Abu Dharr reported:I said: Messenger of Allah, which mosque was set up first on the earth? He said: Al-Masjid al-Haram (the sacred). I (again) said: Then which next? He said: It was the Masjid Aqsa. I (again) said: How long the space of time (between their setting up)? He (the Holy Prophet) said: It was forty years. And whenever the time comes for prayer, pray there, for that is a mosque; and in the hadith transmitted by Abu Kamil (the words are):" Whenever time comes for prayer, pray, for that is a mosque (for you)

A'isha, the wife of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), reported:The prayer was prescribed as two rak'ahs, two rak'ahs both in journey and at the place of residence. The prayer while travelling remained as it was (originally prescribed), but an addition was made in the prayer (observed) at the place of residence

Abdullah is reported to have heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:When any one of you intends to come for Jumu'a prayer, he should take a bath

Ibn 'Abbas reported:I participated in the Fitr prayer with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and Abu Bakr, 'Umar and 'Uthman, and all of them observed this prayer before the Khutba, and then he (the Holy Prophet) delivered the sermon. Then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) descended (from the pulpit) and I (perceive) as if I am seeing him as he is commanding people with his hand to sit down. He then made his way through their (assembly) till he came to the women. Bilal was with him. He then recited (this verse): O Prophet, when believing women come to thee giving thee a pledge that they will not associate aught with Allah" (lx. 12) till he finished (his address to) them and then said: Do you conform to it (what has been described in the verse)? Only one woman among them replied: Yes, Apostle of Allah, but none else replied. He (the narrator) said: It could not be ascertained who actually she was. He (the Holy Prophet) exhorted them to give alms. Bilal stretched his cloth and then said: Come forward with alms. Let my father and mother be taken as ransom for you. And they began to throw rings and ringlets in the cloth of Bilal

Abdullah b. Zaid b. Mazini reported:The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) went to the place of prayer and prayed for rain and turned round his mantle while facing the Qibla

A'isha reported that there was a solar eclipse in the time of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He stood up to pray and prolonged his stand very much. He then bowed and prolonged very much his bowing. He then raised his head and prolonged his stand much, but it was less than the (duration) of the first stand. He then bowed and prolonged bowing much, but it was less than the duration of his first bowing. He then prostrated and then stood up and prolonged the stand, but it was less than the first stand. He then bowed and prolonged his bowing, but it was less than the first bowing. He then lifted his head and then stood up and prolonged his stand, but it was less than the first stand. He then bowed and prolonged bowing and it was less than the first bowing. He then prostrated himself; then he turned about, and the sun had become bright, and he addressed the people. He praised Allah and landed Him and said:The sun and the moon are two signs of Allah; they are not eclipsed on account of anyones death or on account of anyone's birth. So when you see them, glorify and supplicate Allah, observe prayer, give alms. O Ummah of Muhammad, none is more indignant than Allah When His servant or maid commits fornication. O people of Muhammad, by Allah, if you knew what I know, you would weep much and laugh little

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:Exhort to recite" There is no god but Allah" to those of you who are dying

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported Allah's Messenger (way peace be upon him) as saying:No sadaqa (zakat) is payable on less than five wasqs of (dates or grains), on less than five camel-heads and on less than five uqiyas (of silver)

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:When there comes the month of Ramadan, the gates of mercy are opened, and the gates of Hell are locked and the devils are chained

Ibn 'Umar (Allah be pleased with both of them) reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to observe i'tikaf in the last ten days of Ramadan

Ibn 'Umar (Allah be pleased with them) reported that a person asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) what a Muhrim should put on as dress. Thereupon the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:Do not put on a shirt or a turban, or trousers or a cap, or leather stockings except one who does not find shoes; he may put on stockings but he should trim them below the ankles. And do not wear clothes to which saffron or wars is applied

Alqama reported:While I was walking with 'Abdullah at Mina, 'Uthman happened to meet him. He stopped there and began to talk with him. Uthman said to him: Abu 'Abd al-Rahman, should we not marry you to a young girl who may recall to you some of the past of your bygone days; thereupon he said: If you say so, Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: 0 young men, those among you who can support a wife should marry, for it restrains eyes from casting (evil glances). and preserves one from immorality; but those who cannot should devote themselves to fasting for it is a means of controlling sexual desire

A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported tha Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was with her and she heard the voice of a person seeking permission to enter the house of Hafsa. 'A'isha (Allah he pleased with her) said:Allah's Messenger, he is the person who seeks permission to enter your house, whereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: I think he is so and so (uncle of Hafsa by reason of fosterage). 'A'isha said: Messenger of Allah, if so and so (her uncle by reason of fosterage) were alive, could he enter my house? Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: Yes. Fosterage makes unlawful what consanguinity makes unlawful

Ibn 'Umar (Allah be pleased with them) reported that he divorced his wife while she was menstruating during the lifetime of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). 'Umar b. Khattib (Allah be pleased with him) asked Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) about it, whereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said:Command him ('Abdullah b. 'Umar) to take her back (and keep her) and pronounce divorce when she is purified and she again enters the period of menstruation and she is again purified (after passing the period of menses), and then if he so desires he may keep her and if he desires divorce her (finally) before touching her (without having an intercourse with her), for that is the period of waiting ('ldda) which God, the Exalted and Glorious, has commanded for the divorce of women

Sahl b. Sa'd al-Sa'idi reported that'Uwaimir al-'Ajlani came to 'Asim b. 'Adi al-Ansari and said to him. Tell me about a person who finds a man with his wife; should he kill him, and be killed In retaliation; or how should he act? 'Asim, ask for me (religious verdict about it) from Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). So 'Asim asked Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and he did not like this question and he disapproved of it so much that'Asim felt aggrieved at what he had heard from Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). When 'Asim came back to his family, 'Uwaimir came to him and said:'Asim, what did Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) say to you? 'Asim said to 'Uwaimir: You did not bring something good. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) did not like this religious verdict that I sought from him. 'Uwaimir said: By Allah, I will not rest until I have asked him about it. 'Uwaimir proceeded until he came to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as he was sitting amidst people, and said: Messenger of Allah, tell me about a person who found a man with his wife. Should he kill him, and then you would kill him, or how should he act? Thereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: (Verses) have been revealed concerning you and your wife; so go and bring her. Sahl said that they both invoked curses (and further said): I was along with people in the company of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). And when they had finished, Uwaimir said: Allah's Messenger, I shall have told a lie against her if I keep her (now). So he divorced her with three pronouncements before Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) had commanded him. Ibn Shihab said: Subsequently that was the practice of invokers of curses (al Mutala'inain)

Ibn Umar (Allah be pleased with them) reported Allah's Messenger may peace be upon him) as saying:If anyone emancipates his share ina slave and has enough money to pay the full price for him, a fair price for the slave should be fixed, his partners given their shares, and the slave be thus emancipated, otherwise he is emancipated only to the extent of the first man's share

Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) forbade (two types of transactions) Mulamasa and Munabadha

Ibn Umar (Allah be pleased with them) reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) contracted with the people of Khaibar the (trees) on the condition that he would have half the produce in fruits and harvest

Usama b. Zaid reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:A Muslim is not entitled to inherit from a non-Muslim, and a non-Muslim is not entitled to inherit from a Muslim

Umar b. Khattab (Allah be pleased with him) reported:I donated a pedigree horse in the path of Allah. Its possessor made it languish. I thought that he would sell it at a cheap price. I asked Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) about it, whereupon he said: Don't buy it and do not get back your charity, for one who gets back the charity is like a dog who swallows its vomit

Ibn Umar (Allah be pleased with them) reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:It is the duty of a Muslim who has something which is to be given as a bequest not to have it for two nights without having his will written down regarding it

Ibn Abbas reported that Sa'd b. Ubida asked Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) for a decision about a vow taken by his mother who had died before fulfilling it. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said:Fulfil it on her behalf

Umar b. al-Khattib reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:Allah, the Great and Majestic, forbids you to swear by your fathers. Umar said: By Allah. I have never sworn (by my father) since I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) forbidding it mentioning them" on my behalf" nor on behalf of someone else

Sahl b. Abu Hathma and Rafi' b. Khadij reported that 'Abdullah b. Sahl b. Zaid and Muhayyisa b. Mas'ud b. Zaid went out and as they reached Khaibar they were separated. Then Muhayyisa found 'Abdullah b. Sahl having been killed. He buried him, and then came to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). They were Huwayyisa b. Mas'ud and 'Abd al-Rahman b. Sahl, and he (the latter one) was the youngest of the people (those three who had come to seek an interview with the Holy Prophet) began to talk before his Companions (had spoken). Thereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said:The eldest one (eldest in regard to age should speak). So he kept quiet, and his companions (Muhayyisa and Huwayyisa) began to speak, and he ('Abd al Rahman) spoke along with them and they narrated to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) the murder of 'Abdullah b. Sahl. Thereupon he said to them: Are you prepared to take fifty oaths so that you may be entitled (to blood-wit) of your companion (or your man who has murdered)? They said: How can we take an oath on a matter which we have not witnessed? He (the Holy Prophet) said: Then the Jews will exonerate themselves by fifty oaths. They said: How can we accept the oaths of people who are unbelievers? When Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) saw that, he himself paid his blood-wit

A'isha reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) cut off the hand of a thief for a quarter of a dinar rid upwards

Ibn Abbas reported Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) as saying:If the people were given according to their claims, they would claim the lives of persons and their properties, but the oath must be taken by the defendant

Zaid b. Khalid al-Juhani reported:A man came to Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) and asked him about picking up of stray articles. He said: Recognise (well) its bag and the strap (by which it is tied) then make announcement of that for a year. If its owner comes (within this time return that to him), otherwise it is yours. He (again) said: (What about) the lost goat? Thereupon he (the Holy Prophet) said: It is yours or for your brother, or for the wolf. He said: (What about) the lost camel? Thereupon he said: You have nothing to do with it; it has a leather bag along with it, and its shoes also. It comes to the watering-place, eats (the leaves of the) trees until its master finds him

Ibn 'Aun reported:I wrote to Nafi' inquiring from him whether it was necessary to extend (to the disbelievers) an invitation to accept (Islam) before meeting them in fight. He wrote (in reply) to me that it was necessary in the early days of Islam. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) made a raid upon Banu Mustaliq while they were unaware and their cattle were having a drink at the water. He killed those who fought and imprisoned others. On that very day, he captured Juwairiya bint al-Harith. Nafi' said that this tradition was related to him by Abdullah b. Umar who (himself) was among the raiding troops

It has been narrarted on the authority of Abu Huraira that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:People are subservient to the Quraish: the Muslims among them being subservient to the Muslims among them, and the disbelievers among the people being subservient to the disbelievers among them

Adi b. Hatim reported:I said: Messenger of Allah, I set off trained dogs and they catch for me (the game) and I recite the name of Allah over it (I slaughter the game by reciting Bismillah-i-Allah-o-Akbar), whereupon he said: When you set off your trained dogs, if you recited the name of Allah (while setting them off), then eat (the game). I said: Even if they (the trained dogs) kill that (the game)? He (the Holy Prophet) said: Even if these kill, but (on the condition) that no other dog, which you did not set off (along with your dogs), participates (in catching the game). I said to him: I throw Mi'rad, a heavy featherless blunt arrow, for hunting and killing (the game). Thereupon he said: When you throw Mi'rad, and it pierces, then eat, but if it falls flatly (and beats the game to death), then do not eat that

Jundab b. Sufyan reported:I was with Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) on the day of 'Id al-Adha. While he had not returned after having offered (the Id prayer) and finished it, he saw the flesh of the sacrificial animals which had been slaughtered before he had completed the prayer. Thereupon he (the Holy Prophet) said: One who slaughtered his sacrificial animal before his prayer or our prayer ('Id), he should slaughter another one in its stead, and he who did not slaughter, he should slaughter by reciting the name of Allah

Ali b. Abu Talib reported; There fell to my lot along with Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) an old she-camel from the spoils of Badr. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) granted me another camel. I made them kneel down one day at the door of an Ansari, and I wanted to carry on them Idhkhir (a kind of grass) in order to sell that. There was with me a goldsmith of the tribe of Qainuqa'. I saught to give a wedding feast (on the occasion of marriage with) Fatima with the help of that (the price accrued from the sale of this grass). And Hamza b. 'Abd al-Muttalib was busy in drinking in that house in the company of a singing girl who was singing to him. She said:Hamza, get up for slaughtering the fat she-camels. Hamza attacked them with the sword and cut off their humps and ripped their haunches, and then took out their livers. I said to Ibn Shihab: Did he take out anything from the hump? He said: He cut off the humps altogether. Ibn Shihab reported 'Ali having said: I saw this (horrible) sight and it shocked me, and I came to Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) and there was Zaid b, Haritha with him and communicated to him this news. He came in the company of Zaid and I also went along with him and he went to Hamza and he expressed anger with him. Hamza raised his eyes and said: Are you (not) but the servants of my father? Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) turned back on his heels (on hearing this) until he went away from them

Abu Malik at-Ash'ari reported:The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Cleanliness is half of faith and al-Hamdu Lillah (all praise and gratitude is for Allah alone) fills the scale, and Subhan Allah (Glory be to Allah) and al-Hamdu Lillah fill up what is between the heavens and the earth, and prayer is a light, and charity is proof (of one's faith) and endurance is a brightness and the Holy Qur'an is a proof on your behalf or against you. All men go out early in the morning and sell themselves, thereby setting themselves free or destroying themselves

Umm Salama, the wife of Allah's Apostle (ﷺ), said:He who drinks in the vessel of silver in fact drinks down in his belly the fire of Hell

Anas reported that person at Baqi' called another person as" Abu'l- Qasim," and Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) turned towards him. He (the person who had uttered these words) said:Messenger of Allah, I did not mean you, but I called such and such (person), whereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: You may call yourself by my name, but not by my kunya

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:The rider should first greet the pedestrian, and the pedestrian the one who is seated and a small group should greet a larger group (with as-Salam-u-'Alaikum)

Abu Huraira reported:I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, said: The son of Adam abuses Dahr (the time), whereas I am Dahr since in My hand are the day and the night

Abu Salama reported:I used to see dreams (and was so much perturbed) that I began to quiver and have temperature, but did not cover myself with a mantle. I met Abu Qatada and made a mention of that to him. He said: I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: A good vision comes from Allah and a (bad) dream (hulm) from devil. So when one of you sees a bad dream (hulm) which he does not like, he should spit on his left side thrice and seek refuge with Allah from its evil; then it will not harm him

Wathila b. al-Asqa' reported:I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: Verily Allah granted eminence to Kinana from amongst the descendants of Isma'il, and he granted eminence to the Quraish amongst Kinana, and he granted eminence to Banu Hashim amonsgst the Quraish, and he granted me eminence from the tribe of Banu Hashim

Anas b. Malik reported that Abu Bakr Siddiq reported him thus:I saw the feet of the polytheists very close to us as we were in the cave. I said: Allah's Messenger, if one amongst them were to see at his feet he would have surely seen us. Thereupon he said: Abu Bakr, what can befall two who have Allah as the third One with them

Abu Huraira reported that a person came to Allah, 's Messenger (ﷺ) and said:Who among the people is most deserving of a fine treatment from my hand? He said: Your mother. He again said: Then who (is the next one)? He said: Again it is your mother (who deserves the best treatment from you). He said: Then who (is the next one)? He (the Holy Prophet) said: Again, it is your mother. He (again) said: Then who? Thereupon he said: Then it is your father. In the hadith transmitted on the authority of Qutalba, there is no mention of the word" the people

Abdullah (b. Mas'ud) reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) who is the most truthful (of the human beings) and his being truthful (is a fact) said:Verily your creation is on this wise. The constituents of one of you are collected for forty days in his mother's womb in the form of blood, after which it becomes a clot of blood in another period of forty days. Then it becomes a lump of flesh and forty days later Allah sends His angel to it with instructions concerning four things, so the angel writes down his livelihood, his death, his deeds, his fortune and misfortune. By Him, besides Whom there is no god, that one amongst you acts like the people deserving Paradise until between him and Paradise there remains but the distance of a cubit, when suddenly the writing of destiny overcomes him and he begins to act like the denizens of Hell and thus enters Hell, and another one acts in the way of the denizens of Hell, until there remains between him and Hell a distance of a cubit that the writing of destiny overcomes him and then he begins to act like the people of Paradise and enters Paradise

A'isha reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) recited (these verses of the Qur'an):"He it is Who revealed to thee (Muhammad) the Book (the Qur'an) wherein there are clear revelations-these are the substance of the Book and others are allegorical (verses). And as for those who have a yearning for error they go after the allegorical verses seeking (to cause) dissension, by seeking to explain them. And none knows their implications but Allah, and those who are sound in knowledge say: We affirm our faith in everything which is from our Lord. It is only the persons of understanding who really heed" (Al-Qur'an 3:7). 'A'isha (further) reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said (in connection with these verses): When you see such verses, avoid them, for it is they whom Allah has pointed out (in the mentioned verses)

A'isha reported:When anyone amongst us (amongst the wives of the Holy Prophet) menstruated, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) asked her to tie a waist-wrapper over her (body) and then embraced her

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying that Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, thus stated:I am near to the thought of My servant as he thinks about Me, and I am with him as he remembers Me. And if he remembers Me in his heart, I also remember him in My Heart, and if he remembers Me in assembly I remember him in assembly, better than his (remembrance), and if he draws near Me by the span of a palm, I draw near him by the cubit, and if he draws near Me by the cubit I draw near him by the space (covered by) two hands. And if he walks towards Me, I rush towards him

Usama b. Zaid reported that Allah's Messenger (way peace be upon him) said:I stood at the door of Paradise and I found that the overwhelming majority of those who entered therein was that of poor persons and the wealthy persons were detained to get into that. The denizens of Hell were commanded to get into Hell, and I stood upon the door of Fire and the majority amongst them who entered there was that of women

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, said: I live in the thought of My servant and I am with him as he remembers Me. (The Holy Prophet) further said: By Allah, Allah is more pleased wth the repentance of His servant than what one of you would do on finding the lost camel in the waterless desert. When he draws near Me by the span of his hand. I draw near him by the length of a cubit and when he draws near Me by the length of a cubit. I draw near him by the length of a fathom and when he draws near Me walking I draw close to him hurriedly

Zaid b. Arqam reported:We set out on a journey along with Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) in which we faced many hardships. 'Abdullah b. Ubayy said to his friends: Do not give what you have in your possession to those who are with Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) until they desert him. Zubair said: That is the reciting of that person who recited as min haulahu (from around him) and the other reciting is man haulahia (who are around him). And in this case when we would return to Medina the honourable would drive out the meaner therefrom (lxiv. 8). I came to Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) and informed him about that and he sent someone to 'Abdullah b. Ubayy and he asked him whether he had said that or not. He took an oath to the fact that he had not done that and told that it was Zaid who had stated a lie to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). Zaid said: I was much perturbed because of this until this verse was revealed attesting my truth:" When the hypocrites come" (lxiii. 1). Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) then called them in order to seek forgiveness for them, but they turned away their heads as if they were hooks of wood fixed in the wall (lxiii. 4), and they were in fact apparently good-looking persons

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:A bulky person would be brought on the Day of judgment and he would not carry the weight to the eye of Allah equal even to that of a gnat. Nor shall We set up a balance for them on the Day of Resurrection" (xviii)

Anas b. Malik reported:The Paradise is surrounded by hardships and the Hell-Fire is surrounded by temptations

Zainab bint Jahsh reported that Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) got up from sleep saying:There is no being worthy of worship except Allah; there is a destruction in store for Arabia because of turmoil which is at hand, the barrier of Gog and Magog has opened so much. And Sufyan made a sign of ten with the help of his hand (in order to indicate the width of the gap) and I said: Allah's Messenger, would we be perished in spite of the fact that there would be good people amongst us? Thereupon he said: Of course, but only when the evil predominates

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:The world is a prison-house for a believer and Paradise for a non-believer

Hammim b. Munabbih reported:This is what Abu Huraira reported to us from Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and in this connection he narrated some of the ahadith and Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: It was said to people of Israel: Enter this land saying Hitta (Remove Thou from us the burden of our sins), whereupon We would forgive you your sins, but they twisted (this statement) and entered the gate dragging upon their breech and said: The" grain in the ear

Ibn Umar reported:When the Muslims came to Medina, they gathered and sought to know the time of prayer but no one summoned them. One day they discussed the matter, and some of them said: Use something like the bell of the Christians and some of them said: Use horn like that of the Jews. Umar said: Why may not a be appointed who should call (people) to prayer? The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: O Bilal, get up and summon (the people) to prayer

It is narrated on the authority of Yahya b. Ya'mur that the first man who discussed qadr (Divine Decree) in Basra was Ma'bad al-Juhani. I along with Humaid b. 'Abdur-Rahman Himyari set out for pilgrimage or for 'Umrah and said:Should it so happen that we come into contact with one of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) we shall ask him about what is talked about taqdir (Divine Decree). Accidentally we came across Abdullah ibn Umar ibn al-Khattab, while he was entering the mosque. My companion and I surrounded him. One of us (stood) on his right and the other stood on his left. I expected that my companion would authorize me to speak. I therefore said: Abu Abdur Rahman! There have appeared some people in our land who recite the Qur'an and pursue knowledge. And then after talking about their affairs, added: They (such people) claim that there is no such thing as Divine Decree and events are not predestined. He (Abdullah ibn Umar) said: When you happen to meet such people tell them that I have nothing to do with them and they have nothing to do with me. And verily they are in no way responsible for my (belief). Abdullah ibn Umar swore by Him (the Lord) (and said): If any one of them (who does not believe in the Divine Decree) had with him gold equal to the bulk of (the mountain) Uhud and spent it (in the way of Allah), Allah would not accept it unless he affirmed his faith in Divine Decree. He further said: My father, Umar ibn al-Khattab, told me: One day we were sitting in the company of Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) when there appeared before us a man dressed in pure white clothes, his hair extraordinarily black. There were no signs of travel on him. None amongst us recognized him. At last he sat with the Apostle (peace be upon him) He knelt before him placed his palms on his thighs and said: Muhammad, inform me about al-Islam. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: Al-Islam implies that you testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, and you establish prayer, pay Zakat, observe the fast of Ramadan, and perform pilgrimage to the (House) if you are solvent enough (to bear the expense of) the journey. He (the inquirer) said: You have told the truth. He (Umar ibn al-Khattab) said: It amazed us that he would put the question and then he would himself verify the truth. He (the inquirer) said: Inform me about Iman (faith). He (the Holy Prophet) replied: That you affirm your faith in Allah, in His angels, in His Books, in His Apostles, in the Day of Judgment, and you affirm your faith in the Divine Decree about good and evil. He (the inquirer) said: You have told the truth. He (the inquirer) again said: Inform me about al-Ihsan (performance of good deeds). He (the Holy Prophet) said: That you worship Allah as if you are seeing Him, for though you don't see Him, He, verily, sees you. He (the enquirer) again said: Inform me about the hour (of the Doom). He (the Holy Prophet) remarked: One who is asked knows no more than the one who is inquiring (about it). He (the inquirer) said: Tell me some of its indications. He (the Holy Prophet) said: That the slave-girl will give birth to her mistress and master, that you will find barefooted, destitute goat-herds vying with one another in the construction of magnificent buildings. He (the narrator, Umar ibn al-Khattab) said: Then he (the inquirer) went on his way but I stayed with him (the Holy Prophet) for a long while. He then, said to me: Umar, do you know who this inquirer was? I replied: Allah and His Apostle knows best. He (the Holy Prophet) remarked: He was Gabriel (the angel). He came to you in order to instruct you in matters of religion