Musnad Ahmad

Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that my father married me to a woman from the Quraysh. When I went to her, due to my strength and enthusiasm for acts of worship such as prayer and fasting, I did not pay any attention to her. The next day, my father, Sayyiduna Amr ibn al-As (may Allah be pleased with him), came to his daughter-in-law and asked her, "How did you find your husband?" She replied, "The best husband, who did not even seek my shadow nor did he approach my bed." Hearing this, he came to me and reproached me severely, saying harsh words and said, "I married you to a woman of good lineage from the Quraysh, and you showed such negligence, and did this and that." Then he went to the service of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and complained about me. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) summoned me, and I presented myself. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked me, "Do you fast during the day?" I replied, "Yes." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked, "Do you stand in prayer at night?" I replied, "Yes." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "But I fast and also leave fasting (i.e., do not fast every day), I pray at night and also sleep, and I go to women (i.e., fulfill marital relations). Whoever turns away from my Sunnah has nothing to do with me." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Recite the Qur'an once a month." I said, "I feel I have more strength than that." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Then complete it in three nights." After that, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Fast three days every month." I said, "I feel I have more strength than that." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) kept giving me some concession until finally he said, "Then fast one day and leave fasting one day. This is the best fast, and this was the way of my brother, Sayyiduna Dawud (peace be upon him)." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Every worshipper has an enthusiasm, and every enthusiasm has a period of decline—either towards the Sunnah or towards innovation. Whoever's decline is towards the Sunnah, he is guided, and whoever's decline is towards something else, he is destroyed." Mujahid (may Allah have mercy on him) says that when Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) became old and weak, even then he continued to fast in this manner, and sometimes he would combine several fasts together so that one would strengthen the other, and then he would leave fasting for the same number of days. Similarly, in the recitation of the Qur'an, sometimes he would increase or decrease, but he would definitely complete the number of seven or three. Later, he used to say, "If I had accepted the concession of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), it would have been more beloved to me than turning away from it, but now I do not like to oppose the state in which I parted from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) that I heard the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: Whoever attributes something to me which I have not said, he should make his abode in Hell. Also, the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), prohibiting wine, gambling, chess, and the wine of chena, said: "Every intoxicating thing is forbidden."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Amr, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Whoever on the face of the earth says: La ilaha illallah, Allahu Akbar, Subhanallah, Alhamdulillah, La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah, these phrases will be an expiation for all his sins, even if they are as much as the foam of the sea."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) that there was a woman named "Umm Mahzool" who used to commit adultery and would make it a condition for her sustenance from the one who committed adultery with her. A Muslim came to the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) to seek permission to be close to her, or he mentioned her to the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) recited this verse before him: "Only a man who is himself an adulterer or a polytheist marries an adulteress."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Amr, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Whoever remained silent has attained salvation."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Amr, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Whenever any person among the people suffers any physical pain, Allah commands His guardian angels to continue writing all the good deeds that My servant used to do every day and night, as long as he remains in My protection."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) that during the blessed era of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), there was a solar eclipse. The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stood up for prayer, so we also stood with him. The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stood for such a long time that we began to think that perhaps he would not bow (ruku‘). Then he bowed, and while raising his head from ruku‘, it did not seem as if he would do so. When he raised his head from ruku‘, it did not seem as if he would go into prostration (sajdah), but he went into prostration, and it felt as if he would not raise his head from sajdah. Then when he sat up, it seemed as if he would not perform sajdah again, but then he performed the second sajdah, and while raising his head from it, it did not seem as if he would do so. In the second rak‘ah, he did the same. During this, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) kept blowing on the ground, and in the sajdah of the second rak‘ah, he kept saying: “O Lord, will You punish them while I am present among them? O Lord, will You punish us even though we are seeking forgiveness?” After this, when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) raised his head, the solar eclipse had ended. The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) completed his prayer, and after praising and glorifying Allah, he said: “O people! The sun and the moon are two of the signs of Allah. If either of them is eclipsed, then hasten towards the mosques. By the One in Whose hand is my soul, Paradise was presented before me, and it was brought so close to me that if I wished to take one of its branches, I could have done so. Similarly, Hell was also presented before me, and it was brought so close to me that I began to blow (to extinguish it) out of fear that it might fall upon you. And I saw in Hell a woman from the tribe of Himyar, who was dark-skinned and tall. She was being punished because of a cat which she had tied up; she neither fed it nor gave it water, nor did she let it go so that it could eat the insects of the earth by itself. Whenever that woman moved forward, the same cat would bite her in Hell, and if she moved back, it would bite her from behind. I also saw there a man from Banu Da‘da‘, and I saw a man with a staff, who was leaning on his staff in Hell. This person used to steal the belongings of the pilgrims with his staff, and when the pilgrims found out, he would say, ‘I did not steal it; this thing just got stuck to my staff.’”

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) that I saw the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) standing on his mount in the plain of Mina. Meanwhile, a man came and said, "O Messenger of Allah! I thought that shaving the head comes before sacrifice, so I had my head shaved before offering the sacrifice." The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Go and offer the sacrifice, there is no harm." Another man came and said, "O Messenger of Allah! I thought that sacrifice comes before stoning, so I offered the sacrifice before stoning." The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Now go and perform the stoning, there is no harm." On that day, for every question of this nature that was asked to the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he replied, "Now do it, there is no harm."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Amr, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Those who act with justice and fairness in the world will, on the Day of Resurrection, be seated upon pulpits of pearls before the Most Merciful, by virtue of their justice and fairness."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Amr, may Allah be pleased with him, that he heard the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, say: "Convey from me, even if it is only one verse. You may also mention the stories of Bani Israel, there is no harm in it. And whoever attributes a lie to me should prepare his abode in Hell."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) that I heard the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: On the Day of Resurrection, oppression will appear in the form of darkness. Guard yourselves against indecency, for Allah does not like any kind of indecency, whether openly or secretly. Also, guard yourselves against miserliness, for miserliness destroyed those before you. It was miserliness that led them to sever family ties, so they broke their relations. It was miserliness that commanded them to hoard their wealth and possessions, so they did so. It was miserliness that showed them the path to sins, so they began to commit sins.

During this, a man stood up and asked, "O Messenger of Allah! Which Islam is best?" The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: "That other Muslims are safe from your tongue and your hand." Another man stood up and asked, "O Messenger of Allah! Which migration (hijrah) is best?" The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: "That you leave those things which are displeasing to your Lord. And there are two types of migration: the migration of the city-dweller and the migration of the villager. The migration of the villager is that when he is invited, he accepts, and when he is commanded, he obeys. The trial of the city-dweller is greater, and his reward is also greater."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) that I heard the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: There are forty good deeds, the highest of which is giving a goat as a gift. Whoever acts upon any one of these good deeds, hoping for its reward and believing in Allah’s promise, Allah will grant him entry into Paradise.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) that (I saw the Noble Prophet ﷺ standing on his mount in the plain of Mina, when) a man came and said, "O Messenger of Allah! I had my head shaved before performing the stoning (rami)?" The Noble Prophet ﷺ said: "Go and perform the stoning, there is no harm." Another man came and said, "O Messenger of Allah! I thought that the sacrifice comes before the stoning, so I performed the sacrifice before the stoning?" The Noble Prophet ﷺ said: "Now go and perform the stoning, there is no harm."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Amr, may Allah be pleased with him, that a man came to the service of the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, to pledge allegiance and said: "I have come to pledge allegiance to you for migration, and (I have made a great sacrifice that) I have left my parents weeping." The Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Go back and make them laugh just as you made them weep."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The most beloved way of fasting to Allah is the way of Sayyiduna Dawud (peace be upon him), and likewise, his prayer is the most beloved to Allah. He would sleep for half the night, stand (in prayer) for a third of the night, and then rest for a sixth of the night. Similarly, he would fast one day and leave (not fast) the next day."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Those who act with justice and fairness in the world will, on the Day of Resurrection, be seated on pulpits of pearls at the right hand of the Most Merciful due to the blessing of their justice and fairness, and both hands of the Most Merciful are right."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Amr, may Allah be pleased with him, that a man named "Karkarah" was appointed to guard the belongings of the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. When he passed away, the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "He is in Hell." The noble companions, may Allah be pleased with them, searched and found a cloak with him which he had stolen from the spoils of war.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Amr, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "The Most Merciful shows mercy to those who are merciful. Show mercy to those on the earth and those in the heavens will show mercy to you. Mercy is a branch of the Most Merciful; whoever maintains it, it maintains him, and whoever severs it, it shatters him."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) that I heard the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: It is sufficient for a man to be considered sinful that he neglects those whose sustenance is his responsibility (such as weak parents and wife and children).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Jibreel (peace be upon him) kept advising me regarding the neighbor so much that I thought he would make the neighbor an heir."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) that when the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade the vessels of wine, the people said: "Not everyone has a waterskin." Upon this, the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) allowed the use of earthen pots except for the "muzaffat."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There are two qualities that lead to Paradise; they are very easy and require very little effort." The noble Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) asked, "O Messenger of Allah! What are those two things?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "One is that after every obligatory prayer, say 'Alhamdulillah, Allahu Akbar, SubhanAllah' ten times each. The second is that when you reach your bed, say 'SubhanAllah, Allahu Akbar, and Alhamdulillah' one hundred times. If you add up these words after the five prayers and at night, they will be uttered by the tongue two hundred and fifty times, but in the scale of deeds, they will be equal to two thousand five hundred. Now, who among you commits two thousand five hundred sins in a day and night?" The noble Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) asked, "How are these words few for the one who acts upon them?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Satan comes to one of you during prayer and makes him busy with various things, and he gets entangled in them and does not say these words. Similarly, he comes to him at bedtime and puts him to sleep in such a way that he does not say these words at that time either." Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) says that he saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) counting these words on his fingers while reciting them.

Sayyiduna Ibn Harith says that when Sayyida Amir Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) was returning after the Battle of Siffin, I was walking between him and Sayyiduna Amr ibn al-As (may Allah be pleased with him). Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) said to his father, "Father, did you hear the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say about Sayyiduna Ammar (may Allah be pleased with him): 'Alas! O son of Sumayyah, a rebellious group will kill you'?" Sayyiduna Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) said to Sayyida Amir Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him), "Are you listening to what he is saying?" Sayyida Amir Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "You always bring such disturbing news. Did we martyr him? Rather, those people martyred him who brought him along."

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

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever gives the pledge of allegiance to an Imam and gives him the matter of his hand and the fruit of his heart, then he should obey him as much as possible, and if another man comes to dispute with him, then strike the neck of the other."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) that once the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed by us while we were repairing our hut. The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "What is happening?" We replied, "Our hut has become a bit weak, so we are fixing it." The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The matter is more urgent than this (no one knows when death will come)."

Abdur Rahman bin Abd Rabb al-Ka'bah says that once I reached (the place of) Sayyiduna Ibn Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) while he was sitting in the shade of the Ka'bah. I heard him saying: Once we were on a journey with the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). The Prophet (peace be upon him) halted at a certain place. Some of us pitched tents, some went to the pasture, and some began archery. Suddenly, a caller announced that the prayer was ready. We all gathered at once. The Prophet (peace be upon him) stood up and during the sermon said: "All the prophets (peace be upon them) who came before me, whatever they considered good for their nation, they informed their nation of it, and whatever they considered evil, they warned them against it. The well-being of this Ummah has been placed in its first part, and the last people of this Ummah will face severe trials and strange matters. Such tribulations will appear that will make the previous ones seem mild. When a trial comes upon a Muslim, he will say, 'This will surely cause my death,' and after some time, that too will pass. Whoever among you wishes to be saved from the fire of Hell and to enter Paradise, let death come to him while he believes in Allah and the Last Day, and let him give to people what he likes to receive himself. And whoever gives allegiance to an Imam, giving him the pledge of his hand and the fruit of his heart, then let him obey him as much as possible, and if another man comes to dispute with him, then strike the neck of the latter." The narrator says: I pushed my head among the people and said to Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him), "I ask you by Allah, did you hear this from the Prophet (peace be upon him) yourself?" He pointed to his ears with his hand and said, "Both my ears heard this and my heart preserved it." I said, "Your cousin (he meant, according to his assumption, Sayyiduna Amir Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, whereas the reality was otherwise) commands us to unjustly consume each other's wealth and to kill ourselves, while Allah Almighty says: 'O you who believe! Do not consume each other's wealth unjustly among yourselves.'" Upon hearing this, Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) joined both his hands and placed them on his forehead, bowed his head for a while, then raised his head and said: "Obey them in matters of obedience to Allah, and disobey them in matters of disobedience to Allah."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Amr, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was neither indecent by nature nor did he behave indecently deliberately, and he said: "The best among you are those who have the best character."

Sayyiduna Ibn Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) once narrated during Tawaf that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There are no days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these days." Someone asked, "Not even Jihad in the way of Allah?" He said: "Not even Jihad in the way of Allah, except for a man who goes out with his life and wealth and does not return with anything, until his blood is shed." The narrator says that "these days" refers to the ten days of Dhul-Hijjah.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Amr, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Recite the Qur'an once in a month, then keep reducing (the interval) until you reach seven days."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) that a Bedouin came to the presence of the Messenger and asked a question: O Messenger of Allah! What is the Sur? He replied: "It is a horn in which it will be blown."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) that once the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: "What will become of you when you will be among idle and inferior people?" I said, "O Messenger of Allah! How will that be?" The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When there will be corruption in promises and trusts, and people will become like this (the narrator interlaced his fingers to demonstrate)." I said, "O Messenger of Allah! What is your command for me at that time?" He said: "Fear Allah, adopt good deeds, avoid evil deeds, associate with the elite, and keep yourself away from the common people."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) that he heard the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: Whoever seeks fame among people through his deeds, Allah hands him over to them and humiliates and disgraces him. Upon saying this, tears began to flow from the eyes of Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Amr, may Allah be pleased with him, that whatever I heard from the tongue of the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, I used to write it down so that I could remember it. The people of Quraysh forbade me from this and said, "You write down everything you hear from the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, even though the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, is also a human being; sometimes he speaks in anger and sometimes in happiness." After what those people said, I stopped writing and mentioned this to the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. The Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Write! By the One in whose hand is my soul, nothing comes out from my tongue except the truth."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) that I heard the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: Allah Almighty will not take away knowledge by snatching it from among the people, but He will take away knowledge by taking away the scholars. Until, when no scholar remains, people will take the ignorant as their leaders, and they will be asked for religious rulings, and they will issue fatwas without knowledge. As a result, they will go astray themselves and will lead others astray as well.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Amr, may Allah be pleased with him, that once I saw the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, performing voluntary prayers while sitting. I said, "I have been told that you say the reward for praying while sitting is half of that of praying while standing?" The Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "I am not like you."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) that when the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) saw two garments dyed with safflower on his body, he said: "This is the clothing of the disbelievers, do not wear it."

Abu Subrah says that Ubaidullah bin Ziyad used to ask various people about the Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) Pond, and even though he had already asked this question to Sayyiduna Abu Barzah Aslami (may Allah be pleased with him), Bara bin Azib (may Allah be pleased with him), Aidh bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him), and another companion (may Allah be pleased with him), he still denied the Hawd al-Kawthar. One day I said to him, “I will narrate to you such a hadith in which there is complete healing for this issue. Once your father gave me some wealth and sent me to Sayyiduna Amir Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him). I met Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him), and he narrated to me a hadith which he himself had heard from the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). He dictated that hadith to me, and I wrote it down with my own hand without omitting or adding a single letter.” He narrated to me this hadith: The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “Allah Almighty does not like any kind of indecency, whether deliberate or unintentional. And the Hour will not be established until indecency becomes widespread everywhere, severing of ties of kinship, wrongdoing, and bad neighbors become common, and until the treacherous is considered trustworthy and the trustworthy is considered treacherous.” And he said, “Remember, the place of your appointment is my Pond, whose length and width are equal, that is, from Aylah to Makkah Mukarramah, which is about a month’s journey. Its drinking vessels will be as numerous as the stars. Its water will be whiter than silver. Whoever drinks from it will never feel thirsty again.” Upon hearing this hadith, Ubaidullah bin Ziyad said, “I have not heard a stronger hadith about the Hawd al-Kawthar than this until now.” Thus, he affirmed it and kept that scroll with him.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Amr, may Allah be pleased with him, that I heard the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, saying: A Muslim is one from whose tongue and hand other Muslims are safe, and a Muhajir (emigrant) is one who abandons what Allah has forbidden.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) that I memorized the Holy Qur'an and recited the entire Qur'an in one night. When the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) found out, he said: "I fear that after some time you will become weary. Complete the recitation of the Holy Qur'an once every month." I submitted, "O Messenger of Allah! Allow me to benefit from my strength and youth." This continued, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stopped at twenty, ten, and then seven days. I also requested permission for less than seven days, but the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) refused.