It is narrated from Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that Sayyida Umm Habiba and Sayyida Umm Salama (may Allah be pleased with them both) mentioned a church which they had seen in Abyssinia, and in another narration the words are as follows: During the illness of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), people were talking to each other in his presence, so Sayyida Umm Salama and Sayyida Umm Habiba (may Allah be pleased with them both) mentioned a church which they had seen in Abyssinia, in which there were pictures. Upon hearing this, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The condition of these people was that when a righteous man among them died, they would build a mosque over his grave and make these pictures in it. On the Day of Resurrection, these people will be the worst of creation in the sight of Allah Almighty.

Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) says that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had a black cloak. When his illness intensified, he (peace and blessings be upon him) would sometimes cover his face with it and sometimes remove it from his face, and he would say: May Allah destroy those people who made the graves of their prophets into mosques. He (peace and blessings be upon him) was declaring this act forbidden for his ummah.

Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) says that the place of Masjid Nabawi was owned by Banu Najjar, and there were date palm trees and graves from the time of ignorance, and some part was deserted. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to them: Make a deal with me for its price. But they said that we will take its price only from Allah Almighty. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered regarding the date palm trees, so they were cut down, and regarding the cultivation, so it was cleared, and regarding the graves, so they were dug up. Before this, wherever prayer time would find you, you would perform it there, even in the sheep pens.

Sayyiduna Taliq bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) says that we came to the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) as a delegation. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) bade us farewell, he instructed me, so I brought a water jug to him. He took a handful from it and rinsed his mouth three times, then tied it with a strap and said: Take this water and sprinkle it on the mosque of your people, and instruct the people to now raise their heads, for Allah Almighty has raised them. Sayyiduna Taliq bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The distance between us and you is very great, so this water will dry up. (Upon hearing this) the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: When it begins to dry up, (add more water to it and) increase it.

Sayyiduna Samurah bin Jundub (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded us to build mosques in our neighborhoods and to keep them clean and pure.

Sayyida Aisha Siddiqa (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded the building of mosques in neighborhoods, keeping them clean and pure, and perfuming them with fragrance.

Abu Bakr bin Anas bin Malik says that my father returned from Syria as part of a delegation, and I was with him. We met Mahmood bin Rabee’, who narrated a hadith from Sayyiduna ‘Itbaan bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) to my father. My father said: My dear son! Memorize this hadith because it is among the treasures of hadith. Then, when we returned and went to Madinah, we inquired about him; he was alive and there was an elderly blind man with him. We asked him about the hadith. He said: Yes, during the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), I lost my eyesight, so I said to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him): O Messenger of Allah! My eyesight is gone, and I do not have the strength to pray behind you. If you would kindly choose a place in my house for a mosque and pray there, I would make it my prayer place. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Alright, I will come to you in the morning. The next day, after he prayed (Fajr) prayer, he set out towards him until he reached him. In one narration, it is mentioned that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), Sayyiduna Abu Bakr, and Sayyiduna ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) came. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Itbaan! Where would you like me to designate a place for you (for prayer)? He specified a place, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed there. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sat there. In one narration, it is mentioned that they stayed for a meal. When the surrounding Ansar learned (of the Prophet’s arrival), they began to gather until our house was filled. People began to mention the hypocrites and the harm and evil that came from them, until the mention of a man named Malik bin Dukhshum (or Dukhshan or Dukhayshan) came up. People spoke much about him, saying he is such and such, while the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was sitting silently. When the talk became excessive, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Does this person not testify that there is no god but Allah? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked this question three times, to which the people replied: He does recite the kalimah. Upon hearing this, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: By Him Who has sent me with the truth! If he recites this kalimah sincerely from his heart, the Fire will never consume him. People were never as happy with anything as they were with this statement of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

The same narration is reported through another chain as follows: Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that Sayyiduna ‘Itban bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) lost his eyesight, so he said: O Messenger of Allah! If you would come and pray in my house, so that I may make that place where you prayed my place of prayer. The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came and prayed in his house. The people of Sayyiduna ‘Itban’s tribe came to the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and began mentioning Malik bin Dukhshum, alluding to his hypocrisy, and said: O Messenger of Allah! He is such and such. The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Does he not testify that Allah alone is the true deity and that I am the Messenger of Allah? The people said: Of course (he does give this testimony). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: By Him in Whose hand is my soul! Whoever utters this statement with truth and sincerity, the Fire is made forbidden for him.

Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that there was an Ansari man who was overweight and did not have the strength to pray with the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), so he said: O Messenger of Allah! By Allah, I do not have the strength to pray with you. Then he prepared food for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), invited him, spread a mat for him, and sprinkled water on it. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed two rak‘ahs on it. A man from the family of Jarud asked him: Did the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) pray the Duha prayer? He replied: I did not see him pray the Duha prayer except on that day.

Under this chapter, the following sub-chapters and hadiths have been mentioned.