The Book of Faith

Ibn Mas'ud says: I heard the Messenger of Allah observing: He who took an oath on the property of a Muslim without legitimate right would meet Allah and He would be angry, with him. Then the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) in support of his contention recited the verse:" Verily those who barter Allah's covenant and their oaths at a small price.

It is narrated on the authority of Wa'il that there came a person from Hadramaut and another one from Kinda to the Apostle (may peace be upon him). One who had come from Hadramaut said: Messenger of Allah, only this man has appropriated my land which belonged to my father. The one who had came from Kinda contended. This is my land and is in my possession: I cultivate it. There is no right for him in it. The Messenger of Allah said to the Hadramite: Have you any evidence (to support you)? He replied in the negative. He (the Apostle of Allah) said: Then your case is to be decided on his oath. He (the Hadramite) said: Messenger of Allah, he is a liar and cares not what he swears and has no regard for anything. Upon this he (the Messenger of Allah) remarked: For you then there is no other help to it. He (the man from Kinda) set out to take an oath. When he turned his back the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) observed: If he took an oath on his property with a view to usurping it, he would certainly meet his Lord in a state that He would turn away from him.

Wa'il reported it on the authority of his father Hujr: I was with the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) that two men came there disputing over a piece of land. One of them said: Messenger of Allah, this man appropriated my land without justification in the days of ignorance. The (claimant) was Imru'l-Qais b. 'Abis al-Kindi and his opponent was Rabi'a b. 'Iban He (the Holy Prophet) said (to the claimant): Have you evidence (to substantiate your claim)? He replied: I have no evidence. Upon this he (the Messenger of Allah) remarked: Then his (that is of the defendant) is the oath. He (the claimant) said: In this case he (the defendant) would appropriate this (the property). He (the Holy Prophet) said: There is than no other way left for you but this. He (the narrator) said: When he (the defendant) stood up to take oath, the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: He who appropriated the land wrongfully would meet Allah in a state that He would be angry with him. Ishaq in his narration mentions Rabi'a b. 'Aidan (instead of Rabi'a b. 'Ibdan).

Abu Huraira reported: A person came to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) and said: Messenger of Allah, what do you think if a man comes to me in order to appropriate my possession? He (the Holy Prophet) said: Don't surrender your possession to him. He (the inquirer) said: If he fights me? He (the Holy Prophet) remarked: Then fight (with him). He (the inquirer) again said: What do you think if I am killed? He (the Holy Prophet) observed: You would be a martyr. He (the inquirer) said: What do you think of him (Messenger of Allah) If I kill him. He (the Holy Prophet) said: he would be in the Fire.

It is narrated on the authority of Thabit, that when 'Abdullah b. 'Amr and 'Anbasa b. Abi Sufyan were about to fight against each other, Khalid b. 'As rode to 'Abdullah b. 'Amr and persuaded him (not to do so). Upon this Abdullah b. 'Amr said: Are you not aware that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) had observed:" He who died in protecting his property is a martyr." This hadith has been narrated by Muhammad b. Hatim, Muhammad b. Bakr, Ahmad b. 'Uthman Naufali, Abu 'Asim, Ibn Juraij.

Hasan reported: 'Ubaidullah b. Ziyad paid a visit to Ma'qil b. Yasar Muzani in his illness of which he (later on) died. (At this juncture) Ma'qil said: I am going to narrate to you a hadith which I have heard from the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) and which I would not have transmitted if I knew that I would survive. Verily I have heard the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) say: There is none amongst the bondsmen who was entrusted with the affairs of his subjects and he died in such a state that he was dishonest in his dealings with those over whom he ruled that the Paradise is not forbidden for him.

Hasan reported: Ubaidullah b. Ziyad went to see Ma'qil b. Yasir and he was ailing. He ('Ubaidullah) inquired (about his health) to which he (Ma'qil) replied: I am narrating to you a hadith which I avoided narrating to you (before). Verily the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) observed: Allah does not entrust to his bondsman the responsibility of managing the affairs of his subjects and he dies as a dishonest (ruler) but Paradise is forbidden by Allah for such a (ruler). He (Ibn Ziyad) said: Why did you not narrate it to me before this day? He replied: I (in fact) did not narrate it to you as it was not (fit) for me to narrate that to you.

Hasan reported: We were with Ma'qil b. Yasar inquiring about his health that Ubaidullah b. Ziyad came there. Ma'qil said to him: Verily I am going to narrate to you a hadith which I heard from the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him). Then he narrated the hadith like those two (mentioned above).

It is narrated on the authority of Abu Malih that Ubaidullah b. Ziyad visited Ma'qil b. Yasar in his illness. Ma'qil said to him: I am narrating to you a hadith which I would have never narrated to you had I not been in death-bed. I heard Allah's apostle (may peace be upon him) say: A ruler who has been entrusted with the affairs of the Muslims but he makes no endeavors ( for the material and moral uplift) and does not sincerely mean (their welfare) would not enter Paradise along with them.

Hudhaifa reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) narrated to us two ahadith. I have seen one (crystallized into reality), and I am waiting for the other. He told us: Trustworthiness descended in the innermost (root) of the hearts of people. Then the Qur'an was revealed and they learnt from the Qur'an and they learnt from the Sunnah. Then he (the Holy Prophet) told us about the removal of trustworthiness. He said: The man would have a wink of sleep and trustworthiness would be taken away from his heart leaving the impression of a faint mark. He would again sleep and trustworthiness would be taken away from his heart leaving an impression of a blister, as if you rolled down an ember on your foot and it was vesicled. He would see a swelling having nothing in it. He (the Holy Prophet) then took up a pebble and rolled it down over his foot and (said): The people would enter into transactions amongst one another and hardly a person would be left who would return (things) entrusted to him. (And there would be so much paucity of honest persons) till it would be said: There in such a such tribe is a trustworthy man. And they would also say about a person: How prudent he is, how broad-minded he is and how intelligent he is, whereas in his heart there would not be faith even to the weight of a mustard seed. I have passed through a time in which I did not care with whom amongst you I entered into a transaction, for if he were a Muslim his faith would compel him to discharge his obligations to me and it he were a Christian or a Jew, the ruler would compel him to discharge his obligations to me. But today I would not enter into a transaction with you except so and so.

This hadith has been transmitted by another chain of transmitters: Ibn Numair, Waki', Ishaq b. Ibrahim, 'Isa b. Yunus on the authority of A'mash.

It is narrated on the authority of Hudhaifa: We were sitting in the company of Umar and he said: Who amongst you has heard the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) talking about the turmoil? Some people said: It is we who heard it. Upon this be remarked: Perhaps by turmoil you presume the unrest of man in regard to his household or neighbour, they replied: Yes. He ('Umar) observed: Such (an unrest) would be done away with by prayer, fasting and charity. But who amongst you has heard from the Apostle (may peace be upon him) describing that turmoil which would come like the wave of the ocean. Hudhaifa said: The people hushed into silence, I replied: It is I. He ('Umar) said: Ye, well, your father was also very pious. Hudhaifa said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (may peace be, upon him ) observing: Temptations will be presented to men's hearts as reed mat is woven stick by stick and any heart which is impregnated by them will have a black mark put into it, but any heart which rejects them will have a white mark put in it. The result is that there will become two types of hearts: one white like a white stone which will not be harmed by any turmoil or temptation, so long as the heavens and the earth endure; and the other black and dust-coloured like a vessel which is upset, not recognizing what is good or rejecting what is abominable, but being impregnated with passion. Hudhaifa said: I narrated to him ('Umar): There is between you and that (turmoil) a closed door, but there is every likelihood of its being broken. 'Umar said: Would it be broken? You have, been rendered fatherless. Had it been opened, it would have been perhaps closed also. I said: No, it would be broken, and I narrated to him: Verily that door implies a person who would be killed or die. There is no mistake in this hadith. Abu Khalid narrated: I said to Sa'd, O Abu Malik, what do you mean by the term" Aswad Murbadda"? He replied: High degree of whiteness in blackness. I said: What is meant by" Alkoozu Mujakhiyyan"? He replied: A vessel turned upside down.

It is narrated on the authority of Rib'i (b. Hirash). When Hudhaifa came from 'Umar he sat down to narrate to us and said: Verily yesterday when I was sitting with the Commander of the believers he asked his companions: When amongst you retains in his memory the utterance of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) with regard to the turmoil? -and he cited the hadith like the hadith narrated on the authority of Abu Khalid, but he did not mention the exposition of his words (Murbaddan) and (Mujakhiyyan).

It is transmitted by Rib'i b. Hirash. who narrated it on the authority of Hudhaifa that verily 'Umar said: Who would narrate to us or who amongst you would narrate to us (and Hudhaifa was one amongst them) what the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) had said about the turmoil? Hudhaifa said: I will, and recited the hadith like that transmitted by Abu Malik on the authority of Rib'i and he observed in connection with this hadith that Hudhaifa remarked: I am narrating to you a hadith and it has no mistake, and said: That it is transmitted from he Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him).

It is narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Islam initiated as something strange, and it would revert to its (old position) of being strange. so good tidings for the stranger.

It is narrated on the authority of Ibn 'Umar ('Abdullah b. 'Umar) that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) observed: Verily Islam started as something strange and it would again revert (to its old position) of being strange just as it started, and it would recede between the two mosques just as the serpent crawls back into its hole.

It is narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Verily the faith would recede to Medina just as the serpent crawls back into its hole.

It is narrated on the authority of Anas that verily the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) observed: The Hour (Resurrection) would not come so long as Allah is supplicated in the world.

It is narrated on the authority of Anas that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: The Hour (Resurrection) would not come upon anyone so long as he supplicates Allah.

Hudhaifa reported: We were in the company of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) when he said. Count for me those who profess al-Islam. We said: Messenger of Allah, do you entertain any fear concerning us and we are (at this time) between six hundred and seven hundred (in strength). He (the Holy Prophet) remarked: You don't perceive; you may be put to some trial, He (the narrator) said: We actually suffered trial so much so that some of our men were constrained to offer their prayers in concealment.

Sa'd narrated it on the authority of his father (Abi Waqqas) that he observed: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) distributed shares (of booty among his Companions). I said: Messenger of Allah! Give it to so and so, for verily he is a believer. Upon this the Apostle of Allah remarked: Or a Muslim. I (the narrator) repeated it (the word" believer" ) thrice and he (the Holy Prophet) turned his back upon me (and substituted the word)" Muslim," and then observed: I bestow it (this share) to a man out of apprehension lest Allah should throw him prostrate into the fire (of Hell) whereas in fact the other man is dearer to me than he.

It is narrated on the authority of Sa'd that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) bestowed upon a group of persons (things), and Sa'd was sitting amongst them. Sa'd said: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) ignored some of them. And he who was ignored seemed to be more deserving in my eyes (as compared with others). I (Sa'd) said: Messenger of Allah I why is it that you did not give to such and such (man)? Verily I see him a believer. Upon this the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) observed: Or a Muslim? I kept quiet for some time but I was again impelled (to express) what I knew about him. I said: Messenger of Allah why is it that you did not give it to such and such? Verily, by Allah, see him a believer. Upon this the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) remarked: (Nay, not a believer) but a Muslim. He (Sa'd) said: I again kept quite for some time but what I knew about him again impelled me (to express my opinion) and I said: Why is it that you did not give (the share) to so and so: By Allah, verily I see him a believer. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) remarked; (Nay, not so) but a Muslim. Verily (at times) I give (a share) to a certain man apprehending that he may not be thrown prostrate in the Fire, whereas the other man (who is not given) is dearer to me (as compared with him).

Sa'd reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) bestowed upon a group of persons (booty) and I was sitting with them. The remaining part of the hadith is the same as mentioned (above) with the additionI stood up and went to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) and whispered to him: Why did you omit such and such a man?

The same hadith has been narrated on the authority of Muhammad b Sa'd and these words (are also there): The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) gave a stroke on my neck or between my two shoulders and said: Sa'd, do you fight with me simply because I gave (a share) to a man?

It is narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) observed: We have more claim to doubt than Ibrahim (may peace be upon him) when he said: My Lord! Show me how Thou wilt quicken the dead. He said: Believeth thou not? He said: Yes! But that my heart may rest at ease. He (the Holy Prophet) observed: May Lord take mercy on Lot, that he wanted a strong support, and had I stayed (in the prison) as long as Yusuf stayed, I would have responded to him who invited me.

'Abdullah b. Muhammad narrated the same hadith on the authority of Abu Huraira and in the transmission by Malik the words are that he (the Holy Prophet) recited the verse: " but that my heart may rest at ease" and completed it.

This hadith has also been narrated by Abd b. Humaid Ya'qub, i. e. son of Ibrahim b. Sa'd, Abu Uwais, Zuhri, like the one narrated by Malik with the same chain of transmission and said: He recited this verse till he completed it.

It is narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) observed: There has never been a Prophet amongst the prophets who was not bestowed with a sign amongst the signs which were bestowed (on the earlier prophets). Human beings believed in it and verily I have been conferred upon revelation (the Holy Qur'an) which Allah revealed to me. I hope that I will have the greatest following on the Day of Resurrection.

It is narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) observed: By Him in Whose hand is the life of Muhammad, he who amongst the community of Jews or Christians hears about me, but does not affirm his belief in that with which I have been sent and dies in this state (of disbelief), he shall be but one of the denizens of Hell-Fire.