It is narrated from Hazrat Bara’ (may Allah be pleased with him) that once (on the day of Eid al-Adha) the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) addressed us and said: Today, we will begin the day by performing the prayer, then return home and offer the sacrifice. Whoever does so has reached our way, and whoever offers the sacrifice before the Eid prayer, it is merely meat that he has given to his family beforehand; it has nothing to do with the sacrifice. My uncle, Hazrat Abu Burdah bin Niyar (may Allah be pleased with him), had already slaughtered his animal before the Eid prayer. He said,“O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! I have already slaughtered my animal, but now I have a six-month-old kid which is better than a year-old animal.”The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said,“Slaughter it in its place, but this permission is not for anyone except you.”

It is narrated from Hazrat Bara’ (may Allah be pleased with him) that on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, we were sitting in the Eidgah when the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) arrived. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) greeted the people with salam and said,“The first act of worship today is the prayer.”Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) moved forward and led two rak‘ahs, and after completing the prayer, turned his blessed face towards the people. The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was presented with a bow or a staff, upon which he leaned. He praised Allah and mentioned some commands and prohibitions, and said,“Whoever among you has slaughtered an animal before the prayer, it is only meat that he has given to his family to eat; the sacrifice is after the prayer.”Upon hearing this, my uncle Hazrat Abu Burdah bin Niyar (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up and said,“O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! I slaughtered my goat before the prayer so that when we return, the food would be ready and we could eat together. However, I have a six-month-old kid goat which is healthier than the goat I have already slaughtered. Will it suffice on my behalf?”The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said,“Yes! But it will not suffice on behalf of anyone other than you.”Then the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) called Hazrat Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him), and he set out, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also walked behind him until he reached the women. The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said,“O group of women! Give charity, for giving charity is the best for you.”Hazrat Bara’ (may Allah be pleased with him) says,“I have never seen more anklets, necklaces, and earrings than I saw on that day.”

It is narrated from Hazrat Bara’ (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: When you perform prostration, place your palms on the ground and keep your arms raised above.

It is narrated, most likely, from Hazrat Bara bin Azib (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Tell me, if a man sets out on a journey along a forest path, and along the way he takes a nap under a tree, and with him is his mount on which his food and drink are placed. When the man wakes up, he does not see his mount. He climbs a high hill to look, but does not see the mount. Then he climbs another hill, but still does not see the mount. Then he turns back and suddenly sees his mount, which is dragging its reins and coming towards him. How happy would he be! But his happiness is not greater than the happiness of Allah when a servant repents before Allah and Allah becomes pleased. The previous hadith is also narrated through this second chain.

Abu al-Walid and ‘Affan narrated to us, they said: ‘Ubaydullah ibn Iyad narrated to us, he said: Iyad narrated to us, from al-Bara’ ibn ‘Azib, he said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "How do you think of the joy of a man whose mount escaped from him, dragging its rein in a barren land where there is no food or drink, and on it is food," ‘Affan said: "and drink," "so he sought it until it became hard for him, then it passed by the trunk of a tree," ‘Affan said: "by a trunk, and its rein got caught," "so he found it hanging on it," ‘Affan said: "attached to it." He said: We said: It is intense, O Messenger of Allah. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "By Allah, Allah is more joyful at the repentance of His servant than the man with his mount." Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman said: Ja‘far ibn Humayd narrated it to us, he said: ‘Ubaydullah ibn Iyad narrated to us, the same.

Hazrat Bara’ (may Allah be pleased with him) says that we did not hear all the hadiths directly from the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him); our companions would also narrate hadiths to us. Because of herding camels, we could not be present in the service of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) very often.

It is narrated from Hazrat Bara’ (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Adorn the Holy Qur’an with your voices.

It is narrated from Hazrat Bara’ (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: It is the right of Muslims upon each other that every one of them should perform ghusl (ritual bath) on Friday, apply perfume if it is available, and if perfume is not available, then water itself is very purifying.

It is narrated from Hazrat Bara’ (may Allah be pleased with him) that when the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) arrived in Madinah Munawwarah, he first stayed with his maternal relatives. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed facing Bayt al-Maqdis for sixteen (or seventeen) months, while he wished that the Qiblah be towards the Ka‘bah. The very first prayer he offered facing the Ka‘bah was the ‘Asr prayer, in which some people participated with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). One of them went out and passed by a mosque where the worshippers were in the state of bowing, facing Bayt al-Maqdis. He said,“I bear witness by the name of Allah that I have prayed with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) facing the Ka‘bah.”So those people turned towards the Ka‘bah while in that very state. In short, the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) desire was that his direction be turned towards the Ka‘bah, because when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed facing Bayt al-Maqdis, the Jews and all the People of the Book were very pleased with this. But when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) turned his direction towards the Ka‘bah, it became displeasing to them.

It is narrated from Hazrat Bara’ (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led the funeral prayer of his son Hazrat Ibrahim (may Allah be pleased with him), who passed away at the age of only sixteen months, and said:“A wet nurse has been appointed for him in Paradise who will complete his period of suckling, and he is among the truthful.”