Narrated Abu Huraira:
The people used to say, "Abu Huraira narrates too many narrations." In fact I used to keep close to Allah's Apostle and was satisfied with what filled my stomach. I ate no leavened bread and dressed no decorated striped clothes, and never did a man or a woman serve me, and I often used to press my belly against gravel because of hunger, and I used to ask a man to recite a Quranic Verse to me although I knew it, so that he would take me to his home and feed me..

And the most generous of all the people to the poor was Ja'far bin Abi Talib. He used to take us to his home and offer us what was available therein. He would even offer us an empty folded leather container (of butter) which we would split and lick whatever was in it.

Sahih Bukhari
Volume 5, Book 57, Number 57

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Abdullah ibn Abbas: The story of Moses and Al-Khadir told by the Prophet
Topic: Patience of the Sahaba

Narrated Said bin Jubair:
I said to Ibn Abbas, "Nauf Al-Bukah claims that Moses, the companion of Al-Khadir was not Moses (the prophet) of the children of Israel, but some other Moses." Ibn 'Abbas said, "Allah's enemy (i.e. Nauf) has told a lie. Ubai bin Ka'b told us that the Prophet said, 'Once Moses stood up and addressed Bani Israel. He was asked who was the most learned man amongst the people. He said, 'I.' Allah admonished him as he did not attribute absolute knowledge to Him (Allah). So, Allah said to him, 'Yes, at the junction of the two seas there is a Slave of Mine who is more learned than you.' Moses said, 'O my Lord! How can I meet him?' Allah said, 'Take a fish and put it in a large basket and you will find him at the place where you will lose the fish' ..

Moses took a fish and put it in a basket and proceeded along with his (servant) boy, Yusha 'bin Nun, till they reached the rock where they laid their heads (i.e. lay down). Moses slept, and the fish, moving out of the basket, fell into the sea. It took its way into the sea (straight) as in a tunnel. Allah stopped the flow of water over the fish and it became like an arch (the Prophet pointed out this arch with his hands). They travelled the rest of the night, and the next day Moses said to his boy (servant), 'Give us our food, for indeed, we have suffered much fatigue in this journey of ours.' Moses did not feel tired till he crossed that place which Allah had ordered him to seek after. His boy (servant) said to him, 'Do you know that when we were sitting near that rock, I forgot the fish, and none but Satan caused me to forget to tell (you) about it, and it took its course into the sea in an amazing way?.' So there was a path for the fish and that astonished them. Moses said, 'That was what we were seeking after.' So, both of them retraced their footsteps till they reached the rock. There they saw a man Lying covered with a garment. Moses greeted him and he replied saying, 'How do people greet each other in your land?' Moses said, 'I am Moses.' The man asked, 'Moses of Bani Israel?' Moses said, 'Yes, I have come to you so that you may teach me from those things which Allah has taught you.' He said, 'O Moses! I have some of the Knowledge of Allah which Allah has taught me, and which you do not know, while you have some of the Knowledge of Allah which Allah has taught you and which I do not know.' Moses asked, 'May I follow you?' He said, 'But you will not be able to remain patient with me for how can you be patient about things which you will not be able to understand?' (Moses said, 'You will find me, if Allah so will, truly patient, and I will not disobey you in aught.') So, both of them set out walking along the sea-shore, a boat passed by them and they asked the crew of the boat to take them on board. The crew recognized Al-Khadir and so they took them on board without fare. When they were on board the boat, a sparrow came and stood on the edge of the boat and dipped its beak once or twice into the sea. Al-Khadir said to Moses, 'O Moses! My knowledge and your knowledge have not decreased Allah's Knowledge except as much as this sparrow has decreased the water of the sea with its beak.' Then suddenly Al-Khadir took an adze and plucked a plank, and Moses did not notice it till he had plucked a plank with the adze. Moses said to him, 'What have you done? They took us on board charging us nothing; yet you have intentionally made a hole in their boat so as to drown its passengers. Verily, you have done a dreadful thing.' Al-Khadir replied, 'Did I not tell you that you would not be able to remain patient with me?' Moses replied, 'Do not blame me for what I have forgotten, and do not be hard upon me for my fault.' So the first excuse of Moses was that he had forgotten. When they had left the sea, they passed by a boy playing with other boys.
Al-Khadir took hold of the boys head and plucked it with his hand like this. (Sufyan, the sub narrator pointed with his fingertips as if he was plucking some fruit.) Moses said to him, "Have you killed an innocent person who has not killed any person? You have really done a horrible thing." Al-Khadir said, "Did I not tell you that you could not remain patient with me?' Moses said "If I ask you about anything after this, don't accompany me. You have received an excuse from me.' Then both of them went on till they came to some people of a village, and they asked its inhabitant for wood but they refused to entertain them as guests. Then they saw therein a wall which was just going to collapse (and Al Khadir repaired it just by touching it with his hands). (Sufyan, the sub-narrator, pointed with his hands, illustrating how Al-Khadir passed his hands over the wall upwards.) Moses said, "These are the people whom we have called on, but they neither gave us food, nor entertained us as guests, yet you have repaired their wall. If you had wished, you could have taken wages for it." Al-Khadir said, "This is the parting between you and me, and I shall tell you the explanation of those things on which you could not remain patient." The Prophet added, "We wished that Moses could have remained patient by virtue of which Allah might have told us more about their story. (Sufyan the sub-narrator said that the Prophet said, "May Allah bestow His Mercy on Moses! If he had remained patient, we would have been told further about their case.")

Volume 4, Book 55, Number 613
Sahih Bukhari

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Abu Bakr Al Seddeeq: Verbal abuse
Topic: Patience of the Sahaba

Once, a person was verbally abusing Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) while the Prophet (peace be upon him) was curiously watching with a smile. After taking much abuse quietly, Abu Bakr responded to a few of his comments. At this, the Prophet exhibited his disapproval, got up and left. Abu Bakr caught up with the Prophet and wondered, 'O Messenger of Allaah, he was abusing me and you remained sitting. When I responded to him, you disapproved and got up.' The Messenger of Allaah responded,
'There was an angel with you responding to him. When you responded to him, Satan took his place.' He then said ..

'O Abu Bakr, there are three solid truths: If a person is wronged and he forbears it (without seeking revenge) just for the sake of Allaah almighty, Allaah will honour him and give him the upper hand with His help; if a person opens a door of giving gifts for cementing relationships with relatives, Allaah will give him abundance; and, if a person opens a door of seeking charity for himself to increase his wealth, Allaah will further reduce his wealth.'


Reported from Abu Huraira in Mishkaah and Musnad Ahmad.

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The Prophet (PBUH): An unpleasant welcome in Taa'if
Topic: Patience of the Sahaba

In Shawwal (in the last of May or in the beginning of June 619 A.D.), ten years after receiving his mission from his Lord, the Prophet (peace be upon him) set out towards At-Taa'if, about 60 kilometres from Makkah, in the company of his freed slave Zaid bin Haritha inviting people to Islam. But contrary to his expectations, the general atmosphere was terribly hostile. He approached the family of 'Umair, who were reckoned amongst the nobility of the town. But, to his disappointment, all of them turned deaf ear to his message and used abusive language as regards the noble cause he had been striving for..

Three brothers from the chieftains of Thaqeef -'Abd Yaleel, Mas'ud and Habeeb - sons of 'Amr bin 'Umair Ath-Thaqafy met the Prophet (peace be upon him), who invited them to embrace Islam and worship Allah, but they impudently jeered at him and refused his invitation.

"He is tearing the cloths of Al-Ka'bah; is it true that Allah has sent you as a Messenger?" said one of them. "Has not Allah found someone else to entrust him with His Message?" said the second. "I swear by Allah that I will never have any contact with you. If you are really the Messenger of Allah, then you are too serious to retort back; and if you are belying Allah, then I feel it is imperative not to speak to." said the third. The Messenger of Allah, (peace be upon him) finding that they were hopeless cases, stood up and left them saying: "Should you indulge in these practices of yours, never divulge them to me."

For ten days he stayed there delivering his message to several people, one after another, but all to no purpose. Stirred up to hasten the departure of the unwelcome visitor, the people hooted him through the alley-ways, pelted him with stones and obliged him to flee from the city pursued by a relentless rabble. Blood flowed down both his legs; and Zaid, endeavouring to shield him, was wounded in the head. The mob did not desist until they had chased him two or three miles across the sandy plains to the foot of the surrounding hills. There, wearied and exhausted, he took refuge in one of the numerous orchards, and rested against the wall of a vineyard. At a time when the whole world seemed to have turned against him, Muhammad (peace be upon him) turned to his Lord and betook himself to prayer and the following touching words are still preserved as those through which his oppressed soul gave vent to its distress. He was weary and wounded but confident of the help of his Lord:

"O Allah! To You alone I make complaint of my helplessness, the paucity of my resources and my insignificance before mankind. You are the most Merciful of the mercifuls. You are the Lord of the helpless and the weak, O Lord of mine! Into whose hands would You abandon me: into the hands of an unsympathetic distant relative who would sullenly frown at me, or to the enemy who has been given control over my affairs? But if Your wrath does not fall on me, there is nothing for me to worry about."
"I seek protection in the light of Your Countenance, which illuminates the heavens and dispels darkness, and which controls all affairs in this world as well as in the Hereafter. May it never be that I should incur Your wrath, or that You should be wrathful to me. And there is no power nor resource, but Yours alone."

Seeing him in this helpless situation, Rabi'a's two sons, wealthy Makkans, were moved on grounds of kinship and compassion, and sent to him one of their Christian servants with a tray of grapes. The Prophet (peace be upon him) accepted the fruit with pious invocation: "In the Name of the Allah." The Christian servant 'Addas was greatly impressed by these words and said: "These are words which people in this land do not generally use." The Prophet (peace be upon him) inquired of him whence he came and what religion he professed. 'Addas replied: "I am a Christian by faith and come from Nineveh." The Prophet (peace be upon him) then said: "You belong to the city of the righteous Jonah, son of Matta." 'Addas asked him anxiously if he knew anything about Jonah. The Prophet (peace be upon him) significantly remarked: "He is my brother. He was a Prophet and so am I." Thereupon 'Addas paid homage to Muhammad (peace be upon him) and kissed his hands. His masters admonished him at this act but he replied: "None on the earth is better than he is. He has revealed to me a truth which only a Prophet can do." They again reprimanded him and said: "We forewarn you against the consequences of abandoning the faith of your forefathers. The religion which you profess is far better than the one you feel inclined to."

Heart-broken and depressed, Muhammad (peace be upon him) set out on the way back to Makkah. When he reached Qarn Al-Manazil, Allah, the Almighty sent him Gabriel together with the angel of mountains. The latter asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) for permission to bury Makkah between Al-Akhshabain -Abu Qubais and Qu'ayqa'an mountains. Full narration of this event was given by 'Aishah - may Allah be pleased with her - (the Prophet's spouse). She said: "I asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) if he had ever experienced a worse day than Uhud. He answered that he had suffered a lot from those people (the idolaters) but the most painful was on the day of 'Aqabah. I went seeking support from Ibn 'Abd Yalil bin 'Abd Kalal, but he spurned me. I set out wearied and grieved heedless of anything around me until I suddenly realized I was in Qarn Ath-Tha'alib, called Qarn Al-Manazil. There, I looked up and saw a cloud casting its shade on me, and Gabriel addressing me: Allah has heard your people's words and sent you the angel of mountains to your aid. The latter called and gave me his greetings and asked for my permission to bury Makkah between Al-Akhshabain, the two mountains flanking Makkah. I said in reply that I would rather have someone from their loins who will worship Allah, the All-Mighty with no associate." A concise meaningful answer fully indicative of the Prophet's matchless character and the fathomless magnanimous manners.


From AR-RaheeQ Al-Makhtum (THE SEALED NECTAR)- Memoirs of the Noble Prophet (pbuh)
Author: Saifur Rahman al-Mubarakpuri
Translated by : Issam Diab

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Saad Bin Abi Waqas: Punishment for cursing the Sahaba
Topic: Patience of the Sahaba

Saad bin Abi Waqas (may Allah be pleased with him) one day heard a man grumpling; when he listened closely to what he was saying he realized he was abusing Ali, Talhah and Zubair (may Allah be pleased with them). He told him to stop, but he would not listen and continued. Finally, Saad bin Abi Waqas (may Allah be pleased with him) lost his temper, and said if he did not control his tongue he would put a curse on him. Arrogantly the man told him that he was arrogating powers to himself and he asked him if he thought he was a Prophet..

Listening to the man's bitter words, he merely turned away. He went, made his ablutions for prayer and offered two supererogatory units of prayer. Then he entreated Allah Almighty:

"Oh Allah you know that this man is abusing men of purity, with whom You Yourself are Pleased because of their goodness. Surely You will not approve of theses abuses. May this man be a lesson for such other men."

He had barely done with his supplications when people saw that a raging she-camel had broken away from the rope which tethered her, and leaving her home had entered in the midst of a crowd of people. It seemed as if she was looking for a particular person. In seconds she had the head of a person in her bloodthirsty jaws and was shaking it violently from side to side. Finally his neck broke and in no time he had become the prey of death. People were stunned in silence. The dead man was non other than the one who had been abusing the noble companion a few minutes earlier, and against whom Saad bin Abi Waqas (may Allah be pleased with him) appeared. He had indeed become a lesson for people.


From Commanders of The Muslim Army By Mahmood Ahmad Ghandanfar

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Suhayl ibn Amr: In the path of God
Topic: Patience of the Sahaba

When Suhayl became a Muslim he made a vow to himself which could be summarized in these words: to exert himself and spend in the cause of Islam at least in the same measure as he had done for the mushrikin.

With the mushrikin, he had spent long hours before their idols. Now he stood for long periods with the believers in the presence of the one and only God, praying and fasting.

Before he had stood by the mushrikin and participated in many acts of aggression and war against Islam. Now he took his place in the ranks of the Muslim army, fighting courageously, pitting himself against the fire of Persia and the injustice and oppression of the Byzantine empire.

In this spirit he left for Syria with the Muslim armies and participated in the Battle of Yarmuk against the Byzantines, a battle that was singularly ferocious in its intensity.

Suhayl was someone who loved his birthplace dearly. In spite of that, he refused to return to Makkah after the victory of the MusIims in Syria. He said: "I heard the Messenger of God, peace be on him, say: 'The going forth of anyone of you in the path of God for an hour is better for him than his life's works in his household.' "He vowed: "I shall be a murabit in the path of God till I die and I shall not return to Makkah."

For the rest of his life, Suhayl remained true to his pledge. He died in Palestine in the small village of 'Amawas near Jerusalem.


Source: http://www.witness-pioneer.org/vil/Articles/companion/suhayl_ibn_amr.htm

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Abu Huraira: Family problems
Topic: Patience of the Sahaba

 Abu Huraira had a wonderful attitude with the Prophet, peace be upon him. His mother was not a Muslim, and she refused to embrace Islam. However, he never stopped asking her to follow Allah. Each time he went to talk to her about Islam, she replied very harshly.
So once when he went to her, she said very bad things about the Prophet, peace be upon him, and insulted him. He went to the Prophet, peace be upon him, crying. The Prophet, pbuh, asked him what was wrong.

?My mother, Allah's messenger, refuses Islam. And I asked her today to embrace Islam, and she said words about you which I hate. So pray to Allah, Allah's messenger, to guide my mother.? ...

The Prophet pbuh raised his hands to the sky and said: "O Allah! Guide Abu Huraira?s mother. O Allah! Guide Abu Huraira?s mother!?

He said: "I left the Prophet pbuh, and returned to my home while I was cheerful by his invocation, until I reached home. My mother heard my footsteps. Before I knocked on the door, she said: ?Abu huraira, stay in your place? I was afraid, so I stopped. So she opened the door and said: ?Abu Huraira. There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.?

So I returned to the Prophet, crying again. I said "rejoice Allah's messenger! Allah has accepted for your prayer!?

The Prophet pbuh sat down, thanking Allah. So when Abu Huraira found that the Prophet?s prayers are being accepted, he asked him for another prayer!

So he asked the Prophet pbuh, peace be upon him, to pray for him and his mother, that all believers love them and that they love all believers.

So the Prophet pbuh raised his hands to the sky and said: "O Allah! Make the believers love this servant, and make him love the believers".

Abu huraira said: "So every believer who heard about me, even if he didn?t meet me until the Day of Judgment, loved me".


Moral: If we don't love Abu Huraira, we're in trouble.


Source: The Beloved Companions: Abu Huraira by Amr Khaled
Translated by the www.daralislamlive.com team

Bilaal Ibn Rabah: ''The One...The One!!''
Topic: Patience of the Sahaba

Bilaal was an Abyssinian from the black race. His destiny made him a slave of some people of the tribe of Jum?ah in Makkah, where his mother was one of their slave girls. He led the life of a slave whose bleak days were alike and who had no right over his day and no hope for his tomorrow. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and the Holy religion of Islam made this weak Abyssinian slave a teacher to all humanity in the art of faith and defending it with whatever it takes..

When Bilaal?s owners found out he had embraced the religion of Islam, they took him out in the midday heat when the desert sand turned into burning hell. They would throw him naked on its scorching rocks and bring a burning hot rock, which took several men to lift from its place, and throw it onto his body and chest. This savage torture was repeated every day until the hearts of some of his executioners took pity on him. Finally, they agreed to set him free on condition that he would speak well of their gods, even with only one word that would allow them to keep their pride so that the tribe of Quraish would not say they had been defeated and humiliated by the resistance of their slave. But even this one word, which he could pretend to eject from his heart and with it buy his life and soul without losing his faith or abandoning his conviction, Bilaal refused to say. Indeed, he refused to say it and began to repeat his lasting chant instead: "The One...The One!" (Allah is the One and Only God). His torturers shouted at him, imploring him, "Mention the name of Al-Laat and Al-'Uzzaa." But he answered, "The One?The One." They said to him, "Say as we say." But he answered them with remarkable mockery and sarcasm, "Indeed my tongue is not good at that." So Bilaal remained in the melting heat and under the weight of the heavy rock, and by sunset they raised him up and put a rope around his neck. Then they ordered their boys to take him around the hills and streets of Makkah. Bilaal's tongue did not mention anything other than his holy chant, "The One...The One." When the night overtook them, they began bargaining with him, "Tomorrow, speak well of our gods, say, `My lord is Al-Laat and Al `Uzzaa,' and we'll leave you alone. We are tired of torturing you as if we are the tortured ones." But he shook his head and said, "The One...The One." So, Umayah Ibn Khalaf, his master, kicked him and exploded with exasperating fury, and shouted, "What bad luck has thrown you upon us, O slave of evil? By Al-Laat and Al-'Uzzaa, I'll make you an example for slaves and masters." But Bilaal answered with the holy greatness and certainty of a believer, "The One...The One." And he who was assigned to play the role of a sympathizer returned to talking and bargaining. He said "Take it easy, Umayah. By Al-Laat, he will not be tortured again. Bilaal is one of us and his mother is our slave girl. He will not be pleased to talk about and ridicule us because of his Islam." But Bilaal gazed at their lying cunning faces, and his mouth slackened like the light of dawn. He said with a calmness that shook them violently, "The One...The One." It was the next day and midday approached. Bilaal was taken to the sun-baked ground. He was patient, brave, firm, and expecting the reward in the Hereafter. Abu Bakr Al-Seddeeq went to them while they were torturing him and shouted at them, "Are you killing a man because he says, `Allah is my Lord?" Then he shouted at Umayah lbn khalaf, "Take more than his price and set him free." It was as if Umayah were drowning and had caught a lifeboat. It was to his liking and he was very much pleased when he heard Abu Bakr offering the price of Bilaal?s freedom, since they had despaired of crushing him. And since they were merchants, they realized that selling him was more profitable to them than killing him. They sold him to Abu Bakr, and he emancipated him immediately. Bilaal took his place among free men. When Al- Seddeeq put his arm round Bilaal, rushing with him to freedom, Umayah said to him, "Take him, for by Al-Laat and Al-' Uzzaa if you had refused to buy him except for one ounce of gold, I would have sold him to you." Abu Bakr realized the bitterness and disappointment hidden in these words. It was appropriate not to answer, but because they violated the dignity of this man who had become his brother and his equal, he answered Umayah saying, "By Allah, if you had refused to sell him except for a hundred ounces, I would have paid it." He departed with his companion to the Messenger of Allah, giving him news of his liberation, and there was a great celebration. Source:"Men Around the Messenger(pbuh)." By Khalid Muhammad Khalid.

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Umm Salamah: God granted me better than him
Topic: Patience of the Sahaba

 It was brought by Muslim regarding Umm Salamah
"She said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (almighty) say: There is not one slave (of Allah) who is put through a trial and says: "Inna lillah wa inna ilayhi raaji'un (to Allah we belong, and to Him is our return) Oh, Allah, help me through my ordeal and grant me better than it after" except Allah helped him through his ordeal and gave him better than it after. She said: So when Abu Salamah (her husband) died, I said what I was told to say by the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), and Allah (almighty) granted me better than him?

the Prophet of Allah (pbuh) himself!"

[Al-Bukhari, Muslim, Al-Tirmidhi and Abu Da'ud].

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 Stories of the Companions: Manners of the Sahaba

Abu Bakr Al Seddeeq: Leading prayer infront of the prophet
Topic: Manners of the Sahaba

Narrated Sahl bin Saad:
There was a dispute amongst the people of the tribe of Bani 'Amr bin 'Auf. The Prophet went to them along with some of his companions in order to make peace between them. The time for the prayer became due but the Prophet did not turn up; Bilal pronounced the Adhan (i.e. call) for the prayer but the Prophet did not turn up, so Bilal went to Abu Bakr and said, "The time for the prayer is due and the Prophet is detained, would you lead the people in the prayer?" ..

Abu Bakr replied, "Yes, you wish." So, Bilal pronounced the Iqama of the prayer and Abu Bakr went ahead (to lead the prayer), but the Prophet came walking among the rows till he joined the first row. The people started clapping and they clapped too much, and Abu Bakr used not to look hither and thither in the prayer. However, he turned round and saw the Prophet standing behind him. The Prophet beckoned him with his hand to keep on praying where he was. Abu Bakr raised his hand and praised Allah and then retreated till he came in the (first) row, and the Prophet went ahead and lead the people in the prayer. When the Prophet finished the prayer, he turned towards the people and said, "O people! When something happens to you during the prayer, you start clapping. Really clapping is (permissible) for women only. If something happens to one of you in his prayer, he should say: 'Subhan Allah', (Glorified be Allah), for whoever hears him (saying so) will direct his attention towards him. O Abu Bakr! What prevented you from leading the people in the prayer when I beckoned to you (to continue)?" Abu Bakr replied, "It did not befit the son of Abu Quhafa to lead the prayer in front of the Prophet.


Sahih Bukhari
Volume 3, Book 49, Number 855