The Book of Pilgrimage

Amir b. Sa'd reported on the authority of his father (Allah be pleased with him) that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: I have declared sacred the territory between the two lava plains of Medina, so its trees should not be cut down, or its game killed; and he also said: Medina is best for them if they knew. No one leaves it through dislike of it without Allah putting in it someone better than he in place of him; and no one will stay there in spite of its hardships and distress without my being an intercessor or witness on behalf of him on the Day of Resurrection.

'Amir b. Sa'd b. Abu Waqqas reported on the authority of his father (Allah be pleased with him) that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said, and then the (above-mentioned) hadith was narrated with this addition: " None should nurse ill-will towards the people of Medina, or Allah will melt him in fire like the melting of lead or the dissolution of salt in water.

'Amir b. Sa'd reported that Sa'd rode to his castle in al-'Aqiq and found a slave cutting down the trees, or beating off their leaves, so he stripped him off his belongings. When Sa'd returned, there came to him the masters of the slave and negotiated with him asking him to return to their slave or to them what he had taken from their slave, whereupon he said: God forbid that I should return anything which Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) has given me as spoil, and refused to return anything to them.

Anas b. Malik (Allah be pleased with him) reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said to Abu Talha (Allah be pleased with him): Find for me a servant from amongst your boys to serve me. Abu Talha went out along with me and made me sit behind him. And I used to serve Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) whenever he got down from the camel. And in one hadith he said: He proceeded and when (the mountain of) Uhud was within sight, he said: This is the mountain which loves us and we love it. And as he came close to Medina he said: O Allah, I declare (the area) between the two mountains of it (Medina) sacred just as Ibrahim declared Mecca as sacred. O Allah, bless them (the people of Medina) in their mudd and sa'.

Anas b. Malik reported a hadith like this from Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) except with this variation that he said: " I declare sacred the area between its two lava mountains."

'Asim reported: I asked Anas b. Malik whether Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) had declared Medina as sacred. He said: Yes. (the area) between so and so. He who made any innovation in it, and further said to me: It is something serious to make any innovation in it (and he who does it) there is upon him the curse of Allah, and that of the angels and of all the people, Allah will not accept from him on the Day of Resurrection either obligatory acts or the surpererogatory acts. Ibn Anas said: Or he accommodates an innovator.

'Asim reported: I asked Anas (Allah be pleased with him) whether Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) had declared Medina as sacred. He said: Yes, it is sacred, so its tree is not to be cut; and he who did that let the curse of Allah and that of the angels and of all people be upon him.

Anas b. Malik (Allah be pleased with him) reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Allah bless them in their measurements, bless them in their sa's and bless them in their mudd.

Anas b. Malik (Allah he pleased with him) reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: O Allah, increase in Medina twice the blessings (Thou showered) on Mecca.

Ibrahim al-Taimi reported on the authority of his father: 'Ali b. Abi Talib (Allah be pleased with him) addressed us and said: He who thought that we have besides the Holy Qur'an anything else that we recite, he told a lie. And this document which is hanging by the sheath of the sword contains but the ages of the camels, and the nature of the wounds. He (Hadrat 'Ali) reported Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) as saying: Medina is sacred from 'Air to Thaur; So if anyone makes an innovation or accommodates an innovator, the curse of Allah, the angels, and all persons will fall upon him, and Allah will not accept any obligatory or supererogatory act as recompense from them. And the protection granted by the Muslims is one and must be respected by the humblest of them. If anyone makes a false claim to paternity, or being a client of other than his own masters, there is upon him the curse of Allah, the angels, and all the people. Allah will not accept from him any recompense in the form of obligatory acts or supererogatory acts. The hadith transmitted on the authority of Abu Bakr and Zabair ends with (these words): The humblest among them should respect it; and what follows after it is not mentioned there, and in the hadith transmitted by them (these words are) not found: (The document was hanging) on the sheath of his sword.

A hadith like this has been narrated on the authority of A'mash with the same chain of transmitters (but at the end) these words are added: " He who violated the covenant with a Muslim, there is upon him the curse of Allah, of angels and of all people. Neither an obligatory act nor a supererogatory act would be accepted from him as recompense on the Day of Resurrection; and in the hadith transmitted by two other narrators these words are not found:" He who claimed false paternity." And in the hadith transmitted by Waki' there is no mention of the Day of Resurrection.

A hadith like this has been narrated with the same chain of transmitters by A'mash with a slight variation of words.

Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) as saying: Medina is a sacred territory, so he who made any innovation in it. or gave protection to an innovator, there is upon him the curse of Allah, that of the angels and that of all the people. There would not be accepted on the Day of Resurrection either obligatory acts or supererogatory acts from him.

A hadith like this has been narrated on the authority of A'mash with the same chain of transmitters, but no mention has been made of the Day of Resurrection. But this addition is made: " The protection granted by Muslims is one and must be respected by the humblest of them. And he who broke the covenant made by a Muslim, there is a curse of Allah, of his angels, and of the whole people upon him, and neither an obligatory act nor a supererogatory act would be accepted from him as recompense on the Day of Resurrection."

Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) reported: If I were to see deer grazing in Medina, I would have never molested them, for Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) has stated: There is between the two lava mountains a sacred territory.

Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) declared sacred the territory between two lava mountains of Medina. Abu Huraira said: If I were to find deer in the territory between the two mountains, I would not molest them, and he (the Holy Prophet) declared twelve miles of suburb around Medina as a prohibited pasture.

Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) reported that when the people saw the first fruit (of the season or of plantation) they brought it to Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him). When he received it he said: O Allah, bless us in our fruits; and bless us in our city; and bless us in our sa's and bless us in our mudd. O Allah, Ibrahim was Thy servant, Thy friend, and Thy apostle; and I am Thy servant and Thy apostle. He (Ibrahim) made supplication to Thee for (the showering of blessings upon) Mecca, and I am making supplication to Thee for Medina just as he made supplication to Thee for Mecca, and the like of it in addition. He would then call to him the youngest child and give him these fruits.

Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) was given the first fruit and he said: O Allah, shower blessings upon us in our city, and in our fruits, in our mudd and in our sa's, blessings upon blessings, and he would then give that to the youngest of the children present there.

Abu Sa'id Maula al-Mahri reported that they were hard pressed by the distress and hardship of Medina, and he come to AbU Sa'Id al-Khudri and said to him: I have a large family (to support) and we are enduring hardships; I have, therefore, made up my mind to take my family to some fertile land. Thereupon Abu Sa'id said: Don't do that, stick to Medina, for we have come out with Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him), and (I think that he also said) until we reached 'Usfan, and he (the Holy Prophet along with his Companions) stayed there for some nights. There the people said: By Allah, we are lying here idle, whereas our children are unprotected behind us, and we do not feel secure about them. This (apprehension of theirs) reached Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him), whereupon he said: What is this matter concerning you that has reached me? (I do not retain how he said it, whether he said like this: ) By Him (in the name of Whom) I take oath, (or he said like this: ) By Him in Whose Hand is my life, I made up my mind or if you like (I do not retain what word did he actually say), I should command my camel to proceed and not to let it halt until it comes to Medina and then said: Ibrahim declared Mecca as the sacred territory and it became sacred, and I declare Medina as the sacred territory-the area between the two mountains ('Air and Uhud). Thus no blood is to be shed within its (bounds) and no weapon is to be carried for fighting, and the leaves of the trees there should not be beaten off except for fodder. O Allah, bless us in our city; O Allab, bless us in our sil; O Allah, bless us in our mudd; O Allah, bless us in our sa; O Allah, bless us in our mudd. O Allah, bless us in our city. O Allah, bless with this blessing two more blessings. By Him in Whose Hand is my life, there is no ravine or mountain path of Medina which is not protected by two angels until you reach there. (He then said to the people: ) Proceed, and we, therefore, proceeded and we came to Medina By Him (in Whose name) we take oath and (in Whose name) oath is taken (Hammad is in doubt about it), we had hardly put down our camel saddles on arriving at Medina that we were attacked by the people of the tribe of 'Abdullah b. Ghatafan but none dared to do it before.

Abu Sa'id al-Kbudri (Allah be pleased with him) reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: O Allah, bless us in our sa' and mud and shower with its blessings two other blessings (multiply blessings showerted upon it).

A hadith like this has been narrated by Yabya b. Abu Kathir with the same chain of transmitters.

Abu Sa'id Maula al-Mahri reported that he came to Abu Sa'id al-Khudri during the nights (of the turmoil) of al-Barrah, and sought his advice about leaving Medina, and complained of the high prices prevailing therein and his large family, and informed him that he could not stand the hardships of Medina and its rugged surrounding. He said to him: Woe to you; I will not advise you to do it, for I heard Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: No one will endure hardships of Medina without my being an intercessor or a witness on his behalf on the Day of Resurrectiar), if he is a Muslim.

Abd al-Rahman reported on the authority of his father Abu Sa'id (Allah be pleased with him) that he heard Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: I have declared sacred what is between the two lava grounds of Medina just as Ibrahim (peace be upon him) declared Mecca as sacred. He (the narrator) then said: Abu Sa'id caught hold of (Abu Bakr, another narrator, used the word" found" ) a bird in his hand and then released it from his hand and set it free.

Sahl b. Hunif reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) pointed with his hands towards Medina and said: That is a sacred territory and a place of safety.

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported: When we came to Medina, and it was an unhealthy, uncogenial place, Abu Bakr fell sick and Bilal also fell sick; and when Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) saw the illness of his Companions he said: O Allah, make Medina as congenial to us as you made Mecca congenial or more than that; make it conducive to health, and bleesus in its sa' and in its mudd, and transfer its fever to al-juhfa.

This hadith has been narrated by Hisham b. 'Urwa with the same chain of transmitters.

Ibn 'Umar (Allah be pleased with them) reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: He who patiently endures the hardships of it (of this city of Medina), I would be an intercessor or a withness on his behalf on the Day of Resurrection.

Yuhannis, the freed slave of Zubair, narrated that when he was sitting with Abdullah b. 'Umar (Allah be pleased with him) during the days of turmoil, his freed slave-girl came to him. After saluting him she said: Abu Abd al-Rahmin, I have decided to leave (Medina) for the time is hard for us, whereupon Abdullah said to her: Stay here, foolish lady, for I have heard Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: For one who shows endurance on the hardships and rigour of it (of Medina) I would be an intercessor or a witness on his behalf on the Day of Resurrection.

Abdullah b. 'Umar (Allah be pleased with them) said: I heard Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: He who patiently endured the hardships and rigours of (this city, i. e. Medina), I would be his witness and intercessor on the Day of Resurrection.

Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) reported the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) as saying: For one among my Ummah who shows endurance against the hardships and rigours of Medina, I would be an intercessor or a witness on his behalf on the Day of Resurrection.