When the ten verses of Bara`ah (Surah at-Tawbah) were revealed to the Prophet (ﷺ), he called Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) and sent him to recite them to the people of Makkah. Then the Prophet (ﷺ) called me and said to me: `Catch up with Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) and wherever you meet him, take the document from him and take it to the people of Makkah and read it to them.` I caught up with him at al-Juhfah and took the letter from him. Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) went back to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), has something been revealed concerning me? He said: `No, but Jibreel came to me and said: No one should do this for you except you or a man of your [family].`
It was said to ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه): “Did your Messenger say anything to you only that was not for the people in general?” He said: “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) did not say anything to us only that he did not say to the people, except something in the sheath of this sword of mine. He took out a document on which there was something about the ages of camels [for zakah] and in it was said: `Madinah is sacred, the area between Thawr and ‘A’ir. Whoever commits an offence or gives refuge to an offender, upon him will be the curse of Allah, the angels and all the people, and on the Day of Resurrection Allah will not accept any nafl or obligatory act of worship from him. Protection given by any Muslim is binding upon all of them. Whoever transgresses protection given by a Muslim, upon him be the curse of Allah, the angels and all the people, and on the Day of Resurrection Allah will not accept any nafl or obligatory act of worship from him. Whoever takes people as mawla without the permission of the ones who set him free, upon him be the curse of Allah, the angels and all the people, and on the Day of Resurrection Allah will not accept any nafl or obligatory act of worship from him.`
The word mawla refers to the one who manumits a slave, who has a right to inherit ex-slave. Changing one’s mawla means giving the right of inheritance to the new mawla.
It was narrated from ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) from the Prophet (ﷺ) that he said on the day of al-Ahzab:
“They distracted us from the middle prayer, `Asr prayer, until the sunset. May Allah fill their graves and houses - or their graves and bellies - with fire.” Shu`bah said: “May Allah fill their graves and houses - or their graves and bellies - with fire`. I do not know whether this is part of the hadeeth or is not part of the hadeeth; I am not certain about it.
It was narrated from Yoosuf bin Mazin that A man asked `Ali (رضي الله عنه), “O Ameer al-Mu`mineen, describe the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to us”. He said:
“He was not very tall, a little above average height. When he came with people he would stand out among them. He was very white, with a large head, a bright face, long eyelashes and large hands and feet. When he walked, he walked with energy, as is going downhill. It was as if the sweat on his face was pearls; I have never seen anyone like him before or since, may my father and mother be sacrificed for him.
It was narrated from ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) that It was said to him: “Describe the Prophet (ﷺ) to us.” He said: “He was not very tall…” and he mentioned a similar report.
There were idols on top of the Ka`bah, and I wanted to lift up the Prophet (ﷺ) so he could reach them, but I could not do it. So he lifted me up, and I started smashing them, and if I had wanted to, I could have touched the sky.
`Ali bin Abi Talib (رضي الله عنه) narrated that The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
“Some people will pass out of Islam as the arrow passes out of the prey. They will recite the Qur`an but it will go no further than their collar bones. Glad tidings to the one who kills them and they kill him. Their sign will be a man with a deformed arm.
It was narrated from `Ali (رضي الله عنه) that The wife of al-Waleed bin `Uqbah came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said:
“O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), al-Waleed hits me, (Nasr bin’ Ali said in his hadeeth - she complained about him) He said: “Tell him: ‘He [the Prophet (ﷺ)] has given me protection’.` `Ali (رضي الله عنه) said: It was not long before she came back and said: “He only hit me more.” He took a piece of his garment and gave it to her and said: “Tell him: ‘The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) has given me protection’.” It was not long before she came back and said: “He only hit me more.” He raised his hands and said: `O Allah, punish al-Waleed; he has wronged me twice.”
It was narrated from ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) that The wife of al-Waleed bin `Uqbah came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), complaining about al-Waleed and saying that he hit her (and he narrated the same hadith as above).
It was narrated from ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) from the Prophet (ﷺ) that On the day of al-Ahzab, he was at one of the crossing points of the ditch and he said:
`They distracted us from the middle prayer until the sunset; may Allah fill their graves and their houses - or their bellies and their houses - with fire.”
Ali (رضي الله عنه) was asked: “Did the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say anything to you exclusively; He said: “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) did not say anything to us exclusively that he did not say to all the people, except what is in the sheath of this sword of mine. He took out a document on which was written `May Allah curse the one who offers a sacrifice to anyone other than Allah; may Allah curse the one who steals the boundary markers; may Allah curse the one who curses his father; may Allah curse the one who gives refuge to an offender.`
I heard Hujayyah bin Adiyy say: I heard `Ali bin Abi Talib (رضي الله عنه) When a man asked him about a cow. He said: “(It may be sacrificed) on behalf of seven.” He asked him about the animal that is lame. He said: “If it can reach the place of sacrifice (then sacrifice it).” He was asked about the horn. He said: “It doesn`t matter.” And ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) instructed us to check the eye and ear.
It was narrated from Hanash bin al-Mu`tamir that `Ali (رضي الله عنه) was in Yemen and they dug a trap for a lion. One man came and fell into it; he grabbed onto another, who grabbed onto another, who grabbed onto another, until there were four of them. The lion wounded them, and some of them died in the pit and some of them were taken out and then died. They disputed about that until they took up arms (against one another). `Ali (رضي الله عنه) came to them and said:
“Woe to you! Would you kill two hundred people for four men? Come and I will judge between you, if you accept it (all well and good), otherwise refer the matter to the Prophet (ﷺ).” He ruled that one quarter of the diyah should be given for the first one, one third of the diyah for the second one, half of the diyah for the third one and the complete diyah for the fourth one. Some of them accepted it and some of them did not like it. And he imposed the diyah on the tribes of the people who had crowded one another in that place. So they referred the matter to the Prophet (ﷺ). Bahz said: Hammad said: I think he said: He was reclining, then he sat up and said: “I shall judge between you.” Then he was told that ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) had issued such and such a verdict, and he approved of it, `Affan said: `I shall judge between you.”
It was narrated from `Ali (رضي الله عنه) that The Prophet (ﷺ) said on the day of Ghadeer Khumm:
`If I am a person`s mawla (friend and supporter) then `Ali is also his mawla.” And the people added after that: `So take as friends those who take him as a friend and take as enemies those who take him as an enemy.”
It was narrated from Hujayyah bin `Adiyy that `Ali (رضي الله عنه) was asked about a cow and he said:
“[It may be sacrificed] on behalf of seven people.” He was asked about the cow with a broken horn and he said: “It does not matter.” He was asked about a lame animal, and he said: “If it can reach the place of sacrifice (then sacrifice it).” Then he said: “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) instructed us to check the eyes and ears.”
`Ali bin Abi Talib (رضي الله عنه) said to me: “O son of A’bud, do you know what the rights of the food are?” I said: “What are its rights, O son of Abu Talib?” He said: “To say: in the Name of Allah; O Allah, bless for us what You have provided for us. Do you know how to express gratitude when you have finished eating?” I said: “What is gratitude for it?” He said: “To say: Praise be to Allah Who has fed us and given us to drink.” Then he said: “Shall I not tell you about me and Fatimah (رضي الله عنها)? She was the daughter of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and she was one of the dearest of his family to him, and she was my wife. She worked with the millstone until the millstone left marks on her hand, and she brought water with a bucket until the bucket left marks on her chest. She took care of the house until her garment became dusty and she lit a fire under the pot until her garment became dirty, and she suffered hardship because of that. Some female captives (or servants) were brought to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and I said to her: “Go to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and ask him for a servant to relieve you of the hardship you are in.” So she went to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and she found some servants with him. Then she came back and did not ask him for one. (And he narrated the hadeeth - And he [the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)] said: `Shall I not tell you of something that is better for you than a servant? When you go to your bed, glorify Allah thirty three times, praise Him thirty three times, and magnify Him thirty four times.” She stuck her head out and said: “I am content with Allah and His Messenger,” twice. (And he narrated a hadeeth like that of Ibn ‘Ulayyah from al-Jurairi or similar to it.)
We used to think that the middle prayer was Fajr prayer. Then `Ali (رضي الله عنه) told us that on the day of al-Ahzab they fought and were distracted from ‘Asr prayer. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: `O Allah, fill their graves with fire - or fill their bellies with fire - as they kept us from the middle prayer.` Then on that day we realised that the middle prayer was ’Asr prayer.
It was narrated from ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) that The Prophet (ﷺ) sent him a suit of silk, and he put it on and went out to the people, then he recognised anger on his [the Prophet`s] face, and he [the Prophet (ﷺ)] instructed him to cut it up and divide it among his womenfolk.
It was narrated that `Abdul-Malik bin Maisarah said:
I heard an-Nazzal bin Sabrah say: I saw ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) praying Zuhr, then he sat to listen to the people`s needs. When the time for ‘Asr came, a stone vessel of water was brought to him. He took a handful from it and wiped his face, forearms, head and feet. Then he took the leftover water and drank it whilst standing, and he said: Some people dislike this, but I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) do it. And this is the wudoo’ of one who has not broken his wudoo’.
It was narrated from ash-Shaʼbi that ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) said to Sharahah:
Perhaps you were forced? Perhaps your husband came to you? Perhaps...? She said: No. When she gave birth, he slogged her then he stoned her. It was said to him: Why did you flog her then stone her? He said: I flogged her in accordance with the Book of Allah and I stoned her in accordance with the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).
A man came to ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) and said: O Ameer al-Mu`mineen, I am unable to pay off my contract of manumission; help me, `Ali (رضي الله عنه) said: Shall I not tell you some words that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) taught me, then if you owe debts as great as Mount Seer in dinars, Allah will pay it off for you? He said: Yes indeed. He said: Say: O Allah, suffice me with what You have permitted so that I have no need of what You have forbidden, and make me independent of anyone other than You by Your grace.
Abu Burdah bin Abi Moosa told me: I was sitting with Abu Moosa when ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) came to us and stood over Abu Moosa and told him to do something concerning the people, `Ali (رضي الله عنه) said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to me: `Say O Allah, guide me and correct my aim.’ When you ask for guidance, think of directions when travelling and when you think of proper aim, think of aiming an arrow.” And he forbade me to put my ring on this - and Abu Burdah pointed to his forefinger or middle finger. `Asim said: I am the one who got confused as to which of them he meant - and he forbade me to use red saddle cloths and garments made from a blend of linen and silk, Abu Burdah said: I said to Ameer al-Mu`mineen: What are red saddle cloths and what are garments made from a blend of linen and silk? He said: As for red saddle cloths, that is something that women used to make for their husbands to put on their mounts, And as for garments made from a blend of linen and silk, they were garments that came to us from Syria or Yemen - ` Asim was not sure - which contained silk in a twisted shape like citrons. Abu Burdah said: When I saw the garment that is called as-Sabani [from a place in North Africa], I realised that this is what it was.
A man said to ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه): O Ameer al-Mu`mineen, what month do you advise me to fast after Ramadan? He said: I have never heard anyone ask about this after a man asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) : O Messenger of Allah, what month do you advise me to fast after Ramadan? He said: “If you want to fast any month after Ramadan, then fast al-Muharram, for it is the month of Allah and in it is a day on which Allah forgave people and will forgive (more) people.`