Chapters on Supplication

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‘Abbas ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azim al-‘Anbari and more than one other narrator said: Abu Dawud al-Tayalisi narrated to us: ‘Imran al-Qattan narrated to us, from Qatadah, from Sa‘id ibn Abi al-Hasan, from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet, who said: ‘Nothing is more honored by Allah, Exalted is He, than supplication.’ Abu ‘Isa said: This hadith is hasan gharib. We know it as a Prophetic report only through the narration of ‘Imran al-Qattan. ‘Imran al-Qattan was Ibn Dawar, and his kunyah was Abu al-‘Awwam. Muhammad ibn Bashshar narrated to us: ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Mahdi narrated to us, from ‘Imran al-Qattan, with this chain, something similar.

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‘Ali ibn Hujr narrated to us: al-Walid ibn Muslim informed us, from Ibn Lahi‘ah, from ‘Ubaydullah ibn Abi Ja‘far, from Aban ibn Salih, from Anas ibn Malik, from the Prophet, who said: ‘Supplication is the core of worship.’ Abu ‘Isa said: This hadith is gharib by this route; we know it only through the narration of Ibn Lahi‘ah.

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Ahmad ibn Mani‘ narrated to us: Marwan ibn Mu‘awiyah narrated to us, from al-A‘mash, from Dharr, from Yusay‘, from al-Nu‘man ibn Bashir, from the Prophet, who said: ‘Supplication is worship.’ Then he recited: ‘Your Lord has said, “Call upon Me; I will answer you.” Those who are too proud to worship Me will enter Hell, humbled’ (40:60). This hadith is hasan sahih. Mansur and al-A‘mash also narrated it from Dharr, and we know it only through Dharr’s narration. He is Dharr ibn ‘Abdullah al-Hamdani, a trustworthy narrator and the father of ‘Umar ibn Dharr.

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Qutaybah narrated to us: Hatim ibn Isma‘il narrated to us, from Abu al-Malih, from Abu Salih, from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah said: ‘Whoever does not ask Allah, He becomes angry with him.’ He said: Waki‘ and more than one other narrator transmitted this hadith from Abu al-Malih; we know it only by this route. Ishaq ibn Mansur narrated to us: Abu ‘Asim narrated to us, from Humayd Abu al-Malih, from Abu Salih, from Abu Hurayrah, from the Prophet, something similar. Abu al-Malih’s name was Subayh. I heard Muhammad say this, and he said that Abu al-Malih was also called al-Farisi.

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Muhammad ibn Bashshar narrated to us: Marhum ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz al-‘Attar narrated to us: Abu Na‘amah al-Sa‘di narrated to us, from Abu ‘Uthman al-Nahdi, from Abu Musa al-Ash‘ari (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: ‘We were with the Messenger of Allah on a military expedition. When we were returning and came within sight of Madinah, the people raised their voices with the takbir. The Messenger of Allah said, “You are not calling upon One who is deaf or absent. He is between you and the heads of your mounts.” Then he said, “ ‘Abdullah ibn Qays, shall I teach you a treasure from the treasures of Paradise? There is no might or power except through Allah.”’ Abu ‘Isa said: This hadith is hasan. Abu ‘Uthman al-Nahdi’s name was ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Mall, and Abu Na‘amah al-Sa‘di’s name was ‘Amr ibn ‘Isa. Ishaq ibn Mansur narrated to us: Abu ‘Asim narrated to us, from Humayd Abu al-Malih, from Abu Salih, from Abu Hurayrah, from the Prophet, a similar report.

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Abu Kurayb narrated to us: Zayd ibn Hubab narrated to us, from Mu‘awiyah ibn Salih, from ‘Amr ibn Qays, from ‘Abdullah ibn Busr (may Allah be pleased with him), that a man said: ‘Messenger of Allah, the prescribed practices of Islam have become many for me. Tell me something I can hold fast to.’ He said: ‘Let your tongue remain moist with the remembrance of Allah.’ Abu ‘Isa said: This hadith is hasan gharib by this route.

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Qutaybah narrated to us: Ibn Lahi‘ah narrated to us, from Darraj, from Abu al-Haytham, from Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri, that the Messenger of Allah was asked, ‘Which servants will have the highest rank with Allah on the Day of Resurrection?’ He said: ‘The men and women who remember Allah often.’ I asked, ‘Messenger of Allah, even compared with a fighter in Allah’s cause?’ He said, ‘Even if he were to strike the disbelievers and polytheists with his sword until it broke and was stained with blood, those who remember Allah often would still have a higher rank than he.’ Abu ‘Isa said: This hadith is gharib; we know it only through the narration of Darraj.

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Al-Husayn ibn Hurayth narrated to us: al-Fadl ibn Musa narrated to us, from ‘Abdullah ibn Sa‘id—Ibn Abi Hind—from Ziyad, the client of Ibn ‘Ayyash, from Abu Bahriyyah, from Abu al-Darda’ (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Prophet said: ‘Shall I not tell you of the best of your deeds, the purest of them with your Sovereign, the highest of them in your ranks, better for you than spending gold and silver, and better for you than meeting your enemy and striking their necks while they strike yours?’ They said, ‘Yes, indeed.’ He said, ‘The remembrance of Allah, Exalted is He.’ Mu‘adh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) then said, ‘Nothing brings greater deliverance from Allah’s punishment than remembrance of Allah.’ Abu ‘Isa said: Some narrators transmitted this hadith from ‘Abdullah ibn Sa‘id with this same chain, while some narrated it from him with an omitted Companion in the chain (mursal).

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Muhammad ibn Bashshar narrated to us: ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Mahdi narrated to us: Sufyan narrated to us, from Abu Ishaq, from al-Agharr Abu Muslim, who testified that Abu Hurayrah and Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri testified that the Messenger of Allah said: ‘Whenever a people remember Allah, the angels surround them, mercy envelops them, tranquility descends upon them, and Allah mentions them among those who are with Him.’ Abu ‘Isa said: This hadith is hasan sahih.

Yusuf ibn Ya‘qub narrated to us: Hafs ibn ‘Umar narrated to us: Shu‘bah narrated to us, from Abu Ishaq, who said: I heard al-Agharr Abu Muslim say: I testify that Abu Sa‘id and Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with them both) testified that the Messenger of Allah said something similar.

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Muhammad ibn Bashshar narrated to us: Marhum ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz al-‘Attar narrated to us: Abu Na‘amah al-Sa‘di narrated to us, from Abu ‘Uthman al-Nahdi, from Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri, who said: Mu‘awiyah came out to the mosque and asked, ‘What has brought you to sit here?’ They said, ‘We sat to remember Allah.’ He asked, ‘By Allah, is that the only reason you sat here?’ They replied, ‘By Allah, that is the only reason we sat here.’ He said, ‘I did not make you swear because I suspect you. No one in a position like mine was less given to narrating from the Messenger of Allah than I was. The Messenger of Allah once came upon a circle of his Companions and asked, “What has brought you to sit here?” They said, “We sat to remember Allah and praise Him for guiding us to Islam and bestowing it upon us.” He asked, “By Allah, is that the only reason you sat here?” They replied, “By Allah, that is the only reason we sat here.” He said, “I did not make you swear because I suspected you. Jibril came to me and told me that Allah is boasting of you before the angels.”’ Abu ‘Isa said: This hadith is hasan gharib; we know it only by this route. Abu Na‘amah al-Sa‘di’s name was ‘Amr ibn ‘Isa, and Abu ‘Uthman al-Nahdi’s name was ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Mall.

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Muhammad ibn Bashshar narrated to us: ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Mahdi narrated to us: Sufyan narrated to us, from Salih, the client of al-Taw’amah, from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet, who said: ‘No people sit together in a gathering in which they neither remember Allah nor send blessings upon their Prophet without it becoming a cause of loss for them. If He wills, He will punish them; and if He wills, He will forgive them.’ Abu ‘Isa said: This hadith is hasan sahih. It has also been narrated by other routes from Abu Hurayrah, from the Prophet. The meaning of his words, “a cause of loss” (tirah), is regret and remorse. Some experts in Arabic said that tirah means retribution.

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Qutaybah narrated to us: Ibn Lahi‘ah narrated to us, from Abu al-Zubayr, from Jabir, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah say: ‘There is no one who makes a supplication without Allah granting him what he asked for or averting from him an equivalent harm, so long as he does not supplicate for a sin or for severing ties of kinship.’ Reports on this subject are also transmitted from Abu Sa‘id and ‘Ubadah ibn al-Samit.

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Muhammad ibn Marzuq narrated to us: ‘Ubaydullah ibn Waqid narrated to us: Sa‘id ibn ‘Atiyyah al-Laythi narrated to us, from Shahr ibn Hawshab, from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah said: ‘Whoever would like Allah to answer him in times of hardship and distress, let him make abundant supplication in times of ease.’ Abu ‘Isa said: This hadith is gharib.

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Yahya ibn Habib ibn ‘Arabi narrated to us: Musa ibn Ibrahim ibn Kathir al-Ansari narrated to us, saying: I heard Talhah ibn Khirash say: I heard Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both) say that he heard the Messenger of Allah say: ‘The best remembrance is “There is no god but Allah,” and the best supplication is “Praise belongs to Allah.”’ Abu ‘Isa said: This hadith is hasan gharib; we know it only through the narration of Musa ibn Ibrahim. ‘Ali ibn al-Madini and more than one other narrator also transmitted this hadith from Musa ibn Ibrahim.

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Abu Kurayb and Muhammad ibn ‘Ubayd al-Muharibi narrated to us: Yahya ibn Zakariyya ibn Abi Za’idah narrated to us, from his father, from Khalid ibn Salamah, from al-Bahi, from ‘Urwah, from ‘A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), who said: ‘The Messenger of Allah used to remember Allah at all times.’ Abu ‘Isa said: This hadith is hasan gharib. We know it only through the narration of Yahya ibn Zakariyya ibn Abi Za’idah. Al-Bahi’s name was ‘Abdullah.

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Nasr ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Kufi narrated to us: Abu Qatan narrated to us, from Hamzah al-Zayyat, from Abu Ishaq, from Sa‘id ibn Jubayr, from Ibn ‘Abbas, from Ubayy ibn Ka‘b, that whenever the Messenger of Allah mentioned someone and supplicated for him, he would begin with himself. Abu ‘Isa said: This hadith is hasan gharib sahih. Abu Qatan’s name was ‘Amr ibn al-Haytham.

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Abu Musa—Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna—and Ibrahim ibn Ya‘qub, along with more than one other narrator, said: Hammad ibn ‘Isa al-Juhani narrated to us, from Hanzalah ibn Abi Sufyan al-Jumahi, from Salim ibn ‘Abdullah, from his father, from ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: ‘When the Messenger of Allah raised his hands in supplication, he would not lower them until he had wiped his face with them.’ Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna said in his version: ‘He would not return them [to his sides] until he had wiped his face with them.’ Abu ‘Isa said: This hadith is sahih gharib. We know it only through the narration of Hammad ibn ‘Isa. He alone transmitted it, and he narrated few hadiths; people did narrate from him. Hanzalah ibn Abi Sufyan is trustworthy; Yahya ibn Sa‘id al-Qattan deemed him trustworthy.

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Al-Ansari narrated to us: Ma‘n narrated to us: Malik narrated to us, from Ibn Shihab, from Abu ‘Ubayd, the client of Ibn Azhar, from Abu Hurayrah, from the Prophet, who said: ‘One of you will continue to be answered so long as he does not grow impatient and say, “I supplicated, but I was not answered.”’ Abu ‘Isa said: This hadith is hasan sahih. Abu ‘Ubayd’s name was Sa‘d. He was the client of ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Azhar; it is also said that he was the client of ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Awf. ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Azhar was a cousin of ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Awf. A similar report is also transmitted from Anas.

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Muhammad ibn Bashshar narrated to us: Abu Dawud—the Tayalisi—narrated to us: ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi al-Zinad narrated to us, from his father, from Aban ibn ‘Uthman, who said: I heard ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) say that the Messenger of Allah said: ‘There is no servant who says, three times every morning and every evening: “In the name of Allah, with whose name nothing on earth or in heaven can cause harm; He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing,” without anything harming him.’ Aban had suffered a partial paralysis, and a man began staring at him. Aban said to him, ‘Why are you looking at me? The hadith is indeed as I told you, but on that day I did not say it, so Allah’s decree could be carried out upon me.’ This hadith is hasan sahih gharib.

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Abu Sa‘id al-Ashajj narrated to us: ‘Uqbah ibn Khalid narrated to us, from Abu Sa‘d—Sa‘id ibn al-Marzuban—from Abu Salamah, from Thawban (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah said: ‘Whoever, in the evening, says, “I am pleased with Allah as Lord, Islam as religion, and Muhammad as Prophet,” Allah is entitled to make him pleased.’ Abu ‘Isa said: This hadith is hasan gharib by this route.