‘Abdallah b. ‘Amr reported God’s messenger as saying, “Pass on information from me, even if it is only a verse of the Qur’an; and relate traditions from the Bani Isra'il, for there is no restriction; but let him who deliberately lies against me come to his abode in hell.” Bukhari transmitted it.

Samura b. Jundub and al-Mughira b. Shu'ba reported God’s messenger as saying, “If anyone relates a tradition from me thinking that it is false, he is one of the liars.” Muslim transmitted it.

Mu'awiya reported God’s messenger as saying, “When God wishes good for anyone He instructs him in the religion. I am only a distributor; God gives.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Abu Huraira reported God's messenger as saying, “Men are ofdifferent origins just as gold and silver are; the best among them inthe pre-Islamic period are the best among them in Islam when they are versed in the religion.” Muslim transmitted it.

a man to whom God has given property, empowering him to dispose of it on what is right; and a man to whom God has givenwisdom who acts according to it and teaches it.” (Bukhari and Muslim).

sadaqa which continues to be supplied, or knowledge from which benefitcontinues to be reaped, or the prayers of a good son for his dead father.”Muslim transmitted it.

He also reported God’s messenger as saying, “ If anyone removes one of the anxieties of this world from a believer, God will remove one of the anxieties of the day of resurrection from him; if one smoothsthe way for one who is destitute, God will smooth the way for him inthis world and the next; and if anyone conceals the faults of a Muslim,God will conceal his faults, in this world and the next. God helps aman as long as he helps his brother. If anyone pursues a path insearch of knowledge, God will thereby make easy for him a path to paradise. No company will gather in a mosque to recite God’s Book andstudy it together without calmness descending on them, mercy coveringthem, the angels surrounding them, and God mentioning them amongthose who are with Him. But he who is made slow by his actions willnot be speeded by his genealogy.” Muslim transmitted it.

He also reported God’s messenger as saying, “The first person tobe judged on the day of resurrection will be a man who died as a martyr.He will be brought forward, and after God has reminded him of thefavour He showed him and the man acknowledges it, He will ask,‘What did you do to show gratitude for it?’ The man will reply, ‘Ifought for Thy cause till I was martyred.’ God will say, ‘You lie. Youfought that people might call you courageous, and they have done so.’Command will then be issued about him, and he will be dragged on hisface and thrown into hell. Next a man who has acquired and taughtknowledge and read the Qur’an will be brought forward, and after Godhas reminded him of the favour He showed him and the man acknowledgesit, He will ask, ‘What did you do to show gratitude for it?’ The manwill reply, ‘I acquired and taught knowledge and read the Qur’an forThy sake.’ God will say, 'You lie. You acquired knowledge that peoplemight call you learned, and you read the Qur’an that they might callyou a reader, and they have done so.’ Command will then be issuedabout him, and he will be dragged on his face and thrown into hell.Next a man whom God has made affluent and whom He has given all kindsof property will be brought forward, and after God has reminded himof the favour He showed him and the man acknowledges it, He will ask,‘What did you do to show gratitude for it?’ The man will reply, ‘Ihave not neglected to give liberally for Thy sake to all the causesapproved by Thee for this purpose.’ God will say, ‘You lie. You didit that people might call you generous, and they have done so.’ Command will then be issued about him, and he will be dragged on his faceand thrown into hell.” Muslim transmitted it.

‘Abdallah b. ‘Amr reported God’s messenger as saying, “God doesnot take away knowledge by removing it from men, but takes it awayby taking away the learned, so that when He leaves no learned man, menwill take ignorant men as leaders. Causes will be presented to themand they will pass judgement without knowledge, erring and leadingothers into error.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Shaqiq said that ‘Abdallah b. Mas'ud used to exhort the peopleevery Thursday. A man said, “ I wish, Abu ‘Abd ar-Rahman [This is Ibn Mas`ud’s kunya], that youwould give us a daily exhortation.” He replied, “My dislike of wearying you prevents me from that, so I am considerate in my exhortationsto you as God’s messenger was to us for fear of causing us aversion.”(Bukhari and Muslim.)

Anas said that when the Prophet made a statement he repeated itthree times so that it would be understood, and that when he met a company and gave them a salutation he did it three times. Bukharitransmitted it.

Abu Mas'ud al-Ansari told of a man who came to the Prophet andsaid, “My camel has become jaded, so give me a mount.” On his replying that he had none, a man said, “Messenger of God, I can guide himto one who will give him a mount.” God’s messenger then said, “Hewho guides to what is good will have a reward equivalent to that of himwho does it.” Muslim transmitted it.

One early morning when they were with God’s messenger some people came to him who were scantily clad, wearing stripedwoollen garments,* with swords over their shoulders; most, nay all ofthem, belonging to Mudar. God’s messenger showed signs of anger onhis face because of the poverty-stricken state in which he saw them,and went in. After a little he came out and gave orders to Bilal whouttered the call to prayer and announced that the time to begin prayerhad come. When the Prophet had prayed, he delivered an address in which he said, “ ‘Fear your Lord, people, who created you from onesoul . . . God watches over you.’[Qur’an, iv, 1] ‘Fear God, and let a soul look towhat it has sent forward for the morrow. [Ibid., lix, 18] Let a man give sadaqafrom his dinars and dirhams, his clothing, his sa‘ of wheat and sa‘ ofdates, even if it is only half a date.” Jarir said: One of the Ansarbrought a purse which was almost too big for his hand to hold, indeedit was too big. Then people came one after the other till I saw twomounds of food and clothing, with the result that I saw the face of God’smessenger glowing as if it were golden. He then said, “If anyone establishes a good sunna in Islam he will have a reward for it and theequivalent of the rewards of those who act upon it after him, withouttheirs being diminished in any respect; but he who establishes a badsunna in Islam will bear the responsibility of it and the responsibilityof those who act upon it after him, without theirs being diminished inany respect.” Muslim transmitted it. *[The text has an-nimar au al-'aba, thus giving an alternative word. This is not indicated inthe translation above.]

Ibn Mas'ud reported God’s messenger as saying, “No life is takenunjustly without a portion of its blood being laid at the door of Adam’sfirst son, because he was the first to introduce murder.” (Bukhari andMuslim). We shall mention the tradition from Mu'awiya, “A section ofmy people will continue .. .”* in the chapter on the reward of thispeople, if God will.*Book XXV, Chap. xli. The wording is slightly different.

Kathir b. Qais told how, when he was sitting with Abu Darda' inthe mosque of Damascus, a man came to him and said, “Abu Darda',I have come to you from the town of the Messenger for a tradition I haveheard that you relate from God's messenger. I have come for no otherpurpose.” He replied that he had heard God’s messenger say, “ If anyone travels on a road in search of knowledge God will cause him totravel on one of the roads of paradise, the angels will lower their wingsfrom good pleasure with one who seeks knowledge, and the inhabitantsof the heavens and the earth and the fish in the depth of the water willask forgiveness for him. The superiority of the learned man over thedevout man is like that of the moon on the night when it is full over therest of the stars. The learned are the heirs of the prophets who leaveneither dinar nor dirham, leaving only knowledge, and he who accepts itaccepts an abundant portion.” Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, Ibn Majahand Darimi transmitted it, Tirmidhi calling Him Qais b. Kathir.

Two men, one learned and theother devout, were mentioned to God’s messenger, who then said, “Thesuperiority of the learned man over the devout man is like mine overthe most contemptible among you,” adding, “God, His angels, the inhabitants of the heavens and the earth, even the ant in its hole and eventhe fish invoke blessings on him who teaches men what is good.”Tirmidhi transmitted it. Darimi transmitted it from Makhul in mursalform, but did not mention the two men. He said, “The superiority ofthe learned man over the devout man is like mine over the most contemptible among you.” Then he recited this verse, “Only those of Hisservants who are learned fear God," (35:28) 1 then went on with the tradition tothe end.

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported God’s messenger as saying, “ Peoplewill follow you, and men will come to you from all regions of the earthseeking understanding about the religion; so when they come to you,give them good counsel.” Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Abu Huraira reported God's messenger as saying, “A word whichcontains wisdom is the stray beast* of the wise man, so wherever he findsit he is most entitled to it.” Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted it,Tirmidhi saying that this is a gharib tradition and that Ibrahim b. al-Fadl the transmitter is declared to be weak in tradition.*i.e. something to be sought.

Ibn ‘Abbas reported God’s messenger as saying, “One faqih hasmore power over the devil than a thousand devout men.” Tirmidhi andIbn Majah transmitted it.