Musnad Ahmad

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that when any one of you performs ruku', he should spread his arms over his thighs and join his two palms together, as if I am still seeing the spread fingers of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Saying this, he demonstrated by joining his two palms together in the state of ruku'. (This ruling has been abrogated).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that when this blessed verse was revealed: «﴿الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَلَمْ يَلْبِسُوا إِيمَانَهُمْ بِظُلْمٍ . . . . .﴾ [الأنعام : 82]» "Those who believe and do not mix their faith with injustice . . . . ." this was very hard on the people and they began to say: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! Who among us has not wronged himself? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "It does not mean what you think it means. Have you not heard what the righteous servant (Luqman, peace be upon him) said: 'O my dear son! Do not associate anything with Allah, for indeed associating partners with Allah is a great injustice.' In this verse, what is meant is also shirk (associating partners with Allah)."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that a man from the People of the Book came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: O Abul Qasim (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? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) heard this and laughed so much that his blessed teeth became visible, and upon this Allah revealed this verse: «﴿وَمَا قَدَرُوا اللّٰهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ﴾ [الزمر : 67]» "They did not appraise Allah with true appraisal as is His due."

Alqamah narrates that once Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) was reciting Surah Yusuf in the city called Hims, when a man said, "This Surah was not revealed in this way." Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) went near him and smelled alcohol from his mouth. He said, "You deny the truth and also drink alcohol? By Allah! I will not leave you without enforcing the prescribed punishment upon you." So he enforced the punishment on him and said, "By Allah! The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught me this Surah exactly in this way."

Alqamah narrates that once, in the plain of Mina, I was walking with Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) when on the way we met Sayyiduna Uthman Ghani (may Allah be pleased with him). He stood with him and began to talk. Sayyiduna Uthman Ghani (may Allah be pleased with him) said: O Abu Abdur Rahman! Should we not arrange your marriage with a young girl so that she may remind you of past things? Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: You have said this, but the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to us: "O group of young men! Whoever among you has the ability to marry should get married, for marriage lowers the gaze and protects the private parts, and whoever is not able to marry should fast, for fasting diminishes sexual desire."

Abdur Rahman bin Yazid says that when Sayyiduna Uthman Ghani (may Allah be pleased with him) performed four rak'ahs in Mina, Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I have performed two rak'ahs in Mina with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and also with Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased 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: "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 once the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I know well the person who will be the last to come out of Hell. He will be a man who will crawl out of Hell dragging himself on his buttocks. It will be said to him, 'Go, enter Paradise.' When he enters Paradise, he will see that all the people have already taken their places. He will return and say, 'O Lord! Everyone has already taken their places (where should I go?)' It will be said to him, 'Do you remember the time of your misfortunes in which you were caught?' He will say, 'Yes!' Then it will be said to him, 'Wish!' He will express his wishes, and it will be said to him, 'Whatever you have wished for, you are given that, and ten times as much as the world (kingdom or world) is also given to you.' He will say, 'O Lord! Are You making fun of me while You are the King?' Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I saw that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) laughed so much that his blessed teeth became visible.

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 (peace and blessings be upon him)! 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."

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 seizes the wealth of a Muslim by swearing a false oath will meet Allah while He is angry with him." Upon hearing this, Sayyiduna Ash'ath (may Allah be pleased with him) said that this command was revealed regarding my incident, the details of which are as follows: There was some land shared between me and a Jew. The Jew denied my share, so I brought him to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: "Do you have any witnesses?" I replied: No. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to the Jew: "Then you swear an oath." I said: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! He will take my wealth by swearing an oath. Upon this, Allah revealed this verse up to the end: «﴿إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَشْتَرُونَ بِعَهْدِ اللّٰهِ وَأَيْمَانِهِمْ ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا . . . . .﴾ [آل عمران : 77]» "Indeed, those who exchange the covenant of Allah and their oaths for a small price . . . . ."

Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I used to herd the goats of 'Uqbah bin Abi Mu'ayt. One day, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed by me along with Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: "O boy! Do you have any milk?" I replied: Yes, but I am entrusted with them. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Is there any goat among them that a male has not mounted?" I brought such a goat to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed his hand over its udder, and milk descended into it. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) milked it into a vessel, drank himself, and gave it to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) to drink as well. Then, addressing the udder, he said: "Shrink back," so the udder shrank back again. After a little while, I came to the service of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! Teach me this matter as well. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed his hand over my head and prayed for me: "May Allah send His mercy upon you; you are an intelligent boy."

The previous hadith is also narrated through this second chain, however, in this version the words are that Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) brought to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) a stone that was hollowed out from the inside, and milk was milked into it. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also drank from it, and Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and I also drank from it. After a short while, I came again and requested, "Teach me this Qur'an as well." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "You are an intelligent boy." Thus, I listened from the blessed mouth of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and memorized seventy surahs.

Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that Allah looked upon the hearts of His servants and found the heart of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) to be the best among them, so Allah chose him for Himself and honored him with Prophethood and sent him forth. Then Allah took out the heart of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and again looked upon the hearts of His servants, and found the hearts of the companions of the Prophet (may Allah be pleased with them) to be the best, so Allah made them the ministers of His Prophet, who fight in the way of Allah for the preservation of His religion. Therefore, whatever the Muslims consider good is also good in the sight of Allah, and whatever the Muslims consider bad is also bad in the sight of Allah.

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: "It is possible that you may encounter such people who delay the prayer from its prescribed time. If you find them, then perform the prayer at its prescribed time in your home, and when they pray, join them as well, and consider it a voluntary prayer."

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, someone asked: “O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! Has a new command regarding the prayer been revealed?” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “No, what happened?” The companions (may Allah be pleased with them) said: “You led the prayer in such and such a manner.” Upon hearing this, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) folded his legs and performed two prostrations of forgetfulness (sahw). Then, when he finished with salam, he said: “I am also a human being; just as you forget, I too can forget. So, if any of you ever has doubt in his prayer, he should carefully consider and act upon what he thinks is correct, and after finishing with salam, he should perform two prostrations of forgetfulness.”

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 once some people asked: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! Will we be held accountable for the deeds committed during 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 evil deeds after accepting Islam, then you will be held accountable for both the former and the latter deeds."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) disliked ten things: wearing a gold ring, dragging the lower garment on the ground, using yellow perfume, plucking white hair, removing semen from its place, performing ruqyah (incantation) with things other than the Mu'awwidhat, approaching one's wife during the days of breastfeeding and thereby harming the child's health, but he (peace and blessings be upon him) did not declare these things as forbidden. Also, hanging amulets, beautifying oneself for someone other than one's husband, and playing with dice were also disliked by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that one day I was present in the service of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he said: "Recite the Qur'an to me." I said: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! Should I recite it to you while it has been revealed to you? He said: "Yes, but I like to hear it from someone other than myself." So I began to recite, and when I reached this verse: « ﴿فَكَيْفَ إِذَا جِئْنَا مِنْ كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ بِشَهِيدٍ وَجِئْنَا بِكَ عَلَى هَؤُلَاءِ شَهِيدًا﴾ [النساء : 41]» "How will it be when We bring from every nation a witness, and We bring you as a witness over them all," I saw that the eyes of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) were flowing with tears.

Shaqiq bin Salamah 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: O Abu Abdur Rahman! How do you recite this verse: «﴿مِنْ مَاءٍ غَيْرِ آسِنٍ﴾ [محمد : 15]» — with a ya or with an alif? Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Have you memorized the entire Qur’an except for this verse? He replied: (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? Whereas bowing and prostration are also the beauty of prayer. Many people recite the Noble Qur’an in such a way that it does not go below their throats, but if a person recites the Noble Qur’an in such a way that it becomes firmly established in his heart, then it is beneficial. I also know examples where the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recited two surahs in one rak’ah. After saying this, Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up and went inside. After a short while, Alqamah came and was about to go inside as well, so we said to him: Please ask Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) about those examples according to which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to recite two surahs in one rak’ah. So he went inside and asked him this question, and after coming out he said: According to the mushaf compiled by Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him), the first twenty surahs of the Mufassalat are meant.

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) distributed some things. An Ansari said, "This distribution is such that seeking Allah's pleasure was not intended by it." I said to him, "O enemy of Allah! The thing you have said, I will surely inform the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) about it." So I mentioned this to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), upon which the color of his blessed face turned red. Then he said, "May Allah's mercy be 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 Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No woman should touch her naked body with another woman, so that she describes her physical features to her husband in such a way as if he is seeing her with his own eyes."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that once we were walking with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) passed by Ibn Sayyad. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to him: "I have kept something in my mind for you to guess, tell me, what is it?" He replied: "Dukh (smoke)." The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Go away, you cannot go beyond your status." Sayyiduna 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)! Give me permission to strike his neck?" The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "No, if he is the one you fear, you will not be able to kill him."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that even today that scene is preserved before my eyes when the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was describing about a prophet whom his people had beaten, and he was wiping the blood from his face and kept saying, "O Lord! Forgive my people, for they do not know me." (This is a reference to the incident of Ta'if.)

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: "Associating partners 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: "Killing your child out of fear that he will eat with you." The questioner asked: "After that?" He replied: "Committing 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 which Allah has forbidden except by right, and do not commit adultery. And whoever does this will meet a penalty."

Masruq (may Allah have mercy on him) says that once a man came to Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) and said, “I am coming from the mosque where I left a man who is explaining the Qur’an according to his own opinion. He is saying in the explanation of this verse: «﴿يَوْمَ تَأْتِي السَّمَاءُ بِدُخَانٍ مُبِينٍ﴾ [الدخان : 10]» ‘The Day when a clear smoke will appear in the sky,’ that this smoke will envelop them on the Day of Resurrection and will enter their breaths, causing a state like catarrh.” Upon hearing this, Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “Whoever knows something well may explain it, and whoever does not know something well should say, ‘Allah knows best,’ for it is also a sign of a person’s wisdom that he says, regarding what he does not know, ‘Allah knows best.’ This verse was revealed in the context that when the Quraysh exceeded all limits in disobeying the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) supplicated for a famine upon them like that in the time of Yusuf (peace be upon him). Thus, the Quraysh were surrounded by famine and hardship, to the extent that they were forced to eat bones, and the situation became such that when a person looked towards the sky, due to hunger, he would see smoke between himself and the sky. At this, Allah the Exalted revealed this verse: «﴿فَارْتَقِبْ يَوْمَ تَأْتِي السَّمَاءُ بِدُخَانٍ مُبِينٍ o يَغْشَى النَّاسَ هَذَا عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ﴾ [الدخان : 10-11]» ‘So wait for the Day when the sky will bring a clear smoke, enveloping the people; this will be a painful punishment.’ After this, some people came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! Pray for rain for the Banu Mudar, for they are perishing.’ So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed for them, and this verse was revealed: «﴿إِنَّا كَاشِفُو الْعَذَابِ﴾ [الدخان : 15]» ‘We will remove the punishment from them.’ But when they returned to their former ways after prosperity returned, this verse was revealed: «﴿يَوْمَ نَبْطِشُ الْبَطْشَةَ الْكُبْرَى إِنَّا مُنْتَقِمُونَ﴾ [الدخان : 16]» ‘The Day We will seize them with the greatest seizure, We will indeed take retribution,’ and this refers to the Battle of Badr.”

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 Qurayshi and two were from the tribe of Thaqif who were his sons-in-law, or one was from Thaqif and two were Qurayshi. 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 what we are saying? The second said: I think that when we speak loudly, He hears us, and when we do not raise our voices, He does not hear us. 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 Almighty 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."

The respected wife of Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud, Sayyidah Zaynab (may Allah be pleased with her), says that when Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) would return from some work, he would stop at the door, cough, and spit, and he disliked entering upon us suddenly lest he see something that would be unpleasant to him. One day, as usual, he came and stopped at the door and coughed. At that time, an old woman was sitting with me who was performing a charm (incantation) with red wine for me. I hid her under my bed. Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) came inside and sat beside me. He saw that there was a thread hanging around my neck. He asked, "What is this thread?" I said, "A charm has been performed on it for me." He took it and broke it, and said, "The family of Abdullah is free from shirk (polytheism). I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: 'Incantations, amulets, and charms are all shirk.'" I said to him, "What are you saying? My eye used to water, I would go to such-and-such Jew, he would perform a charm on it and it would get better." Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "This is a satanic act. The devil presses it with his hand, and when you have a charm performed on it, he stops. It is sufficient for you to recite the supplication that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to recite: «أَذْهِبْ الْبَاسَ رَبَّ النَّاسِ اشْفِ أَنْتَ الشَّافِي لَا شِفَاءَ إِلَّا شِفَاؤُكَ شِفَاءً لَا يُغَادِرُ سَقَمًا» 'O Lord of the people! Remove the harm, grant me healing, You are the Healer, there is no healing except Your healing, grant such a healing that leaves no trace of illness.'"

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 more possessive than Allah Almighty, and for this reason He has forbidden indecent acts, both outward and inward. And no one loves to be praised more than Allah."

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 swearing once otherwise, and the reason for this is that Allah made him His Prophet and also declared him a martyr.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that once I presented myself in the court of the Messenger, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had a severe fever. I touched him and asked: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! Do you also get such a severe fever? He said: "Yes! I get fever equal to that of two men among you." I said: Then will you also receive double the reward? He said: "Yes! By the One in Whose hand is my soul, there is no Muslim on the face of the earth who is afflicted with any hardship—whether it is illness or something else—and Allah does not, because of it, shed his sins just as a tree sheds its leaves."

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

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: "None of you should say, 'I forgot such-and-such verse,' rather he should say, 'It was made to be forgotten by me.'"

Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The blood of a Muslim who testifies that there is no deity except Allah and that I am the Messenger of Allah is not lawful, except in one of three cases: if he commits adultery while being married, or if he kills someone and retribution is required, or if he abandons his religion and separates from the community.”

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'il, 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 - فَإِذَا قَالَهَا أَصَابَتْ كُلَّ عَبْدٍ صَالِحٍ فِي السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ - 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 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. I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah and that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is His servant and Messenger." After this, he may supplicate for whatever he wishes."

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 be regular in offering these obligatory prayers whenever they are called for, because they are among the ways of guidance (Sunan al-Huda), and Allah has prescribed the ways of guidance for your Prophet. Each one of you has a mosque in his house, but if you start praying in your houses as these people who stay behind pray in their houses, then you will have abandoned the Sunnah of your Prophet, and when you abandon the Sunnah of your Prophet, you will go astray. And I have seen that only the hypocrite, whose hypocrisy was well known, would stay behind from the congregational prayer. I have also seen that a man would be brought to the mosque supported by two men and would be made to stand in the row. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever performs ablution and does it well, then sets out to any mosque, every step he takes will raise him one degree, or one sin will be forgiven, or one good deed will be written for him.” On this basis, we used to take small steps, and the virtue of praying in congregation is twenty-five times greater than praying alone.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) 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) says that there are two statements: one I heard from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and the other I say from myself. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Whoever dies in such a state that he does not associate anyone with Allah, he will enter Paradise." And I say that whoever dies in such a state that he associates someone with Allah, he will enter 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) asked the companions (may Allah be pleased with them): "Who among you is such that he loves the wealth of his heir more than his own wealth?" The companions (may Allah be pleased with them) replied: O Messenger of Allah! There is none among us who would love the wealth of his heir more than his own wealth. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Remember! There is none among you who does not love the wealth of his heir more than his own wealth. Your wealth is only that which you have sent ahead, and your heir's wealth is that which you have left behind."

Also, once he asked: "Whom do you consider to be the strongest wrestler among you?" We replied: The one whom no one else can overpower. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No, the strongest wrestler is the one who controls himself at the time of anger."

Similarly, once he asked: "Whom do you consider to be «رقوب» among you?" We replied: The one who has no children. He said: "No! 'Raqeeb' is the one who has not sent any of his children ahead."

Harith bin Suwaid says that once Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated two hadiths to us, one from himself and one from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: A believer considers his sins as if he is sitting at the foot of a mountain and fears that the mountain may fall upon him, while a wicked person considers his sins as if a fly sat on his nose, he waved it away and it flew off. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Allah is more pleased with the repentance of any one of you than that person who, during a journey, passes through a deserted and deadly area, and he has a riding animal with him on which is his food and drink, his provisions and all his necessities, and suddenly they are lost. He goes out in search of them, and when he feels that his death is near but does not find the animal, he says in his heart: I will return to the place where my camel was lost, and there I will die. So he returns to his place, and upon reaching there, he falls asleep. When he wakes up, he finds his riding animal standing by his head, on which are his food, drink, provisions, and all his necessities.”