Fine Qualities

Salman reported God's messenger as saying, "Do not hate me and so abandon your religion." He asked how he could hate him when he was the means by which God had guided them, and he replied, "By hating the Arabs and so hating me." Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is a hasan gharib tradition.

'Uthman b. `Affan reported God's messenger as saying, "He who is treacherous to the Arabs will not be included in my intercession and will not receive my love." Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is a gharib tradition which he knew only among the traditions of Husain b. `Umar who is not considered by traditionsits to be strong.

Umm al-Harir, client, of Talha. b. Malik, said she heard her patron telling that God's messenger said, "One of the signs of the approach of the last hour will be the destruction of the Arabs." Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Abu Huraira reported God's messenger as saying, "The kingdom will belong to Quraish, the legal authority to the Ansar, the office of making the call to prayer to the Abyssinians, and faithfulness to Azd[*]," i.e., the Yemen. *This is Azd Shanua a Yemen tribe. In a version in mauquf form Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is sounder.

Abdallah b. Muti said his father[*] told of hearing God's messenger say on the day of the conquest of Mecca, "No member of Quraish will be killed in custody after this day and on to the day of resurrection." *Mutii b. al-Aswad. Istiab, p. 282, tells that hie name was al-'As, but the Prophet changed it to Muti (obedient), saying he was not disobedient (`as).Muslim transmitted it.

Abu Naufal Mu'awiya b. Muslim told that he saw `Abdallah b. az-Zubair on the hill-road leading to Medina[1]. Quraish and others began to go past him, and when `Abdallah b. `Umar came past he stopped where he was and said, "Peace be upon you, Abu Khubaib; peace be upon you, Abu Khubaib; peace be upon you, Abu Khubaib! I swear by God that I was forbidding you to do what would lead to this. I swear by God that I was forbidding you to do what would lead to this. I swear by God that I was forbidding you to do what would lead to this. I swear by God that I have known you were given to fasting, praying by night and joining ties of relationship. I swear by God that a people among whom you are reckoned the worst is a wicked people[2]." A version has, ``a good people". `Abdallah b. `Umar then moved on. When al-Hajjaj heard of 'Abdallah stopping and of what he had said, he sent and had Ibn az-Zubair taken down from his palm-trunk and cast among the graves of the Jews. He then sent for his mother, Asma' daughter of Abu Bakr, but she refused to go to him. He then sent the messenger back to say she must come, or he would send someone for her who would drag her by the hair. She refused to go saying, "I swear by God that I shall not go to you till you send someone for me to drag me by my hair." He called for his smooth leather sandals, and taking them went off in a hurry[3]. Then when he went in to see her, he said, "What do you think of the way I have dealt with God's enemy?" She replied, "I consider that you have spoiled his worldly interests and that he has spoiled your interests in the next world. I heard that you were addressing him as the son of the woman with two girdles. I swear by God that I am the woman with two girdles, one of which was used by me to tie up the food of God's messenger and of Abu Bakr out of reach of animals, and the other is the girdle with which no woman can dispense. God's messenger told us that Thaqif would have among them a great liar and one who would cause destruction, and I consider that the one who was to cause destruction is no other than you." He then got up and left her, and said no more to her. 1. The reference is to Abdallah's dead body where he was crucified on the outskirts of Mecca. 2. Mirqat, 5:515, explains this as meaning that a people who think such a good man to be the worst of them are indeed wicked. The version which follows gives a twist to the meaning, suggesting that a people among whom he is the worst must be very good. 3. Or, swaggering.Muslim transmitted it.

Nafi` told that two men came to Ibn `Umar during the civil war. of Ibn az-Zubair and said, "The people have done what you see, and you are `Umar's son and the companion of God's messenger, so what prevents you from going forth[1]?" He replied, "What prevents me is the fact that God has made it unlawful for me to shed my brother Muslim's blood." They asked if God most high had not said, "And fight with them till there is no dissension[2]," to which Ibn `Umar replied, "We have fought till there was no dissension and the religion was God's, but you want to fight so that there may be dissension and the religion may pertain to someone other than God." i.e., in revolt. Quran; 2:193, 8:39 Bukhari transmitted it.

Abu Huraira told that at-Tufail b. Amr ad-Dausi came to God's messenger and said, "Daus have perished; they have disobeyed and refused, so supplicate God to punish them." The people thought he would do so, but he said, "0 God, give Daus guidance and bring them[*]." *Mirqat 5:517, explains this as meaning either to bring them as emigrants to Medina or to bring them into obedience to Islam. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Ibn `Abbas reported God's messenger as saying, "Love the Arabs for three reasons, because I am an Arab, the Qur'an is Arabic, and the inhabitants of paradise will speak Arabic." Baihaqi transmitted it in Shu'ab al-lman.

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported the Prophet as saying, "Do not revile my companions, for if one of you contributed as much gold as Uhud it would not amount to as much as the mudd of one of them, or half of it[*]." *Indicating the superiority, the Companions over other Muslims.(Bukhari and Muslim.)

Abu Burda told on his father's authority that he, meaning the Prophet, raised his head to the sky, which was a common practice of his, and said, "The stars are a means of safety for the sky, and when the stars depart what the sky has been threatened with will come to it. I am a means of safety for my companions, and when I depart what my companions have been threatened with will come to them. My companions are a means of safety for my people, and when my companions depart what my people have been threatened with will come to them." Muslim transmitted it.

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported God's messenger as saying, "A time is coming to mankind when a party will go to fight and be asked if there are among them any who were companions of God's messenger; and when they reply that there are, they will be given victory. Then a time is coming to mankind when a party will go to fight, and when they are asked if there are any among them who associated with the companions of God's messenger and reply that there are, they will be given victory. Then a time is coming to mankind when a party of people will go to fight, and when they are asked if there are any among them who associated with those who associated with the companions of God's messenger and reply that there are, they will be given victory." (Bukhari and Muslim.)In a version by Muslim he said, "A time is coming to mankind when an expedition will be sent forth from among them, and when they are asked to see whether they can find one of the companions of God's messenger among them and one is found, they will be given victory. Then a second expedition will be sent forth, and when they are asked if they include anyone who saw the companions of God's messenger and one is found, they will be given victory. Then a third expedition will be sent forth and people will be asked to look and see whether they include anyone who saw anyone who saw the Prophet's companions. Then there will be a fourth expedition and people will be asked to look and see whether they include anyone who saw anyone who saw anyone who saw the Prophet's companions. A man will be found and victory will be given because of him."Muslim.

Imran b. Husain reported God's messenger as saying, "The best of my people are my generation, then their immediate followers, then their immediate followers. After them there will be people who give testimony without being asked, who will be treacherous and not to be trusted, who will make vows which they do not fulfil, among whom fatness[*] will appear." A version has "They will swear oaths without being asked to do so." *Mirqat 5:520 f., gives various explanations of this, including unjustified pride, unjustified claims to nobility, acquisition of wealth, elaborate food and drink, neglect of religious duties. It is obviously some unsatisfactory characteristic which is intended. The various meanings suggested might be combine by treating it as meaning fine living which leads to neglect of religion. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

A version by Muslim on the authority of Abu Huraira says, "Then people who like plumpness will succeed them." Muslim.

`Umar reported God's messenger as saying, "Honour my companions, for they are the best of you; then those who follow them immediately; then those who follow them immediately. Then falsehood will appear so that a man will swear oaths without being asked to do so, and give testimony Without being asked to do so. He who would like to get to the very middle of paradise must adhere to the community, for the devil is with a single person, but farther away from two. A man must not be alone with a woman, for the devil makes a third along with them. He who is pleased by his good deeds and vexed by his evil gives various explanations of this, including unjustified pride, unjustified claims to nobility, acquisition of wealth, elaborate food and drink, neglect of religious duties. It is obviously some unsatisfactory characteristic which is intended. The various meanings suggested might be combined by treating it as meaning fine living which leads to neglect of religion deeds is a believer." ...transmitted it. The source is omitted in the Mishkat. Mirqat, 5:521, says it is rendered by Nasai. I have not discovered it in Nasai, but there is a version of the tradition containing the various details but differing slightly in wording in Tirmidhi, Fitan, 7.

Jabir reported the Prophet as saying, "Hell will not touch a Muslim who has seen me or seen one who has seen me." Tirmidhi transmitted it.

`Abdallah b. Mughaffal reported God's messenger as saying, "Fear God regarding my companions, fear God regarding my companions, and do not make them a target[*] after I am gone. He who loves them does so from love of me, and he who hates them does so from hatred of me. He who injures them has injured me, he who injures me has injured God, and he who injures God will soon be punished by Him." *This refers to criticizing them and speaking evil of them.Tirmidhi transmitted it,saying this is a gharib tradition.

Anas reported God's messenger as saying, "Among my people my companions are like salt in food, for food is good only when there is salt in it." Al-Hasan[*] said, "Our salt has gone, so how can we be good?"*i.e., Al Hasan al Basri. It is transmitted in Sharh as-sunna.

`Abdallah b. Buraida told that his father quoted the Prophet as saying, "Not one of my companions will die in a land without being raised as a leader and a light for its people on the day of resurrection." Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this a gharib tradition.

Ibn `Umar reported God's messenger as saying, "When you see people who revile my companions say, 'God's curse be on your worst ones'." Tirmidhi transmitted it.