The Book Pertaining to the Merits of the Companions (Allah Be Pleased With Them) of the Holy Prophet

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: The best women who ride the camels are the pious women of the Quraish; they treat with affection children in their childhood and keep a strict watch on the wealth of their spouses.

This hadith has been reported on the authority of Abu Huraira with the same chain of transmitters.

Anas reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) established fraternity between Abu Ubaida b. Jarrah and Abu Talha.

It was said to Anas b. Malik: You must have heard this that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: There is no alliance (hilf) of brotherhood in Islam. Anas said: Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) established the bond of fraternity between the Quraish and the Ansar in his home.

Anas reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) established fraternity between the Quraish and the Ansar in his house at Medina.

Jubair b. Mut'im reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: There is no alliance (hilf) in Islam but (the hilf) established in the pre-Islamic days (for good). Islam intensifies and strengthens it.

Abu Burda reported on the authority of his father: We offered the sunset prayer along with Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him). We then said: If we sit (along with Allah's Messenger) and observe night prayer with him it would be very good, so we sat down and he came to us and said: You are still sitting here. I said: Allah's Messenger, we observed evening prayer with you, then we said: Let us sit down and observe night prayer along with you, whereupon he said: You have done well or you have done right. He then lifted his head towards the sky and it often happened that as he lifted his head towards the sky, he said: The stars are a source of security for the sky and when the stars disappear there comes to the sky, i. e. (it meets the same fate) as it has been promised (it would plunge into darkness). And I am a source of safety and security to my Companions and when I would go away there would fall to the lot (of my Companions) as they have been promised with and my Companions are a source of security for the Umma and as they would go there would fall to the lot of my Umma as (its people) have been promised.

Abu Sa'id Khudri reported Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) as saying: A time would come for the people when groups of people would set out for fighting in the cause of Allah and it would be said to them: Is there one amongst you who saw Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him)? And they would say: Yes, and they would be victorious. Then the people would set out for fighting in the cause of Allah and it would be said to them: Is there one amongst you who saw those (who have had the privilege of sitting in the company of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him)? And they would say: Yes, and victory would be granted to them. Then a group of persons would set out for fighting in the cause of Allah and it would be said to them: Is there one amongst you who saw one of those who saw those who (had the privilege) of sitting in the company of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him)? And they would say: Yes, and the Victory would be granted to them.

Abu Sa'id Khudri reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: There would come to the people a time when a detachment would be sent for fighting in the cause of Allah and they would say: See, if you can find amongst them someone from amongst the Companions of Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him). They would find a person and they would be granted victory because of him. Then a second detachment would be sent to them and they would say: Do you find amongst them one who had had the privilege of seeing the Companions of the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him)? -and the victory would be granted to them because of him. Then the third detachment would be sent and it would be said to them: See, if you find amongst them (who had had the honour of seeing one) who saw those who saw the Companions of Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him). Then the fourth detachment would be sent and it would be said to them: See it you find amongst them one who had the privilege (of seeing) one who saw those who saw those who saw the Companions of Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him), and a person would be found and they would be granted victory because of him.

Abdullah reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: The best of my Umma would be those of the generation nearest to mine. Then those nearest to them, then those nearest to them, then people would come whose witness would precede the oath and the oath will precede the witness. Hannad has not made the mention of Qarn in his narration. Qutaiba said that, instead of the word Qaum, the word Aqwam has been used.

Abdullah reported: It was asked from Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) who amongst the people were the best. He said: (People) of my generation, then those next to them, then those next to them, then there would come a people whose evidence would precede their oath and their oath would precede their evidence. Ibrahim said: They forbade us to make vows and bear witness when we were too young.

This hadith has been transmitted by Mansur on the authority of Abu al-Ahwas and Jarir with a slight variation of wording.

'Abdullah (b. Mas'ud) reported Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) as saying: The best among people are of my generation, then those next to them. (The narrator said): I do not know whether (he said) it three times or four times. Then there would fellow after them such persons whose evidence would precede the oath, and in case of some others, the oath (would precede) the evidence.

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may, peace be upon him) as saying: The best age of my Umma is one in which I was sent (by Allah as an Apostle), then the one next to that. (The narrator said): And Allah knows best whether he stated this third (time) or not. Then there would come people who would love (to look) bulky and they would hasten to the witness box before they are asked to bear witness.

This hadith has been reported on the authority of Abu Huraira through another chain of transmitters (but with this variation) that Abu Huraira said: I do not know whether he (the Holy Prophet) said (these words:" Then next" ) twice or thrice.

Imran b. Husain reported Allah's-Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: The best among you (are) the people (who belong to) my age. Then those next to them, then those next to them, then those next to them. 'Imran said: I do not know whether Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said twice or thrice (the words:" Then next" ) after (saying) about his (own age but he then said): Then after them (after successors or those who would succeed them) would come a people who would give evidence before they are asked for it, and would be dishonest and not trustworthy, who would make vows but would not fulfil them, and would be significant in being bulky.

This hadith has been reported on the authority of Shu'ba with the same chain of transmitters (and the words are): I do not know whether he made a mention of two generations after his generation or of the third one too. Shababa said: I heard this from Zahdam b. Mudarrib as he came to me riding a horse for some need and he narrated it to me that he had heard it from 'Imran b. Husain, and in the hadith transmitted on the authority of Yahya and Shababa (the words are): They take an oath but they do not fulfil it, and in the hadith transmitted on the authority of Bahz there the word is Yafun as transmitted on the authority of Ibn Ja'far.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of 'Imran b. Husain through another chain of transmitters (and the words are): The best generation of this Umma is the generation to which I have been sent, then the next one, and there is an addition in the hadith transmitted on the authority of Abu 'Awana (and the words are): And Allah knows best whether he made a mention of the third (generation) or not; the rest of the hadith is the same as transmitted by Zahdam on the authority of 'Imran. And in the hadith transmitted by Hisham on the authority of Qatada there is an addition of these words: They take an oath whereas they are not asked to take.

'A'isha reported that a person asked Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) as to who amongst the people were the best. He said: Of the generation to which I belong, then of the second generation (generation adjacent to my generation), then of the third generation (generation adjacent to the second generation).

'Abdullah b. Umar reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) led us 'Isha' prayer at the latter part of the night and when he had concluded it by salutations he stood up and said: Have you seen this night of yours? At the end of one hundred years after this none would survive on the surface of the earth (from amount my Companions). Ibn Umar said: People were (not understanding) these words of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) which had been uttered pertaining to one hundred years. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) in fact meant (by these words) that on that day none from amongst those who had been living upon the earth (from amongst his Companions) would survive (after one hundred years) and that would be the end of this generation.

This hadith has been transmitted by Zuhri on the authority of Ma'mar.

Jabir b. 'Abdullah reported: I heard Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying this one month before his death: You asked me about the Last Hour whereas its knowledge is with Allah. I, however, take an oath and say that none upon the earth, the created beings (from amongst my Companions), would survive at the end of one hundred years. This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Ibn Juraij with the same chain of transmitters, but there is no mention of the words:" one month before his death".

Jabir b. 'Abdullah reported Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) as saying one mouth before his death (or something like it): None amongst the created beings who had been living by that time (during the lifetime of Allah's Apostle).... 'Abd al-Rahman has interpreted these words of Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) as: The ages (of the people) would be diminished.

This hadith has been reported on the authority of Sulaiman Taimi through other chains of transmitters.

Abu Sa'id reported that when Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) came back from Tabuk they (his Companions) asked about the Last Hour. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: There would be none amongst the created beings living on the earth (who would survive this century).

Jabir b. 'Abdullah reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: None amongst the created beings (from my Companions) would survive after one hundred years. Salim said: We made a mention of it to him (Jabir), whereupon he said: It means those who had been living on that day.

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: Do not revile my Companions, do not revile my Companions. By Him in Whose Hand is my life, if one amongst you would have spent as much gold as Uhud it would not amount to as much as one much on behalf of one of them or half of it.

Abu Sa'id reported there was some altercation between Khalid b. Walid and Abd al-Rahman b. 'Auf and Khalid reviled him. Thereupon Allah's Messwger (may peace be upon him) said: None should revile my Companions. for if one amongst you were to spend as much gold as Uhud, it would not amount to as much as one mudd of one of them or half of it.