Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrated that Allah Almighty said to His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "Purify My House for those who circle it, those who stand, and those who bow and prostrate" [Surah al-Hajj: 26] . So circumambulation (tawaf) comes before prayer (in mention). And the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Circumambulation of the House is on the level of prayer, except that Allah has made speech lawful in it; so whoever speaks during it, let him speak only what is good." This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of Imam Muslim, but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it; rather, this hadith is known from the narration of Ata bin al-Sa'ib.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrated that Allah Almighty said to His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "Purify My House for those who circle it, those who stay devoted there, and those who bow and prostrate" [Surah al-Baqarah: 125] . So circumambulation (tawaf) comes before prayer. This narration corroborates half of the text of the hadith, and the second half is from the narration of al-Qasim bin Abi Ayyub.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Circumambulation of the House is indeed a prayer, except that Allah has made talking lawful in it; so whoever speaks during it, let him speak only what is good."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) that Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him), the Friend of the Most Merciful, came from Armenia with the "Sakinah" (a guiding cloud of light), which guided him to the site of the House, just as a spider chooses a place for its home (web). Then Ibrahim (peace be upon him) dug beneath the Sakinah and uncovered foundations of the Ka'bah, each one of which could not be moved by fewer than thirty men.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrated: The first ruling of the Qur'an to be abrogated, according to what has been mentioned to us, and Allah knows best, was the matter of the qiblah. Allah Almighty said, "To Allah belong the East and the West, so wherever you turn, there is the Face of Allah" [Surah al-Baqarah: 115] . So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) faced Bayt al-Maqdis in prayer and left the Ancient House (the Ka'bah). Then Allah said, "The foolish among the people will say: What has turned them away from their qiblah which they used to face?" [Surah al-Baqarah: 142] , meaning Bayt al-Maqdis. So Allah abrogated it and turned him (peace and blessings be upon him) towards the Ancient House, and said, "And from wherever you go out, turn your face towards al-Masjid al-Haram, and wherever you may be, turn your faces towards it" [Surah al-Baqarah: 150] . This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim), but they did not record it with this wording.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: I was with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) at the funeral of a man of Banu Salimah, and I was walking by his side. A man said (praising the deceased): As far as we know, what an excellent man he was; he was very chaste and a Muslim. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Is it you who is saying this?" He said: O Messenger of Allah, that is what appeared to us, and Allah knows best what is hidden. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "It has become due." Then we were at the funeral of a man of Banu Harithah or Banu Abd al-Ashhal, and a man said: As far as we know, what an evil man he was; he was very foul-tongued and harsh. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Is it you who is saying this?" He said: O Messenger of Allah, Allah knows best what is hidden; this is only what appeared to us from him. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "It has become due." Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) recited this verse: "And thus We have made you a middle nation, that you may be witnesses over the people and that the Messenger may be a witness over you" [Surah al-Baqarah: 143] . This hadith has a sahih (authentic) chain of narration, but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it; they only agreed on the words "It has become due."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) concerning the saying of Allah, "And thus We have made you a middle nation", that he said: It means a "just" (nation). This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim), but they did not record it.