The Book of the Merits of the Companions

"‏ أَسْرَعُكُنَّ لَحَاقًا بِي أَطْوَلُكُنَّ يَدًا ‏"

One who has the longest hands amongst you would meet me most immediately. She farther said: They (the wives of Allah's Apostle) used to measure the hands as to whose hand was the longest and it was the hand of Zainab that was the longest amongst them, as she used to work with her hand and Spend (that income) on charity.

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو كُرَيْبٍ، مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْعَلاَءِ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو أُسَامَةَ، عَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ الْمُغِيرَةِ، عَنْ ثَابِتٍ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ، قَالَ انْطَلَقَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم إِلَى أُمِّ أَيْمَنَ فَانْطَلَقْتُ مَعَهُ فَنَاوَلَتْهُ إِنَاءً فِيهِ شَرَابٌ - قَالَ - فَلاَ أَدْرِي أَصَادَفَتْهُ صَائِمًا أَوْ لَمْ يُرِدْهُ فَجَعَلَتْ تَصْخَبُ عَلَيْهِ وَتَذَمَّرُ عَلَيْهِ ‏.‏

I do not know whether it was because of the fasting (or for any other reason) that he (the Holy Prophet) refused to accept that. She raised her voice and showed annoyance to him.

حَدَّثَنَا زُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ، أَخْبَرَنِي عَمْرُو بْنُ عَاصِمٍ الْكِلاَبِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ الْمُغِيرَةِ، عَنْ ثَابِتٍ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ، قَالَ قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ رضى الله عنه بَعْدَ وَفَاةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم لِعُمَرَ انْطَلِقْ بِنَا إِلَى أُمِّ أَيْمَنَ نَزُورُهَا كَمَا كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَزُورُهَا ‏.‏ فَلَمَّا انْتَهَيْنَا إِلَيْهَا بَكَتْ فَقَالاَ لَهَا مَا يُبْكِيكِ مَا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ لِرَسُولِهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏.‏ فَقَالَتْ مَا أَبْكِي أَنْ لاَ أَكُونَ أَعْلَمُ أَنَّ مَا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ لِرَسُولِهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَلَكِنْ أَبْكِي أَنَّ الْوَحْىَ قَدِ انْقَطَعَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ ‏.‏ فَهَيَّجَتْهُمَا عَلَى الْبُكَاءِ فَجَعَلاَ يَبْكِيَانِ مَعَهَا ‏.‏

Let us visit Umm Aiman as Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) used to visit her. As we came to her, she wept. They (Abu Bakr and Umar) said to her: What makes you weep? What is in store (in the next world) for Allah's-Messenger (ﷺ) is better than (this worldly life). She said: I weep not because I am ignorant of the fact that what is in store for Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) (in the next world) is better than (this world), but I weep because the revelation which came from the Heaven has ceased to come. This moved both of them to tears and they began to weep along with her.

"‏ إِنِّي أَرْحَمُهَا قُتِلَ أَخُوهَا مَعِي ‏"

I feel great compassion for her. Her brother was killed while he was with me.

"‏ دَخَلْتُ الْجَنَّةَ فَسَمِعْتُ خَشْفَةً فَقُلْتُ مَنْ هَذَا قَالُوا هَذِهِ الْغُمَيْصَاءُ بِنْتُ مِلْحَانَ أُمُّ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ ‏"

I entered Paradise and heard the noise of steps. I said: Who is it? They said: She is Ghumaisa, daughter of Milhan, the mother of Anas b. Malik.

"‏ أُرِيتُ الْجَنَّةَ فَرَأَيْتُ امْرَأَةَ أَبِي طَلْحَةَ ثُمَّ سَمِعْتُ خَشْخَشَةً أَمَامِي فَإِذَا بِلاَلٌ ‏"

I was shown Paradise and I saw the wife of Abu Talha (i.e. Umm Sulaim) and I heard the noise of steps before me and, lo, it was that of Bilal.

"‏ يَا بِلاَلُ حَدِّثْنِي بِأَرْجَى عَمَلٍ عَمِلْتَهُ عِنْدَكَ فِي الإِسْلاَمِ مَنْفَعَةً فَإِنِّي سَمِعْتُ اللَّيْلَةَ خَشْفَ نَعْلَيْكَ بَيْنَ يَدَىَّ فِي الْجَنَّةِ ‏"

Bilal, narrate to me which act at the time of morning prayer you did in Islam for which you hope to receive good reward, for I heard during the night the sound of your steps before me in Paradise. Bilal said: I did not do any act in Islam for which I hope to get any benefit but this that when I perform complete ablution during the night or day I observe prayer with that purification what Allah has ordained for me to pray.

"‏ قِيلَ لِي أَنْتَ مِنْهُمْ ‏"

" There is no harm on persons who believe and perform good acts, what they had eaten (formerly) when they avoided it (now) and they affirmed their faith" (v. 93) up to the end. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said to me: You are one amongst them.

حَدَّثَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الْحَنْظَلِيُّ، وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ رَافِعٍ، - وَاللَّفْظُ لاِبْنِ رَافِعٍ - قَالَ إِسْحَاقُ أَخْبَرَنَا وَقَالَ ابْنُ رَافِعٍ، حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ آدَمَ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ أَبِي زَائِدَةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ، عَنِ الأَسْوَدِ بْنِ يَزِيدَ، عَنْ أَبِي مُوسَى، قَالَ قَدِمْتُ أَنَا وَأَخِي، مِنَ الْيَمَنِ فَكُنَّا حِينًا وَمَا نُرَى ابْنَ مَسْعُودٍ وَأُمَّهُ إِلاَّ مِنْ أَهْلِ بَيْتِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم مِنْ كَثْرَةِ دُخُولِهِمْ وَلُزُومِهِمْ لَهُ ‏.‏

When I and my brother came from Yemen we used to consider Ibn Mas'ud and his mother amongst the members of the household. of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) because of their visiting them frequently and staying there for long (periods of) time.

حَدَّثَنِيهِ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ حَاتِمٍ، حَدَّثَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ مَنْصُورٍ، حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ يُوسُفَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ الأَسْوَدَ، يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا مُوسَى، يَقُولُ لَقَدْ قَدِمْتُ أَنَا وَأَخِي، مِنَ الْيَمَنِ ‏.‏ فَذَكَرَ بِمِثْلِهِ ‏.‏

The above hadith is narrated likewise through another chain of transmitters.