Al-Adab Al-Mufrad
Being a master
كتاب الملكة
Chapter 82
بَابُ حُسْنِ الْمَلَكَةِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Hafs ibn Umar narrated to us. He said: Umar ibn al-Fadl narrated to us. He said: Nuaym ibn Yazid narrated to us. He said: Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah bless him, narrated to us that when the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, became gravely ill, he said, 'Ali, bring me a tray on which I can write something after which my community will not go astray.' I feared he might die before I could bring it, so I said, 'I can preserve it better than [the writing on] the sheet'—the wording here is unclear. His head was between my forearm and upper arm. He continued to enjoin prayer, zakat, and those under your authority, repeating this until his soul departed. He instructed him to bear witness that there is no deity but Allah and that Muhammad is His servant and messenger; whoever bears witness to both is protected from the Fire.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
فَخَشِيتُ أَنْ يَسْبِقَنِي فَقُلْتُ: إِنِّي لَأَحْفَظُ مِنْ ذِرَاعَيِ الصَّحِيفَةِ،
The phrase involving the forearm-length sheet is syntactically and semantically unclear in this source text.
Can this phrase be checked against a reliable parallel witness before fixing its English wording?
وَأَمَرَهُ بِشَهَادَةِ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ
The pronoun in 'he instructed him' is not explicit in isolation, though the narrative suggests the Prophet addressed Ali.
Should the English retain an explicit 'him' or phrase this as an impersonal instruction?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad ibn Sabiq narrated to us. He said: Israil narrated to us, from al-Amash, from Abu Wa'il, from Abd Allah, from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, who said: 'Accept the invitation, do not refuse a gift, and do not strike Muslims.'
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
أَجِيبُوا الدَّاعِيَ،
The phrase can mean respond to the one inviting, conventionally accept an invitation.
Should the translation keep the idiomatic invitation sense or the more literal 'respond to the caller'?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad ibn Salam narrated to us. He said: Muhammad ibn Fudayl informed us, from Mughira, from Umm Musa, from Ali, may Allah bless him, who said: The Prophet's final words were: 'The prayer! The prayer! Be mindful of Allah regarding those under your authority.'
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ فِيمَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُكُمْ.
The Arabic refers broadly to those under one's authority; the English witness specifies slaves.
Should the translation preserve the broader wording of the Arabic source?
Chapter 83
بَابُ سُوءِ الْمَلَكَةِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abd Allah ibn Salih narrated to us. He said: Muawiya ibn Salih narrated to me, from Abd al-Rahman ibn Jubayr ibn Nufayr, from his father, from Abu al-Darda, who used to say to the people: 'We know you better than veterinarians know their animals. We have recognized the best of you and the worst of you. The best among you is the one whose good is hoped for and whose harm is not feared. The worst among you is the one whose good is not hoped for and whose harm is not safe from; nor is his freedman set free.'
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
وَلاَ يُعْتَقُ مُحَرَّرُهُ.
The final clause is lexically and syntactically unusual; the referent and intended force of muḥarraruhu are unclear.
Can this clause be verified against another manuscript or commentary before finalizing?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Isam ibn Khalid narrated to us. He said: Hariz ibn Uthman narrated to us, from Ibn Hani, from Abu Umama. I heard him say: 'The ungrateful miser is one who withholds his generosity, lodges alone, and beats his servant.'
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
الْكَنُودُ: الَّذِي يَمْنَعُ رِفْدَهُ، وَيَنْزِلُ وَحْدَهُ،
Kanud and rifd can carry broader senses of ingratitude, aid, hospitality, or generosity; yanزل وحده may imply lodging without company or refusing to host.
Which contextual senses should govern these phrases in the translation?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Hajjaj ibn Minhal narrated to us. He said: Hammad ibn Salama narrated to us, from Ali ibn Zayd, from Said ibn al-Musayyab; and Hammad, from Habib and Humayd, from al-Hasan: A man ordered his young servant to draw water at his camel. The servant fell asleep, so the man brought a burning brand and threw it at his face. The servant fell into a well. When morning came, he went to Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him. Umar saw the injury on his face and set him free.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ زَيْدٍ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُسَيِّبِ، وَحَمَّادٍ، عَنْ حَبِيبٍ، وَحُمَيْدٍ، عَنِ الْحَسَنِ
The report presents parallel transmission paths with repeated Hammad, but the punctuation does not fully clarify the branching.
Can the chain branching be confirmed from a specialized isnad edition?
أَنْ يَسْنُوَ عَلَى بَعِيرٍ لَهُ،
The verb refers to drawing/watering by means of a camel, but the exact task is elliptical.
Should this be rendered as drawing water for the camel or using it to operate the well?
Chapter 84
بَابُ بَيْعِ الْخَادِمِ مِنَ الأعْرَابِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Sulayman ibn Harb narrated to us. He said: Hammad ibn Zayd narrated to us, from Yahya ibn Said, from Ibn Amra, from Amra: Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, had made a slave woman hers by a deferred manumission arrangement. Aisha fell ill, and her nephews asked a physician from the Zutt about her. He said, 'You are telling me about a bewitched woman whom one of her slave women has bewitched.' Aisha was informed. She asked the woman, 'Did you bewitch me?' She said, 'Yes.' Aisha asked, 'Why?' Then she said, 'May you never recover!' She then said, 'Sell her as a slave to the worst of the Arabs.'
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
دَبَّرَتْ أَمَةً لَهَا،
Dabbara refers to a manumission arrangement taking effect after the owner's death; the source does not elaborate the legal terms.
Should this technical term receive an explanatory note under the project's policy?
طَبِيبًا مِنَ الزُّطِّ،
The source names the Zutt, an ethnonym; contextual identification is not provided here.
Should the transliteration be retained without further identification?
Chapter 85
بَابُ الْعَفْوِ عَنِ الْخَادِمِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Hajjaj narrated to us. He said: Hammad—meaning Ibn Salama—narrated to us. He said: Abu Ghalib informed us, from Abu Umama, who said: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, came accompanied by two boys and gave one of them to Ali, may Allah bless him. He said, 'Do not strike him, for I have been forbidden to strike those who pray, and I have seen him praying ever since we set out.' He gave a boy to Abu Dharr and said, 'Treat him well.' Abu Dharr freed him. The Prophet asked, 'What did you do?' Abu Dharr replied, 'You instructed me to treat him well, so I freed him.'
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
وَقَالَ: اسْتَوْصِ بِهِ مَعْرُوفًا
Istawṣi bihi maʿrūfan is an injunction to treat him with recognized goodness/kindness; the social status of the boy is implicit.
Should the translation preserve the concise wording or clarify the manumission context?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Mamr narrated to us. He said: Abd al-Warith narrated to us. He said: Abd al-Aziz narrated to us, from Anas, who said: When the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, arrived in Medina, he had no servant. Abu Talha took me by the hand and brought me to the Prophet, saying, 'Prophet of Allah, Anas is a capable, perceptive boy; let him serve you.' I served him in travel and at home, from his arrival in Medina until he passed away. He never said to me about anything I had done, 'Why did you do that this way?' nor about anything I had not done, 'Why did you not do it this way?'
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
إِنَّ أَنَسًا غُلاَمٌ كَيِّسٌ لَبِيبٌ،
The paired adjectives describe practical intelligence and discernment; several natural English renderings are possible.
Does the chosen pair retain the praise without overstatement?
Chapter 86
بَابُ إِذَا سَرَقَ الْعَبْدُ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Musaddad narrated to us. He said: Abu Awana narrated to us, from Umar ibn Abi Salama, from his father, from Abu Hurayra, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: 'If a slave steals, sell him, even for a nash.' Abu Abd Allah said: 'A nash is twenty; a nawat is five; and an uqiyya is forty.'
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
النَّشُّ: عِشْرُونَ. وَالنَّوَاةُ: خَمْسَةٌ. وَالأُوقِيَّةُ: أَرْبَعُونَ.
The source provides bare numbers without repeating a monetary or weight unit in this compiler gloss.
Can the implied unit be determined from the surrounding edition without importing it into the translation?
Chapter 87
بَابُ الْخَادِمِ يُذْنِبُ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ahmad ibn Muhammad narrated to us. Dawud ibn Abd al-Rahman narrated to us, saying: I heard Isma'il, from Asim ibn Laqit ibn Sabira, from his father, who said: I came to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, while the shepherd was driving a young lamb into the enclosure. The Prophet said, 'Do not suppose...'—but the wording that follows is syntactically unclear: 'Do not suppose that we have a hundred sheep and do not want them to increase; when the shepherd brings a young lamb, we slaughter a sheep in its place.' Among his instructions was: 'Do not strike your wife as you strike your slave woman. When you rinse your nose, do so thoroughly, unless you are fasting.'
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم: لاَ تَحْسِبَنَّ، وَلَمْ يَقُلْ: لاَ تَحْسَبَنَّ إِنَّ لَنَا غَنَمًا مِئَةً لاَ نُرِيدُ أَنْ تَزِيدَ، فَإِذَا جَاءَ الرَّاعِي بِسَخْلَةٍ ذَبَحْنَا مَكَانَهَا شَاةً،
This passage contains an abrupt and difficult-to-parse shift between a quoted prohibition and an explanatory clause; the source's intended syntax is uncertain.
Can this passage be checked against a manuscript or reliable parallel before settling its translation?
لاَ تَضْرِبْ ظَعِينَتَكَ كَضَرْبِكَ أَمَتَكَ،
Ẓaʿīna can refer to a wife, especially in a travel context; the source does not gloss it.
Should 'wife' or a more literal 'woman of your household/traveling companion' be used?
Chapter 88
بَابُ مَنْ خَتَمَ عَلَى خَادِمِهِ مَخَافَةَ سُوءِ الظَّنِّ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Bishr ibn Muhammad narrated to us. He said: Abd Allah informed us. He said: Abu Khalda informed us, from Abu al-Aliya, who said: 'We were instructed to settle the servant's allotment, measure it, and count it, lest they acquire a bad habit or one of us be suspected of wrongdoing.'
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
كُنَّا نُؤْمَرُ أَنْ نَخْتِمَ عَلَى الْخَادِمِ، وَنَكِيلَ، وَنَعُدَّهَا،
The object of measure/count is implicit, and the exact sense of nakhtim ʿalā al-khādim is not spelled out.
Does this refer to settling and accounting for the servant's provisions or another household practice?
Chapter 89
بَابُ مَنْ خَتَمَ عَلَى خَادِمِهِ مَخَافَةَ سُوءِ الظَّنِّ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Nuaym narrated to us. He said: Israil narrated to us, from Abu Ishaq, from Haritha ibn Mudarrib, from Salman, who said: 'I count the soup bones for my servant, for fear of suspicion.'
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
إِنِّي لَأَعُدُّ الْعُرَاقَ عَلَى خَادِمِي مَخَافَةَ الظَّنِّ.
The rare plural al-ʿurāq refers to bones/meat remnants; the feared suspicion is left unstated.
Should an editor clarify the household context or keep the concise wording?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Hajjaj narrated to us. He said: Shu'ba narrated to us. He said: Abu Ishaq informed us. He said: I heard Haritha ibn Mudarrib say: I heard Salman say: 'I count the soup bones, for fear of suspicion.'
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
حَدَّثَنَا حَجَّاجٌ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ قَالَ: أَنْبَأَنَا أَبُو إِسْحَاقَ
The witness points back to the preceding translation, while this Arabic occurrence supplies a distinct transmission chain and a slightly different phrase for fear.
Should this occurrence retain its own chain and wording in the final edition?
Chapter 90
بَابُ أَدَبِ الْخَادِمِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ahmad ibn Isa narrated to us. He said: Abd Allah ibn Wahb narrated to us. He said: Makhrama ibn Bukayr informed me, from his father, who said: I heard Yazid ibn Abd Allah ibn Qusayt say: Abd Allah ibn Umar sent a servant of his with gold or silver. The servant exchanged it and deferred the exchange. When he returned, Ibn Umar beat him severely and said, 'Go, take back what is mine, and do not make an exchange.'
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
فَصَرَفَهُ، فَأَنْظَرَ بِالصَّرْفِ،
The wording indicates an exchange followed by deferment, but does not spell out the exact transaction terms.
Can the economic sense of anẓara bi-l-ṣarf be clarified without adding an unstated object or ruling?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad ibn Salam narrated to us. He said: Abu Muawiya informed us, from al-Amash, from Ibrahim al-Taymi, from his father, from Abu Masud, who said: I was beating a servant of mine when I heard a voice behind me: 'Know, Abu Masud, Allah has greater power over you than you have over him.' I turned and saw that it was the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. I said, 'Messenger of Allah, he is free for Allah's sake.' He said, 'Had you not done so, the Fire would have touched you—or scorched you.'
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
لَمَسَّتْكَ النَّارُ أَوْ لَلَفَحَتْكَ النَّارُ.
The source preserves two alternative verbs for the Fire's effect, one 'touch' and one 'scorch/blast'.
Should both alternatives be retained in the English text or handled as a reported wording variant?
Chapter 91
بَابُ لاَ تَقُلْ: قَبَّحَ اللَّهُ وَجْهَهُ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Hajjaj narrated to us. He said: Ibn Uyayna narrated to us, from Ibn Ajlan, from Said, from Abu Hurayra, from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, who said: 'Do not say, “May Allah make his face ugly.”'
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abd Allah ibn Muhammad narrated to us. He said: Ibn Uyayna narrated to us, from Ibn Ajlan, from Said, from Abu Hurayra, who said: 'Do not say, “May Allah disfigure your face and the face of anyone who resembles you,” for Allah, Mighty and Majestic, created Adam, peace be upon him, in his form.'
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ خَلَقَ آدَمَ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَلَى صُورَتِهِ.
The pronoun in 'his form' has a disputed or context-sensitive antecedent; the wording is retained without resolving the referent.
What antecedent does the project's source-critical policy support, and should the English preserve the ambiguity?
Chapter 92
بَابُ لِيَجْتَنِبِ الْوَجْهَ فِي الضَّرْبِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Khalid ibn Makhlad narrated to us. He said: Sulayman ibn Bilal narrated to us. He said: Muhammad ibn Ajlan narrated to me, saying: My father informed me—and Said—from Abu Hurayra, from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, who said: 'When one of you strikes his servant, let him avoid the face.'
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنِي أَبِي، وَسَعِيدٌ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ،
The conjunction may indicate two transmitters from Abu Hurayra, but the chain punctuation is not explicit.
Does Said share the same link to Abu Hurayra, or does the wording indicate another branch?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Khalid narrated to us. He said: Sufyan narrated to us, from Abu al-Zubayr, from Jabir, who said: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, passed by an animal that had been branded, with its nostrils smoking. He said: 'May Allah curse the one who did this. No one should brand the face or strike it.'