Sunan Abi Dawud — Divorce (Kitab Al-Talaq)

The tradition mentioned above has also been transmitted by Qais bin Al Harith through a different chain of narrators to the same effect.

When the Prophet (ﷺ) came to Medina, he found the Jews observing fast on the day of ‘Ashurah; so they were asked about it (by the Prophet). They said: This is a day on which Allah gave Moses domination over Pharaoh. We fast on it out of reverence to him. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: We have a closer connection with Moses than you have. He then gave orders that it should be observed.

I asked ‘Aishah: Would the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) fast three days every month ? She replied: Yes. I asked: Which days in the month he used to fast ? She replied: He did not care which days of the month he fasted.

‘Abd Allah bin Amr reported the Apostle of Allaah(ﷺ) as saying “No warlike party will go out to fight in Allaah’s path and gain booty without getting beforehand two-thirds of their rewards in the next world and one-third (of their reward) will remain. And if they do not gain booty, they will get their rewards in full.

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: I am commanded to fight with men till they testify that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is His servant and His Apostle, face our qiblah (direction of prayer), eat what we slaughter, and pray like us. When they do that, their life and property are unlawful for us except what is due to them. They will have the same rights as the Muslims have, and have the same responsibilities as the Muslims have.

I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say three days before his death: No one of you dies but he had good faith in Allah.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: The atonement for a vow is the same as for an oath. Abu Dawud said: This tradition has also been transmitted by ‘Amr b. al-Harith from Ka’b b. ‘Alqamah, from Ibn Shamasah on the authority of ‘Uqbah.

We fought one of our battle, and encamped at a certain place. One of our companions sold a horse for a slave. After that they remained there for the rest of day and night. When the next morning came, they prepared themselves for departure. The buyer of the horse began to saddle it, but the seller was ashamed (of the transaction). He went to the man (buyer) and asked him to annul the transaction. The man refused to hand it over (the horse) to him. He said: AbuBarzah, the companion of the Prophet (ﷺ), is to decide between me and you. They went to AbuBarzah in the corner of the army. They related this story to him. He said: Do you agree that I make a decision between you on the basis of the decision of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)? The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Both parties in a business transaction have an option (right) to annul it so long as they have not separated. Hisham to Hassan said that Jamil said in his version: “I do not think that you separated.”

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: The testimony of a deceitful man or woman, of an adulterer and adulteress, and of one who harbours rancour against his brother is not allowable.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: There is no infection, no hamah, no other promising rain, and no serpent in a hungry belly.

The Prophet (ﷺ) did not prescribe any punishment for drinking wine. Ibn Abbas said: A man who had drunk wine and become intoxicated was found staggering on the road, so he was taken to the Prophet (ﷺ). When he was opposite al-Abbas’s house, he escaped, and going in to al-Abbas, he grasped hold of him. When that was mentioned to the Prophet (ﷺ), he laughed and said: Did he do that? and he gave no command regarding him. Abu Dawud said: This tradition of al-Hasan b. ‘Ali has been transmitted only by the people of Medina.

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: If anyone eats once at the cost of a Muslim’s honour, Allah will give him a like amount of Jahannam to eat; if anyone clothes himself with a garment at the cost of a Muslim’s honour, Allah will clothe him with like amount of Jahannam; and if anyone puts himself in a position of reputation and show Allah will disgrace him with a place of reputation and show on the Day of Resurrection.

The Prophet (May peace be upon him) cursed effeminate men (mukhannathan) and women who imitated men, saying: Put them out of your houses, and put so-and-so out. (that is to say, the effeminate men)