people and I will be overpowered. I will say: 'O Lord! My companions?' It will be said: 'You do not know what innovations they introduced after you.'"

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would both fast and break his fast while traveling, and during travel he (peace and blessings be upon him) would perform the obligatory prayers as two rak'ahs and would not add to them.

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: "On the Day of Resurrection, the severest punishment will be for the person who was killed by a prophet, or who killed a prophet, or who was a leader of misguidance, or who mutilated corpses."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever is faced with a need and begins to mention it before people, he deserves that his matter not be made easy. And whoever presents it before Allah, Allah will grant him provision immediately or a delayed death."

Tariq bin Shihab (may Allah have mercy on him) says: Once we were sitting with Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him), when a man came and said that the prayer had started in the mosque. We were going with Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) to join the rows. When the people went into ruku‘, Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) also went into ruku‘. Seeing him, we also performed ruku‘, even though we were still walking. Meanwhile, a man passed by from the front and said: "As-salamu ‘alayk, O Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman!" In the state of ruku‘, he replied: "Allah and His Messenger have spoken the truth." After finishing the prayer, he went to his house, and we sat together discussing among ourselves: "Did you hear what Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) replied to him? Allah has spoken the truth and His Messenger has conveyed the message. Who among you will ask him about this?" Tariq said: "I will ask him." So when he came out, they asked him: "When that person greeted you, why did you say that Allah and His Messenger have spoken the truth?" He replied: "I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: 'Among the signs of the Hour is that greeting (salam) will be given only to those who are known, trade will become widespread, to the extent that a woman will help her husband in business, ties of kinship will be severed, false testimony will be given, true testimony will be concealed, and the pen will become widespread.'"

Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that I have observed thirty fasts of the month of Ramadan with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) more frequently than I have observed twenty-nine (29) fasts.

Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that after prayer, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would usually return to his chamber from the left side.

Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) used to say that I prefer to swear nine times that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was martyred, rather than swear once that he was not martyred, and the reason for this is that Allah made him His Prophet and also declared him a martyr.

Abdur Rahman bin Yazid says that Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) was stoning the Jamrah Aqabah from the bottom of the valley. I said to him, "Are you stoning from here?" He replied, "By Him besides whom there is no deity, this is the very place from where He stoned, upon whom Surah Al-Baqarah was revealed."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that once I was clinging to the covering of the Ka'bah when three men came; one of them was a Thaqafi and two were Qurayshi who were his sons-in-law. They had a lot of fat on their bellies but very little understanding in their hearts. They began to speak in whispers, which I could not hear. Then one of them said: What do you think, does Allah hear our conversations? The second said: I think that when we speak loudly, He hears them, but when we do not raise our voices, He does not hear them. The third said: If He can hear something, then He can hear everything. I mentioned this to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), so Allah revealed this verse: «﴿وَمَا كُنْتُمْ تَسْتَتِرُونَ أَنْ يَشْهَدَ عَلَيْكُمْ سَمْعُكُمْ وَلَا أَبْصَارُكُمْ وَلَا جُلُودُكُمْ . . . . . وَذَلِكُمْ ظَنُّكُمُ الَّذِي ظَنَنْتُمْ بِرَبِّكُمْ أَرْدَاكُمْ فَأَصْبَحْتُمْ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ﴾» [فصلت:22-23] "And you conceal things so that your ears, eyes, and skins may not bear witness against you... This is your lowly assumption about your Lord, and you have become among the losers."

Abu Umair says that Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) had a friend. Once, he went to visit him at his house, but could not meet him there. He sought permission from his family and greeted them with salam, and asked them for some water to drink. The family sent a maid to the neighbors to fetch water. She delayed in returning, so the woman cursed her. Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) immediately left the house. In the meantime, Abu Umair arrived and said: O Abu Abdur Rahman! There is no need for modesty when a person like you comes to the house (because we have complete trust in you). Why did you not enter your brother’s house and sit down, and why did you not drink water, etc.? Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: That is exactly what I did. The family sent a maid to bring water. She was delayed in coming back, perhaps because those to whom she was sent did not have water either, or because they had little and needed it themselves. Meanwhile, the family cursed her, and I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: “When a curse is sent upon someone, it heads towards him. If it finds a way to reach him, it falls upon him; otherwise, it turns to Allah and says: O Lord! I was directed towards so-and-so, but I found no way to reach him. What should I do now? It is said to it: Return to where you came from.” I feared that perhaps the maid had some excuse, and the curse would return here and I would become its cause.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was taught opening and comprehensive words regarding goodness and virtue. For example, we did not know what we should recite in prayer; the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught us to 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 peace, Allah's mercy, and blessings descend upon you. May peace descend 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 Allah's servant and His Messenger."

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 anyone as a close friend (khalil), I would have taken Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)."

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.

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: "I declare disassociation from the friendship of every friend; if I were to take anyone as a close friend (khalil), I would have taken Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), and your Prophet is the close friend (khalil) of Allah, the Exalted."

Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) says that the one who consumes usury and the one who gives it to be consumed, the one who writes it down and its witnesses when they know (what it is), 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 all been declared accursed by the tongue of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) until the Day of Resurrection. The narrator says: I mentioned this hadith to Ibrahim, so he narrated from Alqamah that Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The one who consumes usury and the one who gives it are both equal.

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 us in the prayer of fear (Salat al-Khawf). The noble Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) stood in two rows: one row behind the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and the other row facing the enemy. Altogether, they were all engaged in prayer. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said the takbir, and all the people said the takbir with him. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) led those standing in the row behind him in one rak'ah. Then these people stood up and went to stand in front of the enemy in place of the others, and the second row came and stood in the place of the first row. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also led them in one rak'ah and then said the salam. Then these people stood up and themselves prayed one rak'ah and, after saying the salam, went to stand in front of the enemy in place of the first row, and the first row returned to their place and prayed one rak'ah.

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."

Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that in the beginning, we used to greet the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) with salam during prayer, and he would reply to us. But when we returned from (the land of) Najashi and greeted him with salam, he did not reply and said: "In fact, there is engagement in prayer."

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that I used to greet the Prophet (peace 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. This saddened me greatly. When the Prophet (peace be upon him) finished the prayer, I said: O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)! Previously, when I greeted you during prayer, you would respond to my salam? He replied: "Allah the Exalted sends new commands in His matters as He wills."

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 evil deeds after accepting Islam, then you will be held accountable for both the former and the latter."

Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Whatever things I have forgotten, I have forgotten, but I have not forgotten that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), at the end of the prayer, would say «السلام عليكم ورحمة الله» while turning to the right and to the left, until the whiteness of his cheeks would be visible.

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 the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Abdullah! What will be your condition when the reins of your government will be in the hands of people who will erase the Sunnah and delay the prayer from its appointed time?" Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) submitted: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! What do you command me to do at that time? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O son of Umm 'Abd! Are you asking me what should be done? Remember! There is no obedience to one who disobeys Allah."

Abu Amr Shaibani says that the resident of this house narrated this hadith to us, and while saying this, he pointed towards the house of Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) and, out of respect, did not mention his name: Once I asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), "Which deed is most beloved to Allah?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied, "Prayer at its proper time." I asked, "Then what?" He said, "Good treatment of parents." I asked, "Then what?" He said, "Jihad in the way of Allah." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) told me these things, and if I had asked more, he would have answered those as well.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would often recite «سُبْحَانَكَ اللّٰهُمَّ وَبِحَمْدِكَ اللّٰهُمَّ اغْفِرْلِيْ», and when Surah Nasr was revealed to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he began to say: «سُبْحَانَكَ اللّٰهُمَّ وَبِحَمْدِكَ اللّٰهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ التَّوَّابُ» "O Allah! Forgive me, for indeed You are the Acceptor of repentance."

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: "Allah has taken your Prophet as His close friend (Khalil)."

Abdur Rahman bin Yazid says that once, during the caliphate of Sayyiduna Uthman Ghani (may Allah be pleased with him), we had the honor of performing Hajj with Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him). When we stood in the plain of Arafat and the sun had set, Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "If the Commander of the Faithful were to depart at this time, it would be very good and correct." I do not know whether Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) completed his sentence first or Sayyiduna Uthman Ghani (may Allah be pleased with him) began his return first. People began to urge their animals to move quickly, but Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) was content to make his mount walk briskly (but did not make it run), until we reached Muzdalifah. Upon arrival, Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) led us in the Maghrib prayer, then called for food and ate, and then stood and performed the Isha prayer and went to sleep. When the earliest time of Fajr appeared, he woke up and performed the Fajr prayer in the darkness. I asked him, "Do you not usually pray Fajr at this time?" (Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) used to pray Fajr when it was well lit.) He replied, "Yes! I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) perform this prayer at this time, in this place, on this day."

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) considered storytelling after the 'Isha prayer to be objectionable for us.

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. I asked: Until standing up? He replied: Yes.

Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) used to say that it is not permissible to lie in any case, whether seriously or in jest, and no person should make a promise to a child that he does not intend to fulfill. And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to us: "A person continues to speak the truth until he is recorded with Allah as a truthful one (Siddiq), and likewise, a person continues to lie until he is recorded with Allah as a liar (Kadhdhab)."

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 the Talbiyah in this manner: «لَبَّيْكَ اللّٰهُمَّ لَبَّيْكَ لَبَّيْكَ لَا شَرِيكَ لَكَ لَبَّيْكَ إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ وَالنِّعْمَةَ لَكَ» .

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that once the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was walking in a field in Madinah Munawwarah, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was walking with the support of his staff. While walking, he passed by a group of Jews. They asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about the soul. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) remained silent. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recited this verse: «﴿وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الرُّوحِ قُلِ الرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّي وَمَا أُوتِيتُمْ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا﴾» [الإسراء : 85] "They ask you concerning the soul. Say: The soul is by the command of my Lord, and you have been given only a little knowledge."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "The last person to enter Paradise will be a man who, while crossing the Bridge (Sirat), will sometimes fall face down, sometimes start walking, and sometimes the flames of the Fire will scorch him. When he has crossed the Bridge, he will look back at it and say, 'Blessed is the One Who has saved me from you. Allah has granted me such a blessing that He has not given to anyone among the first or the last.' Then his eyes will fall upon a tree that has been brought there for his sake. Seeing it, he will say, 'O Lord! Bring me near to this tree so that I may enjoy its shade and drink its water.' Allah, the Exalted, will say: 'O My servant! If I bring you near to this tree, will you ask Me for anything else?' He will say, 'No, my Lord!' and will promise not to ask for anything else, even though Allah knows that he will ask for more, for there will appear before him things over which he cannot be patient. Nevertheless, he will be brought near to that tree. After a while, his eyes will fall upon a tree even more beautiful than the first, and the same question and answer will take place. Allah, the Exalted, will say: 'O servant! Did you not promise Me that you would not ask for anything else?' He will say, 'O Lord! Just this time, and I will not ask for anything else.' After this happens three times, he will reach near the gate of Paradise, and the voices of the people of Paradise will reach his ears. He will say, 'O Lord! Paradise, Paradise!' Allah, the Exalted, will say to him: 'O servant! Did you not promise Me that you would not ask for anything else?' He will say, 'O Lord! Grant me entry into Paradise.' Allah, the Exalted, will say to him: 'O servant! What will free Me from you? Are you pleased if I give you in Paradise the like of the world and as much again with it?' He will say, 'O Lord! Are You, the Lord of Might and Majesty, making fun of me?' At this, Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) laughed so much that his molar teeth became visible. Then he said, 'Why do you not ask me why I laughed?' The people said, 'Please tell us yourself why you laughed.' He said, 'Because of the laughter of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), for the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also smiled at this point and said to us, "Why do you not ask me why I smiled?" The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) said, "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)! Please tell us yourself why you smiled." The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Because of the laughter of the Lord, when he said, 'O Lord! Are You, the Lord of Might and Majesty, making fun of me?' Allah, the Exalted, will say: 'I am not making fun of you, but I am able to do whatever I will.'"

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."

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) distributed some things. A man said, "This distribution is such that Allah's pleasure was not intended by it." I went to the presence of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and mentioned this matter to him, upon which the blessed face of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) turned red. Then he said: "May Allah's mercy descend upon Musa (peace be upon him); he was troubled with even more than this, but he remained patient."

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: "Abusing a Muslim is wickedness, and fighting him is disbelief." The narrator says: I asked Abu Wa'il, "Did you hear this from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) yourself?" He replied: "Yes!"

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 التُّقَى وَالْهُدَى 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 the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) wrote in a letter regarding the zakat of cows that: "When the number of cows reaches thirty, then a one-year-old male or female cow will be obligatory as zakat, and this ruling will remain until their number reaches forty. When this number reaches forty, then a two-year-old cow will be obligatory, and after that, for every forty, a 'two-year-old cow' will be obligatory."