It is narrated from Sa'id bin al-Musayyab that he said: "Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) gathered the people and consulted them about the day from which the date (calendar) should be written. Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) said: 'From the day on which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) emigrated and left the land of polytheism.' So Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) acted upon that and fixed the calendar accordingly." This hadith has an authentic (sahih) chain of narration, but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he said: When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) arrived in Madinah, he (peace and blessings be upon him) established brotherhood (mu'akhah) among his Companions. Then Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) came with tears flowing from his eyes and said: O Messenger of Allah! You have established brotherhood among all your Companions, but you have not established brotherhood between me and anyone. So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Ali! You are my brother in this world and the Hereafter." Salim bin Abi Hafsah has also corroborated this narration from Jumay', with some addition in its wording.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) established brotherhood among his Companions. He (peace and blessings be upon him) made brothers of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr and Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), of Sayyiduna Talhah and Sayyiduna al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with them both), and of Sayyiduna Uthman bin Affan and Sayyiduna Abd al-Rahman bin Awf (may Allah be pleased with them both). Then Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: O Messenger of Allah! You have established brotherhood among your Companions, so who is my brother? The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Ali! Are you not pleased that I should be your brother?" Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was very strong and brave. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Of course, O Messenger of Allah! So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "You are my brother in this world and the Hereafter."

It is narrated from Talhah al-Nadri (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: When any man among us came to Madinah and had an acquaintance ('arif) there, he would stay with that acquaintance; but if he had no acquaintance there, he would stay in the Suffah. So I came to Madinah and had no acquaintance there, so I stayed in the Suffah. There, one mudd of dates (approximately 625 grams) was given to us daily from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), between every two men, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) used to clothe us in coarse cotton cloth (khunuf). One day the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) led us in one of the daytime prayers. When he (peace and blessings be upon him) gave the salam, the people of the Suffah called out to him (peace and blessings be upon him) from the right and the left: O Messenger of Allah! These dates have burned our stomachs, and these coarse garments of ours have torn apart. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) turned towards his pulpit and ascended it, then he praised and extolled Allah and mentioned the hardships that he (peace and blessings be upon him) had endured from his people, until he said: "Indeed, more than ten days passed over me and my companion when he and I had nothing to eat except the fruit of the arak tree (al-barir)." - The narrator says: I asked Abu Harb: What is this "al-barir"? He said: It was the food of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), namely the fruit of the arak tree. - (He (peace and blessings be upon him) continued his speech and said:) "Then we came to these brothers of ours from the Ansar, whose main food is dates, and they shared it with us. By Allah! If I found bread and meat for you, I would certainly fill you with it; but it may be that you will live to see a time when large bowls (of food) are brought to one of you morning and evening." The narrator says: The Companions said: O Messenger of Allah! Will we be better on that day or today? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Rather, you are better today. Today you love one another, whereas on that day you will strike one another's necks." - The narrator thinks that he (peace and blessings be upon him) also said: "You will hate one another." This hadith has an authentic (sahih) chain of narration, but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: The people of the Suffah were the guests of Islam; they had neither family home nor wealth. By Allah, besides whom there is no god! I used to press my liver (stomach) against the ground because of the severity of hunger, and sometimes I would tie a stone over my stomach because of hunger. One day I sat on the path by which they used to come out. Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) passed by, so I asked him about a verse from the Book of Allah, and my only purpose was that he would take me along with him (so that I might get something to eat), but he passed by and did not do so. Then Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) passed by, and I asked him too about a verse from the Book of Allah, and my purpose was the same, that he would take me along with him, but he too passed by and did not do so. Then Abu al-Qasim (peace and blessings be upon him) came by; he smiled when he saw me and said: "O Abu Hurayrah!" I said: O Messenger of Allah, here I am at your service. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Come with me," and he (peace and blessings be upon him) went ahead, and I followed him (peace and blessings be upon him). He (peace and blessings be upon him) entered his house; I asked permission and was granted permission. There was some milk in a bowl. He (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "Where did you get this milk from?" It was said that such-and-such a person had sent it to you as a gift. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Abu Hurayrah!" I said: Labbayk (here I am). He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Go to the people of the Suffah and call them here." They were the guests of Islam; they had neither home nor wealth. When charity (sadaqah) came to him (peace and blessings be upon him), he (peace and blessings be upon him) would send it to them and would not partake of any of it himself; and when a gift came, he would send for them, and he would partake of it himself and share it with them as well. This (calling them) displeased me somewhat, and I said (to myself): What is this one bowl among all the people of the Suffah? I am only the messenger sent to call them; he (peace and blessings be upon him) will command me and I will pass this bowl around among them, so what will be left for me from it? And I had hoped to get from it enough to satisfy my need. But there was no choice except to obey Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). So I went to them and called them. When they came to him (peace and blessings be upon him) and took their seats, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Abu Hurayrah! Take the bowl and give it to them." I took the bowl and began giving it to one person after another; that person would drink until he was satisfied, then return the bowl, until I reached the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and all the people had drunk their fill. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) took the bowl and placed it on his blessed hands, then raised his blessed head towards me, smiled and said: "O Abu Hurayrah!" I said: Labbayk, O Messenger of Allah! He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Now sit down and drink." I drank. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Drink," and I drank again. He (peace and blessings be upon him) kept on saying: "Drink," until I said: By the One who sent you with the truth! I no longer find any room for it (the milk). Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) took the bowl, praised Allah, said "Bismillah" and drank it himself. 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 Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the people of the Suffah were seventy (70) men, and they did not even have cloaks to wrap themselves in. This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim), but they did not record it! Imam al-Hakim says: I reflected on these narrations reported about the people of the Suffah, and I found them to be among the most excellent of the Companions in piety, in reliance upon Allah, and in constant devotion to serving the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Allah Almighty chose for them the same humility, poverty, single-minded devotion to the worship of Allah, and leaving of the world to its people that He had chosen for His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). They are the group to whom the Sufis have traced their affiliation century after century. So whoever follows their way, their patience in leaving the world, their contentment with poverty, and their refraining from asking others, is in every age a follower of the people of the Suffah and one who relies upon his Creator.

Sahl bin Abdullah al-Tustari says: When Allah Almighty sent the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), there were seven categories of people in the world: kings, farmers, herders of livestock, merchants, craftsmen, laborers, and the weak and the poor. None of them was commanded to abandon his occupation; rather, they were commanded to have knowledge, certainty, piety (taqwa) and reliance (tawakkul) in all their circumstances. Sahl (may Allah have mercy on him) says that the intelligent person should say: Since I have come to know that I am Your servant, it is not fitting for me to hope in or long for anyone other than You; nor should I imagine about You, when You have created me and made me Your servant, that You would leave me to my own self or entrust my affairs to anyone other than You. Imam al-Hakim says: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) has described this group with the qualities which Allah Almighty granted them specifically in contrast to the other groups; so whoever is found to have those qualities deserves the name of Sufism (tasawwuf).

It is narrated from Iyad bin Sulayman (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The best people of my Ummah, as the Highest Assembly (al-Mala' al-A'la, the angels closest to Allah) has informed me, are people who laugh openly (with joy) at the vastness of their Lord's mercy, and weep in secret out of fear of their Lord's severe punishment. They remember their Lord morning and evening in the pure houses, namely the mosques. They call upon Him with their tongues in longing and in fear, they spread out their hands before Him in humility and entreaty, and they turn to Him with their hearts again and again. Their burden upon people is light, while their own selves are weighed down (by the toil of worship). They walk upon the earth on their feet in humility, just as ants walk, with no strutting or arrogance in their gait. They walk with tranquility and seek nearness to Allah through the means (of righteous deeds). They recite the Qur'an and offer sacrifices. They wear old clothes. Witnesses from Allah are appointed over them, and His guarding eye is upon them. They recognize people by their signs, and they reflect upon the lands (the power of Allah). Their souls are in this world and their hearts are in the Hereafter. They have no concern except (the Hereafter) that lies before them. They have prepared provisions for their graves, a permit for their path, and readiness for their standing (before Allah)." Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) recited this verse: "That (success) is for whoever fears standing before Me and fears My threat." [Surah Ibrahim: 14] Imam al-Hakim says: Whoever among the Sufis of our time is granted the ability to adopt these qualities, glad tidings to him, for he is following his predecessors. The Sufis are one of the various groups of the Muslims; among them are good people and bad people, not as the ignorant and the common people imagine. If these people knew the station of the first generation (of this group) in Islam and their closeness to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), they would refrain from censuring and reviling them. As for the people of the Suffah in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), their names are scattered in the narrations that have reached us. If I had mentioned every hadith with its chain and the full wording of its text, this book would have become very long, and the chains of some of them do not meet the conditions of this book of mine; so I have mentioned a summary of their names from those narrations, and they are: Abu Abdullah Salman al-Farisi, Abu Ubaydah Amir bin Abdullah bin al-Jarrah, Abu al-Yaqzan Ammar bin Yasir, Abdullah bin Mas'ud al-Hudhali, al-Miqdad bin Amr bin Tha'labah (whom al-Aswad bin Abd Yaghuth had adopted, so he came to be called al-Miqdad bin al-Aswad al-Kindi), Khabbab bin al-Aratt, Bilal bin Rabah, Suhayb bin Sinan, Utbah bin Ghazwan, Zayd bin al-Khattab (the brother of Sayyiduna Umar), Abu Kabshah (the freed slave of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)), Abu Marthad Kannaz bin Husayn al-Ghanawi, Salim (the freed slave of Abu Hudhayfah bin Utbah bin Rabi'ah), Mistah bin Uthathah bin Abbad bin Abd al-Muttalib, Ukkashah bin Mihsan al-Asadi, Mas'ud bin al-Rabi' al-Qari, Umayr bin Awf (the freed slave of Suhayl bin Amr), Safwan bin Bayda', Abu Abs bin Jabr, Uwaym bin Sa'idah, Abu Lubabah bin Abd al-Mundhir, and Salim bin Umayr bin Thabit (he was among the Companions who wept much, and it was about him that this verse was revealed: "And their eyes were overflowing with tears out of grief." [Surah al-Tawbah: 92] ), Abu al-Yasar Ka'b bin Amr, Khubayb bin Yasaf, Abdullah bin Unays, Abu Dharr Jundub bin Junadah al-Ghifari and Utbah bin Mas'ud al-Hudhali. Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with them both) also used to stay with them and spend the night with them in the mosque, and likewise Sayyiduna Hudhayfah bin al-Yaman (may Allah be pleased with him) also used to stay with them and spend the night with them. Furthermore, Abu al-Darda' Uwaymir bin Amir, Abdullah bin Badr al-Juhani, al-Hajjaj bin Amr al-Aslami, Abu Hurayrah al-Dawsi, Thawban (the freed slave of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)), Mu'adh bin al-Harith al-Qari, al-Sa'ib bin Khallad and Thabit bin Wadi'ah (may Allah be pleased with them all) are also among them. Imam al-Hakim says: I have gathered these names from many scattered narrations in which the people of the Suffah and those who stayed with them in the mosque are mentioned. Among them are those who emigrated early, such as Ammar bin Yasir, Salman, Bilal, Suhayb, al-Miqdad and others; among them are those who emigrated later and took up residence in the mosque as part of the people of the Suffah; and among them are those who accepted Islam in the year of the Conquest of Makkah, then came to Madinah with him (peace and blessings be upon him) and joined the people of the Suffah, since they had no home or wealth in Madinah. They are not counted (formally) among the Muhajirun, because he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There is no (such) emigration after the Conquest of Makkah, but jihad and intention remain." And by the grace of Allah Almighty, I hope that whoever follows in their footsteps in reliance (upon Allah) and poverty until the Day of Resurrection will be counted among them and will be raised with them; and whoever loves them, even if he is a man of the world and of wealth, the same is hoped for him too, because he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever loves a people will be raised (on the Day of Resurrection) with them."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "Wherever the words 'O you who believe!' were revealed, they were revealed in Madinah (after the Hijrah), and wherever the words 'O mankind!' occur, they were revealed in Makkah (before the Hijrah)."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "For a long time and for several years in Makkah we recited the Mufassal (the last, shorter surahs of the Qur'an), and nowhere in it were the words 'O you who believe!'" This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim), but they did not record it. [The Book of Military Expeditions and Raids (Kitab al-Maghazi wa al-Saraya)] Al-Hakim Abu Abdullah Muhammad bin Abdullah al-Hafiz said, while dictating in Dhu al-Hijjah of the year 401 AH: This is the Book of Military Expeditions, Raids, and all the other events and battles from the Hijrah up to the passing away of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). The two Shaykhs have agreed upon most of the authentic hadith of this book. In this chapter there are also many hadith that revolve around Abu al-Zubayr from Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him), in narrating which Imam Muslim (may Allah have mercy on him) is alone, while some reliable hadith remained whose narrators are trustworthy but which the two Shaykhs did not narrate; some of them are as follows: