The Rites of Pilgrimage

كتاب المناسك

Chapter 42: The Sacred Territory of Medina. May God most high protect it - Section 1

He told that when the people saw the first fruits they brought them to the Prophet, and when he received them he said, "O God, bless us in our fruits; bless us in our city; bless us in our sa‘; and bless us in our mudd. O God, Abraham was Thy servant, friend and prophet, and I am Thy servant and prophet. He made supplication to Thee on behalf of Mecca, and I make on behalf of Medina the same supplication as he made on behalf of Mecca and as much again." He would then call to him the youngest child and give him those fruits. Muslim transmitted it.

Abu Sa'id reported the Prophet as saying, "Abraham declared Mecca sacred and made it a sacred area, and I declare Medina to be sacred throughout the area between its two mountain paths, so that no blood may be shed in it, weapons may not be carried in it for fighting, and leaves may not be beaten off trees in it except for fodder."Muslim transmitted it.

‘Amir b. Sa'd said that Sa‘d rode to his castle in al-'Aqiq and found a salve cutting down trees, or beating off their leaves, so he took what was on him. When Sa'd returned, the slave’s people came to him and asked him to return to their servant or to them what he had taken from their servant, but he replied, "God forbid that I should return anything which God’s messenger has given me as spoil;" and he refused to return it to them. Muslim transmitted it.

‘A'isha said

When God’s messenger came to Medina Abu Bakr and Bilal were prostrated with fever and when I went to God’s messenger and told him he said, "O God, make Medina as dear to us as Mecca, or more so, make it healthy, bless us in its sa' and its mudd, and transfer its fever and put it in al-Juhfa."Bukhari and Muslim.

'Abdallah b. ‘Umar told of the vision the Prophet had about Medina. He said, “I saw a black woman with dishevelled hair go out of Medina and settle at Mahya'a, and interpreted it as meaning that the pestilence of Medina had been transferred to Mahya'a, which is al-Juhfa.” Bukhari transmitted it.

Sufyan b. Abu Zuhair told of hearing God’s messenger say, "The Yemen will be conquered and- people will come driving their camels gently, removing their families and those who are under their authority, but Medina would be best for them if they only knew. Syria will be conquered and people will come driving their camels gently, removing their families and those who are under their authority, but Medina would be best for them if they only knew. ‘Iraq will be conquered and people will come driving their camels gently, removing their families and those who are under their authority, but Medina would be best for them if they only knew.” Bukhari and Muslim.

Abu Huraira reported God’s messenger as saying, " I have been commanded to go to a town which will devour all towns. People call it Yathrib, but it is Medina. It drives away people as the bellows drives away the impurity of iron.” Bukhari and Muslim.

Jabir b. Samura told that he heard God’s messenger say, “God called Medina Taba.”( Taj al-'Arus says the objection to the name Yathrib was owing to the fact that the root from which this name comes has the meaning of corruption. Therefore Taba, which comes from a root meaning to be good, sweet, or pure, was considered better. Other forms which have been used are Taiba, al-Mutayyaba (or al-Mutayyiba))Muslim transmitted it.

Jabir b. ‘Abdallah told of a desert Arab who had sworn allegiance to God’s messenger, but who, when he suffered from a bout of fever in Medina, came to the Prophet and said, "Cancel my oath of allegiance, Muhammad;” but God’s messenger refused. He came again with the same request and again he refused. He came once more with the same request, and when he again refused, the desert Arab went off. God’s messenger then said, "Medina is like bellows which drives away its impurity and purifies what is good in it.” Bukhari and Muslim.

Abu Huraira reported God's messenger as saying, “The last hour will not come before Medina drives away its wicked people as the bellows drives away the impurity of iron." Muslim transmitted it.

He reported God’s messenger as saying, “There are angels on the mountain roads of Medina, so neither plague nor the dajjal can enter it.”Bukhari and Muslim.

Anas reported God’s messenger as saying, “There is no town on which the dajjal will not tread, with the exception of Mecca and Medina. There is none of its mountain paths which does not have angels in it drawn up in rows and guarding it. He will then go down to the marshy land, and Medina will put its people into commotion three times; then every infidel and hypocrite will go out to him.” Bukhari and Muslim.

Sa'd reported God’s messenger as saying, “No one will act deceitfully towards the inhabitants of Medina without being dissolved as salt is dissolved in water.” Bukhari and Muslim.

Anas said that when the Prophet returned from a journey and looked at the walls of Medina he made his camel hasten, and if he was on a horse (Dabba. This word is used for either a horse or a mule, and although it is feminine it is used for either male or female) he urged it on through love of Medina. Bukhari transmitted it.

He told of the Prophet coming in sight of Uhud and saying, “This is a mountain which loves us and which we love. O God, Abraham declared Mecca sacred, and I declare the land between its (Medina's) two lava plains to be sacred.”Bukhari and Muslim.

Sahl b. Sa'd reported God’s messenger as saying, “Uhud is a mountain which loves us and which we love.” Bukhari transmitted it.

Chapter 43: The Sacred Territory of Medina. May God most high protect it - Section 2

Sulaiman b. Abu ‘Abdallah said he saw Sa'd b. Abu Waqqas seize a man who was hunting in the sacred territory of Medina which God’s messenger had declared to be sacred and take away his clothes from him. His patrons came to him and spoke to him about it, but he replied, “God’s messenger declared this sacred territory to be sacred, saying that if anyone caught someone hunting in it he should take from him what he had, so I will not return to you a provision which God’s messenger has given me; but if you wish I shall pay you its value.” Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Salih, a client of Sa'd, said that Sa'd found some of the slaves of Medina cutting down some of the trees of Medina and took away their equipment. He then said, i.e. to their owners, that he had heard God's messenger prohibiting the cutting of any of the trees of Medina and saying, “If anyone cuts any of them, what is taken from him goes to the one who seizes him." Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Az-Zubair reported God’s messenger as saying, “The game and large thorn trees of Wajj are sacred being declared a sacred belonging of God." Abu Dawud transmitted it. Muhyi as-Sunna said Wajj was mentioned by some as being in the neighbourhood of at-Ta’if. (There is another sentence here which cannot easily be fitted in with the translation. It says that al-Khattabi used annahu in place of annaha. In the preceding phrase annaha is used with reference to Wajj. The point of the extra sentence is that al-Khattabi used the masculine pronominal suffix in place of the feminine)

Ibn ‘Umar reported God’s messenger as saying, “Let him who can die in Medina, for I shall intercede for those who die in it." Ahmad and Tirmidhi transmitted it, the latter saying this is a hasan sahih tradition whose isnad is gharib.