Musnad Ahmad

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that we used to participate in battles with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and there were no women with us. Once we said: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)! Should we not get ourselves castrated? The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forbade us from doing so. Later, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) permitted us, for a specific period, to marry women in exchange for garments. Then he recited this verse: «﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تُحَرِّمُوا طَيِّبَاتِ مَا أَحَلَّ اللّٰهُ لَكُمْ وَلَا تَعْتَدُوا إِنَّ اللّٰهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُعْتَدِينَ﴾» [المائدة : 87] “O you who believe! Do not make unlawful the good things which Allah has made lawful for you, and do not transgress. Indeed, Allah does not like transgressors.”

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that once, at night, we stayed late talking at the house of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). When we came in the morning, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Last night, various noble Prophets (peace be upon them) were presented before me along with their nations. So, a Prophet passed by and only three men were with him, another Prophet passed by and he had a small group with him, another Prophet passed by and he had a group with him, and there was a Prophet with whom there was not even a single person. Then Musa (peace be upon him) passed by me, and with him was a very large number of the Children of Israel. Seeing this, I was amazed and I asked: 'Who are these people?' I was told that these are your brother Musa and the people of the Children of Israel with him. I asked: 'Then where is my Ummah?' I was told: 'Look to your right.' I looked to my right and saw a mound filled with faces of people. Then I was told: 'Look to your left.' I looked to my left and saw the horizon filled with faces of people. Then I was told: 'Are you pleased?' I said: 'O Lord! I am pleased, I am happy.' Then I was told: 'With these people, there will also be seventy thousand who will enter Paradise without reckoning.'"

Upon hearing this, Sayyiduna 'Ukasha bin Mihsan Asadi (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up and said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! Pray to Allah that He includes me among them." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Allah! Include him among them." Then another man stood up and said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! Pray to Allah that He includes me among them." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "'Ukasha has preceded you."

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

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 Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw a snake in the plain of Mina and ordered it to be killed.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that once he was picking miswak sticks from the Arak tree, and his shins were thin; when the wind blew, he would stagger, and people began to laugh at this. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) asked, "Why are you laughing?" The people said, "O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)! At the thinness of his shins." The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "By Him in Whose Hand is my soul, these two shins will be heavier on the scale of deeds than Mount Uhud."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that I heard a man reciting Surah Al-Ahqaf; he was reciting it in a different manner. Another man was reciting it in another way, which was 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 be upon him) and informed him about it. The Prophet (peace and blessings 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, he said that the Prophet (peace and blessings 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 this was something the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) specifically stated to them or if it was his own opinion.

The previous hadith is also narrated through another chain of transmission.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that one of the people of Suffah passed away, and people found two dinars 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) that once the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) addressed the women and said: "Whoever among you has three children who have died, Allah will admit her to Paradise." The oldest woman among them spoke up and said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! Will the one who has lost two children also enter Paradise?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The one with two (children) will also enter Paradise."

Abu Al-Ahwas Al-Jashami narrates that one day Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) was delivering a sermon when suddenly his gaze fell upon a snake crawling on the wall. He stopped his speech and struck it with his staff until it died. Then he said: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say, "Whoever kills a snake, it is as if he has killed a polytheist whose blood is lawful."

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): "Are these monkeys and pigs from among the descendants of the Jews?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: "Whenever Allah cursed a people and transformed their forms, He did not leave any offspring of theirs after destroying them. Rather, this creation already existed before; when Allah's wrath descended upon the Jews and He transformed their forms, He made them like these."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that 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: "Performing prayer at its appointed time." I asked: "Then which?" He said: "Kindness to parents." I asked: "Then which?" He said: "Striving in the path of Allah." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned these things to me, and if I had asked further, he would have answered me as well.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that I also know such examples that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) recited two surahs in one rak'ah, among which are eighteen surahs from the Mufassalat and two surahs from Al-Ha-Meem.

Hadith number 3806 is also narrated through this second chain.

Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that once we were sitting in the Prophet’s Mosque on a Friday evening when an Ansari said: If any one of us sees a strange man with his wife and kills him, then you kill him in retaliation; if he speaks out, you flog him; and if he remains silent, he does so in anger. By Allah! If I am alive in the morning, I will surely ask the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about this issue. So he asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about this matter and said: O Messenger of Allah! If any one of us sees a strange man with his wife and kills him, then you kill him in retaliation; if he speaks out, you flog him; and if he remains silent, he does so in anger? O Allah! Decide (between us). So the verse of Li'an was revealed, and he was the first to be tested with it (this incident happened with him).

Abdur Rahman bin Yazid says that I saw Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) stoning the Jamrah 'Aqabah from the bottom of the valley, after which he said: By Him besides whom there is no deity, this is the very 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 I have performed two rak'ahs in Mina with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), as well as with Sayyiduna Abu Bakr and Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both).

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. We quickly moved forward, but it outpaced us and went back into its hole. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "It has been saved from your harm just as you have been saved from its harm."

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 Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) took his hand and taught him the words of Tashahhud: «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 of Allah 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 of Allah be upon him) is the servant of Allah and His Messenger." When you have done this, your prayer is complete; now if you wish to stand, then stand, and if you wish to remain seated, then remain seated."

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 regarding those who do not attend the Friday prayer: "At one time I intended to order a man to lead the people in prayer, and then I would go to those who do not join us in prayer and order that their houses be set on fire."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said that Abu Jahl has been killed. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Praise be to Allah who helped His servant and honored His religion."

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 and Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with them both) 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.”

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 on the night when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was taken on the Mi'raj, he was also taken to Sidrat al-Muntaha, which is in the sixth heaven, and it is the utmost limit for whatever ascends from the earth; from there, those things are taken up, and whatever descends from the heaven stops there, and from there, those things are taken down. And it is said: "When that which covered the lote tree covered it," meaning golden butterflies. In any case, on this occasion, three things were granted to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): five prayers, the concluding verses of Surah al-Baqarah, and the glad tidings that every person of his ummah who does not associate anything with Allah will be forgiven.

Abdullah bin Ma’qil says that once my father was present in the company of Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him), and he heard Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) saying that I myself heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: “Remorse is also repentance.”

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that on the day of the Battle of the Trench, the polytheists kept the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) so occupied that he was unable to perform four prayers at their prescribed times. This weighed heavily on me, that we were with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), in the path of Allah (yet our prayers were missed). Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him), so he gave the call to prayer (adhan), then the call to commence (iqamah), and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led the Zuhr prayer. Then, after the iqamah, he led the Asr prayer. Then, after the iqamah, he led the Maghrib prayer. Then, after having the iqamah called, he led the Isha prayer. Then he came to us and said: "At this moment, there is no group on the face of the earth, besides you, that is remembering Allah."

Abdullah bin Ma’qil says that once my father was present in the company of Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him), and he heard Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) saying that I myself heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: “Remorse is also repentance.”

Masruq (may Allah have mercy on him) says that once Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, and as soon as he said this, he began to tremble and his clothes started shaking, and he said: "He said this, or something close to this." (Proof of caution)

Abdullah bin Ma’qil says that once my father was present in the company of Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him), and he heard Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) saying that I myself heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: “Remorse is also repentance.”

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: “Indeed, 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“ - إِذَا قُلْتَهَا أَصَابَتْ كُلَّ عَبْدٍ صَالِحٍ فِي السَّمَاءِ وَفِي الْأَرْضِ - ”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.”

Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that once we were with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and we passed by a place where there were many ants. A man set fire to an ant hill. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "It is not appropriate for any human to punish with the punishment of Allah."

Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O group of women! Give charity, for you are the majority in Hell." A woman—who was not among the tall women—stood up and said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! What is the reason for this?" He said: "The reason is that you curse a lot and are ungrateful and disobedient to your husbands."

Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) says: Safeguard this Qur'an, for it slips away from people's hearts faster than a camel escapes from its rope. And he said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "It is a very bad thing for a person to say, '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 some people came to the service of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said, "One of our companions is suffering from an illness. Can we treat him by cauterization?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) remained silent for a while without giving any answer, and after some time said, "If you wish, cauterize him, and if you wish, heat a stone and apply it."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say: "A person continues to speak the truth until he is recorded with Allah as a 'truthful one (Siddiq)', and likewise, a person continues to tell lies 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 we young men were once with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and we had nothing with us. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to us: “O group of young men! Whoever among you has the ability to marry, he should get married, for marriage lowers the gaze and protects the private parts. And whoever is not able to marry should observe fasting, for fasting diminishes sexual desire.”

Abdur Rahman bin Yazid says that once on the day of Ashura, Ash'ath bin Qais came to Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him), who was eating at that time. He said, "O Abu Muhammad! Come forward to eat." Ash'ath said, "Is today not the day of Ashura?" Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) replied, "Do you even know what the day of Ashura is? Before the command of fasting in Ramadan was revealed, the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to fast on this day. When the command of fasting in Ramadan was revealed, this fast was abandoned."

Alqamah says that once we were sitting with Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him), and Zaid bin Hudair was also with us. After a little while, Sayyiduna Khabbab (may Allah be pleased with him) also arrived and said: O Abu Abdur Rahman! Do all these people recite the Qur'an in the same way as you do? He replied: If you wish, you may ask any one of them to recite, and he will recite it to you. He said: Fine, then he said to me, "You recite." Zaid bin Hudair said: You are asking him to recite, even though he is not one of the great reciters among us? He replied: Beware! If you wish, I can tell you what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said about your tribe and his tribe. Anyway, I recited fifty verses of Surah Maryam to them. Sayyiduna Khabbab (may Allah be pleased with him) praised me. Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Whatever I can recite, he can also recite. Then Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said to Sayyiduna Khabbab (may Allah be pleased with him): Has the time not yet come for you to remove this ring? Sayyiduna Khabbab (may Allah be pleased with him) said: After today, you will not see it on my hand. That ring was made of gold.