47. Behaviour with people

Anas said, "I was serving the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, one day. When I thought I had finished serving him, I said, 'The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, is having a midday nap.' So I left him and there were some children playing. I stood looking at them and their game. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came out, and came up to them and greeted them. Then he called me and sent me to get something he needed. He remained in the shade until I came back to him. I was late for my mother and she and he asked, 'What kept you?' I replied, The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, sent me for something he needed.' 'What was it?' she asked. I replied, 'It is a secret of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.' She said, Keep the secret of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.' I did not tell anyone that secret. If I had told it, I would have told it to her.'" Abu Hurayra described the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, with the words, "He was of medium height, but nearer to being tall. He was very white with a black beard and good front teeth. He had long eye-lashes. He was very broad between the shoulders and had full cheeks. He walked on his entire foot, but they did not have a hollow. He turned completely towards people or turned his back completely. I have not seen anyone like him before or since.'" Aslam said, "'Umar said to me, 'If I send you to a man, do not tell him why I sent you to him. If you do, Shaytan will prepare a lie for him in that.'" Mujahid said, "It is disliked for a man to look sharply at his brother or to follow him with his glance when he leaves or to ask him, 'Where have you come from and where are you going?'" Malik ibn Zubayd said, "We passed by Abu Dharr at ar-Rabadha. He said, 'Where have you come from?' We said, 'Makka - or from the Ancient House.' He said, 'Is this what you have done?' We said, 'Yes.' He said, 'And was there commerce or selling with it?' 'No,' he replied. He said, 'Then resume your actions anew.'" Ibn 'Abbas reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Whoever fashions an image will have to breathe life into it and he will be punished since he will not be able to breathe life into it. Anyone who claims to have seen a vision in a dream will have to string two beads of barely together and he will be punished because he will not be able to string them together. Anyone who listens to people's conversation when they move away from him will have molten lead poured into his ears." Al-'Iryan ibn al-Haytham said, "My father came to Mu'awiya when I was a body. When he reached him, he said, 'Welcome, welcome.' A man was sitting with him on the elevated seat. He said, 'Amir al-Mu'minin, who is this you are welcoming?' He said, 'This is the master of the people of the east. This is al-Haytham ibn al-Aswad.' I asked, 'Who is this?' They replied, 'This is 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'As.' I said to him, 'Abu so-and-so. From where will the Dajjal emerge?' He said, 'I have not seen the people of a town who asked about what is far nor left what is near. You are from the people of a town.' Then he said, 'He will emerge from the land of Iraq with the trees and palm trees.'" Abu al-Aaliyah said that he sat on the chair of state with Ibn Abbas (ra). In another version, Abu Jamrah stated, "I used to sit with Ibn Abbas (ra) and he made me sit on his chair of state. Once, he asked me to stay behind with him so that he may aportion a share for me in his property. So, I stayed with him for two months". Abu Khulda reported that he heard Anas ibn Malik when he was with al-Hakam, the amir of Basra, on a seat. He said, "When the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was hot, he delayed the prayer until a cooler time of the day. When it was cold, he made the prayer early." Anas ibn Malik said, "I came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, while he was on a seat with a bad woven on it. He had a pillow under his head made of skin stuffed with fibre. There was a cloth between his skin and the seat. 'Umar visited him and wept. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'What made you weep, 'Umar?' He said, 'By Allah, Messenger of Allah, I am only weeping since I know that you are more noble with Allah than Chosroes and Caesar. They both live in what they live of this world while you, Messenger of Allah, are in the place I see.' The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'Are you not content, 'Umar, that they have this world while we have the Next?' I replied, 'Yes, Messenger of Allah.' He said, 'That is the way of it.'" Abu Rifa'a al-'Adawi said, "I came to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, while he was speaking [i.e. on Jumu'a]. I said, 'Messenger, a stranger man has come to ask about his deen. He does not know what his deen is.' He turned to me and stopped speaking. He was brought a chair which I think had iron legs. (Hamid [one of the transmitters] said, 'I think that it was black wood like iron).'] He sat down on it and began to teach me what Allah had taught him. Then he finished his speech." Musa ibn Dihqan said, "I saw Ibn 'Umar sitting on a bridal seat wearing a red garment."'Imran ibn Muslim said, "I saw Anas sitting on a bed, placing one foot over another." Sa'id al-Maqburi said, "I passed by Ibn 'Umar who had a man with him with whom he was conversing. I went to them, and he struck me on the chest and said, 'When you find two men conversing, do not go up to them nor sit with them until they give you permission.' I said. 'May Allah make you prosper, Abu 'Abdu'r-Rahman. I hoped that I would hear something good from you.'" Ibn 'Abbas said, "Whoever listens to people's conversations when they do not want him to do so will have molten lead poured into his ears. Anyone who lies about a dram will be obliged to string a barley bead." 'Abdullah reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "When there are three people, two should not converse together to the exclusion of the third." 'Abdullah reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "When there are three people, two should not converse together to the exclusion of the third for that would grieve him." Ibn 'Umar reported something similar from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. He stated, "We said, 'If there are four?' He said, 'Then it will not harm him.'" 'Abdullah reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Two should not converse to the exclusion of another until they are mixing with people since that would distress him." Ibn 'Umar said, "When there are four, there is no harm." Abu Burda ibn Abi Musa said, "I sat with 'Abdullah ibn Sallam. He said, 'You have sat down with us, but now it is time for us to leave.' I said, 'If you like.' He got up and I followed him to the door." Qays related that his father arrived while the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was speaking. He stood in the sun and the Prophet told him to move to the shade.