Sahih al-Bukhari: Book 80: Invocations

Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said, “For every prophet there is one (special invocation (that will not be rejected) with which he appeals (to Allah), and I want to keep such an invocation for interceding for my followers in the Hereafter.”

that the Prophet ﷺ said, “For every prophet there is an invocation that surely will be responded by Allah,” (or said), “For every prophet there was an invocation with which he appealed to Allah, and his invocation was accepted (in his lifetime), but I kept my (this special) invocation to intercede for my followers on the Day of Resurrection.”

The Prophet ﷺ said “The most superior way of asking for forgiveness from Allah is:

O Allah, You are my Lord, there is none worthy of worship except You. You have created me, and I am Your servant, and I am faithful to Your covenant and promise as much as I can. I seek refuge in You from the evil of what I have done. I acknowledge Your blessings upon me, and I admit my sins. So forgive me, for none forgives sins except You.

(Allahumma anta Rabbi la ilaha illa anta, Khalaqtani wa ana ‘Abduka, wa ana ‘ala ‘ahdika wa wa’dika mastata’tu, A’udhu bika min Sharri ma sana’tu, abu’u Laka bini’matika ‘alaiya, wa abu’u laka bidhanbi faghfir lee fa innahu la yaghfiru adhdhunuba illa anta) “

The Prophet ﷺ added. “If somebody recites it during the day with firm faith in it, and dies on the same day before the evening, he will be from the people of Paradise; and if somebody recites it at night with firm faith in it, and dies before the morning, he will be from the people of Paradise.”

I heard Allah’s Messenger ﷺ saying.” By Allah! I ask for forgiveness from Allah and turn to Him in repentance more than seventy times a day.”

‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud related to us two narrations: One from the Prophet ﷺ and the other from himself, saying: A believer sees his sins as if he were sitting under a mountain which, he is afraid, may fall on him; whereas the wicked person considers his sins as flies passing over his nose and he just drives them away like this.” Abu Shihab (the sub-narrator) moved his hand over his nose in illustration. (Ibn Mas’ud added): Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said, “Allah is more pleased with the repentance of His slave than a man who encamps at a place where his life is jeopardized, but he has his riding beast carrying his food and water. He then rests his head and sleeps for a short while and wakes to find his riding beast gone. (He starts looking for it) and suffers from severe heat and thirst or what Allah wished (him to suffer from). He then says, ‘I will go back to my place.’ He returns and sleeps again, and then (getting up), he raises his head to find his riding beast standing beside him.”

Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said, “Allah is more pleased with the repentance of His slave than anyone of you is pleased with finding his camel which he had lost in the desert. “

The Prophet ﷺ used to pray eleven Rak’at in the late part of the night, and when dawn appeared, he would offer two Rak’at and then lie on his right side till the Muadhdhin came to inform him (that the morning prayer was due).

Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said to me, “When you want to go to bed, perform ablution as you do for prayer, then lie down on your right side and say: ‘Allahumma aslamtu wajhi ilaika, wa fauwadtu Amri ilaika wa aljatu zahri ilaika, raghbatan wa rahbatan ilaika, lamalja’a wa la manja mink a ill a ilaika. Amantu bikitabi kalladhi anzalta wa bi nabiyyikal-ladhi arsalta’. If you should die then (after reciting this) you will die on the religion of Islam (i.e., as a Muslim); so let these words be the last you say (before going to bed)” While I was memorizing it, I said, “Wa birasiulikal-ladhi arsalta (in Your Messenger ﷺ whom You have sent).’ The Prophet ﷺ said, “No, but say: Wa binabiyyi-kalladhi arsalta (in Your Prophet ﷺ whom You have sent).”

When the Prophet ﷺ went to bed, he would say: “Bismika amutu wa ahya.” and when he got up he would say:” Al-hamdu lillahil-ladhi ahyana ba’da ma amatana wa ilaihin-nushur.”

e then (after reciting this before going to bed) you will die on the r

That the Prophet ﷺ advised a man, saying, “If you intend to lie down (i.e. go to bed), say, ‘Allahumma aslamtu nafsi ilaika wa fauwadtu `Amri ilaika, wa wajjahtu wajhi ilaika wa alja’tu zahri ilaika, reghbatan wa rahbatan ilaika. La malja’a wa la manja minka illa ilaika. Amantu bikitabikal-ladhi anzalta; wa nabiyyikalladhi arsalta.’ And if you should die then (after reciting this before going to bed) you will die on the religion of Islam”

When the Prophet ﷺ went to bed at night, he would put his hand under his cheek and then say, “Allahumma bismika amutu wa ahya,” and when he got up, he would say, “Al-Hamdu lil-lahi al-ladhi ahyana ba’da ma amatana, wa ilaihi an-nushur.”

When Allah’s Messenger ﷺ went to bed, he used to sleep on his right side and then say, “All-ahumma aslamtu nafsi ilaika, wa wajjahtu wajhi ilaika, wa fauwadtu `Amri ilaika, wa alja’tu zahri ilaika, raghbatan wa rahbatan ilaika. La Malja’a wa la manja minka illa ilaika. Amantu bikitabika al-ladhi anzalta wa nabiyyika al-ladhi arsalta! Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said, “Whoever recites these words (before going to bed) and dies the same night, he will die on the Islamic religion (as a Muslim).

One night I slept at the house of Maimuna. The Prophet ﷺ woke up, answered the call of nature, washed his face and hands, and then slept. He got up (late at night), went to a water skin, opened the mouth thereof and performed ablution not using much water, yet he washed all the parts properly and then offered the prayer. I got up and straightened my back in order that the Prophet ﷺ might not feel that I was watching him, and then I performed the ablution, and when he got up to offer the prayer, stood on his left. He caught hold of my ear and brought me over to his right side. He offered thirteen Rak’at in all and then lay down and slept till he started blowing out his breath as he used to do when he slept. In the meantime Bilal informed the Prophet ﷺ of the approaching time for the (Fajr) prayer, and the Prophet ﷺ offered the Fajr (Morning) prayer without performing new ablution. He used to say in his invocation, Allaihumma ij’al fi qalbi nuran wa fi basari nuran, wa fi sam’i nuran, wa’an yamini nuran, wa’an yasari nuran, wa fawqi nuran, wa tahti nuran, wa amami nuran, wa khalfi nuran, waj’al li nuran.” Kuraib (a sub narrator) said, “I have forgotten seven other words, (which the Prophet ﷺ mentioned in this invocation). I met a man from the offspring of Al-‘Abbas and he narrated those seven things to me, mentioning, ‘(Let there be light in) my nerves, my flesh, my blood, my hair and my body,’ and he also mentioned two other things.”

When the Prophet ﷺ got up at night to offer the night prayer, he used to say: “Allahumma laka-l-hamdu; Anta nuras-samawati wal ardi wa man fihinna. Wa laka-l-hamdu; Anta qaiyim as-samawati wal ardi wa man fihinna. Wa laka-l-hamdu; Anta-l-,haqqun, wa wa’daka haqqun, wa qauluka haqqun, wa liqauka haqqun, wal-jannatu haqqun, wannaru haqqun, was-sa atu haqqun, wan-nabiyyuna huqqun, Mahammadun haqqun, Allahumma laka aslamtu, wa Alaika tawakkaltu, wa bika amantu, wa ilaika anabtu, wa bika Khasamtu, wa ilaika hakamtu, faghfirli ma qaddamtu wa ma akh-khartu, wa ma asrartu, wa ma a’lantu. Anta al-muqaddimu, wa anta al-mu-‘akhkhiru. La ilaha il-la anta (or La ilaha ghairuka)”

Fatima complained about the blisters on her hand because of using a mill-stone. She went to ask the Prophet ﷺ for servant, but she did not find him (at home) and had to inform ‘Aishah of her need. When he came, ‘Aishah informed him about it. ‘Ali added: The Prophet ﷺ came to us when we had gone to our beds. When I was going to get up, he said, “‘Stay in your places,” and sat between us, till I felt the coolness of the feet on my chest. The Prophet ﷺ then said, “Shall I not tell you of a thing which is better for you than a servant? When you (both) go to your beds, say ‘Allahu Akbar’ thirty-four times, and ‘Subhan Allah’ thirty-three times, ‘Alhamdu ‘illah’ thirty-three times, for that is better for you than a servant.” Ibn Sirin said, “Subhan Allah’ (is to be said for) thirty-four times.”

Whenever Allah’s Messenger ﷺ went to bed, he used to blow on his hands while reciting the Mu’auwidhat ( i.e. Suratal-Falaq and Surat-an-Nas, 113 and 114) and then pass his hands over his body,

The Prophet ﷺ said, “When anyone of you go to bed, he should shake out his bed with the inside of his waist sheet, for he does not know what has come on to it after him, and then he should say: ‘Bismika Rabbi wada’tu Janbi wa bika arfa’uhu, In amsakta nafsi farhamha wa in arsaltaha fahfazha bima tahfazu bihi ibadakas-salihin.”

Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said, “When it is the last third of the night, our Lord, the Blessed, the Superior, descends every night to the heaven of the world and says, ‘Is there anyone who invokes Me (demand anything from Me), that I may respond to his invocation; Is there anyone who asks Me for something that I may give (it to) him; Is there anyone who asks My forgiveness that I may forgive him?’ “

Whenever the Prophet ﷺ went to the lavatory, he used to say: “Allahumma Inni a’udhu bika minal-khubthi Wal khaba’ith.”

The Prophet ﷺ said, “The most superior way of asking for forgiveness from Allah is: ‘Allahumma anta Rabbi la ilaha illa anta. Khalaqtani wa ana ‘abduka, wa ana ‘ala ‘ahdika wa Wa’dika mastata’tu abu’u Laka bi ni ‘matika wa abu’u Laka bidhanbi; faghfirli fa’innahu la yaghfiru-dh-dhunuba ill a ant a. A’uidhu bika min sharri ma sana’tu.’ If somebody recites this invocation during the night, and if he should die then, he will go to Paradise (or he will be from the people of Paradise). And if he recites it in the morning, and if he should die on the same day, he will have the same fate.”

Whenever the Prophet ﷺ intended to go to bed, he would recite: “Bismika Allahumma amutu wa ahya (With Your name, O Allah, I die and I live).” And when he woke up from his sleep, he would say: “Al-hamdu lil-lahil-ladhi ahyana ba’da ma amatana; wa ilaihi an-nushur (All the Praises are for Allah Who has made us alive after He made us die (sleep) and unto Him is the Resurrection). “

Whenever the Prophet ﷺ lay on his bed, he used to say: “Allahumma bismika amutu wa ahya,” and when he woke up he would say: “Al-hamdu lil-lahilladhi ahyana ba’da ma an atana, wa ilaihi an-nushur.”

Abu Bakr As-Siddiq said to the Prophet ﷺ, “Teach me an invocation with which I may invoke (Allah) in my prayer.” The Prophet ﷺ said, “Say: Allahumma inni zalamtu nafsi zulman kathiran wala yaghfirudh-dhunuba illa anta, Faghfirli maghfiratan min indika war-hamni, innaka antalGhafur-Rahim.”

The Verse: ‘Neither say your prayer aloud, nor say it in a low tone.’ (17.110) was revealed as regards invocation.

We used to say in the prayer: ‘AsSalam be on Allah, As-Salam be on so-and so.’ So one day the Prophet ﷺ said to us, “Allah Himself is As-Salam; when anyone of you sits during his prayer, he should say: ‘At-tah, iyyatu-lillahi,’ up to ‘As-Salihin,’ (All the compliments are for Allah …righteous people) for when he recites this, then he says his Salam to all the righteous people present in the heavens and on the earth. Then he should say, ‘I testify that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah, and that Muhammad ﷺ is His slave and His Messenger ﷺ,’ and then he can select whatever he likes to celebrate (Allah’s) Praises.”

The people said, “O Allah’s Messenger ﷺ! The rich people have got the highest degrees of prestige and the permanent pleasures (in this life and the life to come in the Hereafter).” He said, “How is that?” They said, “The rich pray as we pray, and strive in Allah’s Cause as we do, and spend from their surplus wealth in charity, while we have no wealth (to spend likewise).” He said, “Shall I not tell you a thing, by doing which, you will catch up with those who are ahead of you and supersede those who will come after you; and nobody will be able to do such a good deed as you do except the one who does the same (deed as you do). That deed is to recite ‘Subhan Allah ten times, and ‘Al-Hamdulillah ten times, and ‘AllahuAkbar’ ten times after every prayer.”

(the freed slave of Al-Mughira bin Shu’ba) Al-Mughira wrote to Muawiya bin Abu Sufyan that Allah’s Messenger ﷺ used to say at the end of every prayer after the Taslim, “La ilaha illa-l-lahu wahdahu la sharika lahu; lahu-l-mulk wa lahu-l-hamd, wahuwa ‘ala kulli shai’n qadir. Allahumma la mani’a Lima a taita, wa la mu’ta Lima mana’ta, wa la yanfa’u dhal-jaddu minkal-jadd.

We went out with the Prophet ﷺ to Khaibar. A man among the people said, “O ‘Amir! Will you please recite to us some of your poetic verses?” So ‘Amir got down and started chanting among them, saying, “By Allah! Had it not been for Allah, we would not have been guided.” ‘Amir also said other poetic verses which I do not remember. Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said, “Who is this (camel) driver?” The people said, “He is ‘Amir bin Al-Akwa’,” He said, “May Allah bestow His Mercy on him.” A man from the People said, “O Allah’s Messenger ﷺ! Would that you let us enjoy his company longer.” When the people (Muslims) lined up, the battle started, and ‘Amir was struck with his own sword (by chance) by himself and died. In the evening, the people made a large number of fires (for cooking meals). Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said, “What is this fire? What are you making the fire for?” They said, “For cooking the meat of donkeys.” He said, “Throw away what is in the pots and break the pots!” A man said, “O Allah’s Prophet ﷺ! May we throw away what is in them and wash them?” He said, “Never mind, you may do so.” (See Hadith No. 509, Vol. 5).

Whenever a man brought his alms to the Prophet ﷺ, the Prophet ﷺ would say, “O Allah! Bestow Your Blessing upon the family of so-and-so.” When my father came to him (with his alms), he said, “O Allah! Bestow Your Blessings upon the family of Abi Aufa.”

Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said to me. “Will you relieve me from Dhi-al-Khalasa? ” Dhi-al-Khalasa was an idol which the people used to worship and it was called Al-Ka’bah al Yamaniyya. I said, “O Allah’s Messenger ﷺ I am a man who can’t sit firm on horses.” So he stroked my chest (with his hand) and said, “O Allah! Make him firm and make him a guiding and well-guided man.” So I went out with fifty (men) from my tribe of Ahrnas. (The sub-narrator, Sufyan, quoting Jarir, perhaps said, “I went out with a group of men from my nation.”) and came to Dhi-al-Khalasa and burnt it, and then came to the Prophet ﷺ and said, “O Allah’s Messenger ﷺ! I have not come to you till I left it like a camel with a skin disease.” The Prophet ﷺ then invoked good upon Ahmas and their cavalry (fighters).

Um Sulaim said to the Prophet ﷺ “Anas is your servant.” The Prophet ﷺ said, “O Allah! increase his wealth and offspring, and bless (for him) what ever you give him.”

The Prophet ﷺ heard a man reciting (the Qur’an) in the mosque. He said,” May Allah bestow His Mercy on him, as he made me remember such and-such Verse which I had missed in such-and-such Sura.”

The Prophet ﷺ divided something (among the Muslims) and distributed the shares (of the booty). A man said, “This division has not been made to please Allah.” When I informed the Prophet ﷺ about it, he became so furious that I noticed the signs of anger on his face and he then said, “May Allah bestow His Mercy on Moses, for he was hurt with more than this, yet he remained patient.”

Ibn ‘Abbas said, “Preach to the people once a week, and if you won’t, then preach them twice, but if you want to preach more, then let it be three times (a week only), and do not make the people fed-up with this Qur’an. If you come to some people who are engaged in a talk, don’t start interrupting their talk by preaching, lest you should cause them to be bored. You should rather keep quiet, and if they ask you, then preach to them at the time when they are eager to hear what you say. And avoid the use of rhymed prose in invocation for I noticed that Allah’s Messenger ﷺ and his companions always avoided it.”

Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said, “When anyone of you appeal to Allah for something, he should ask with determination and should not say, ‘O Allah, if You wish, give me.’, for nobody can force Allah to do something against His Will.

Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said, “None of you should say: ‘O Allah, forgive me if You wish; O Allah, be merciful to me if You wish,’ but he should always appeal to Allah with determination, for nobody can force Allah to do something against His Will.”

Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said, “The invocation of anyone of you is granted (by Allah) if he does not show impatience (by saying, “I invoked Allah but my request has not been granted.”)

“The Prophet ﷺ raised his hands (in invocation) till I saw the whiteness of his armpits.”

While the Prophet ﷺ was delivering a sermon on a Friday, a man stood up and said, “O Allah’s Messenger ﷺ! Invoke Allah to bless us with rain.” (The Prophet ﷺ invoked Allah for rain.) So, the sky became overcast and it started raining till one could hardly reach one’s home. It kept on raining till the next Friday when the same man or another man got up and said (to the Prophet ﷺ), “Invoke Allah to withhold the rain from us, for we have been drowned (with heavy rain ).” The Prophet ﷺ said, “O Allah! Let it rain around us and not on us.” Then the clouds started dispersing around Al-Madina and rain ceased to fall on the people of Al-Madina.

Allah’s Messenger ﷺ went out to this Musalla (praying place) to offer the prayer of Istisqa.’ He invoked Allah for rain and then faced the Qibla and turned his Rida’ (upper garment) inside out.

My mother said, “O Allah’s Messenger ﷺ! Please invoke Allah on behalf of your servant.” He said, “O Allah! Increase his wealth and children, and bestow Your Blessing on whatever You give him.” a time of distress.

The Prophet ﷺ used to invoke Allah at the time of distress, saying, “La ilaha illal-lahu al-‘Azim, al-Halim, La ilaha illal-lahu Rabbu-s-samawati wal-ard wa Rabbu-l-arsh il-azim,”

Allah’s Messenger ﷺ used to say at a time of distress, “La ilaha illal-lahu Rabbul-l-‘arsh il-‘azim, La ilaha illallahu Rabbu-s-samawati wa Rabbu-l-ard, Rabbu-l-‘arsh-il-Karim.”

Allah’s Messenger ﷺ used to seek refuge with Allah from the difficult moment of a calamity and from being overtaken by destruction and from being destined to an evil end, and from the malicious joy of enemies. Sufyan said, “This narration contained three items only, but I added one. I do not know which one that was.”

When Allah’s Messenger ﷺ was healthy, he used to say, “No prophet dies till he is shown his place in Paradise, and then he is given the option (to live or die).” So when death approached him(during his illness), and while his head was on my thigh, he became unconscious for a while, and when he recovered, he fixed his eyes on the ceiling and said, “O Allah! (Let me join) the Highest Companions (see Qur’an 4:69),” I said, “So, he does not choose us.” Then I realized that it was the application of the statement he used to relate to us when he was healthy. So that was his last utterance (before he died), i.e. “O Allah! (Let me join) the Highest Companions.”

I came to Khabbab who had been branded with seven brands over his abdomen, and I heard him saying, “If the Prophet ﷺ: had not forbidden us to invoke (Allah) for death, I would have invoked Allah for it.”

I came to Khabbab who had been branded with seven brands(1) and he said, “Had Allah’s Messenger ﷺ not forbidden us to invoke (Allah) for death, I would have invoked (Allah) for it.”

Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said,” None of you should long for death because of a calamity that had befallen him, and if he cannot, but long for death, then he should say, ‘O Allah! Let me live as long as life is better for me, and take my life if death is better for me.’ “

My aunt took me to Allah’s Messenger ﷺ and said, “O Allah’s Messenger ﷺ! My sister’s son is sick.” So he passed his hand over my head and invoked for Allah’s blessing upon me and then performed the ablution. I drank from the water of his ablution and I stood behind him and looked at his Khatam (the seal of Prophethood) between his shoulders (and its size was) like the button of a tent.

that his grandfather. ‘Abdullah bin Hisham used to take him from the market or to the market (the narrator is in doubt) and used to buy grain and when Ibn Az-Zubair and Ibn ‘Umar met him, they would say to him, “Let us be your partners (in trading) as the Prophet ﷺ invoked for Allah’s blessing upon you.” He would then take them as partners and he would Sometimes gain a whole load carried by an animal which he would send home.

On whose face Allah’s Messenger ﷺ had thrown water from his mouth, the water having been taken from their well while he was still a young boy (who has not yet attained the age of puberty).

The boys used to be brought to the Prophet ﷺ and he used to invoke for Allah’s blessing upon them. Once an infant was brought to him and it urinated on his clothes. He asked for water and poured it over the place of the urine and did not wash his clothes.

whose eye Allah’s Messenger ﷺ had touched, that he had seen Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas offering one Rak’a only for the Witr prayer.

Ka’b bin ‘Ujra met me and said, “Shall I give you a present? Once the Prophet ﷺ came to us and we said, ‘O Allah’s Messenger ﷺ ! We know how to greet you; but how to send ‘Salat’ upon you? He said, ‘Say: O Allah! Send Your Mercy on Muhammad and on the family of Muhammad, as You sent Your Mercy on Abraham and on the family of Abraham, for You are the Most Praise-worthy, the Most Glorious. O Allah! Send Your Blessings on Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You sent your Blessings on Abraham and on the family of Abraham, for You are the Most Praise-worthy, the Most Glorious.'”

Transliteration: Allahumma Salli ala Muhammadin wa ‘ala ‘Ali Muhammadin, kama sal-laita ‘ala all Ibrahima innaka Hamidun Majid. Allahumma barik ‘ala Muhammadin wa ‘ala all Muhammadin, kama barakta ‘ala all Ibrahima, innaka Hamidun Majid.”

We said, “O Allah’s Messenger ﷺ This is (i.e. we know) the greeting to you; will you tell us how to send Salat on you?” He said, “Say: ‘Allahumma Salli ‘ala Muhammadin ‘abdika wa rasulika kama sal-laita ‘ala Ibrahima wa barik ‘ala Muhammadin wa all Muhammadin kama barakta ‘ala Ibrahima wa ‘Ali Ibrahim.”

Whenever somebody brought alms to the Prophet ﷺ the used to say, “Allahumma Salli ‘Alaihi (O Allah! Send Your Salat (Grace and Honor) on him).” Once when my father brought his alms to him, he said, “O Allah! Send Your Salat (Grace and Honor) on the family of Abi Aufa.”

The people said, “O Allah’s Messenger ﷺ ! How may we send Salat on you?” He said, “Say: Allahumma Salli ‘ala- Muhammadin wa azwajihi wa dhurriyyatihi kama sal-laita ‘ala ali Ibrahim; wa barik ‘ala Muhammadin wa azwajihi wa dhurriyyatihi kamabarakta ‘ala ali Ibrahim innaka hamidun majid.”

that he heard the Prophet ﷺ saying, “O Allah! If I should ever abuse a believer, please let that be a means of bringing him near to You on the Day of Resurrection.”

Once the people started asking Allah’s Messenger ﷺ questions, and they asked so many questions that he became angry and ascended the pulpit and said, “I will answer whatever questions you may ask me today.” I looked right and left and saw everyone covering his face with his garment and weeping. Behold ! There was a man who, on quarreling with the people, used to be called as a son of a person other than his father. He said, “O Allah’s Messenger ﷺ! Who is my father?” The Prophet ﷺ replied, “Your father is Hudhaifa.” And then ‘Umar got up and said, “We accept Allah as our Lord, and Islam as (our) religion, and Muhammad ﷺ as (our) Messenger ﷺ; and we seek refuge with Allah from the afflictions.” Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said, ” I have never seen a day like today in its good and its evil for Paradise and the Hell Fire were displayed in front of me, till I saw them just beyond this wall.” Qatada, when relating this Hadith, used to mention the following Verse:–

‘O you who believe! Ask not questions about things which, If made plain to you, May cause you trouble. (5.101)

The Prophet ﷺ said to Abu Talha, “Choose one of your boys to serve me.” So Abu Talha took me (to serve the Prophet ﷺ ) by giving me a ride behind him (on his camel). So I used to serve Allah’s Messenger ﷺ whenever he stayed somewhere. I used to hear him saying, “O Allah! I seek refuge with you (Allah) from (worries) care and grief, from incapacity and laziness, from miserliness and cowardice, from being heavily in debt and from being overpowered by other men.” I kept on serving him till he returned from (the battle of) Khaibar. He then brought Safiya, the daughter of Huyay whom he had got (from the booty). I saw him making a kind of cushion with a cloak or a garment for her. He then let her ride behind him. When we reached a place called As-Sahba’, he prepared (a special meal called) Hais, and asked me to invite the men who (came and) ate, and that was the marriage banquet given on the consummation of his marriage to her. Then he proceeded till the mountain of Uhud appeared, whereupon he said, “This mountain loves us and we love it.” When he approached Al-Madina, he said, “O Allah! I make the land between its (i.e., Al-Madina’s) two mountains a sanctuary, as the prophet Abraham made Makkah a sanctuary. O Allah! Bless them (the people of Al-Madina) in their Mudd and the Sa’ (units of measuring).”

I heard the Prophet ﷺ seeking refuge with Allah from the punishment of the grave.

Sa’d used to recommend five (statements) and mentioned that the Prophet ﷺ I used to recommend it. (It was) “O Allah! I seek refuge with You from miserliness; and seek refuge with You from cowardice; and seek refuge with You from being sent back to geriatric old age; and I seek refuge with You from the affliction of this world (i.e., the affliction of Ad-Dajjal etc.); and seek refuge with You from the punishment of the grave.”

Two old ladies from among the Jewish ladies entered upon me and said’ “The dead are punished in their graves,” but I thought they were telling a lie and did not believe them in the beginning. When they went away and the Prophet ﷺ entered upon me, I said, “O Allah’s Messenger ﷺ! Two old ladies..” and told him the whole story. He said, “They told the truth; the dead are really punished, to the extent that all the animals hear (the sound resulting from) their punishment.” Since then I always saw him seeking refuge with Allah from the punishment of the grave in his prayers.

Allah’s Prophet ﷺ used to say, “O Allah! I seek refuge with You from incapacity and laziness, from cowardice and geriatric old age, and seek refuge with You from the punishment of the grave, and I seek refuge with You from the afflictions of life and death.”

The Prophet ﷺ used to say, “O Allah! I seek refuge with You from laziness and geriatric old age, from all kinds of sins and from being in debt; from the affliction of the Fire and from the punishment of the Fire and from the evil of the affliction of wealth; and I seek refuge with You from the affliction of poverty, and I seek refuge with You from the affliction of Al-Mesiah Ad-Dajjal. O Allah! Wash away my sins with the water of snow and hail, and cleanse my heart from all the sins as a white garment is cleansed from the filth, and let there be a long distance between me and my sins, as You made East and West far from each other.”

The Prophet ﷺ used to say, “O Allah! I seek refuge with You from worry and grief, from incapacity and laziness, from cowardice and miserliness, from being heavily in debt and from being overpowered by (other) men.” (See Hadith No. 374)

Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas used to recommend these five (statements) and say that the Prophet ﷺ said so (and they are): “O Allah! I seek refuge with You from miserliness, and seek refuge with You from cowardice, and seek refuge with You from being brought back to geriatric old age, and seek refuge with You from the afflictions of the world, and seek refuge with You from the punishment of the grave.”

Allah’s Messenger ﷺ used to seek refuge with Allah saying, “O Allah! I seek refuge with You from laziness, and seek refuge with You from cowardice, and seek refuge with You from geriatric old age, and seek refuge with You from miserliness.”

The Prophet ﷺ said, “O Allah! Make us love Al-Madina as You made us love Makkah, or more, and transfer the fever that is in it, to Al-Juhfa. O Allah! Bless our Mudd and our Sam’ (kinds of measures).”

that his father said, “In the year of Hajjatal-Wada’, the Prophet ﷺ paid me a visit while I was suffering from an ailment that had brought me to the verge of death. I said, ‘O Allah’s Messenger ﷺ! My sickness has reduced me to the (bad) state as you see, and I am a rich man, but have no heirs except one daughter. Shall I give 2/3 of my property in charity?’ He said, ‘No.’ I said, ‘Then 1/2 of it?’ He said, ‘Even 1/3 is too much, for, to leave your inheritors wealthy is better than to leave them in poverty, begging from people. And (know that) whatever you spend in Allah’s Cause, you will get reward for it, even for the morsel of food which you put in your wife’s mouth.’ I said, ‘O Allah’s Messenger ﷺ! Will I be left behind my companions (in Makkah)?’ He said, ‘If you remain behind, whatever good deed you will do for Allah’s Sake, will raise and upgrade you to a higher position (in Allah’s Sight). May be you will live longer so that some people may benefit by you, and some e others (pagans) may get harmed by you. O Allah! Complete the migration of my companions and do not turn them on their heels; But (we pity) the poor Sa’d bin Khaula (not the above mentioned Sa’d) (died in Makkah)” Allah’s Messenger ﷺ lamented (or pitied) for him as he died in Makkah. (See Hadith No. 693, Vol. 5)

Seek refuge with Allah by saying the words which the Prophet ﷺ used to say while seeking refuge with Allah, “O Allah! I seek refuge with You from cowardice, and seek refuge with You from miserliness, and seek refuge with You from reaching a degraded geriatric old age, and seek refuge with You from the afflictions of the world and from the punishment in the grave.”

The Prophet ﷺ used to say, “O Allah! I seek refuge with You from laziness from geriatric old age, from being in debt, and from committing sins. O Allah! I seek refuge with You from the punishment of the Fire, the afflictions of the grave, the punishment in the grave, and the evil of the affliction of poverty and from the evil of the affliction caused by Al-Masih Ad-Dajjal. O Allah! Wash away my sins with the water of snow and hail, and cleanse my heart from the sins as a white garment is cleansed of filth, and let there be a far away distance between me and my sins as You have set far away the East and the West from each other.”

The Prophet ﷺ used to seek refuge with Allah (by saying), “O Allah! I seek refuge with You from the affliction of the Fire and from the punishment in the Fire, and seek refuge with You from the affliction of the grave, and I seek refuge with You from the affliction of wealth, and I seek refuge with You from the affliction of poverty, and seek refuge with You from the affliction of Al-Masih Ad-Dajjal.”

The Prophet ﷺ used to say, ‘O Allah! I seek refuge with You from the affliction of the Fire, the punishment of the Fire, the affliction of the grave, the punishment of the grave, and the evil of the affliction of poverty. O Allah! I seek refuge with You from the evil of the affliction of Al-Masih Ad-Dajjal, O Allah! Cleanse my heart with the water of snow and hail, and cleanse my heart from all sins as a white garment is cleansed from filth, and let there be a far away distance between me and my sins as You made the East and West far away from each other. O Allah! I seek refuge with You from laziness, sins, and from being in debt.”

that she said, “O Allah’s Messenger ﷺ! Anas is your servant, so please invoke for Allah’s blessing for him.” The Prophet ﷺ said, “O Allah! Increase his wealth and offspring and bless (for him) whatever You give him.”

Um Sulaim said (to the Prophet ﷺ), “Anas is your servant; so please invoke for Allah’s blessings for him.” He said “O Allah! Increase his wealth and offspring, and Bless (for him) whatever You give him.”

The Prophet ﷺ used to teach us the Istikhara for each and every matter as he used to teach us the Suras from the Holy Qur’an. (He used to say), “If anyone of you intends to do something, he should offer a two-Rak’at prayer other than the obligatory prayer, and then say: ‘Allahumma inni astakhiruka bi’ilmika, wa astaqdiruka biqudratika, wa as’aluka min fadlika-l-‘azim, fa innaka taqdiru wala aqdiru, wa ta’lamu wala a’lamu, wa anta’allamu-l-ghuyub. Allahumma in kunta ta’lamu anna hadha-lamra khairun li fi dini wa ma’ashi wa ‘aqibati amri (or said, fi ‘ajili amri wa ajilihi) fa-qdurhu li, Wa in junta ta’lamu anna ha-dha-l-amra sharrun li fi dini wa ma’ashi wa ‘aqibati amri (or said, fi ajili amri wa ajilihi) fasrifhu ‘anni was-rifni ‘anhu wa aqdur li alkhaira haithu kana, thumma Raddani bihi,” Then he should mention his matter (need).

The Prophet ﷺ asked for some water and performed the ablution, and then raised his hands (towards the sky) and said, “O Allah! Forgive ‘Ubaid Abi ‘Amir.” I saw the whiteness of his armpits (while he was raising his hands) and he added, “O Allah! Upgrade him over many of Your human creatures on the Day of Resurrection “

We were in the company of the Prophet ﷺ on a journey, and whenever we ascended a high place, we used to say Takbir (in a loud voice). The Prophet ﷺ said, “O people! Be kind to yourselves, for you are not calling upon a deaf or an absent one, but You are calling an All-Hearer, and an All-Seer.” Then he came to me as I was reciting silently, “La haul a wala quwwata illa bil-lah.” He said, “O ‘Abdullah bin Qais! Say: La haul a walaquwata illa bil-lah, for it is one of the treasures of Paradise.” Or he said, “Shall I tell you a word which is one of the treasures of Paradise? It is: La haul a wala quwwata illa bil-lah.”

Whenever Allah’s Messenger ﷺ returned from a Ghazwa or Hajj or ‘Umra, he used to say, “Allahu Akbar,” three times; whenever he went up a high place, he used to say, “La ilaha illal-lahu wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahu-l-mulk wa lahu-l-hamd, wa huwa’ala kulli Shai ‘in qadir. Ayibuna ta’ibuna ‘abiduna lirabbina hamidun. Sadaqa-l-lahu wa’dahu, wa nasara’abdahu wa hazama-l-ahzaba wahdahu.”

The Prophet ﷺ seeing a yellow mark (of perfume) on the clothes of ‘Abdur-Rahman bin ‘Auf, said, “What about you?” ‘Abdur-Rahman replied, “I have married a woman with a Mahr of gold equal to a date-stone.” The Prophet ﷺ said, “May Allah bestow His Blessing on you (in your marriage). Give a wedding banquet, (Walima) even with one sheep.”

My father died and left behind seven or nine daughters, and I married a woman. The Prophet ﷺ said, “Did you get married, O Jabir?” I replied, “Yes.” He asked, “Is she a virgin or a matron?” I replied, “She is a matron.” He said, “Why didn’t you marry a virgin girl so that you might play with her and she with you (or, you might make her laugh and she make you laugh)?” I said, “My father died, leaving seven or nine girls (orphans) and I did not like to bring a young girl like them, so I married a woman who can look after them.” He said, “May Allah bestow His Blessing on you.”

The Prophet ﷺ said, “If anyone of you, when intending to have a sexual intercourse with his wife, says: ‘Bismillah, Allahumma jannibna-sh-shaitan, wa jannibi-sh-shaitan ma razaqtana,’ and if the couple are destined to have a child (out of that very sexual relation), then Satan will never be able to harm that child.”

The most frequent invocation of The Prophet ﷺ was: “O Allah! Give to us in the world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire.” (2.201)

The Prophet ﷺ used to teach us these words as he used to teach us the Book (Qur’an): “O Allah! seek refuge with You from miserliness, and seek refuge with You from cowardice, and seek refuge with You from being brought back to (senile) geriatric old age, and seek refuge with You from the affliction of the world and from the punishment in the Hereafter.”

that Allah’s Messenger ﷺ was affected by magic, so much that he used to think that he had done something which in fact, he did not do, and he invoked his Lord (for a remedy). Then (one day) he said, “O ‘Aishah!) Do you know that Allah has advised me as to the problem I consulted Him about?” ‘Aishah said, “O Allah’s Messenger ﷺ! What’s that?” He said, “Two men came to me and one of them sat at my head and the other at my feet, and one of them asked his companion, ‘What is wrong with this man?’ The latter replied, ‘He is under the effect of magic.’ The former asked, ‘Who has worked magic on him?’ The latter replied, ‘Labid bin Al-A’sam.’ The former asked, ‘With what did he work the magic?’ The latter replied, ‘With a comb and the hair, which are stuck to the comb, and the skin of pollen of a date-palm tree.’ The former asked, ‘Where is that?’ The latter replied, ‘It is in Dharwan.’ Dharwan was a well in the dwelling place of the (tribe of) Bani Zuraiq. Allah’s Messenger ﷺ went to that well and returned to ‘Aishah, saying, ‘By Allah, the water (of the well) was as red as the infusion of Hinna, (1) and the date-palm trees look like the heads of devils.’ ‘Aishah added, Allah’s Messenger ﷺ came to me and informed me about the well. I asked the Prophet ﷺ, ‘O Allah’s Messenger ﷺ, why didn’t you take out the skin of pollen?’ He said, ‘As for me, Allah has cured me and I hated to draw the attention of the people to such evil (which they might learn and harm others with).’ “

Narrated Hisham’s father: ‘Aishah said, “Allah’s Messenger ﷺ was bewitched, so he invoked Allah repeatedly requesting Him to cure him from that magic).” Hisham then narrated the above narration. (See Hadith No. 658, Vol. 7)

Allah’s Messenger ﷺ asked for Allah’s wrath upon the Ahzab (confederates), saying, “O Allah, the Revealer of the Holy Book, and the One swift at reckoning! Defeat the confederates; Defeat them and shake them.”

When the Prophet ﷺ said, “Sami’ al-lahu Liman hamidah (Allah heard him who sent his praises to Him)” in the last Rak’a of the ‘Isha’ prayer, he used to invoke Allah, saying, “O Allah! Save ‘Aiyash bin Abi Rabi’a; O Allah! Save Al-Walid bin Al-Walid; O Allah! Save the weak people among the believers; O Allah! Be hard on the Tribe of Mudar; O Allah! Inflict years of drought upon them like the years (of drought) of the Prophet Joseph.”

The Prophet ﷺ sent a Sariya (an army detachment) consisting of men called Al-Qurra’, and all of them were martyred. I had never seen the Prophet ﷺ so sad over anything as he was over them. So he said Qunut (invocation in the prayer) for one month in the Fajr prayer, invoking for Allah’s wrath upon the tribe of ‘Usaiya, and he used to say, “The people of ‘Usaiya have disobeyed Allah and His Messenger ﷺ.”

The Jews used to greet the Prophet ﷺ by saying, “As-Samu ‘Alaika (i.e., death be upon you), so I understood what they said, and I said to them, “As-Samu ‘alaikum wal-la’na (i.e. Death and Allah’s Curse be upon you).” The Prophet ﷺ said, “Be gentle and calm, O ‘Aishah, as Allah likes gentleness in all affairs.” I said, “O Allah’s Prophet ﷺ! Didn’t you hear what they said?” He said, “Didn’t you hear me answering them back by saying, ‘Alaikum (i.e., the same be upon you)?”

We were in the company of the Prophet ﷺ on the day (of the battle) of Al-Khandaq (the Trench). The Prophet ﷺ said, “May Allah fill their (the infidels’) graves and houses with fire, as they have kept us so busy that we could not offer the middle prayer till the sun had set; and that prayer was the ‘Asr prayer.”

At-Tufail bin ‘Amr came to Allah’s Messenger ﷺ and said, “O Allah’s Messenger ﷺ! The tribe of Daus has disobeyed (Allah and His Messenger ﷺ) and refused (to embrace Islam), therefore, invoke Allah’s wrath for them.” The people thought that the Prophet ﷺ would invoke Allah’s wrath for them, but he said, “O Allah! Guide the tribe Of Daus and let them come to us,”

The Prophet ﷺ used to invoke Allah with the following invocation: ‘Rabbi-ghfir-li Khati ‘ati wa jahli wa israfi fi amri kullihi, wa ma anta a’lamu bihi minni. Allahumma ighfirli khatayaya wa ‘amdi, wa jahli wa jiddi, wa kullu dhalika’indi. Allahumma ighrifli ma qaddamtu wa ma akhartu wa ma asrartu wa ma a’lantu. Anta-l-muqaddimu wa anta-l-mu’akh-khiru, wa anta ‘ala kulli shai’in qadir.’

The Prophet ﷺ used to invoke Allah, saying, “Allahumma ighfirli khati’ati wa jahli wa israfi fi amri, wa ma anta a-‘lamu bihi minni. Allahumma ighfirli hazali wa jiddi wa khata’i wa amdi, wa kullu dhalika ‘indi”

Abu-l-Qasim (the Prophet ﷺ) said, “On Friday there is a particular time. If a Muslim happens to be praying and invoking Allah for something good during that time, Allah will surely fulfill his request.” The Prophet ﷺ pointed out with his hand. We thought that he wanted to illustrate how short that time was.

‘Aishah said, “The Jews came to the Prophet ﷺ and said to him, “As-Samu ‘Alaika (i.e., Death be upon you).” He replied, ‘The same on you.’ ” ‘Aishah said to them, “Death be upon you, and may Allah curse you and shower His wrath upon you!” Allah’s Messenger ﷺ I said, “Be gentle and calm, O ‘Aishah! Be gentle and beware of being harsh and of saying evil things.” She said, “Didn’t you hear what they said?” He said, “Didn’t you hear what I replied (to them)? have returned their statement to them, and my invocation against them will be accepted but theirs against me will not be accepted.”

The Prophet ﷺ said, “When the Imam says ‘Amin’, then you should all say ‘Amin’, for the angels say ‘Amin’ at that time, and he whose ‘Amin’ coincides with the ‘Amin’ of the angels, all his past sins will be forgiven.”

Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said,” Whoever says: “La ilaha illal-lah wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahu-l-mulk wa lahu-l-hamd wa huwa ‘ala kulli shai’in qadir,” one hundred times will get the same reward as given for manumitting ten slaves; and one hundred good deeds will be written in his accounts, and one hundred sins will be deducted from his accounts, and it (his saying) will be a shield for him from Satan on that day till night, and nobody will be able to do a better deed except the one who does more than he.”

Whoever recites it (i.e., the invocation in the above Hadith (412) ten times will be as if he manumitted one of Ishmael’s descendants. Abu Aiyub narrated the same Hadith from the Prophet ﷺ saying, “(Whoever recites it ten times) will be as if he had manumitted one of Ishmael’s descendants.”

Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said, “Whoever says, ‘Subhan Allah wa bihamdihi,’ one hundred times a day, will be forgiven all his sins even if they were as much as the foam of the sea.

The Prophet ﷺ said, “There are two expressions which are very easy for the tongue to say, but they are very heavy in the balance and are very dear to The Beneficent (Allah), and they are, ‘Subhan Allah Al-‘Azim and ‘Subhan Allah wa bihamdihi.'”

The Prophet ﷺ said, “The example of the one who celebrates the Praises of his Lord (Allah) in comparison to the one who does not celebrate the Praises of his Lord, is that of a living creature compared to a dead one.”

Allah ‘s Messenger ﷺ said, “Allah has some angels who look for those who celebrate the Praises of Allah on the roads and paths. And when they find some people celebrating the Praises of Allah, they call each other, saying, “Come to the object of your pursuit.’ ” He added, “Then the angels encircle them with their wings up to the sky of the world.” He added. “(after those people celebrated the Praises of Allah, and the angels go back), their Lord, asks them (those angels)—-though He knows better than them—-‘What do My slaves say?’ The angels reply, ‘They say: Subhan Allah, Allahu Akbar, and Alham-du-lillah, Allah then says ‘Did they see Me?’ The angels reply, ‘No! By Allah, they didn’t see You.’

Allah says, How it would have been if they saw Me?’ The angels reply, ‘If they saw You, they would worship You more devoutly and celebrate Your Glory more deeply, and declare Your freedom from any resemblance to anything more often.’ Allah says (to the angels), ‘What do they ask Me for?’ The angels reply, ‘They ask You for Paradise.’ Allah says (to the angels), ‘Did they see it?’ The angels say, ‘No! By Allah, O Lord! They did not see it.’ Allah says, How it would have been if they saw it?’ The angels say, ‘If they saw it, they would have greater covetousness for it and would seek It with greater zeal and would have greater desire for it.’ Allah says, ‘From what do they seek refuge?’ The angels reply, ‘They seek refuge from the (Hell) Fire.’ Allah says, ‘Did they see it?’ The angels say, ‘No By Allah, O Lord! They did not see it.’ Allah says, How it would have been if they saw it?’ The angels say, ‘If they saw it they would flee from it with the extreme fleeing and would have extreme fear from it.’ Then Allah says, ‘I make you witnesses that I have forgiven them.”‘ Allah’s Messenger ﷺ added, “One of the angels would say, ‘There was so-and-so amongst them, and he was not one of them, but he had just come for some need.’ Allah would say, ‘These are those people whose companions will not be reduced to misery.’ “

The Prophet ﷺ started ascending a high place or hill. A man (amongst his companions) ascended it and shouted in a loud voice, “La ilaha illal-lahu wallahu Akbar.” (At that time) Allah’s Messenger ﷺ was riding his mule. Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said, “You are not calling upon a deaf or an absent one.” and added, “O Abu Musa (or, O ‘Abdullah)! Shall I tell you a sentence from the treasure of Paradise?” I said, “Yes.” He said, “La haul a wala quwwata illa billah,”

Allah has ninety-nine Names, i.e., one hundred minus one, and whoever believes in their meanings and acts accordingly, will enter Paradise; and Allah is Witr (one) and loves ‘the Witr’ (i.e., odd numbers).

While we were waiting for ‘Abdullah (bin Mas’ud). Yazid bin Muawiya came. I said (to him), “Will you sit down?” He said, “No, but I will go into the house (of Ibn Mas’ud) and let your companion (Ibn Mas’ud) come out to you; and if he should not (come out), I will come out and sit (with you).” Then ‘Abdullah came out, holding the hand of Yazid, addressed us, saying, “I know that you are assembled here, but the reason that prevents me from coming out to you, is that Allah’s Messenger ﷺ used to preach to us at intervals during the days, lest we should become bored.”