Muwatta Malik

Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa that his father said, talking about spending the nights of Mina at Makka, "No- one must spend the night anywhere except Mina

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that Umar ibn al-Khattab used to stop at the first two jamras for such a long time that someone standing up would get tired

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar used to stop for a long time at the first two jamras saying, "Allah is greater", "Glory be to Allah", "Praise be to Allah", and making duas to Allah, but he did not stop at the jamrat al-Aqaba

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar used to say "Allah is greater" whenever he threw a pebble while stoning the jamra

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard some of the people of knowledge saying, "The pebbles used for stoning the jamras should be like the stones used as slingshot." Malik said, "I like it better if they are a little larger than that." Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar used to say, "Someone who is at Mina when the sun sets in the middle of the days of tashriq must not leave until he has stoned the jamras on the following day

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abd ar-Rahman ibn Qasim from his father that when people went to stone the jamras they would walk both going there and coming back. The first one to ride was Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan

Yahya related to me from Malik that he asked Abd ar-Rahman ibn Qasim, "From where did Qasim stonethe jamrat al-Aqaba?"and he replied, "From wherever it was possible." Yahya said that Malik was asked whether some one else could throw the stones for a child or a sick man and he said, "Yes, and a sick man should inquire as to when the stones will be thrown for him and then say the takbir while he is in the place where he is staying, bleeding. If a sick man regains his health during the days of tashriq, he should stone whatever stoning has been done for him and he must offer a sacrificial animal." Malik said, "I do not consider that someone who stones the jamras or does say between Safa and Marwa without being in wudu has to repeat anything, but he should not make a general practice of it

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar used to say, "The jamras should not be stoned during the three days until after the sun has passed the meridian

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr ibn Hazm from his father that Abu'l-Baddah ibn Asim ibn Adi told him from his father that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, allowed the camel-herders to spend the night outside of Mina, and they threw the stones (once) on the day of sacrifice, and (once) for the following day and the day after that, and (once) on the day when they left Mina

Yahya related to me from Malik that Yahya ibn Said heard Ata ibn Abi Rabah mentioning that the camel-herders were allowed to throw the stones at night, and saying that this was in the early period (of Islam). Malik said, "The explanation of the hadith where the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, allowed the camel-herders to delay the stoning of the jamras is, in our view, and Allah knows best, that they threw stones on the day of sacrifice, and then threw again two days later, which was the first possible day for leaving, and this throwing was for the day which had passed. They then threw again for the day itself, because it is only possible for someone to make up for something which is obligatory for him, and when something obligatory passes someone by (without him doing it) he must necessarily make it up afterwards (and not beforehand). So (in the case of the camel-herders), if it seemed appropriate for them to leave that day, they would have done all that they were supposed to do, and if they were to stay until the following day, they would throw stones with everybody else on the second and last day for leaving, and then leave

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu Bakr ibn Nafi from his father that the daughter of one of Safiyya bint Abi Ubayd's brothers was bleeding after she had given birth to a child at Muzdalifa. She and Safiyya were delayed and did not arrive at Mina until after the sun had set on the day of sacrifice. Abdullah ibn Umar told them both to stone the jamra at the time they arrived and he did not think that they owed anything. Yahya said that Malik was asked about some one who forgot to stone one of the jamras on one of the days of Mina until it was evening and he said, "He should throw the stones at whatever time of day or night he remembers, just as he would pray the prayer if he forgot it and then remembered it at any time of day or night. If he remembers (that he has not done the stoning) after he has returned to Makka, or after he has left, he must sacrifice an animal

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi and Abdullah ibn Dinar from Abdullah ibn Umar that Umar ibn al-Khattab gave a khutba to the people at Arafa and taught them the conduct of the hajj, and one of the things he said to them in his speech was, "When you get to Mina and have stoned the jamra then whatever is haram for someone doing the hajj becomes halal, except women and scent. No-one should touch women or scent until he has done tawaf of the House

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi and Abdullah ibn Dinar from Abdullah ibn Umar that Umar ibn al-Khattab said, "When someone has stoned the jamra and shaved his head or cut off some of his hair and sacrificed an animal, whatever was haram for him becomes halal, except women and scent, (which remain haram for him) until he has done tawaf of the House

Yahya related to me from Abd ar-Rahman ibn al-Qasim, from his father that A'isha, umm al-muminin, said, "We set out with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in the year of the farewell hajj and we went into ihram for umra. Afterwards, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'Whoever has a sacrificial animal with him should go into ihram for hajj and umra together, and he should not leave ihram without leaving ihram for both of them at the same time.' " She continued "I was menstruating when I got to Makka, so I did not do tawaf of the House or say between Safa and Marwa. I complained to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and he said, 'Undo your hair and comb it and leave the umra and go back into ihram for the hajj.' " She said, "I did so, and when we had completed the hajj, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, sent me with Abd ar-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr as-Siddiq to at-Tanim and I performed an umra and he said, 'This is in place of your umra.' " "Those who had entered ihram for the umra did tawaf of the House and say between Safa and Marwa, then left ihram. Then they did another tawaf after returning from Mina for their hajj, whereas those who entered ihram for the hajj or combined the hajj and the umra, only did one tawaf." Yahya related the same as that to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Urwa ibn az-Zubayr from A'isha

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abd ar-Rahman ibn al-Qasim from his father that A'isha said, "I came to Makka at the time of my period so I did not do tawaf of the House or go between Safa and Marwa. I complained to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and he said, 'Do what the people doing hajj do except do not do tawaf of the House and go between Safa and Marwa until you are pure.' " Malik said, concerning a woman who entered ihram for umra at the time of hajj, and she arrived in Makka during her period and so could not do tawaf of the House, "When she fears that the time (for hajj) is getting close, she gets into ihram for the hajj and sacrifices an animal. She is like someone who combines the hajj and the umra. One tawaf is enough for her. If a women starts her period after she has already done tawaf of the House and prayed, she does say between Safa and Marwa and stops at Arafa and Muzdalifa and stones the jamras but she does not do the tawaf al-ifada until she is pure and has finished her menses

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abd ar-Rahman ibn al-Qasim from his father from A'isha umm al-muminin that Safiyya bint Huyy began menstruating and so she mentioned it to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and he asked, "Will she delay us?" and he was told, "She has already done the tawaf al-ifada," and he said, "Then she will not delay us

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr ibn Hazm from his father from Amra bint Abd ar-Rahman that A'isha umm al- muminin said to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, "Messenger of Allah, Safiyya bint Huyy has begun her period," and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Perhaps she will delay us. Has she done tawaf of the House with you?" They said, "Of course." He said, "So you are free to leave

Yahya related to me from Malik from AbuRijal Muhammad ibn Abd ar- Rahman from Amra bint Abd ar-Rahman that when A'isha umm al-muminin was doing hajj with women who were expecting their periods, she would hurry them to do the tawaf al-ifada on the Day of Sacrifice. If they started to menstruate after the tawaf al-ifada she did not stop for them but left with them while they were menstruating

Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa from his father from A'isha umm al-muminin that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, mentioned Safiyya bint Huyy and he was told that she had started her period. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Perhaps she will delay us." They said, "Messenger of Allah, she has done tawaf," and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Then she will not delay us." Malik said that Hisham said that Urwa said that A'isha said, "We have publicized that, so why do people make their women stay on to their inconvenience? If it were as they say, more than six thousand menstruating women would still be in Mina in the morning, all of them having already done the tawaf al- ifada

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr from his father that Abu Salama ibn Abd ar-Rahman told him that Umm Sulaym bint Milhan asked the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, for advice one time when she had begun menstruating, or had given birth to a child after she had done tawaf al-ifada on the Day of Sacrifice. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, gave her permission to leave. Malik said, "A woman menstruating at Mina stays until she has done tawaf of the House. There is no escape from that for her. If she has already done the tawaf al-ifada and she starts to menstruate afterwards, she may leave for her country, since permission for the menstruating women to leave has been transmitted to us from the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace." He added, "If a woman starts her period at Mina before she does the tawaf al-ifada, and the period lasts longer than usual, she has to stay longer than the time that bleeding would usually detain women

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu'z-Zubayr that Umar ibn al-Khattab gave the judgement of a ram for a hyena, a female goat for a gazelle, a she-goat less than one year old for a rabbit, and a four month old kid for a jerboa

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abd al-Malik ibn Qurayr from Muhammad ibn Sirin that a man came to Umar ibn al-Khattab and said, "I was racing a friend on horseback towards a narrow mountain trail and we killed a gazelle accidently and we were in ihram. What is your opinion?" Umar said to a man by his side, "Come, so that you and I may make an assessment." They decided on a female goat for him, and the man turned away saying, "This amir al-muminin cannot even make an assessment in the case of a gazelle until he calls a man to decide with him." Umar overheard the man's words and called him and asked him, "Do you recite surat al-Ma'ida?" and he said, "No." He said, "Then do you recognize this man who has taken the decision with me?" and he said, "No." He said, "If you had told me that you did recite surat al-Ma'ida, I would have dealt you a blow." Then he said, "Allah the Blessed, the Exalted says in His Book, 'as shall be judged by two men of justice among you, a sacrificial animal to reach the Kaba' (Sura 5 ayat 95), and this is Abd ar-Rahman ibn Awf

Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa that his father used to say, "For the female of wild animals a cow is given and for the female of gazelles a sheep

Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said that Said ibn al-Musayyab used to say, "For the pigeon of Makka, when it is killed, a sheep is due." Malik said, that if a man of the people of Makka were to enter ihram for hajj or umra and there was a flock of Makkan pigeons in his house and they were shut in and died, "I think that he should pay for that with a sheep for each bird

Malik said, I still hear that when a person in ihram kills an ostrich, a camel is due." Malik said, "I think that for an ostrich egg, one tenth of the price of a camel is due in the same way that there is a newly-born male or female slave for the unborn child of a free woman. The value of the newly-born slave is fifty dinars, and that is one-tenth of what the blood-money for the mother would be. "Birds from the eagle family, eagles or falcons or vultures count as game for which a price is paid just as a price is paid for any game which a person in ihram kills. For everything for which a penalty is paid, the assessment is the same, whether the animal is old or young. The analogy of that is that the blood-money for the young and the old freeman, are considered to be the same." Yahya related to me from Malik from Zayd ibn Aslam that a man came to Umar ibn al-Khattab and said, "Amir al-muminin, I killed some locusts with my whip when I was in ihram," and Umar said to him, "Give a handful of food

Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said that a man came to Umar ibn al-Khattab and asked him about some locusts he had killed while he was in ihram. Umar said to Kab, "Come, let's decide." Kab said, "A dirham," and Umar said to Kab, "You can find dirhams. A date is better than a locust

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abd al-Karim ibn Malik al- Jazari from Abd ar-Rahman ibn Abi Layla from Kab ibn Ujra that one time he was with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in ihram, and he was suffering from lice on his head. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, told him to shave his head, saying, "Fast three days, or feed six poor people, two mudds for each person, or sacrifice a sheep. If you do any of those it will be enough for you

Yahya related to me from Malik from Humayd bin Qays from Mujahid Abu'l Hajjaj from Ibn Abi Layla from Kab ibn Ujra that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to him, "Perhaps your pests are troubling you?" He replied that indeed they were, and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Shave your head and fast three days or feed six poor men or sacrifice a sheep

Yahya related to me from Malik that Ata ibn Abdullah al-Khurasani said that an old man from Suq al-Buram in Kufa had related to him that Kab ibn Ujra said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came to me while I was blowing under a cooking pot belonging to my companions and my head and beard were full of lice. He took my forehead and said, 'Shave your hair and fast three days or feed six poor people.' The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was aware that I did not have anything with me to sacrifice.'" Malik said, concerning paying compensation (fidya) for the relief of physical discomfort, "The custom concerning it is that no one pays compensation until he has done something which makes it obligatory to pay compensation just as making amends (kaffara) is only done when it has become obligatory for the one who owes it. The person can pay the compensation wherever he wishes, regardless of whether he has to sacrifice an animal or fast or give sadaqa in Makka or in any other town." Malik said, "It is not correct for a person in ihram to pluck out any of his hair or to shave it or cut it until he has left ihram, unless he is suffering from an ailment of the head, in which case he owes the compensation Allah the Exalted has ordered. It is not correct for a person in ihram to cut his nails, or to kill his lice, or to remove them from his head or from his skin or his garment to the ground. If a person in ihram removes lice from his skin or his garment, he must give away the quantity of food that he can scoop up with both hands. " Malik said,"Anyone who, while in ihram, plucks out hairs from his nose or armpit or rubs his body with a depilatory agent or shaves the hair from around a head wound out of necessity or shaves his neck for the place of the cupping glasses, regardless of whether it is in forgetfulness or in ignorance, owes compensation in all these instances, and he must not shave the place of the cupping glasses. Someone, who, out of ignorance, shaves his head before he stones the jamra. must also pay compensation

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ayyub ibn Abi Tamima as- Sakhtayani from Said ibn Jubayr that Abdullah ibn Abbas said, "If someone forgets anything of the rituals or omits them intentionally, he must slaughter an animal." Ayyub added "I do not know if he said 'Omits' or 'forgets'." Malik said, "If it is a hady that has to be slaughtered it may only be done in Makka, but if it is a sacrifice, it may be slaughtered wherever the one who owes the sacrifice prefers

Malik said, concerning someone who wishes to wear clothes that a person in ihram must not wear, or cut his hair, or touch perfume without necessity, because he finds it easy to pay the compensation, "No-one must do such things. They are only allowed in cases of necessity, and compensation is owed by whoever does them." Malik was asked whether the culprit could choose for himself the method of compensation he makes, and he was asked what kind of animal was to be sacrificed, and how much food was to be given, and how many days were to be fasted, and whether the person could delay any of these, or if they had to be done immediately. He answered, 'Whenever there are alternatives in the Book of Allah for the kaffara, the culprit can choose to do whichever of the alternatives he prefers. As for the sacrifice - a sheep, and as for the fasting - three days. As for the food - feeding six poor men, for every poor man two mudds, by the first mudd, the mudd of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace." Malik said, "I have heard one of the people of knowledge saying, 'When a person in ihram throws something and hits game unintentionally and kills it, he must pay compensation. In the same way, someone outside the Haram who throws anything into the Haram and hits game he did not intend to, killing it, has to pay compensation, because the intentional and the mistaken are in the same position in this matter.' " Malik said, concerning people who kill game together while they are muhrim or in the Haram, "I think that each one of them owes a full share. If a sacrificial animal is decided for them, each one of them owes one, and if fasting is decided for them, the full fasting is owed by each one of them. The analogy of that is a group of people who kill a man by mistake and the kaffara for that is that each person among them must free a slave or fast two consecutive months." Malik said, "Anyone who stones or hunts game after stoning the jamra and shaving his head but before he has performed the tawaf al-ifada, owes compensation for that game, because Allah the Blessed, the Exalted said, 'And when you leave ihram, then hunt,' and restrictions still remain for someone who has not done the tawaf al-ifada about touching perfume and women." Malik said, "The person in ihram does not owe anything for plants he cuts down in the Haram and it has not reached us that anyone has given a decision of anything for it, but O how wrong is what he has done! " Malik said, concerning some one who was ignorant of, or who forgot the fast of three days in the hajj, or who was ill during them and so did not fast them until he had returned to his community, "He must offer a sacrificial animal (hady) if he can find one and if not he must fast the three days among his people and the remaining seven after that." Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from clsa ibn Talha that Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, stopped for the people at Mina, and they questioned him and a man came and said to him, 'Messenger of Allah, I was unclear about what to do and I shaved before sacrificing,' and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'Sacrifice, and don't worry.' Then another came to him and said 'Messenger of Allah, I was unclear about what to do and I sacrificed before throwing the stones.' He advised, 'Throw, and don't worry.' " Amr continued, saying that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was not asked about anything done before or after without his saying, "Do it, and don't worry

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi from Abdullah ibn Umar that when the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, returned from a military expedition or a hajj or an umra, he used to say three takbirs on every elevated part of the land, and then he used to say, "There is no god but Allah, alone, without partner. To Him belongs the Kingdom and to Him belongs the praise and He has power over everything. Returning, making tawba, serving, prostrating, praising our Lord. Allah has promised truly and given His slave victory and defeated the tribes alone

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibrahim ibn Uqba from Kurayb the mawla of Abdullah ibn Abbas from Ibn Abbas that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, passed a woman in a litter and it was said to her, "This is the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace," and she took the forearms of a young boy who was with her and said, "Does this one have a hajj, Messenger of Allah?" and he said, "Yes, and you have a reward

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibrahim ibn Abi Abla from Talha ibn Ubaydullah ibn Kariyz that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Shaytan is not considered more abased or more cast out or more contemptible or more angry on any day than on the Day of Arafa. That is only because he sees the descent of the Mercy and Allah's disregard for great wrong actions. That is except from what he was shown on the Day of Badr." Someone said, "What was he shown on the Day of Badr, Messenger of Allah?" He said, "Didn't he see Jibril arranging the ranks of the angels?

Yahya related to me from Malik from Zihad ibn Abi Ziyad the mawla of Abdullah ibn Ayyash ibn Abi Rabia from Talha ibn Ubaydullah ibn Kariyz that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The most excellent dua is the dua on the Day of Arafa, and the best of what I and the prophets before me have said, is 'There is no god but Allah, alone, without partner

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Anas ibn Malik that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, entered Makka, in the Year of Victory, wearing a helmet, and when he took it off a man came to him and said, "Messenger of Allah, Ibn Khatal is clinging to the covers of the Kaba,'' and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Kill him." Malik commented, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was not in ihram at the time, and Allah knows best

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar was coming from Makka and when he was at Qudayd, news came to him from Madina and he returned and entered Makka without ihram. Yahya related the same as that to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab

Yahya related to me from Malik from Muhammad ibn Amr ibn Halhala ad-Dili from Muhammad ibn lmran al-Ansari that his father said that Abdullah ibn Umar came upon him while he stopped for a rest under a tall tree on the road to Makka, and he said, "What has made you stop under this tall tree?" He replied that he sought it's shade. Abdullah ibn Umar said, "Anything besides that?" and he said, "No, that was the only. reason he stopped for a rest," and Abdullah ibn Umar said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'If you are between al-Akhshabayn (which are two mountains) near Mina,' indicating the east with his outspread hand, 'you will find a valley called as-Surar with a tree in it beneath which the umbilical cords of seventy prophets have been cut

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr ibn Hazm from Ibn Abi Mulayka that Umar ibn al-Khattab passed a leprous woman doing tawaf of the House, and he said to her, "Slave of Allah, do not make people uneasy. Better that you stay in your house," so she did so. A man passed by her after that and said to her, "The one who forbade you has died, so come out," and she replied, "I am not going to obey him when he is alive and disobey him when he is dead

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that Abdullah ibn Abbas used to say that the area between the corner of the Black Stone and the door of the Kaba was called al-Multazam

Yahya related to me from Malik that Yahya ibn Said heard Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn Habban mentioning that a certain man passed Abu Dharr at ar-Rabadha (which was about 30 miles from Madina) and Abu Dharr asked him, "Where are you heading to?" and he replied, "I am intending to do hajj." Abu Dharr questioned, "Has anything else brought you out?" and he said, "No," so Abu Dharr said "Resume what you are doing wholeheartedly." The man related, "I went on till I came to Makka and I stayed as long as Allah willed. Suddenly, one time, I was with a crowd of people thronging about a man and I pushed through the people to him and it was the old man that I had come across at ar- Rabadha. When he saw me, he recognized me and said, 'Ah, you have done what I told you

Yahya related to me from Malik that he asked Ibn Shihab about making a condition in the hajj that one could leave ihram at any place where an obstacle befell one and he said, "Does anyone do that?' and disapproved of it. Malik was asked whether a man could cut plants from the Haram for his mount, and he said, "No

Malik said, concerning a woman who had never been on hajj, "If she doesn't have a mahram, or if she has, but he cannot come with her, she does not abandon Allah's making of the hajj obligatory for her. Let her go in a group of women." Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Urwa ibn az- Zubayr that A'isha umm al-muminin used to say, "Someone performing hajj at-tamattu who does not have a sacrificial animal fasts (three days) from the time he enters ihram for the hajj till the Day of Arafa, and if he does not fast then, he fasts the days of Mina." Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Salim ibn Abdullah that Abdullah ibn Umar used to say the same concerning that, as the words of A'isha, may Allah the Exalted be pleased with her

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu'z-Zinad from al-Araj from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said "Someone who does jihad in the way of Allah is like someone who fasts and prays constantly and who does not slacken from his prayer and fasting until he returns

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu'z Zinad from al-Araj from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Allah guarantees either the Garden or a safe return to his home with whatever he has obtained of reward or booty, for the one who does jihad in His way, if it is solely jihad and trust in his promise that brings him out of his house

Yahya related to me from Malik from Zayd ibn Aslam from Abu Salih as-Samman from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Horses are a reward for one man, a protection for another, a burden for another. The one who has them as a reward is the one who dedicates them for use in the way of Allah, and tethers them in a meadow or grassland. Whatever the horse enjoys of the grassland or meadow in the length of its tether are good deeds for him. If it breaks its tether and goes over a hillock or two, its tracks and droppings are good deeds for him. If it crosses a river and drinks from it while he did not mean to allow it to drink it, that counts as good deeds for him, and the horse is a reward for him. Another man uses his horse to gain self reliance and up- standingness and does not forget Allah's right on their necks and backs (i.e. he does not ill treat or over-work them). Horses are a protection for him . Another man uses them out of pride to show them off and in hostility to the people of Islam. They are a burden on that man." The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was asked about donkeys, and he said, "Nothing has been revealed to me about them except this single all- inclusive ayat, 'Whoever does an atom of good will see it, and whoever does an atom of evil, will see it.' " (Sura 99 Ayats)

Yahya related to me from Abdullah ibn Abd ar-Rahman ibn Mamar al- Ansari that Ata ibn Yasar said that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Shall I tell you who has the best degree among people? A man who takes the rein of his horse to do jihad in the way of Allah. Shall I tell you who has the best degree among people after him? A man who lives alone with a few sheep, performs the prayer, pays the zakat, and worships Allah without associating anything with him

Yahya related to me from Malik that Yahya ibn Said said, ''Ubada ibn al-Walid ibn Ubada ibn as-Samit informed me from his father that his grandfather (Ubada) said, 'We made a contract with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to hear and obey in ease and hardship, enthusiasm and reluctance, and not to dispute with people in authority and to speak or establish the truth wherever we were without worrying about criticism

Yahya related to me from Malik that Zayd ibn Aslam had said that Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah had written to Umar ibn al-Khattab mentioning to him a great array of Byzantine troops and the anxiety they were causing him. Umar ibn al-Khattab wrote in reply to him, "Whatever hardship befalls a believing slave, Allah will make an opening for him after it, and a hardship will not overcome two eases. Allah the Exalted says in His Book, 'O you who trust, be patient, and vie in patience; be steadfast and fear Allah, perhaps you will profit.' " (Sura 3 ayat)

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar said that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, forbade travelling with a Qur'an in the land of the enemy. Malik commented, "That is out of fear that the enemy will get hold of it