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Hadith
145
It was narrated from Wasi‘ ibn Habban from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar, that he used to say: Some people say that when you sit to relieve yourself, do not face towards the qiblah or towards Bayt al-Maqdis. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar said: I climbed up on the roof of a house of ours one day, and I saw the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) sitting on two bricks to relieve himself, facing towards Bayt al-Maqdis. He said: Perhaps you are one of those who pray on their thighs? I said: I do not know, by Allah. Malik said: That refers to one who prays and does not lift himself up off the ground; he prostrates as if stuck to the ground..

Commentary : The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) taught us the etiquette, both words and deeds, of relieving oneself, and in his Sunnah he highlighted what should and should not be done.
In this hadith, the Tabi‘i Wasi‘ ibn Habban tells us that ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) used to say: Some people say that when you sit to relieve yourself – and he referred to sitting because that is what is usually the case, otherwise there is no difference between sitting and standing – then do not face towards the Holy Kaaba, which is the qiblah, or towards Bayt al-Maqdis, which refers to al-Masjid al-Aqsa [in Jerusalem]. He singled out Bayt al-Maqdis for mention because it was the first qiblah of the Muslims. What he meant by the people was those who used to say that the prohibition on facing towards the qiblah or turning one’s back towards it when relieving oneself was general in meaning and applied whether one was relieving oneself in the desert or in a structure. Those who said that included Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, Abu Hurayrah, Ma‘qil al-Asadi and others (may Allah be pleased with them all).
Then ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that one day he climbed up on the roof of a house; according to a report in al-Sahihayn, it was the roof of Hafsah’s house – she was his sister and the wife of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), as was stated clearly in a report narrated by Muslim. He saw the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) sitting on two bricks – which are rectangular or square moulded objects made of clay, used in construction – facing towards Bayt al-Maqdis when he was relieving himself. According to a report narrated by al-Bukhari, he was facing towards al-Sham (Greater Syria) with his back towards the Kaaba. What Ibn ‘Umar saw was what was visible of the Prophet’s body, not what it is not permissible to look at, such as the ‘awrah and so on; he only saw the upper part of his body and what was clearly visible of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). It was said that Ibn ‘Umar did not deliberately look at the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in that situation; rather he climbed up to the roof for some purpose, as is mentioned in a report narrated by al-Bukhari – I climbed up to the roof of Hafsah’s house for some purpose – and he turned by accident, as is mentioned in a report narrated by al-Bayhaqi. When it so happened that he saw him in that situation without intending to, he did not want that to pass without learning something from it, so he learned this Islamic ruling. The hadith of Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) explains that there is nothing wrong with relieving oneself in a place built for that purpose, whether one is facing towards the qiblah or has one’s back towards it. Rather the prohibition applies only when relieving oneself in places where it is possible to turn away from the direction of the qiblah, in the desert or the wilderness and the like.
Then Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said to Wasi‘ ibn Habban: Perhaps you are one of those who pray on their thighs?, meaning one of those who are unaware of the Sunnah when prostrating, which is to keep the belly away from the thighs. The narrator explained that in the hadith by saying: That refers to one who prays and does not lift himself up off the ground; he prostrates as if stuck to the ground. This is by way of warning him not to pray in this manner, and criticizing those who do that. It also means: if you are one of those who are not unaware of that, then you would know the difference between relieving oneself in an open space or in an enclosed space, and the difference between facing towards the Kaaba and facing towards Bayt al-Maqdis.
This hadith indicates that the Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them) sometimes differed in their understanding of some Sunnahs, and that each of them understood and applied what he heard in general terms.
It also indicates that they would try to learn what the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) did in all situations and they transmitted it, and that all of it is a source of Islamic rulings..

146
It was narrated from ‘A’ishah that the wives of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to go out at night to answer the call of nature in al-Manasi‘, which was a vast open space. ‘Umar used to say to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him): Prevent your wives from going out, but the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) did not do that. Then Sawdah bint Zam‘ah, the wife of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) went out one night at ‘Isha’ time; she was a tall woman, so ‘Umar called out to her: We recognize you, O Sawdah! – hoping that the command of hijab would be revealed, then Allah sent down the verse of hijab..

Commentary : The wives of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) are the mothers of the believers, and they are held in especially high esteem by people. Allah sent down some rulings that were specific to them, to protect them and raise their status. In this hadith, ‘A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that the wives of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to go out at night to answer the call of nature – meaning to relieve themselves by urinating or defecating – in al-Manasi‘, which refers to places on the edge of Madinah, near al-Baqi‘. This was a vast open space, in which there were no buildings. They used to go out to that place at night. In the beginning, they used to go out to that place because there were no outhouses or bathrooms in people’s houses, and that was a concession that was granted to them. Then when people began to have bathrooms in their houses, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) started to ask the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to prevent his wives from going out of their houses, but the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) did not do what ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked him to do. That was because their going out was something that could not be avoided. Then Sawdah bint Zam‘ah, the wife of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), went out one night at ‘Isha’ time, when it was dark, so that no one would notice her. But she was a tall woman, and was distinct for that reason, so ‘Umar called out to her: We recognize you, O Sawdah! because he wanted the command of hijab to be revealed. Then Allah (may He be glorified in exalted) revealed the verse of hijab, in which He says: {O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to bring down over themselves [part] of their outer garments. That is more suitable that they will be known and not be abused. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful} [al-Ahzab 33:59].
With regard to concealing themselves when going out to relieve themselves, the women went through three stages, the first of which was covering themselves with darkness, because they used to go out at night, not by day. ‘A’ishah said in the story of the slander (al-ifk): Umm Mistah went out with me towards al-Manasi‘, which was where we would go to answer the call of nature, and we only went out at night. Then the command of hijab was revealed, so they covered themselves with garments, but some of them might have a distinctive appearance, hence ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: We recognize you, O Sawdah! This was the second stage. Then when people began to have bathrooms in their houses, the women were prevented from going out of their houses except for a need or an essential reason. That was the third stage.
In this hadith, we see that one who is of lower standing may suggest something to one who is of higher standing with regard to an issue that he feels is important, and we see the virtue of this sort of discussion if the intention behind it is not to cause trouble, for by means of it some hidden issues of knowledge may become apparent.
It highlights the importance of being sincere towards Allah and His Messenger.
It indicates that women may go out to do errands if there is a need for that.
It highlights the virtue of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him)..

147
It was narrated from ‘A’ishah that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Permission has been given for you to go out to tend to your needs.” Hishaam said: That is, to answer the call of nature..

Commentary : This hadith has to do with the hijab of the Mothers of the Believers, the wives of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). They used to go out to relieve themselves, but ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) spoke to the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) about their observing hijab and being prevented from going out of their houses. The reason for this hadith – as was narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim – was that Sawdah bint Zam‘ah, the wife of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) went out to answer the call of nature after the hijab had been enjoined – and what is meant by hijab here is covering the head and face – and she was a woman of large build, so when ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) saw her, he said: O Sawdah! By Allah, you cannot hide yourself from us, so think about how you go out. She went back and complained about that to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was he was eating his supper. Revelation came to him, then he said: “Permission has been given to you to go out to relieve yourselves.” What is meant in this hadith, as was explained by Hisham ibn ‘Urwah, one of the narrators of the hadith, was answering the call of nature. At that time they used to go out to a spacious flat piece of land to answer the call of nature. Women are also allowed to go out if they have errands to do and valid reasons for going out, and their going out is not limited to relieving themselves, because Allah gave them permission to go out to answer the call of nature after the command of hijab had been sent down, and before people began to have outhouses and bathrooms in their houses. When permission was given to them for that, it was also given for them to go out for other purposes, or to uphold ties of kinship as Allah had enjoined upon them, and the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had also instructed the women to go out to the prayer on the two Eids, which indicates that what is meant is that women may go out for all kinds of needs..

153
It was narrated that Abu Qatadah said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “When one of you drinks, let him not breathe into the vessel, and if he goes to relieve himself, let him not touch his penis with his right hand or wipe himself with his right hand.”.

Commentary : The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was the best teacher and educator. He taught his ummah everything that is beneficial for them, which includes his teaching them the etiquette of eating and drinking, and of relieving oneself, as in this hadith, in which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) forbade breathing into the vessel when drinking. If the individual wants to breathe whilst drinking, he should breathe outside the vessel, whilst holding it in his hand, lest that be off-putting to others who will then refuse to drink from the same vessel, and so that the smell of the vessel will not be changed by too many people breathing into it. That was also for the sake of cleanliness and the well-being of all, and to protect against contagion and so on. This is general in meaning and applies to all kinds of drinks, water and others.
The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) also forbade wiping oneself with the right hand, which refers to cleaning oneself after relieving oneself. And he forbade touching the private part with the right hand. So the individual should not touch his penis with his right hand after urinating. That is because the right hand is to be used for good things, and should not be used to remove filth and dirt. Everything else should be done with the left hand.
This hadith highlights how Islam was the first to highlight proper etiquette when eating and drinking, and to promote personal and public hygiene, for the well-being and safety of all..

155
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: I followed the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and he went out to relieve himself, and he did not look around him. I came close to him, and he said: “Bring me some pebbles so that I can clean myself with them – or words to that effect – but do not bring me any bone or piece of [dried] dung.” I brought him some pebbles, carrying them in the edge of my garment, and put them next to him, then I walked away from him. When he had finished, he used the pebbles..

Commentary : The Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them) used to follow the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and stay close to him, in order to learn about their religion from him.
In this hadith, Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that he walked behind the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), following him, when he was going out to relieve himself. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) did not usually look to his right and left when walking. Then Abu Hurayrah came close to him, and the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) noticed that he was there, so he asked him to find him some clean pebbles with which to purify himself and remove the traces of impurity (najasah) that were left after urinating or defecating. Then he said to him: “But do not bring me any bone or piece of dung”; they cannot be used to clean oneself, because bones are the food of our brethren among the jinn, as is mentioned in a report narrated by al-Bukhari, so they should not be contaminated with impurities. The word translated here as dung refers to the dried droppings of animals and it is not pure (tahir).
So Abu Hurayrah collected the pebbles in the hem of his garment, then placed them beside the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and he did not look at him in this situation. This highlights the etiquette of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), that he had learned from the Prophet’s teachings. When the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) finished relieving himself, he used those pebbles to remove the traces of impurity, until he was clean.
In this hadith, we see that one may use pebbles to clean oneself after relieving oneself (istinja’), and it is forbidden to use bones or dried dung.
It indicates that one may help the person who is relieving himself by looking for pebbles for him. The report indicates that one should respond to anyone who asks for help, if one is able to help.
It indicates that it is prescribed to follow prominent people and scholars, even if they do not instruct you to do that.
It indicates that a leader may give tasks to some of his followers. .

156
It was narrated that ‘Abdullah said: the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) went to relieve himself, and he instructed me to bring him three pebbles. I found two pebbles, and I looked for a third but I could not find another, so I picked up a piece of dried dung and brought it to him. He took the two pebbles and threw away the dried dung, and said: “This is unclean.”.

Commentary : The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) taught us the Sunnahs of purifying and cleansing ourselves from urine and stools when we relieve ourselves by using whatever is available of that which may be used to cleanse and purify.
In this hadith, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him explains that it is acceptable to clean oneself with pebbles (istijmar) after relieving oneself. After he had relieved himself – and the word used originally refers to low-lying land, then was used to refer to relieving oneself because the one who relieves himself looks for low-lying land in which to conceal himself from the eyes of other people – he instructed Ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be pleased with him) to bring him three pebbles with which to clean himself. Ibn Mas‘ud brought him two pebbles, but he could not find a third, so he brought a piece of dried dung; it was said that the word used in the original Arabic refers specifically to the dung of horses, mules and donkeys. But the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) rejected it and said: This is unclean. In other words, dried dung is impure, or it is not permissible to use it.
In this hadith, we see that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) cleaned himself (instinja’) with two pebbles only. It was narrated by Muslim, from Salman al-Farisi (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “No one of you should clean himself with fewer than three pebbles.” We may reconcile between the reports by noting that using three is recommended in order to be on the safe side and ensure that cleaning oneself is done properly, and to use an odd number, because he said, “Whoever cleans himself with pebbles, let him use an odd number.” But if someone is unable to find three pebbles, then using two is sufficient..

157
It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbas said: The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) did wudu’ washing each part once..

Commentary : The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to make things easy for his ummah, and explained to them what it was permissible to do when purifying oneself and doing wudu’, and what was sufficient in that regard.
In this hadith, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) did wudu’ washing each part once. This highlights the minimum extent that is required in wudu’, which is an obligation without which prayer is not acceptable.
This hadith indicates that wudu’ is acceptable if each part is washed once. It is proven that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) also washed each part twice, as is mentioned in the hadith of ‘Abdullah ibn Zayd that was narrated by al-Bukhari, according to which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) did wudu’ washing each part twice. But the Sunnah when doing wudu’, and the most perfect way of doing it, is to wash each part three times, as mentioned in the hadith of ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan that was narrated by al-Bukhari..

160
It was narrated from Humran that when ‘Uthman did wudu’, he said: Shall I not narrate to you a hadith which, were it not for a verse, I would not have narrated it to you? I heard the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) say: “No man does wudu’ and does it well, and offers the prayer, but Allah will forgive him [for his minor sins] between this prayer and the next prayer until he has prayed it.” ‘Urwah said: The verse is: {Indeed, those who conceal what We sent down of clear proofs and guidance after We made it clear for the people in the Scripture - those are cursed by Allah and cursed by those who curse} [al-Baqarah 2:159]. .

Commentary : The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) enjoined doing wudu’ well, and explained the goodness that there is in it, and the reward that results from it, in many hadiths, including this one. In this hadith, he explains that whoever does wudu’ well, then offers the prayer for which he did wudu’, Allah (may He be glorified and exalted) will forgive him [for his minor sins] between this prayer that he prayed and the following prayer, as is mentioned in other reports. So if a person does wudu’ well for the five daily prayers, he will be forgiven for the sins of that entire day. What is meant here is minor sins, as mentioned in the hadith narrated by Muslim from Abu Hurayrah, according to which the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to say: “The five daily prayers, one Jumu‘ah to the next, and one Ramadan to the next, expiates whatever sins come in between them, so long as major sins are avoided.”
The caliph ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated this hadith after he did a complete wudu’, washing each part three times, then he narrated that he saw the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) doing wudu’ in this manner. Then ‘Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Were it not for a verse, I would not have narrated it to you. In other words, were it not that Allah (may He be exalted) enjoined the one who acquired some knowledge to convey it, I would not have been keen to narrate this hadith to you. ‘Urwah said: The verse is the one in which Allah (may He be exalted) says: {Indeed, those who conceal what We sent down of clear proofs and guidance after We made it clear for the people in the Scripture - those are cursed by Allah and cursed by those who curse} [al-Baqarah 2:159]. This highlights the keenness of the Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them) to convey the Sunnah and teach it to people, and it indicates how a ruler should play a role in carrying out the duty to preserve and promote Islam..

162
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “When one of you does wudu’, let him put water in his nose then blow it out, and whoever cleans himself with pebbles, let him use an odd number. When one of you wakes up from his sleep, let him wash his hand before putting it into his vessel of wudu’ water, for one of you does not know where his hand spent the night.”.

Commentary : This hadith highlights some points of Islamic etiquette and teachings. In it, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) says: When one if you does wudu’, meaning that when he wants to do wudu’ and starts to do it, then let him put water in his nose by sniffing it up until it gets into his nose, then let him push it out with a forceful exhalation, so as to clean out any dirt that may be inside the nose. And whoever cleans himself with pebbles, meaning that he wants to wipe his front or back passage after relieving himself by using pebbles, let him use an odd number, so let him use three or five pebbles, and so on, so that the place will be thoroughly cleansed of dirt. Then the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) advised the one who wakes up from his sleep to wash his hand and purify it with water before he puts it into the vessel containing the water with which he will do wudu’. That is because the sleeper does not know where his hand spent the night whilst he was sleeping, and he cannot be certain that it did not become unclean by touching some impurity on the body. This is a precaution so that the water will not become contaminated with something that may have got stuck to his hand whilst he was sleeping.
This hadith encourages us to take precautions and be careful in the case of doubt and uncertainty, and to take measures to protect and maintain the original state of water, which is originally clean and pure.
It indicates that one may use ambiguous words when it is not appropriate to be blunt or explicit. So the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “One of you does not know where his hand spent the night,” instead of saying something explicit..

164
It was narrated from Humran, the freed slave of ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan, that he saw ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan call for water for wudu’. Then he poured some of the water onto his hands from the vessel and washed them three times. Then he put his right hand into the water then rinsed his mouth and sniffed water up into his nose and blew it out. Then he washed his face three times, and his arms up to the elbows three times. Then he wiped his head, then he washed each foot three times. Then he said: I saw the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) doing wudu’ in a manner similar to this wudu’ of mine, and he said: “Whoever does wudu’ in a manner similar to this wudu’ of mine, then prays two rak‘ahs in which he does not let his mind wander, Allah will forgive him his previous sins.”.

Commentary : The Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them) were keen to transmit the Sunnah and teach it to those who came after them, so that they could spread the true religion and the teachings of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
In this hadith, the Tabi‘i Humran, the freed slave of ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan, narrates that ‘Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), during his time as caliph of the Muslims, called for a vessel containing water for wudu’. He poured some water from the vessel onto his hands and washed them three times, before putting his hands into the vessel, so as to cleanse and purify them. Then he put his right hand into the  water and took out a handful of water, then rinsed his mouth by putting the water into his mouth and moving it around, then spitting it out, so as to wash his mouth thoroughly. Then he spat out the water from his mouth. Then he sniffed water up to make it reach the top of his nose, then he blew it out, so as to cleanse his nose of any dirt that might be in it. Then he washed his face three times. The definition of the face is from the hairline to the bottom of the chin, and from one earlobe to the other, right and left. What is meant is that he made the water reach every part of the face. Then he washed each arm up to the elbow three times. Then he wiped his head, and wiping is less than washing. What is meant by the head here is where the hair grows. Then he washed each foot up to the ankle, as is mentioned in the reports. In all of that, he gave each part its fair share of water and washing.
Then after finishing his wudu’, ‘Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I saw the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) doing wudu’ in a manner similar to this wudu’ of mine. Thus he stated that his wudu’ was a precise imitation of the wudu’ of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and was done to teach those around him of the Tabi‘in and those who wanted to follow the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: Whoever does wudu’ in a manner similar to this wudu’ of mine, then prays two rak‘ahs in which he does not let his mind wander, so that he does those two rak‘ahs with sincerity and proper focus, in an unhurried manner, Allah will forgive him his previous minor sins, because in the case of major sins, repentance is essential. So major sins are excluded from the general meaning of the statement, based on the report narrated by Muslim from Abu Hurayrah, from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him): “The five daily prayers, one Jumu‘ah to the next, and one Ramadan to the next, expiate whatever sins come in between them, so long as major sins are avoided.” It is also stipulated that the one who repents should put right any wrongs that he did, and fulfil other conditions of repentance.
This hadith highlights the virtue of wudu’ and praying with sincerity, without showing off.
It indicates that teaching by demonstrating actions is more effective than teaching by words alone.
It highlights the virtue of ‘Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) and his keenness to teach people about matters of faith even when he was caliph. .

166
It was narrated from ‘Ubayd ibn Jurayj that he said to ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar: O Abu ‘Abdul Rahman, I saw you doing four things that I have not seen any of your companions doing. He said: What are they, O Ibn Jurayj? He said: I saw that you do not touch any corners [of the Kaaba] except the two Yemeni corners; I saw that you wear sandals made of tanned leather; I saw that you use wars [memecylon tinctorium] as a dye; and I saw that when you were in Makkah, the people entered ihram when they saw the new moon, but you did not enter ihram until the day of al-tarwiyah. ‘Abdullah said: As for the corners, I never saw the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) touch any but the two Yemeni corners. As for the sandals of tanned leather, I saw the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) wearing sandals on which there were no hairs, and doing wudu’ in them, so I like to wear them. As for using wars as a dye, I saw the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) using it as a dye, so I like to use it as a dye. As for entering ihram, I did not see the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) entering ihram until he set out on his mount [on the day of al-tarwiyah]..

Commentary : ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was very keen to follow the Prophet’s Sunnah in every aspect of his life and in his acts of worship. He would do some things that others did not do, because of this great keenness of his to follow the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
This hadith highlights some of those things, as the Tabi‘i ‘Ubayd ibn Jurayj asked ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) about four things that he had not seen any of the companions of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) doing. It may be that what he meant was that no one else did all four of those deeds, although some might do one or two of them. The first of these four things was: he saw that he did not touch any of the corners of the Kaaba when circumambulating it (tawaf) except the two Yemeni corners which are on the southern side of the Kaaba. What is meant is the “black corner” [where the Black Stone is], which is the corner of the Kaaba that is next to the door, on the eastern side, and the one that is parallel to it, opposite al-Safa. As for the other two corners on the northern side, he did not touch them; Hijr Isma‘il is on that side. Perhaps he used to do that because the two Yemeni corners are built on the foundations of Ibrahim, and the corner where the Black Stone is has two characteristics: it was built on the foundations of Ibrahim and it contains the Black Stone.
The second action was wearing sandals made of tanned leather, on which there was no hair. It was said that they were made from the tanned hide of a cow. It was said that he only objected to Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) doing that because that was the footwear of people of luxury, and ordinary people used to wear sandals made of hides that still had hair and was not tanned.
The third action was dying his hair with wars, which is a plant similar to saffron and may be mixed with it.
The fourth action was that when he was staying in Makkah, he did not enter ihram until the day of al-tarwiyah, which is the eighth day of Dhul Hijjah. It is so called because on that day they used to prepare water (yatarawwawna), preparing it and carrying it so that they could use it in ‘Arafah for drinking and other purposes. His companions used to enter ihram when they saw the new moon of Dhul Hijjah. The word translated here as entering ihram refers to raising the voice in reciting the Talbiyah with the intention of entering ihram for Hajj or ‘umrah.
‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) responded that he did these things as the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had done them. He never saw the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) touching any of the corners of the Kaaba except the two Yemeni corners. He saw the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) wearing sandals on which there was no hair and doing wudu’ in them, so he liked to do what the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) did. He saw him using wars as a dye, and this may refer to dyeing his garment, because of the report in Sunan Abi Dawud from Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him): I saw the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) using wars as a dye, and nothing was dearer to him than that. He used to dye all of his garments with it, even his turban. Most of the Sahabah and Tabi‘in used to dye their hair and beards with wars. It was also suggested that perhaps he used to perfume himself with it, not that he used it as a dye.
And he saw the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) not entering ihram until he set out on his mount; that is, when his camel stood up fully with him in the saddle, setting out on his way. What is meant is that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) only entered ihram when he began to do the actions of Hajj and started moving [towards Mina]. Hence Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) delayed entering ihram until the time when he began to do the actions of Hajj and headed towards Mina, which is the day of al-tarwiyah. At that time they would set out from Makkah towards Mina. Thus Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was a follower, not an innovator. May Allah be pleased with all the companions of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
This hadith highlights the fact that it is valid to do wudu’ wearing sandals.
It indicates that goodness is in following the Sunnah, and in striving to reach conclusions (ijtihad) and make analogies (qiyas) on the basis thereof, for those who are qualified to do that.
It indicates that the learner may ask the knowledgeable person about what he sees him doing, and does not know or understand the basis for that, and the knowledgeable person may explain that to the one who asks..

168
It was narrated that ‘A’ishah said: The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) liked to start on the right when putting on his shoes, combing his hair, purifying himself and in all things..

Commentary : The Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them) used to watch what the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) did and listen to his words, so that they could acquire knowledge from him, act upon it and convey it to those who came after them.
In this hadith, ‘A’ishah the Mother of the Believers (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) liked to start on the right. In addition to starting on the right, the Arabic term also includes taking and giving with the right hand, by way of seeking blessing (barakah). It was pleasing and comfortable for him to start on the right in all his actions; that was because he liked optimistic attitudes, for the companions of the right are the people of Paradise. In one report, al-Bukhari added the words “as much as he could.” Here the hadith points out that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) would maintain this habit so long as there was no reason that would make it impossible. One aspect of that is that he would start on the right when putting on his sandals or shoes, so he would put the shoe on the right foot before the left foot. When combing his hair, he would start on the right, and when doing wudu’ or ghusl to cleanse himself of impurity, he would start on the right before the left. He would also do that in other actions. As for dirty or off-putting matters, he would use his left hand and would start on the left, such as when cleaning himself after relieving himself, or entering the outhouse.
It was said that it is as by mentioning putting on shoes, which has to do with the feet, and combing the hair, which has to do with the head, and purification, which is the key to different acts of worship, he was referring to all parts of the body, as he would start on the right in all of these cases, when doing noble actions concerning them..

170
It was narrated that Ibn Sirin said: I said to ‘Abidah: We have some of the hair of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) which we obtained from Anas or from the family of Anas. He said: If I had one hair of his, that would be dearer to me than this world and everything in it..

Commentary : The Sahabah and Tabi‘in were the people who had the greatest love for the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and were the keenest to seek his relics.
In this hadith, Muhammad ibn Sirin, one of the Tabi‘in, narrates that he said to ‘Abidah – who was ibn ‘Amr al-Salmani, one of the senior Tabi‘in: We have some of the hair of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in our possession; it was given to us by Anas ibn Malik, the servant of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), or by his family. It is as if he was saying that they sought blessing (barakah) from this hair, and held it in high esteem. Anas ibn Malik was the son of the wife of Abu Talhah; she was known as Umm Sulaym. Abu Talhah acquired some of the hair of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) when his head was shaved during the Farewell Pilgrimage, and it remained until it was inherited by his heirs and his freed slaves. Sirin, the father of Muhammad, was a freed slave of Anas ibn Malik, and he obtained some of this hair.
‘Abidah said to Ibn Sirin: If I had one hair of his, that would be dearer to me than this world and everything in it. Thus ‘Abidah wished that he could have one hair of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). This is indicative of the high esteem in which they held the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), as his worth in their view was far greater than this world and everything in it. That was because of their great love for the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
It was proven that some of the Sahabah used to take the sweat of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and add it to their perfume. Others would seek where he had put his fingers in the food, and eat from that place. Yet others would drink his leftover water and other drinks. This is in addition to their keenness to follow his Sunnah and teachings, out of love for the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and seeking blessing from his relics. This applies only to the relics of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) himself.
This hadith indicates that human hair is pure (tahir).
It also highlights the great love that the Tabi‘in had for the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)..

171
It was narrated from Anas that when the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) shaved his head, Abu Talhah was the first one to take some of his hair..

Commentary : The companions of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to race to take his relics, seeking blessing from them; this is applicable only to the relics of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) himself. In this hadith, we see one example of that. Anas ibn Maalik narrates that when the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) shaved his head in Mina during the Farewell Pilgrimage in 10 AH, he shared out his shaved hair among the people, and Abu Talhah al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him), the husband of Umm Sulaym, who was the mother of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), was the first one to take some of the hair of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
Muslim narrated that when [the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)] had stoned the Jamrah and offered his sacrifice, he turned the right side of his head to the barber and he shaved it, then he called Abu Talhah and gave the hair to him, then he turned the left side of his head to the barber and he shaved it, and he gave that hair to Abu Talhah too, and said to him: “Share it out among the people.” According to a report narrated by Ahmad, Abu Talhah gave it to Umm Sulaym to put it in her perfume.
This hadith indicates that human hair is pure (tahir).
It also indicates that one may seek blessing from the hair of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and it is permissible to keep it..

172
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “If a dog drinks from the vessel of one of you, let him wash it seven times.”.

Commentary : The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was keen to explain issues pertaining to purification, and to explain to them which substances were impure, and how to remove their traces and purify an item that had been contaminated with them. An example of that is what is mentioned in this hadith, in which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) enjoined washing a vessel seven times if a dog drinks from it. The procedure that is sufficient to purify the vessel from which a dog has drunk is to wash it seven times, one of which should be with dust or soil, as was narrated by al-Nasa’i: “… one of which should be with dust.” According to a report narrated by Muslim, “The first of which should be with dust”; according to another report narrated by Muslim, “and the eighth time rub it with dust.” The dog is singled out for mention in this regard, because of what is known about how impure (najis) the dog is, and how it may carry many diseases in its saliva. There is wisdom behind cleaning the vessel this number of times in this manner, which is known to Allah (may He be glorified and exalted). It was said that using dust or soil to wash the vessel is to be done because dust or soil has the ability to kill the diseases that are usually caused by the dog and may attach themselves to the vessel, which water alone cannot remove. Repeatedly washing the vessel with water will ensure that it is clean.
There is no difference between different types of dogs in this regard, and whether they are the types of dogs that it is permissible to keep, such as hunting dogs, or they are types that it is not permissible to keep..

413
Jaber narrated, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was ill so we prayed behind him while he was sitting and Abu Bakr was conveying his takbir to people. When he turned and saw us standing, he gestured for us to sit down so we prayed sitting behind him. After uttering salutation, he said, 'You just like did what Persians and Romans did. They used to stand before their sitting kings. Do not do it but follow your prayer leaders. If they pray standing, then pray standing and if they pray sitting, then pray sitting.'".

Commentary : The Prophet ﷺ taught us the rules and etiquette of congregational prayer, including following and listening to the prayer leader's recitation while maintaining humility and regular rows. In this hadith, Jabir ibn Abdullah related that when the Prophet ﷺ was ill, he led them in prayer while sitting. At the same time, Abu Bakr was conveying his takbir (saying, 'Allahu Akbar) to people so they could follow his moves in prayer, due to the Prophet's weak voice during illness. While praying, he noticed that they were praying standing behind him. He gestured for them to sit and they did. After finishing, he showed them that it was the Persians and Romans' habit with their kings. They used to stand before their sitting kings. His statement indicated that it was similar to the acts of the polytheists and the People of the Book. The Prophet ﷺ prohibited them from doing so and instead guided them to follow their imam's case whether they were praying standing or sitting. This hadith contains the following benefits: (1) It confirms the necessity of acting, unlike the non-Muslims' acts in all cases, (2) The Prophet ﷺ experienced what other people did such as illnesses, the issue that did not decrease his status. On the contrary, this increased his dignity and status, and (3) The imam can pray sitting when being unable to stand, and the people should follow his case and pray behind him while sitting as well..

426
Anas narrated, “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ one day led us in prayer. Upon completing the prayer, he turned his face towards us and said, ‘O People, I am your prayer leader, so neither precede me in bowing and prostration nor in standing and leaving, for I see you in front and behind me.’ Then, he said, ‘By Him in Whose hand is the life of Muhammad, if you had seen what I saw, you would have laughed little and wept much.’ They said, ‘What did you see, O Messenger of Allah ﷺ?’ He replied, ‘I saw Paradise and Hell.’”.

Commentary : The Prophet ﷺ commanded Muslims to follow the prayer leader (imam) in all of his moves and prohibited them from preceding him. In this hadith, Anas ibn Malek narrated that one day the Prophet ﷺ guided them - after ending the congregational prayer - to avoid preceding him in bowing and prostration nor standing and leaving and showed that he saw them in front and behind him. He may have meant that Allah granted him this exceptional privilege or that Allah revealed to him their moves in prayer, for vision may have expressed knowledge. Then, he swore by Allah that if his companions had seen what I saw, they would have laughed little and wept much for the horrible matters Allah revealed to him. When they asked him about the reason, he answered them that he had seen Paradise and Hell. He wanted to tell them that if they had seen what he saw of Paradise’s bliss for the obedient ones and Hell’s torment for the disobedient ones, they would have been overwhelmed by worry and distress, for they would have hoped to get Paradise’s bliss and avoid Hell’s torment. They would have laughed a little and wept much, for none could know his fate. Finally, this hadith contains the following benefits: (1) It encourages Muslims to be submissive in prayer and complete its pillars, (2) The imam should teach people the conditions of prayer, especially if he sees something contradicts them, and (3) It clarifies the Prophet’s miracle that he can see in front and behind him alike..

429
Abu Huraira narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said, "People should avoid raising their gaze to the sky while supplicating in prayer. Otherwise, their sight will be taken away.".

Commentary : Prayer can be only learned from the Islamic texts whether it is obligatory or supererogatory. All Muslims have to perfectly perform its aspects, including humility, looking at the place of prostration, and avoiding turning around. In this hadith, the Prophet (ﷺ) says, "People should avoid raising their gaze to the sky while supplicating in prayer..." This is an explicit prohibition of raising one's gaze to the sky when supplicating in prayer. It is the same if one does that at the beginning of a prayer or after standing up from bowing, for it means turning away from the prayer direction, neglecting the form of prayer, and having bad etiquette with Allah. All of these attributes contradict tranquility and humility in prayer. If one's heart is modest, his limbs will be tranquil. His saying, "Otherwise, their sight will be taken away," is the terrible result that Allah will suddenly and quickly take their sight. Finally, this hadith has the following benefits: (1) It is forbidden to intentionally raise one's gaze to the sky while supplicating in prayer, and (2) One of advice's etiquette in public is to not mean or direct it to a specific person, for this definitely will lead to be refused due to provocation..

430
Jaber ibn Samura narrated, “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came to us and said, ‘Why I see you lifting your hands like the tails of headstrong horses? Be calm in prayer.’ He again came and saw us (sitting) in circles so he said, ‘Why I see you (setting) in separate groups?’ The, he again came to us and said, ‘Why do not you pray in rows as the angels stand in the presence of their God?’ We said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, how do the angels stand in rows in the presence of their God?’ He answered, ‘They complete the first rows and keep close together in the row.’”.

Commentary : The Prophet ﷺ was the best teacher and educator for his companions. He used to observe their situations and guided them to what was best for them. In this hadith, Jaber narrated that one day the Prophet ﷺ observed that his companions were raising their hands when ending the prayer, so he prohibited them from lifting their hands like the tails of headstrong horses in prayer, for the horses sometimes move their tails and legs out of unrest. This is not commensurate with prayer’s prestige and the praying one’s solemnity, so he commanded them to be tranquil in prayer. In another narration of Imam Muslim, he said, “When the praying one wants to end his prayer, he should only turn his face towards his companion without gesturing with his hand.” He means that the praying one turns his face to his right and his left saying, “May Allah’s peace and mercy be upon you” without gesturing with his hand, which is prohibited. In another situation, the Prophet ﷺ saw his companions sitting in circles, so he guided them to gather and avoid sitting in separate circles. In another situation, he taught them to pray in rows as the angels stand in Allah’s presence. He showed that the angel stood in rows completing one by one. Finally, this hadith contains the following benefits: (1) It shows how the Prophet ﷺ was keen to teach and guide his companions, which is the issue that Muslim scholars should follow, (2) A Muslim should be submissive in prayer without imitating animals, (3) Muslims should gather and avoid disunity in assemblies, and (4) It commands Muslims to complete and straighten prayer’s rows..

432
Abdullah ibn Masoud said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'Let people of understanding and reason be near to me in prayer, then those after them (thrice) and beware of the commotion of markets.”.

Commentary : Congregational prayer in mosques is of great importance and great reward. Thus, Islamic law cares about regulating its rows behind the imam so that people can feel psychological and physical discipline. In this hadith, the Prophet (ﷺ) commanded people of understanding and reason to directly stand behind him in prayer for the following reasons: (1) They have the priority to pray behind him, (2) They are the best people to convey his acts of prayer to others, (3) Their ability to remind him of something he may forget regarding Quranic verses or prayer moves, or (4) They are the best people to represent him if something happens to him during prayer. The rest of the people pray next to and behind this type of people. Then, women pray behind men's rows. As for the imams (leaders in prayer), this is the order: (1) Those who are best in the Quran memorization and have more knowledge, (2) Those who are best in Quran memorization, know the prayer's rules, and the adults, (3) Those who are less in knowledge. This does not mean confining the front rows to them, but this Prophetic command is to urge them to hasten to perform congregation prayer, directly learn how he prays, and convey his guidance to those behind them. Then, the Prophet (ﷺ) warned, "Beware of the commotion of markets.” He meant loud voices, noise, disputes, and trials in markets. As a result, we have to avoid these behaviors in prayers and mosques, as happens in markets..

434
Anas said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying, 'Complete the rows, for I can see you behind my back.'".

Commentary : Submissiveness is the spirit of prayer, through which a Muslim gets tranquility in prayer to be closer to Allah, the Almighty. The Prophet (ﷺ) used to teach Muslims prayer etiquette so they could perform it as it should be. In this hadith, he commanded his companions to complete prayer rows. This is done by making it even without leaving any space in between. He added, "..., for I can see you behind my back." His seeing them from behind is either: (1) A miracle that Allah granted to him which was one of his characteristics, which neither a reason nor legislation may negate. As a result, a Muslim should believe in it, or (2) Due to Allah's revelation to him of his companions’ actions during prayer. Finally, this hadith contains the following benefits: (1) It urges Muslims to stick to submissiveness and complete the prayer pillars, (2) The prayer leader has to alert and correct people’s mistakes in prayer, and (3) It shows the Prophetic miracle that he can see his companions from behind..

438
Abu Saeed Al-Khudry narrated that when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ perceived a tendency among his companions to go to the back (in lines of prayer). He said to them, "Come forward and follow me in prayer. Let those coming after you follow you in prayer. People will continue to keep back till Allah will put them at the back." In another narration, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ saw people at the back in his mosque ...".

Commentary : The Prophet (ﷺ) was the best teacher and educator, so he used to precisely observe his companions’ conditions to guide them in worship, dealings, etc. In this hadith, he taught them and the entire nation to be keen on supreme issues and avoid causes of laziness. This hadith clarified that he perceived that some of his companions were not keen to early go to the mosque or some did not care for completing lines to the extent that some prayed in rear lines. As a result, he said to them, "Come forward and follow me in prayer. Let those coming after you follow you in prayer." This is because those praying behind the first line may not see how he is praying. Afterward, he warned, "People will continue to keep back till Allah will put them at the back." He may mean that people continue praying in the rear lines until Allah keeps them back in the rear ranks of Paradise, or they continue leaving the first line in prayer until Allah deprives them of his great bounties. Finally, this hadith reminds that continuous negligence in acts of worship leads to staying away from Allah and getting His wrath..

440
Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "The best of the men's rows (in prayer) is the first row and the worst is the last. And the best of the women's row is the last and the worst is the first.".

Commentary : Islam calls its followers, men and women, to stick to virtues, avoid shortcomings, and hasten to acts of worship, based on the Islamic rules. Whoever performs righteous deeds based on their rules is better than whoever performs them without adhering to those rules although he can stick to them. This hadith clarifies that women have their special rules during attending prayers in mosques. These rules as staying away from men and cases of suspicion. The Prophet ﷺ shows that the best of the men's rows in prayer are the first rows behind the prayer leader (imam), for they are the farthest rows from the women. He adds, “The worst is the last,” for they do not hasten to the acts of worship and are close to women’s rows. On the contrary, Allah commands women to wear veils and stay away from men. As a result, the Prophet ﷺ confirms that the best of the women's rows are the last ones, for they are far from men’s rows and temptation. He adds, “And the worst is the first,” for they are close to men’s rows and temptation. This rule is applied when both genders attend the prayer in the mosque, but if it is a prayer that is only attended by women, the original rule of the virtue of the first rows is applied as in the case of men. The Prophetic word, “the worst” means the least rewarded and virtuous and the farthest from the Islamic rules. His word, “the best” means the opposite of the above-mentioned meaning. Finally, this hadith contains the following benefits: (1) The perfection of the acts of worship is linked to performing them based on the Islamic rules, (2) Islam urges men to hasten to the acts of worship and the first virtuous rows in prayers, (3) Islam urges women to pray in the rare virtuous rows away from men, (4) It explains the order of prayer rows in terms of virtue and reward, (5) It clarifies how Islam is keen to urge people to stay away from cases of temptation. It commands women to stay away from men to avoid any possibility of committing forbidden acts, (6) It shows the superiority of men over women, for they have priority in important matters like rows of prayer, fighting, etc..

443
Zainab Ath-Thaqafeyya used to narrate that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "If any one of you (women) wants to attend Isha prayer, she should not perfume herself that night.".

Commentary : Islam established ground rules on women's going out to attend congregational prayers in mosques. These rules related to clothes, manners, decency, adornment, and staying away from places of suspicion. Performing righteous acts while sticking to Islamic rules is better than doing these acts while neglecting those rules in spite of one's ability to abide by them. In this hadith, the Prophet (ﷺ) instructed Muslim women to abide by Islamic rules when they wanted to attend Isha (evening) prayer in the mosque. He confirmed that a woman was allowed to take care of her cleanliness, but not allowed to wear perfume before going out to prayer. Wearing perfume is a means to evoke men's whims and draw their attention. This prohibition is applied to all prayers and the Prophet (ﷺ) may have referred to Isha prayer for the following reasons: (1) Women may be subject to harassment at night more, or (2) Women used to put on perfume for their husbands at night. Muslim scholars mentioned some similar cases that may go under this prohibition such as: (1) Adorned clothes, (2) Wearing jewelry, and (3) All means that may arouse men’s whims. Thus, Islamic law placed restrictions that guarantee the safety and security of both women and societies while preserving her right to go to mosques to pray. Finally, this hadith contains the following benefits: (1) The perfection of worship is linked to performing it in accordance with Islamic rules, and (2) It is forbidden for women to wear perfume when going out to pray..

450
Aamer narrated, "I asked Alqama, 'Was Ibn Masoud present the night of the Jinn with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ?' Alqama answered, 'I asked Ibn Masoud, 'Were anyone of you present the night of the Jinn with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ?' Ibn Masoud answered, 'No, we were with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ but we could not find him so we were searching for him in valleys and hills and said, 'He is either taken away (by Jinn) or secretly killed.' We spent the worst night that people could ever spend. In the morning, he came from the side of Hira' so we said to him, 'O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, we missed you so were searching for you but could not find you. We spent the worst night that people could ever spend.' The Prophet ﷺ answered, 'An inviter on behalf of the Jinn came to me so I went with him to recite the Quran to them.' The Prophet ﷺ went with us to show us the traces of them and their embers. The Jinn asked him about their provision so he said, 'Every bone on which the name of Allah is mentioned is yours. Once it falls in your hand, it will be thickly covered with flesh. Every dung (of the camels) is fodder for your animals.' The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to us, 'So do not use any of them in removing your impurities, for they are the food of your brothers (the Jinn).'".

Commentary : Jinn is a creation of Allah, the Almighty. They are commanded to worship Him alone so they will be held accountable as mankind. Some believe in Allah while others disbelieve. In this hadith, Aamer Al-Sha’by asked Alqamah ibn Qais An-Nakh’i, one of the most famous students of Ibn Masoud, if Ibn Masoud was present the night of the Jinn with the Prophet ﷺ. Alqama told him that he asked Ibn Masoud the same question. Ibn Masoud said, "No" In the narration of Muslim, Ibn Masoud said, "I wished I had been with him" to see the miracles that the Prophet ﷺ told them about. Ibn Masoud narrated that they one day were with the Prophet ﷺ who stood to go somewhere but he did not come back. They were searching for him in valleys and hills. All our efforts were in vain. They thought he was taken by Jinn or secretly killed. It was the worst night they ever spent, out of sadness and sorrow. In the morning, the Prophet ﷺ came from the direction of Hira Cave, five kilometers away from the Sacred Mosque, where the Prophet ﷺ used to worship Allah before his mission. Upon informing him about what happened to them, he related to them his story with the Jinn. One of them asked him to come to recite the Quran to them. The Prophet ﷺ went with his companions to show them the Jinn's tracks and their fire's traces. The Jinn asked the Prophet ﷺ to specify foods for them, so he allowed them to eat every bone on which Allah’s name was mentioned. He promised them that once they held it, it would be thickly covered with meat. Moreover, he specified dung as fodders for their animals. Thus, he prohibited his companions from using bones for removing impurities like urine or feces, for they were the food of their brothers of Jinn, out of respect. This hadith contains the following benefits: (1) The Prophet ﷺ was sent to both the Jinn and mankind, (2) It shows Allah’s mercy to mankind in choosing their foods, and (3) It clarifies the companions’ deep friendship with the Prophet ﷺ..

452
Abu Saeed Al-Khudry narrated that the Prophet ﷺ used to recite 30 verses in each of the first two rak'as of the noon prayer. In the last two ones, he used to recite 15 verses (or he said, "... half of the first two ones). He used to recite 15 verses in each of the first two rak'as of afternoon prayer. In the last two ones, he used to recite half of these verses.”.

Commentary : Prayer is the pillar of Islam. The Prophet (ﷺ) taught it to his companions verbally and practically. His Companions used to closely observe his deeds to follow and convey his guidance to people, especially regarding the acts of worship. In this hadith, Abu Saeed Al-Khudry showed how they observed his recitation in the silent prayers. As for his recitation in the noon prayer, he showed that he used to recite Surat al-Fatihah and about thirty verses in each of the first two rak'as. He used to recite half of these verses in each of the last two ones. As for the afternoon prayer, he used to recite Surat Al-Fatihah and fifteen verses in each of the first two rak'as. He used to recite half of these verses in each of the last two ones, i.e. seven or eight verses. In a hadith narrated by An-Nasa'i and others, he used to recite surats like At-Taraq, Al-Burouj, and alike in each of the first two rak'as in the noon and afternoon prayers. Some scholars conclude that the wisdom in lengthening the noon prayer is that it is the time to take a nap, so it is suitable to lengthen it to enable people to get it. Thus, this hadith shows the number of verses a Muslim should recite in silent prayers..

452
Abu Saeed Al-Khudry said, “We used to estimate how long the Messenger ﷺ stood at the noon and the afternoon prayers. At the noon prayer, we estimated that he stood in each of the first two rak'as as if he recited "Alef Lam Meem. Tanzil," i.e. Surat As-Sajda and stood half of that time in the last two ones. As for the afternoon prayer, we estimated that he stood in each of the first two rak'as as he did in the last two ones of noon prayer and stood half of that time in the last two ones.”.

Commentary : Prayer is the pillar of Islam. The Prophet (ﷺ) taught it to his companions verbally and practically. His Companions used to closely observe his deeds to follow and convey his guidance to people, especially regarding the acts of worship. In this hadith, Abu Saeed Al-Khudry showed that they used to estimate how long he stood at the noon and the afternoon prayers. As for the noon prayer, he stood in the first two rak'as as if he recited Surat As-Sajda (thirty verses) and stood half of that time in the last two ones, i.e. fifteen verses. As for the afternoon prayer, they estimated that he stood in the first two rak'as as he did in the last two rak'as of the noon prayer (fifteen verses) and stood half of that time in the last two ones (seven or eight verses). Some scholars conclude that the wisdom in lengthening the noon prayer is that it is the time to take a nap, so it is suitable to lengthen it to enable people to get it. Finally, this hadith recommends lengthening the first and second rak'as and shortening the third and fourth ones in both noon and afternoon prayers..

454
Qaz’a ibn Yahya narrated, “I came to Abu Saeed Al-Khudry while he was surrounded by people. When the people left him, I said, ‘I do not want to ask you what these people asked you. I want to ask you about the prayer of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.’ Abu Saeed said, ‘There is no good for you in this.’” Qaz'a repeated his question. Abu Saeed said, “When the noon prayer started, one of us went to Baqi' to relieve himself, came to his home to perform ablution, and then went to the mosque to find the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in the first rak'a.”.

Commentary : The companions’ students were keen to know everything about the Prophet ﷺ from his companions so they used to ask them about his deeds, especially his prayer. In this hadith, Qaza’a ibn Yahya narrated that he came to Abu Saeed Al-Khudry while the latter was being surrounded by people. When they left him, Qaza’a told him that he wanted to ask him about the Prophet’s prayer. Abu Saeed told him that knowing his prayer would benefit him none due to its length and perfection, for it would be difficult for him to imitate the Prophet’s prayer. Qaza’a repeated his request so Abu Saeed told him that when the Prophet ﷺ began the noon prayer, a person could go to Baqi' - cemeteries in Medina to the east of the Prophet’s Mosque where people used to relieve themselves in nearby places -, came to his home to perform ablution, and found the Prophet ﷺ in the first rak'a. This indicated the Prophet ﷺ used to lengthen the first rak’a of the noon prayer. One may say that there are some hadiths that the Prophet ﷺ used to shorten his prayer. To answer this opinion, it should be clarified that the Prophet ﷺ lengthened and shortened his prayers according to the people’s circumstances behind him. He sometimes wanted to lengthen the prayer then decided to shorten it after having a reasonable issue such as hearing a kid’s crying during the congregational prayer. Some scholars said that he sometimes lengthened it, which is the least, to clarify the permissibility, and sometimes shortened it, which is the most, to confirm its privilege..

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Abd Allah ibn As-Sa'eb narrated, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ led us in Fajr (Dawn) prayer at Mecca. He began to recite Surat Al-Mu'minun. When he recited the verses about Prophets Moses and Aaron - or Prophet Jesus -, the prophet started to cough then bowed and Abd Allah ibn As-Sa'eb was present." In another narration, "He cut (his recitation) then bowed.".

Commentary : The Prophet's Companions used to closely observe his deeds to follow and convey his guidance to people, especially regarding the acts of worship. In this hadith, Abdullah ibn As-Sa'eb narrated that the Prophet (ﷺ) led his companions in Fajr (Dawn) prayer in the eighth year after Hijra (the year of conquering Mecca). He was reciting Surat Al-Mu’minoun until he recited the verse (no. 45) that mentioned Prophets Musa and Haroun in which Allah said, "Then, We sent Musa (Moses) and his brother Haroun (Aaron), with Our proofs and manifest authority," or the verse (no. 50) that mentioned Prophet Jesus in which Allah says, "And We made the son of Maryam (Mary) and his mother as a sign, and We gave them refuge on high ground, a place of rest, security and flowing streams." This doubt is from Muhammad ibn Abbad or others of this hadith narrators. At that time, the Prophet (ﷺ) was coughing and then bowed without completing the surah. In another narration, the Prophet (ﷺ) "stopped reciting then bowed." Finally, this hadith confirms that a Muslim would bow without completing his recitation in prayer if something happened to him while reciting the Quran..

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Amr ibn Huraith narrated that he heard the Prophet ﷺ reciting at Fajr (Dawn) prayer, “And by the night as it closes in." (At-Takwir: 17).

Commentary : The Prophet's companions used to observe and learn from all of his acts to follow his guidance, especially in the acts of worship. They also used to transmit all of his details to all people. In this hadith, Amr ibn Huraith said that the Prophet once recited short Quranic suras in Fajr prayer (Dawn prayer). Amr reported that he heard the Prophet (ﷺ) recite Surah At-Takwir during Fajr prayer. It is the sura that contains this verse, “And by the night as it closes in.” (Al-Takwir: 17) This was explained by An-Nasa’i’s narration in which Amr reported, “I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) recite in Fajr prayer, "When the sun is wrapped up [in darkness]." All of the hadiths that clarified the Prophet's recitation in Fajr prayer showed that he may have recited long, short, or medium suras..