Supplication

Awsat ibn Isma‘il said: I heard Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, say after the Prophet’s death: “The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, stood at this place of mine in the first year.” Then Abu Bakr wept and said: “Hold fast to truthfulness, for it goes with righteousness, and both are in the Garden. Beware of lying, for it goes with wickedness, and both are in the Fire. Ask Allah for well-being, for after certainty no better gift has been given than well-being. Do not sever ties, turn your backs on one another, envy one another, or hate one another. Be, servants of Allah, brothers.”

Mu‘adh said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, passed by a man who was saying: “O Allah, I ask You for the completion of blessing.” He asked: “Do you know what the completion of blessing is?” The man replied: “The completion of blessing is entering the Garden and being delivered from the Fire.” Then he passed by a man saying: “O Allah, I ask You for patience.” He said: “You have asked your Lord for affliction, so ask Him for well-being.” Then he passed by a man saying: “O Possessor of Majesty and Honor!” He said: “Ask!”

Al-‘Abbas ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib said: I said: “Messenger of Allah, teach me something with which I may ask Allah.” He replied: “Abbas, ask Allah for well-being.” I waited three days, then came and said: “Teach me something with which I may ask Allah, Messenger of Allah.” He replied: “Abbas, uncle of the Messenger of Allah, ask Allah for well-being in this world and the Hereafter.”

Anas said: A man said in the presence of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: “O Allah, You have not given me wealth with which I might give charity, so test me with an affliction”—or he said, “in which there would be reward.” He replied: “Glory be to Allah! You could not bear it. Why did you not say: ‘O Allah, grant us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire’?”

Anas said: He entered. I asked Humayd: “The Prophet?” He said: “Yes. He entered upon a man who had been weakened by illness, so that he was like a plucked fledgling. He said: ‘Supplicate to Allah for something, or ask Him.’ The man began saying: ‘O Allah, whatever You are going to punish me with in the Hereafter, hasten it for me in this world.’ He said: ‘Glory be to Allah! You cannot bear it’—or he said, ‘You all cannot bear it.’ ‘Why did you not say: “O Allah, grant us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire”?’ He supplicated for him, and Allah, Mighty and Majestic, healed him.”

‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr said: A person says: “O Allah, I seek refuge in You from the severe hardship of affliction”—then falls silent. When he says that, he should add: “Except for an affliction in which there is elevation.”

Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to seek refuge from the severe hardship of affliction, being overtaken by misery, the gloating of enemies, and an evil decree.

‘Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr and Muslim transmitted similarly: Al-Aswad ibn Shayban, from Abu Nawfal ibn Abi ‘Aqrab, reported that his father asked the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, about fasting. He said: “Fast one day each month.” I said: “May my father and mother be your ransom; give me more.” He said: “Give me more, give me more. Fast two days each month.” I said: “May my father and mother be your ransom; give me more, for I find myself strong.” He said: “I find myself strong, I find myself strong.” He left me speechless, until I thought he would not increase it for me. Then he said: “Fast three days each month.”

Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah said: We were with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, when a foul, fetid wind arose. He said: “Do you know what this is? This is the wind of those who backbite the believers.”

Jabir said: During the time of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, a foul-smelling wind arose. The Messenger of Allah said: “Some people among the hypocrites have backbitten some people among the Muslims, and this wind was sent for that reason.”

Al-Qasim ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman ash-Shami said: I heard Ibn Umm ‘Abd say: Whoever hears a believer being backbitten and supports him, Allah will reward him for that with good in this world and the Hereafter. Whoever hears a believer being backbitten and does not support him, Allah will repay him for that with evil in this world and the Hereafter. No one swallows a worse morsel than backbiting a believer. If someone says about him what he knows, he has backbitten him; if he says about him what he does not know, he has slandered him.

Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah said: We were with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, when he came upon two graves whose occupants were being punished. He said: “They are not being punished for something major—indeed, one of them used to backbite people, while the other did not protect himself from urine.” He called for a fresh palm frond—or two—and split it. Then he ordered that one piece be planted on each grave. The Messenger of Allah said: “Their punishment will be lightened as long as these remain moist”—or, “until they dry out.”

Qays said: ‘Amr ibn al-‘As was traveling with a group of his companions when they passed a dead, swollen mule. He said: “By Allah, for one of you to eat this until his stomach is full is better than eating the flesh of a Muslim.”

Abu Hurayra said: Ma‘iz ibn Malik al-Aslami came, and the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, stoned him on the fourth occasion. The Messenger of Allah passed by him with a group of his Companions. Two men among them said: “This traitor came to the Prophet repeatedly, and each time he turned him away, until he was killed like a dog.” The Prophet remained silent toward them until he passed by the carcass of a donkey with its leg raised. He said: “Eat from this.” They said: “From a donkey’s carcass, Messenger of Allah?” He replied: “What you said just now about your brother’s honor was worse. By the One in whose hand Muhammad’s soul is, he is now in one of the rivers of the Garden, immersing himself in it.”

‘Ubadah ibn al-Walid ibn ‘Ubadah ibn as-Samit said: I went out with my father when I was a young boy, and we met an old man. I said: “Uncle, why did you not give your servant this striped wrap and take the mantle, so that you would have two mantles and he would have a striped wrap?” He turned to my father and asked: “Is this your son?” He said: “Yes.” The man stroked my head and said: “May Allah bless you. I testify that I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say: ‘Feed them from what you eat and clothe them from what you wear.’ Nephew, the loss of this world’s goods is dearer to me than taking from the goods of the Hereafter.” I said: “Father, who is this man?” He replied: “Abu al-Yusr Ka‘b ibn ‘Amr.”