ʿUmar ibn Hafs narrated to us: My father narrated to us: al-Aʿmash narrated to us: Zayd ibn Wahb narrated to us: ʿAbd Allah narrated to us: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ, the truthful and confirmed as truthful, said: ‘Each of you is brought together in his mother’s womb for forty days; then he is an embryo for a similar period; then a morsel of flesh for a similar period. Then Allah sends an angel to him with four matters, and his deeds, lifespan, provision, and whether he will be wretched or blessed are written. Then the spirit is breathed into him. A man may perform the deeds of the people of the Fire until only an arm’s length remains between him and it, then what is written overtakes him, and he performs the deeds of the people of Paradise and enters it. A man may perform the deeds of the people of Paradise until only an arm’s length remains between him and it, then what is written overtakes him, and he performs the deeds of the people of the Fire and enters it.’

Abu al-Nuʿman narrated to us: Hammad ibn Zayd narrated to us, from ʿUbayd Allah ibn Abi Bakr ibn Anas, from Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet ﷺ, who said: ‘Allah has assigned an angel to the womb. The angel says, “My Lord, a drop; my Lord, an embryo; my Lord, a morsel of flesh.” When He wills to form it, the angel says, “My Lord, male or female? My Lord, wretched or blessed? What will its provision be? What will its lifespan be?” All of this is written while it is in its mother’s womb.’

Qays ibn Hafs narrated to us: Khalid ibn al-Harith narrated to us: Shuʿba narrated to us, from Abu ʿImran al-Jawni, from Anas, attributing it to the Prophet ﷺ: ‘Allah will say to the one receiving the lightest punishment among the people of the Fire: If you had everything on earth, would you ransom yourself with it? He will say, Yes. Allah will say: I asked you for something easier than this when you were in Adam’s loins: that you not associate anything with Me. But you insisted on associating partners with Me.’

ʿUmar ibn Hafs ibn Ghiyath narrated to us: My father narrated to us: al-Aʿmash narrated to us: ʿAbd Allah ibn Murra narrated to me, from Masruq, from ʿAbd Allah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘Whenever a person is killed unjustly, the first son of Adam bears a share of its bloodshed, for he was the first to establish killing.’

Ibn ʿAbbas explained the verse “We made you into peoples and tribes” (Quran 49:13): “The peoples are the large tribal groupings, and the tribes are the clans.”

Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was asked, “Who is the most honorable of people?” He replied, “The most mindful of Allah.” They said, “That is not what we are asking you about.” He said, “Then, Joseph, the Prophet of Allah.”

Kulaib ibn Waʾil reported: I asked Zaynab daughter of Abu Salama, the stepdaughter of the Prophet ﷺ, “Was the Prophet from the tribe of Mudar?” She replied, “Who else would he be from? He was from Mudar, from the descendants of Nadr ibn Kinana.”

Kulaib reported: The stepdaughter of the Prophet ﷺ, whom I think was Zaynab, told me that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade the vessels known as al-Dubba, al-Hantam, al-Muqayyar, and al-Muzaffat. I asked her, “Which tribe was the Prophet from? Was he from Mudar?” She replied, “Who else would he be from? He was from Mudar, from the descendants of Nadr ibn Kinana.”

Ishaq ibn Ibrahim narrated to me: Jarir informed us, from ʿUmara, from Abu Zurʿa, from Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, who said, “You will find people to be like minerals: the best of them in the pre-Islamic era are the best of them in Islam, when they gain understanding. You will find that the best people in this matter are those most reluctant to take it on. And you will find the worst of people to be the two-faced person, who approaches these people with one face and those people with another.”

Qutayba ibn Saʿid narrated to us: Al-Mughira narrated to us, from Abu al-Zinad, from al-Aʿraj, from Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Prophet ﷺ said, “People follow Quraysh in this matter: the Muslims among them follow their Muslims, and the disbelievers among them follow their disbelievers. People are like minerals; the best of them in the pre-Islamic era are the best of them in Islam when they gain understanding. You will find that the best people are the most reluctant to take on this matter, until it is entrusted to them.”

ʿAli ibn ʿAbdullah narrated to us: Sufyan narrated to us, from ʿAmr, who said: I heard Jabir ibn ʿAbdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both) say: Abu Saʿid al-Khudri narrated to us that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “A time will come upon people when groups of them go on military campaigns. They will be asked, ‘Is there anyone among you who accompanied the Messenger of Allah ﷺ?’ They will say, ‘Yes,’ and victory will be granted to them. Then a time will come when groups of people go on campaigns and they will be asked, ‘Is there anyone among you who accompanied the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ?’ They will say, ‘Yes,’ and victory will be granted to them. Then a time will come when groups of people go on campaigns and they will be asked, ‘Is there anyone among you who accompanied those who accompanied the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ?’ They will say, ‘Yes,’ and victory will be granted to them.”

Ishaq narrated to me: Al-Nadr narrated to us: Shuʿba informed us, from Abu Jamra, who said: I heard Zahdam ibn Mudarrib say: I heard ʿImran ibn Husayn (may Allah be pleased with them both) say: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “The best of my community are my generation, then those who follow them, then those who follow them.” ʿImran said: I do not know whether he mentioned two generations after his own or three. “Then after you will come people who testify without being asked to testify, who betray trust and are not trustworthy, who make vows but do not fulfill them, and among whom obesity will become widespread.”

Muhammad ibn Kathir narrated to us: Sufyan informed us, from Mansur, from Ibrahim, from ʿAbida, from ʿAbdullah (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Prophet ﷺ said, “The best of people are my generation, then those who follow them, then those who follow them. Then people will come whose testimony precedes their oath, and whose oath precedes their testimony.” Ibrahim said: They used to discipline us for giving testimony and making pledges when we were still children.

Musa ibn Ismaʿil narrated to us: Mahdi ibn Maymun narrated to us: Ghailan ibn Jarir narrated to us. He said: I asked Anas, “Did you choose the name ‘the Helpers’ for yourselves, or did Allah name you?” He said, “Rather, Allah named us.” We used to visit Anas, and he would tell us about the virtues and campaigns of the Helpers. He would turn to me—or to a man from the Azd—and say, “Your people did such-and-such on such-and-such a day.”

ʿUbayd ibn Ismaʿil narrated to me: Abu Usama narrated to us, from Hisham, from his father, from ʿAʾisha, may Allah be pleased with her, who said: The Day of Buʿath was a day that Allah had prepared for His Messenger. The Messenger of Allah came when their leaders had become divided, their prominent men had been killed and wounded. Allah had prepared it for His Messenger, so that they would enter Islam.

Abu al-Walid narrated to us: Shuʿba narrated to us, from Abu al-Tayyah, who said: I heard Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, say: On the day of the conquest of Mecca, when the Prophet had granted Quraysh a share, the Helpers said, “By Allah, this is astonishing: our swords drip with the blood of Quraysh, yet our spoils are returned to them.” This reached the Prophet, so he summoned the Helpers and said, “What is this that has reached me about you?” They did not lie, and they said, “It is what has reached you.” He said, “Would you not be content that the people return to their homes with the spoils, while you return to your homes with the Messenger of Allah? If the Helpers took a valley or a mountain pass, I would take the valley of the Helpers or their pass.”

Abdullah ibn Muhammad narrated to me: Wahb narrated to us: Shuʿba narrated to us. He said: I was sitting beside Zayd ibn Arqam when someone asked him, “How many military expeditions did the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) lead?” He said, “Nineteen.” He was asked, “How many did you accompany him on?” He said, “Seventeen.” I asked, “Which was the first of them?” He said, “Al-Usayra—or al-Usheir.” I mentioned this to Qatada, and he said, “Al-Usheir.”

Musaddad related to us: Yahya related to us, from Shu‘ba, who said: Khubayb ibn Abd al-Rahman related to me, from Hafs ibn ‘Asim, from Abu Sa‘id ibn al-Mu‘alla, who said:

I was praying in the mosque when the Messenger of Allah called me, but I did not answer him. I said, “Messenger of Allah, I was praying.” He said, “Did Allah not say, ‘Respond to Allah and the Messenger when he calls you’?” Then he said to me, “Before you leave the mosque, I will teach you a surah that is the greatest surah in the Quran.” Then he took me by the hand. When he was about to leave, I said to him, “Did you not say, ‘I will teach you a surah that is the greatest surah in the Quran’?” He said, “‘Praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all worlds’—it is the seven oft-repeated verses and the mighty Quran that I have been given.”

Muslim ibn Ibrahim related to us: Hisham related to us: Qatada related to us, from Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet. Khalifa also said to me: Yazid ibn Zuray‘ related to us: Sa‘id related to us, from Qatada, from Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet, who said:

“On the Day of Resurrection, the believers will gather and say, ‘If only we could seek intercession with our Lord.’ They will go to Adam and say, ‘You are the father of humanity. Allah created you with His hand, made His angels prostrate to you, and taught you the names of all things. Intercede for us with your Lord so that He may relieve us of our place here.’ He will say, ‘I am not fit for this,’ and mention his sin, feeling ashamed. ‘Go to Noah, for he was the first messenger Allah sent to the people of the earth.’

“They will go to him, and he will say, ‘I am not fit for this,’ and mention his asking his Lord about something of which he had no knowledge, feeling ashamed. He will say, ‘Go to the Close Friend of the Most Merciful.’ They will go to him, and he will say, ‘I am not fit for this. Go to Moses, a servant to whom Allah spoke and to whom He gave the Torah.’ They will go to him, and he will say, ‘I am not fit for this,’ and mention his killing a person without having killed anyone, feeling ashamed before his Lord. He will say, ‘Go to Jesus, Allah’s servant and messenger, His word and a spirit from Him.’

“They will go to him, and he will say, ‘I am not fit for this. Go to Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, a servant whose past and future sins Allah has forgiven.’ They will come to me. I will go and seek permission to approach my Lord, and permission will be granted to me. When I see my Lord, I will fall down in prostration. He will leave me in that state for as long as Allah wills. Then it will be said, ‘Raise your head; ask and you will be given; speak and you will be heard; intercede and your intercession will be accepted.’ I will raise my head and praise Him with words of praise that He will teach me. Then I will intercede, and He will set a limit for me; I will admit them to Paradise. Then I will return to Him, and when I see my Lord [he described it in the same way], I will intercede again. He will set a limit for me, and I will admit them to Paradise. Then I will return a third time, then a fourth time, and say, ‘None will remain in the Fire except those whom the Quran has held back and for whom eternal punishment has become binding.’”

Abu Abdullah said, “‘Those whom the Quran has held back’ means Allah’s words, ‘abiding therein forever.’”

Abdullah ibn Maslama related to us: Yazid ibn Ibrahim al-Tustari related to us, from Ibn Abi Mulayka, from al-Qasim ibn Muhammad, from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), who said:

The Messenger of Allah recited this verse: “It is He who sent down to you the Book. Some of its verses are clear; they are the foundation of the Book, while others are ambiguous. Those whose hearts are deviant follow what is ambiguous in it, seeking discord and seeking its interpretation...” through to “...people of understanding.” Aisha said that the Messenger of Allah then said, “When you see those who follow what is ambiguous in it, those are the ones Allah has named; so beware of them.”