The Book Pertaining to Piety and Softening of Hearts

'A'isha reported: Never could the family of Muhammad (may peace be upon him) (afford to cat to the fill) the bread of wheat beyond three days (successively).

'A'isha reported: Never could the family of Muhammad (may peace. be upon him) (afford to eat) the bread of wheat for three (successive days) until he ran the course of his life.

'A'isha reported: Never could the family of Muhammad (may peace be upon him) (afford to eat) the bread of wheat for two days successively. Even (out of these two days) one (was such wherein he could get) only a date.

'A'isha reported: We the family of Muhammad (may peace be upon him) used to spend (the whole) month in which we (did not need to) kindle the fire as (we had nothing to cook) ; we had only dates and water (to fill our bellies).

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of 'Urwa with the same chain of transmitters (and the words are): " We used to spend-" And he did not make a mention of the family of Muhammad (may peace be upon him), and Abu Kuraib made this addition to his hadith which was transmitted on the authority of Ibn Numair (and the words are):" But this that there was brought to us some meat."

'A'isha reported that Allah's Messenger (way peace be upon him) died (in such a state) that there had been nothing in my wooden tub which a living being could afford to eat but a handful of barley therein. I had been eating out of that for a fairly long duration when I thought of measuring it and it was almost finished.

'A'isha used to say to 'Urwa: Son of my sister, by Allah, I used to see the new moon, then the new moon, then the new moon, i. e. three moons in two months, and fire was not kindled in the house of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him). I ('Urwa) said: Auntie, then what were your means of sustenance? She said: Dates and water. But it (so happened) that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) had some Ansar as his neighbours and they had milch animals and they used to send to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) some milk of their (animals) and he served that to us.

'Urwa b. Zubair reported on the authority of 'A'isha, the wife of Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him), that she said: Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) died (in a state) that it never happened that he could eat to his fill the bread with olive oil twice during a day.

'A'isha reported this hadith through other chains of transmitters also (and the words are) that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) died (in a state) when the people could afford to eat only the dates and water.

'A'isha reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) had died in a state that they could afford to eat two things only: water and dates.

This hadith has been transmitted on the authority of Sufyan and the words are: " We could not afford to eat to the fill even dates and water."

Abu Huraira reported: By Him in Whose Hand is my life and Ibn 'Abbad also said: By One in Whose hand is the life of Abu Huraira, Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) could not afford to provide adequate food to his family which could (fill their bellies) with bread and wheat for three days successively until he left the world.

Abu Hazim reported: I saw Abu Huraira point with his finger many a time and saying: By One in Whose Hand is the life of Abu Huraira, Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) could not eat to his fill and provide his family bread of wheat beyond three days successively until he left the world.

Nu'man b. Bashir said: Don't you eat and drink according to your heart's desire, whereas I saw that your Prophet (may peace be upon him) (at times) could not find even an inferior quality of the dates with which he could fill his belly? Qutaiba, however, did not make a mention of It.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Simak with the same chain of transmitters, with this addition of words: " You are not satisfied with the qualities of dates and butter."

Simak b. Barb reported: I heard Nu'man deliver an address in which he said that (Hadrat) Umar made a mention of what had fallen to the lot of people out of the material world and he said: I saw Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) spend the whole day being upset because of hunger and he could not get even an interior quality of dates with which he could fill his belly.

'Abd al-Rahman al-Hubuli reported: I heard that a person asked 'Abdullah b. 'Amr b. 'Asas saying: Are we not amongst the destitute of the emigrants? Abdullah said to him: Have you a spouse with whom you live? He said: Yes. He again said: Then you are amongst the rich. He said: I have a servant also. Thereupon he (Abdullah b. 'Amr b. 'As) said: Then you are amongst the kings. Abu 'Abdal-Rahman reported that three persons came to 'Abdullah b. Amr b. 'As while I was sitting with him and they said: By Allah, we have nothing with us either in the form of provision, riding animals or wealth. Thereupon he said to them: I am prepared to do whatever you like. If you come to us, we would give you what Allah would make available for you. and if you like I would make a mention of your case to the ruler, and if you like you can show patience also. for I have beard Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: Destitute amongst the emigrants would precede the rich emigrants by forty years in getting into Paradise on the Day of Resurrection. Thereupon they said: We then, show patience and do not ask for anything.

'Abdullah b. Umar reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said in connection with the people of Hijr (Thamud): Do not enter but weepingly (the habitations) of these people who bad been punished by (Allah), and in case you do not feel inclined to weep, then do not enter (these habitations) that you may not meet the same calamity as had fallen to their lot.

Ibn Shihab reported, and he had been talking about the stony abodes of Thamud, and he said: Salim b. 'Abdullah reported that 'Abdullah b. Umar said: We were passing along with Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) through the habitations of Hijr, and Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Do not enter but weepingly the habitations of these persons who committed tyranny among themselves, lest the same calamity should fall upon you as it fell upon them. He then urged his mount to proceed quickly and pass through that valley hurriedly.

Abdullah b. 'Umar reported that the people encamped along with Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) in the valley of Hijr, the habitations of Thamud, and they quenched their thirst from the wells thereof and kneaded the flour with it. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) commanded that the water collected for drinking should be spilt and the flour should be given to the camels and commanded them that the water for drinking should be taken from that well where the she-camel (of Hadrat Salih) used to come.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of 'Abdullah with the same chain of transmitters but with a slight variation of wording.

Abu Huraira reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: One who makes efforts (for earning to be spent) on a widow and the destitute is like a striver in the cause of Allah, and I think he also said: He is like one who constantly stands for prayer and observes fast without breaking it.

Abu Huraira reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: One who looks after the orphan whether he is his relative or not, I and he would be together in Paradise like this, and Malik (explained it) with the gesture by drawing his index finger and middle finger close together.

Abdullah al-Khaulani reported that when Uthman b. 'Affan tried to rebuild the mosque of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) the people began to talk about this. Uthman b. 'Affan said: You discuss it very much whereas I have heard Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: He who builds a mosque-- and the narrator Bukair said: I think he also said: (for) seeking the pleasure of Allah- Allah would build (a similar house for him in Paradise). and in the narration of Harun (the words are):" A house for him in Paradise."

Mahmud b. Labid reported that 'Uthman b. 'Affan decided to rebuild the mosque (of Allah's Apostle in Medina) but the people did not like this idea and they wished that it should be preserved in the same (old) form. Thereupon he (Hadrat 'Uthman) said: I heard Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: He who builds a mosque for Allah, Allah would build for him (a house) in Paradise like it.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Ja'far with the same chain of transmitters with this variation (that the words are): " Allah would build for him a house in Paradise."

Abu Huraira reported: While a person was in the wilderness he heard a voice from the cloud (commanding it thus): Irrigate the garden of so and so. (After that the clouds slinked aside and poured water on a stony ground. It filled a channel amongst the channels of that land and that person followed that water and he found a person standing in the garden busy in changing the course of water with the help of a hatchet. He said to him: Servant of Allah, what is your name? he said: So and so. And it was that very name which he had heard from the clouds. and he said to him: Servant of Allah, why do you ask me my name? He said: I beard a voice from the clouds of which It is the downpour, saying: Water the garden of so and to. like your name. What do you do (for the favour) shown to you by Allah in this matter? He said: Now as you state so. I look what yield I get from it. and I give one-third as charity out of it and I and my children eat one-third of it and one-third I return to it as investment.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Wahb b. Kaisan with the same chain of transmitters but with this change that he said: " I earmark one-third for the poor, the needy and the wayfarers."

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as stating that Allah the Most High and Exalted said: I am the One, One Who does not stand in need of a partner. If anyone does anything in which he associates anyone else with Me, I shall abandon him with one whom he associates with Allah.