" Every one of them giving birth to a child, who would have fought in the cause of Allah."

This is what Abu Huraira reported to us from Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), and he narrated a hadith and (one) of them is that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: I swear by Allah, it is more sinful in Allah's sight for one of you to persist in an oath regarding his family than payment of its expiation which Allah has imposed upon him (for breaking the oath).

Messenger of Allah, I had taken a vow during the days of Ignorance (Jahiliyya) that I would observe I'tikaf for a night in the Sacred Mosque. He (the Holy Prophet) said: Fulfil your vow.

This hadith is transmitted on the authority of Ibn Umar with a slight variation of words.

I have caused you pain. He said: No. But he (Ibn Umar) said: You are free. He then took hold of something from the earth and said: There is no reward for me even to the weight equal to it. I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: He who beats a slave without cognizable offence of his or slaps him (without any serious fault), then expiation for it is that he should set him free.

When I was beating my servant, I heard a voice behind me (saying): Abu Mas'ud, bear in mind Allah has more dominance over you than you have upon him. I turned and (found him) to be Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). I said: Allah's Messenger, I set him free for the sake of Allah. Thereupon he said: Had you not done that, (the gates of) Hell would have opened for you, or the fire would have burnt you.

We came to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) requesting him to provide us with riding camels. He (the Holy Prophet) said: There is nothing with me with which I should equip you. By Allah, I would not provide you with (riding camels). Then Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) sent to us three camels with spotted bumps. We said: We came to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) asking him to equip us with riding animals. He took an oath that he could not equip us. We came to him and informed him. He said: By Allah, I do not take an oath, but when I find the other thing better than that, I do that which is better.

He who took an oath, but he found something else better than that, should do that which is better and break his oath.

I will have an intercourse with seventy wives during the night; all of them will give birth to a male child who will fight in the cause of Allah. His companion or the ang I said to him: Say," If God wills." But he (Hadrat Sulaimin) did not say so, and he forgot it. And none of his wives gave birth to a child, but one who gave birth to a premature child. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: Had he said Insha' Allah (if God so will). he would not have failed and his desire would have been materialised.

I will certainly have intercourse with seventy wives during the night, and every wife amongst them will give birth to a child, who will fight in the cause of Allah. It was said to him: Say:" Insha' Allah" (God willing), but he did not say so and forgot it. He went round them but none of them give birth to a child except one woman and that too was an incomplete person. Upon this Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: If he had said" Insha' Allah." he would not have failed, and his desire must have been fulfilled.

We used to sell cloth in the house of Suwaid b. Muqarrin, the brother of Nu'man b. Muqarrin. There came out a slave-girl, and she said something to a person amongst us, and he slapped her. Suwaid was enraged-the rest of the hadlth is the same.

I was beating my slave with a whip when I heard a voice behind me: Understand, Abu Masud; but I did not recognise the voice due to intense anger. He (Abu Mas'ud) reported: As he came near me (I found) that he was the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and he was saying: Bear in mind, Abu Mas'ud; bear in mind. Abu Mas'ud. He (Aba Maslad) said: threw the whip from my hand. Thereupon he (the Holy Prophet) said: Bear in mind, Abu Mas'ud; verily Allah has more dominance upon you than you have upon your slave. I (then) said: I would never beat my servant in future.

We were in the company of Abu Musa. The rest of the hadith is the same.

He who took an oath and then found another thing better than (this) should expiate for the oath (broken) by him and do (the better thing).

" He should expiate for (breaking) the vow and do that which is better."

A beggar came to 'Adi b. Hatim and he begged him to give him the price of a slave, or some portion of the price of the slave. He ('Adi) said: I have nothing to give you except my coat-of-mail and helmet. I will, however, write to my family to give that to you, but he did not agree to that. Thereupon 'Adi was enraged, and said: By Allah, I will not give you anything. The person (then) agreed to accept that, whereupon he said: By Allah, had I not heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) saying:" He who took an oath, but then found something more pious in the sight of Allah, he should (break the oath) and do that which is more pious," I would not have broken the oath (and thus paid you anything).

I heard 'Adi b. Hatim say that a person asked that and then narrated (the hadith) like one (mentioned above), but he made this addition:" Here are four hundred (dirhams) for you out of my gift."

Messenger of Allah, I had taken a vow during the days of Ignorance that I would observe I'tikaf for one day in the Sacred Mosque. So what is your opinion? He said: Go and observe I'tikaf for a day. And Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) gave him a slave girl out of the one-fifth (of the spoils of war meant for the Holy Prophet). And when Allah's Messenger (inay peace be upon him) set the war prisoners free. 'Umar b. Khattab heard their voice as they were saying: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) has set as free. He (Hadrat 'Umar) said: What is this? They said: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) has set free the prisoners of war (which had fallen to the lot of people). Thereupon he (Hadrat 'Umar) said: Abdullah, go to that slave-girl and set her free.

When Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) came back from the Battle of Hunain, Umar asked Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) about the vow he had taken during the days of Ignorance that he would observe I'tikaf for a day. The rest of the hadith is the same.

This hadith has been transmitted on the authority of Ibn Umar through another chain of transmitters but with a slight variation of words.