Choosing a Spouse by Piety

Ibn `Umar used to say about the Ila (which Allah defined (in the Holy Book), "If the period of Ila expires, then the husband has either to retain his wife in a handsome manner or to divorce her as Allah has ordered."

A hadith like this has been narrated by Abu Huraira with another chain of transmitters with a very slight change of words.

Prayer said in a congregation is equivalent to twenty-five (prayers) as compared with the prayer said by a single person.

It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah said: "There are three who are promised the help of Allah: The Mukatab who wants to buy his freedom, the one who gets married seeking to keep himself chaste, and the Mujahid who fights in the cause of Allah." *Mukatab: the slave who has made a contract of manumission.

It was narrated that Jabir said: "I got married then I came to the Prophet and he said: 'Have you got married, O Jabir?' I said: 'Yes.' He said: 'To a virgin or to a previously married woman?' I said: 'To a previously married woman.' He said: 'Why not a virgin, so you could play with her and she could play with you?'"

It was narrated that Jabir said: "The Messenger of Allah met me and said: 'O Jabir, have you got married to a woman since I last saw you?' I said: 'Yes, O Messenger of Allah.' He said: 'To a virgin or to a previously-married woman?' I said: 'To a previously-married woman.' He said: 'Why not a virgin, so she could play with you?'"

One should not exceed al-Mu'arras when one returns to Medina until one prays there as much as one wishes, for I have been informed that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) halted there at night.

Abu Dawud said: I heard Muhammad b. Ishaq al-Madini say: Al-Mu'arras lies at a distance of six miles from Medina.

"Alqamah said "I was going with "Abd Allaah bin Mas'ud at Mina where "Uthman met him and desired to have a talk with him in privacy" . When "Abd Allaah (bin Mas'ud) thought there was no need of privacy, he said to me "Come, "Alqamah So I came (to him)" . Then "Uthman said to him "Should we not marry you, Abu "Abd Al Rahman to a virgin girl, so that the power you have lost may return to you?" "Abd Allaah (bin Mas'ud) said "If you say that , I heard the Apostle of Allaah (ﷺ) say " Those of you who can support a wife, should marry, for it keeps you from looking at strange women and preserve from unlawful intercourse, but those who cannot should devote themselves to fasting, for it is a means of suppressing sexual desire.

The Prophet prohibited celibacy.

"The Messenger of Allah refused Uthman bin Ma'zun (when he asked) regarding celibacy, and if he had permitted it for him, then we would have castrated ourselves."

The Messenger of Allah said: "When someone whose religion and character you are pleased with proposes to (someone under the care) of one of you, then marry to him. If you do not do so, then there will be turmoil (Fitnah) in the land and abounding discord (Fasad)."

the Prophet said: "A woman may be married for four things: Her wealth, her lineage, her beauty or for her religion. Choose the religious, may your hands be rubbed with dust (i.e., may you prosper)."

the Prophet said: "Do not marry women for their beauty for it may lead to their doom. Do not marry them for their wealth, for it may lead them to fall into sin. Rather, marry them for their religion. A black slave woman with piercings who is religious is better."

his grandfather said: "The Messenger of Allah said: 'You should marry virgins, for their mouths are sweeter, their wombs are more prolific and they are satisfied with less.'"

On the day of Badr, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) looked at his companions and they were three hundred and some, then he looked at the mushrikeen and saw that they were one thousand or more. The Prophet of Allah(ﷺ) turned to face the qiblah, then he stretched forth his hands, wearing his upper and lower garment, and he said: “O Allah, where is Your promise to me? O Allah, accomplish for me what You have promised me! O Allah, if this small band of Muslims is destroyed, You will never be worshipped on earth.” He kept beseeching his Lord, calling out to Him, until his upper garment fell from his shoulders. Abu Bakr came to him, picked up his upper garment and put it on him. Then he embraced him from behind and said: O Prophet of Allah, this prayer of yours to your Lord will suffice, for He will accomplish for you what He has promised to you. Then Allah revealed the words: "(Remember) when you sought help of your Lord and He answered you (saying): ‘I will help you with a thousand of the angels each behind the other (following one another) in succession" [al Anfal 8:9). On that day when the armies met (in battle), Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, defeated the mushrikeen; seventy of their men were killed and seventy were taken captive. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) consulted Abu Bakr, 'Ali and 'Umar رضي الله عنهم (concerning the prisoners). Abu Bakr said: O Prophet of Allah, they are our cousins, kinsmen and brothers, I think that you should accept a ransom for them, which will strengthen us against the kuffar, and perhaps Allah will guide them to Islam and they will become a support to us. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “What do you think, O son of al-Khattab?" I said: No, by Allah. I do not think as Abu Bakr thinks. I think that you should hand. So and so ­ a relative of ʼUmar's- ­ over

to me so that I may strike his neck. You should hand ‘Aqeel over to ‘Ali so that he may strike his neck, and you should hand over So and so to Hamzah (his brother) so that he may strike his neck, so that Allah will know that we have no mercy in our hearts towards the mushrikeen; these are

their prominent figures and leaders. But the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) inclined towards the view of Abu Bakr, and he did not incline towards what I said, and accepted ransoms from them. The next day, I came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and found him with Abu Bakr, and they were both weeping I said: O Messenger of Allah , tell me why you and your companion are weeping. If I find it is a cause for weeping, I will weep too, and is it is not, then I will make myself weep with you. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "I am weeping because of what your companions suggested about accepting a ransom for the prisoners. I have been shown your punishment as close as this tree" ­ a tree that was close to the Prophet of Allah (ﷺ) Then Allah revealed the words:"It is not for a Prophet that he should have prisoners of war (and free them with ransom) until he had made a great slaughter (among his enemies) in the land. You desire the good of this world (i.e. the money of ransom for freeing the captives), but Allah desires (for you) the Hereafter. And Allah is Almighty, All Wise. Were it not a previous ordainment from Allah, a severe torment would have touched you for what you took "[al Anfal 8:67­-68] ­ i.e., referring to the ransom. Then booty was permitted to them, and when the day of Uhud came the following year, they were punished for what they had done of taking the

ransom on the day of Badr. Seventy of them were killed and the Companions of the Prophet deserted him, his front tooth was broken and the helmet on his head was broken, and blood flowed down his face, and Allah revealed the words: “When a single disaster smites you, although you smote (your enemies) with one twice as great, you say: 'From where does this come to us?"Say (to them), ‘It is from yourselves (because of your evil deeds).' And Allah has power over all things” [Al 'Imran 3:165]

We were with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) on a journey, and I asked him about something three times but he did not answer me. I said to myself, May

your mother be bereft of you. O son of al-Khattab, you spoke to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) three times and he did not answer you. So I got on my mount and went on ahead, fearing that something had been revealed concerning me. Then I heard someone calling out: O 'Umar! Where is ‘Umar? I went back, thinking that something had been revealed concerning me, and the Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Yesterday a soorah was revealed to me that is dearer to me than this world and everything in it: ‘Verily, We have given you (O Muhammad ﷺ) a manifest victory. That Atlah may forgive you your sins of the past and the future' (al­-Fath 48:1–2].

Whenever the people encamped during the journey, they would disperse in the mountain passes and valleys. (When) the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) noticed this he said, "Your act of scattering in the mountain passes and valleys is from Satan." Afterwards the Companions kept close together whenever they encamped.

[Abu Dawud].

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) happened to pass by a camel whose belly was sticking to its back (because of hunger), whereupon he said, "Fear Allah in respect of these dumb (animals). Ride them while they are fit, and slaughter them and eat their meat when they are fit."

[Abu Dawud].

Ibn 'Abbas said, "When 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, was attacked, I was one of those who carried him into his house. He said to me, 'Nephew, go see who wounded me and who was wounded with me.' I went and returned to tell him, but the room was full at that time. I did not want to step over people's necks because I was young, and so I sat down. 'Umar's rule when he sent someone for a need was that he commanded him not to tell about it. 'Umar had a cover over him. Ka'b came and said, 'By Allah, if the Amir al-Mu'minin makes supplication, Allah will let him remain alive and restore him to this community until he does such-and-such and such-and-such for them' until Ka'b mentioned the hypocrites. He actually named them and used their kunyas. I said, 'Shall I convey to him what you have said?' Ka'b said, 'I only said it because I intended that it be done.' I plucked up courage and stood up, I stepped over people's necks until I sat by 'Umar's head. I said, 'You sent me to find out such-and-such. Thirteen people were wounded with you. Kulayb ibn al-Jazzar was wounded while he was doing wudu' from the cistern. Ka'b swore such-and-such by Allah.' He said, 'Summon Ka'b.' He was summoned and 'Umar asked, 'What did you say?' He replied, 'I said such-and-such.' He said, 'No, by Prophet, I will not make supplication. 'Umar will be wretched if Allah does not forgive him.'"