It is narrated on the authority of 'Abdullah son of 'Umar that the Messenger of Allah (صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ) said: (The superstructure of) al-Islam is raised on five (pillars), testifying (the fact) that there is no god but Allah, that Muhammad is His bondsman and messenger, and the establishment of prayer, payment of Zakat, Pilgrimage to the House (Ka'ba) and the fast of Ramadan.

It is reported on the authority of Ta'us that a man said to 'Abdullah son of 'Umar (RA) . Why don't you carry out a military expedition? Upon which he replied: I heard the messenger of Allah ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) say: Verily, al-Islam is founded on five (pillars): testifying the fact that there is no god but Allah, establishment of prayer, payment of Zakat, fast of Ramadan and Pilgrimage to the House.

It is narrated on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas that a delegation of Abdul Qais came to the Messenger of Allah ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) and said: Messenger of Allah, verily ours is a tribe of Rabi'ah and there stand between you and us the unbelievers of Mudar and we find no freedom to come to you except in the sacred month. Direct us to an act which we should ourselves perform and invite those who live beside us. Upon this the Prophet ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) remarked: I command you to do four things and prohibit you against four acts. (The four deeds which you are commanded to do are): Faith in Allah, and then he explained it for them and said: Testifying the fact. that there is no god but Allah, that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, performance of prayer, payment of Zakat, that you pay Khums (one-fifth) of the booty fallen to your lot, and I prohibit you to use round gourd, wine jars, wooden pots or skins for wine. Khalaf bin Hisham has made this addition in his narration: Testifying the fact that there is no god but Allah, and then he with his finger pointed out the oneness of the Lord.

Abu Jamra reported: I was an interpreter between Ibn Abbas (RA) and the people, that a woman happened to come there and asked about nabidh or the pitcher of wine. He replied: A delegation of the people of 'Abdul-Qais came to the Messenger of Allah ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) . He (the Holy Prophet) asked the delegation or the people (of the delegation about their identity). They replied that they belonged to the tribe of Rabi'ah. He (the Holy Prophet) welcomed the people or the delegation which were neither humiliated nor put to shame. They (the members of the delegation) said: Messenger of Allah, we come to you from a far-off distance and there lives between you and us a tribe of the unbelievers of Mudar and, therefore, it is not possible for us to come to you except in the sacred months. Thus direct us to a clear command, about which we should inform people beside us and by which we may enter heaven. He (the Holy Prophet) replied: I command you to do four deeds and forbid you to do four (acts), and added: I direct you to affirm belief in Allah alone, and then asked them: Do you know what belief in Allah really implies? They said: Allah and His Messenger know best. The Prophet ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) said: It implies testimony to the fact that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, establishment of prayer, payment of Zakat, fast of Ramadan, that you pay one-fifth of the booty (fallen to your lot) and I forbid you to use gourd, wine jar, or a receptacle for wine. Shu'bah sometimes narrated the word naqir (wooden pot) and sometimes narrated it as muqayyar. The Holy Prophet ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) also said: Keep it in your mind and inform those who have been left behind.

There is another hadith narrated on the authority of Ibn Abbas (RA) (the contents of which are similar to the one) narrated by Shu'bah in which the Holy Prophet ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) said: I forbid you to prepare nabidh in a gourd, hollowed block of wood, a varnished jar or receptacle. Ibn Mu'adh made this addition on the authority of his father that the Messenger of Allah ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) said to Ashajj, of the tribe of 'Abdul-Qais: You possess two qualities which are liked by Allah: insight and deliberateness.

It is reported on the authority of Qatada that one among the delegates of the 'Abdul-Qais tribe narrated this tradition to him. Sa'id said that Qatada had mentioned the name of Abu Nadra on the authority of Abu Sa'id Khudri who narrated this tradition: That people from the- tribe of 'Abdul-Qais came to the Messenger of Allah ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) and said: Messenger of Allah, we belong to the tribe of Rabi'ah and there live between you and us the unbelievers of the Mudar tribe and we find it impossible to come to you except in the sacred months; direct us to a deed which we must communicate to those who have been left behind us and by doing which we may enter heaven. Upon this the Messenger of Allah ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) said: I enjoin upon you four (things) and forbid you to do four (things): worship Allah and associate none with Him, establish prayer, pay Zakat, and observe the fast of Ramadan, and pay the fifth part out of the booty. And I prohibit you from four (things): dry gourds, green-coloured jars, hollowed stumps of palm-trees, and receptacles. They (the members of the delegation) said: Do you know what al-naqir is? He replied: Yes, it is a stump which you hollow out and in which you throw small dates. Sa'id said: He (the Holy Prophet) used the word tamar (dates). (The Holy Prophet ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) then added): Then you sprinkle water over it and when its ebullition subsides, you drink it (and you are so intoxicated) that one amongst you, or one amongst them (the other members of your tribe, who were not present there) strikes his cousin with the sword. He (the narrator) said: There was a man amongst us who had sustained injury on this very account due to (intoxication), and he told that he tried to conceal it out of shame from the Messenger of Allah ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) . I, however, inquired from the Messenger of Allah ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) (it we discard those utensils which you have forbidden us to use), then what type of vessels should be used for drink? He (the Holy Prophet) replied: In the waterskin the mouths of which are tied (with a string). They (again) said: Prophet ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) of Allah, our land abounds in rats and water-skins cannot remain preserved. The holy Prophet ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) of Allah ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) said: (Drink in water-skins) even if these arenibbled by rats. And then (addressing) al-Ashajj of 'Abdul-Qais he said: Verily, you possess two such qualities which Allah loves: insight and deliberateness.

The above hadith has been mentioned with a different chain and slightly different wording.

It is narrated on the authority of Abu Said al-Khudri that when the delegation of the tribe of Abdul-Qais came to the Prophet ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) of Allah ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) , (its members) said: Apostle of Allah ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) , may God enable us to lay down our lives for you, which beverage is good for us? He (the Prophet) said: (Not to speak of beverages, I would lay stress) that you should not drink in the wine jars. They said: Apostle of Allah ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) , may God enable us to lay down our lives for you, do you know what al-naqir is? He (the Holy Prophet) replied: Yes, it is a stump which you hollow out in the middle, and added: Do not use gourd or receptacle (for drink). Use water-skin the mouth of which is tied with a thong (for this purpose).

It is reported on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas that Mu'adh said: The Messenger of Allah ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) sent me (as a governor of Yemen) and (at the time of departure) instructed me thus: You will soon find yourself in a community one among the people of the Book, so first call them to testify that there is no god but Allah, that I (Muhammad) am the messenger of Allah, and if they accept this, then tell them Allah has enjoined upon them five prayers during the day and the night and if they accept it, then tell them that Allah has made Zakat obligatory for them that it should be collected from the rich and distributed among the poor, and if they agree to it don't pick up (as a share of Zakat) the best of their wealths. Beware of the supplication of the oppressed for there is no barrier between him and Allah.

The above hadith has been mentioned with a different chain with a slightly different wording at the beginning, then follows the same.