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

'A'isha reported that people sent their gifts when it was the turn of 'A'isha seeking thereby the pleasure of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him).

'A'isha, the wife of Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him), said: The wives of Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) sent Fatima, the daughter of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him), to Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him). She ouaht permission to get in as he had been lying with me in my mantle. He gave her permission and she said: Allah's Messenger, verily, your wives have sent me to you in order to ask you to observe equity in case of the daughter of Abu Quhafa. She ('A'isha) said: I kept quiet. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said to her (Fatima): 0 daughter, don't you love whom I love? She said: Yes, (I do). Thereupon he said: I love this one. Fatima then stood up as she heard this from Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and went to the wives of Allatt's Apostle (may peace be upon him) and informed them of what she had said to him and what Allah's messenger (may peace be upon him) had said to her. Thereupon they said to her: We think that you have been of no avail to us. You may again go to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and tell him that his wives seek equity in case of the daughter of Abu Quhafa. Fitima said: By Allah, I will never talk to him about this matter. 'A'isha (further) reported: The wives of Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) then sent Zainab b. jahsh, the wife of Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him), and she was one who was somewhat equal in rank with me in the eyes of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and I have never seen a woman more advanced in religious piety than Zainab, more God-conscious, more truthful, more alive to the ties of blood, more generous and having more. sense of self-sacrifice in practical life and having more charitable disposition and thus more close to God, the Exalted, than her. She, however, lost temper very soon but was soon calm. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) permitted her to enter as she ('A'isha) was along with Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) in her mantle, in the same very state when Fatima had entered. She said: Allah's Messenger, your wives have sent me to you seeking equity in case of the daughter of Abu Quhafa. She then came to me and showed harshness to me and I was seeing the eyes of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) whether he would permit me. Zainab went on until I came to know that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) would not disapprove if I retorted. Then I exchanged hot words until I made her quiet. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) smiled and said: She is the daughter of Abu Bakr. This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Zuhri with the same chain of transmitters, but with a slight variation of wording.

'A'isha reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) during his last illness) inquired: Where I would be tomorrow, where I would be tomorrow (thinking, that the turn of 'A'isha was not very near) and when it was my turn, Allah called him to his Heavenly Home and his head was between my neck and chest.

A'isha reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) at the time of breathing his last was reclining against her chest and she was leaning over him and listening to him as he was saying: O Allah, grant me pardon, show mercy to me, enjoin me to companions (on High).

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Hisham through another chain of transmitters.

'A'isha reported: I heard that never a prophet dies until he is given an option to opt the life of (this) world or that of the Hereafter. She further said: I heard Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) say in his last illness in which he' died. I heard him saying in gruffness of the voice: Along with those persons upon whom Allah bestowed favours from amongst the Apostles, the testifiers of truth, the martyrs, the pious and goodly company are they (iv. 69). (It was on bearing these words) that I thought that he had been given choice (and he opted to live with these pious persons in the Paradise).

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Sa'd with the same chain of transmitters.

'A'isha, the wife of Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him), reported that he used to say: Never a prophet dies in a state that he is not made to see his abode in Paradise, and then given a choice. 'A'isha said that when Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) was about to leave the world, his head was over her thigh and he had fallen into swoon three times. When he felt relief his eyes were fixed at the ceiling. He then said: O Allah, along with the high companions (i. e. along with the Apostles who live in the most elevated place of the Paradise). (On hearing these words), I then said (to myself) He is not going to opt us and I remembered a hadith which he had narrated to us as he was healthy and in which he said: No prophet dies until he sees his abode in Paradise, he is then given a choice. 'A'isha said: These were the last words which Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) spoke (the words are): O Allah, with companions on High.

'A'isha reported that when Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) set ont on a journey, he used to cast lots amongst his wives. Once this lot came out in my favour and that of Hafsa. They (Hafsi, and 'A'isha) both went along with him and Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) used to travel (on camel) when it was night along with 'A'isha and talked with her. Hafsa said to 'A'isha: Would you like to ride upon my camel tonight and allow me to ride upon your camel and you would see (what you do not generally see) and I would see (what I do not see) generally? She said: Yes. So 'A'isha rode upon the camel of Hafsa and Hafsa rode upon the camel of 'A'isha and Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) came near the camel of 'A'isha. (whereas) Hafsa had been riding over that. He greeted her and then rode with her until they came down. She ('A'isha) thus missed (the company of the Holy Prophet) and when they sat down, 'A'isha felt jealous. She put her foot in the grass and said: O Allah, let the scorpion sting me or the serpent bite me. And so far as thy Messenger is concerned, I cannot say anything about him.

Anas b. Malik reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: The excellence of 'A'isha over women is like the excellence of Tharid over all other foods.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Anas b. Malik through other chains of transmitters.

'A'isha reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said to her: Gabriel offered you greetings and I said: So there should be peace and mercy of Allah upon him.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of 'A'isha through another chain of transmitters.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Zakriyya' through another chain of transmitters.

'A'isha, the wife of Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him), reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: 'A'isha, here is Gabriel offering you greetings. She said: 1 made a reply: Let there be peace and blessings of Allah upon him, and added: He sees what I do not see.

'A'isha reported that (one day) there sat together eleven women making an explicit promise amongst themselves that they would conceal nothing about their spouses. The first one said: My husband is a sort of the meat of a lean camel placed at the top of a hill, which it is difficult to climb up, nor (the meat) is good enough that one finds in oneself the urge to take it away (from the top of that mountain). The second one said: My husband (is so bad) that I am afraid I would not be able to describe his faults-both visible and invisible completely. The third one said: My husband is a long-statured fellow (i. e. he lacks intelligence). If I give vent to my feelings about him, he would divorce me, and if I keep quiet I would be made to live in a state of suspense (neither completely abandoned by him nor entertained as wife). The fourth one said: My husband is like the night of Tihama (the night of Hijaz and Mecca), neither too cold nor hot, neither there is any fear of him nor grief. The fifth one said: My husband is (like) a leopard as he enters the house, and behaves like a lion when he gets out, and he does not ask about that which he leaves in the house. The sixth one said: So far as my husband is concerned, he eats so much that nothing is left back and when he drinks he drinks that no drop is left behind. And when he lies down he wraps his body and does not touch me so that he may know my grief. The seventh one said: My husband is heavy in spirit, having no brightness in him, impotent, suffering from all kinds of conceivable diseases, heaving such rough manners that he may break my head or wound my body, or may do both. The eighth one said: My husband is as sweet as the sweet-smelling plant, and as soft as the softness of the hare. The ninth one said: My husband is the master of a lofty building, long-statured, having heaps of ashes (at his door) and his house is near the meeting place and the inn. The tenth one said: My husband is Malik, and how fine Malik is, much above appreciation and praise (of mine). He has many folds of his camel, more in number than the pastures for them. When they (the camels) hear the sound of music they become sure that they are going to be slaughtered. The eleventh one said: My husband is Abu Zara'. How fine Abu Zara' is! He has suspended in my ears heavy ornaments and (fed me liberally) that my sinews and bones are covered with fat. So he made me happy. He found me among the shepherds living in the side of the mountain, and he made me the owner of the horses, camels and lands and heaps of grain and he finds no fault with me. I sleep and get up in the morning (at my own sweet will) and drink to my heart's content. The mother of Abu Zara', how fine is the mother of Abu Zara'! Her bundles are heavily packed (or receptacles in her house are filled to the brim) and the house quite spacious. So far as the son of Abu Zara' is concerned, his bed is as soft as a green palm-stick drawn forth from its bark, or like a sword drawn forth from its scabbard, and whom just an arm of a lamb is enough to satiate. So far as the daughter of Abu Zara' is concerned, how fine is the daughter of Abu Zara', obedient to her father, obedient to her mother, wearing sufficient flesh and a source of jealousy for her co-wife. As for the slave-girl of Abu Zara', how fine is she; she does not disclose our affairs to others (outside the four walls of the house). She does not remove our wheat, or provision, or take it forth, or squander it, but she preserves it faithfully (as a sacred trust). And she does not let the house fill with rubbish. One day Abu Zara' went out (of his house) when the milk was churned in the vessels, that he met a woman, having two children like leopards playing with her pomegranates (chest) under her vest. He divorced me (Umm Zara') and married that woman (whom Abu Zara') met on the way. I (Umm Zara') later on married another person, a chief, who was an expert rider, and a fine archer: he bestowed upon me many gifts and gave me one pair of every kind of animal and said: Umm Zara', make use of everything (you need) and send forth to your parents (but the fact) is that even if I combine all the gifts that he bestowed upon me, they stand no comparison to the least gift of Abu Zara'. 'A'isha reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said to me: I am for you as Abu Zara' was for Umm Zara'. This hadith has been transmitted on the authority of Hisham b. 'Urwa but with a slight variation of wording.

Miswar b. Makhramali reported that he heard Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) say, as he sat on the pulpit: The sons of Hisham b. Mughira have asked my permission to marry their daughter with 'Ali b. Abi Talib (that refers to the daughter of Abu Jahl for whom 'All had sent a proposal for marriage). But I would not allow them, I would not allow them, I would not allow them (and the only alternative possible is) that 'Ali should divorce my daughter (and then marry their daughter), for my daughter is part of me. He who disturbs her in fact disturbs me and he who offends her offends me.

Miswar b. Makhramah reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: Fatima is a part of me. He in fact tortures me who tortures her.

(Imam Zain-ul-'Abidin) 'Ali b. Husain reported that when they came to Medina from Yazid b. Mu'awiya after the martyrdom of Husain b. 'Ali (Allah be pleased with him) Miswar b. Makhramah met him and said to him: Is there any work for me which you ask me to do? I said to him: No. He again said to me: Would you not give me the sword of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) for I fear that the people may snatch it from you? By Allah, if you give that to me, no one would be able to take it away, so long as there is life in me. Verily 'Ali b. Abi Talib sent a proposal of marriage to the daughter of Abu Jahl in spite of (the fact that his wife) Fatima (had been living in his house). Thereupon I heard Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) say while addressing the people on the pulpit. I was adolescing in those days. He said: Fatima is a part of me and I fear that she may be put to trial in regard to religion. He then made a mention of his son-in law who had been from the tribe of 'Abd Shams and praised his behaviour as a son-in-law and said: Whatever he said to me he told the truth and whatever he promised he fulfilled it for me. I am not going to declare forbidden what is lawful and make lawful what is forbidden, but, by Allah, the daaghter of Allah's Messenger and the daughter of the enemy of Allah can never be combined at one place.

'Ali b. Husain reported that Miswar b. Makhramah informed him that 'Ali b. Abi Talib sent the proposal of marriage to the daughter of Abu Jahl as he had Fatima, the daughter of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him), (as his wife). When Fatima heard about it, she came to Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) and said: The people say that you never feel angry on account of your daughters and now 'Ali is going to marry the daughter of Abu Jahl. Makhramah said: Thereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) rose up and I heard him reciting Tashahhud and say: Now to the point. I gave a daughter of mine (Zainab) to Abu'l-'As b. Rabi, and he spoke to me and spoke the truth. Verily Fatima, the daughter of Muhammad, is a part of me and I do not approve that she may be put to any trial and by Allah, the daughter of Allah's Messenger cannot be combined with the daughter of God's enemy (as the co-wives) of one person. Thereupon 'Ali gave up (the idea of his intended) marriage. This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Zuhri with the same chain of transmitters.

'A'isha reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) called his daughter Fatima (during his last illness). He said. to her something secretly and she wept. He again said to her something secretly and she laughed. 'A'isha further reported that she said to Fatima: What is that which Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said to you secretly and you wept and then said to you something secretly and you laughed? Thereupon she said: He informed me secretly of his death and so I wept. He then again informed me secretly that I would be the first amongst the members of his family to follow him and so I laughed.

'A'isha reported: We, the wives of Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him), were with him (during his last illness) and none was absent therefrom that Fatima, who walked after the style of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him), came there, and when he saw her he welcomed her saying: You are welcome, my daughter. He their made her sit on his right side or on his left side. Then he said something secretly to her and she wept bitterly and when he found her (plunged) in grief he said to her something secretly for the second time and she laughed. I ('A'isha) said to her: Allah's Messenger has singled you amongst the women (of the family) for talking (to you something secretly) and you wept. When Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) recovered from illness, I said to her. What did Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) say to you? Thereupon she said: I am not going to disclose the secret of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him). When Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) died, I said to her: I adjure you by the right that I have upon you that you should narrate to me what Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said to you. She said: Yes, now I can do that (so listen to it). When he talked to me secretly for the first time he informed me that Gabirel was in the habit of reciting the Qur'an along with him once or twice every year, but this year it had been twice and so he perceived his death quite near, so fear Allah and be patient (and he told me) that he would be a befitting forerunner for me and so I wept as you saw me. And when he saw me in grief he talked to me secretly for the second time and said: Fatima, are you not pleased that you should be at the head of the believing women or the head of this Umma? I laughed and it was that laughter which you saw.

'A'isha reported that all the wives of Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) had gathered (in her apartment) during the days of his (Prophet's) last illness and no woman was left behind that Fatima, who walked after the style of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him), came there. He welcomed her by saying: You are welcome, my daughter, and made her sit on his right side or on his left side, and then talked something secretly to her and Fitima wept. Then he talked something secretly to her and she laughed. I said to her: What makes you weep? She said; I am not going to divulge the secret of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him). I ('A'isha) said: I have not seen (anything happening) like today, the happiness being more close to grief (as I see today) when she wept. I said to her: Has Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) singled you out for saying something leaving us aside? She then wept and I asked her what he said, and she said: I am not going to divulge the secrets of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him). And when he died I again asked her and she said that he (the Holy Prophet) told her: Gabriel used to recite the Qur'an to me once a year and for this year it was twice and so I perceived that my death had drawn near, and that I ('A'isha) would be the first amongst the members of his family who would meet him (in the Hereafter). He shall be my good forerunner and it made me weep. He again talked to me secretly (saying): Arn't you pleased that you should be the sovereign amongst the believing women or the head of women of this Umma? And this made me laugh.

Salman reported: In case it lies in your power don't be one to enter the bazar first and the last to get out of that because there is a bustle and the standard of Satan is set there. He said: I was informed that Gabriel (Allah be pleased with him) came to Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) and there was with him Umin Salama and he began to talk with him. He then stood up, whereupon Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) said to Umm Salama: (Do you know) who was he and what did he say? She said: He was Dihya (Kalbi). He reported Umm Salama having said: By Allah, I did not deem him but only he (Dihya) until I heard the address of Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) informing him about us. He (the narrator) said: I said to Uthman: From whom did you hear it? He said: From Usima b. Zaid.

'A'isha, the Mother of the Faithful, reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: One who has the longest hands amongst you would meet me most immediately. She farther said: They (the wives of Allah's Apostle) used to measure the hands as to whose hand was the longest and it was the hand of Zainab that was the longest amongst them, as she used to work with her hand and Spend (that income) on charity.

Anas reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) went to Umm Aiman and I went along with him and she served him a drink in a vessel and he reported that the narrator said: I do not know whether it was because of the fasting (or for any other reason) that he (the Holy Prophet) refused to accept that. She raised her voice and showed annoyance to him.