654 – Abū Masʿūd ʿUqbah ibn ʿAmr al-Badri (may Allah be pleased with him) said: A man came to the Prophet ﷺ and complained, “I stay away from the dawn prayer on account of so-and-so, because he makes it too long for us!” I never saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ become angrier in an admonition than he did that day. He said, “O people! Some of you drive others away. Whoever leads the people in prayer, let him keep it brief (1), for behind him are the elderly, the young, and those with pressing needs.” Agreed upon.

(1) I.e., shorten the prayer.

655 – ʿĀʾishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ returned from a journey while I had covered a niche with a thin curtain that had images on it. When he saw it, he tore it down, his face changed color, and he said, “O ʿĀʾishah, the people who will receive the most severe punishment from Allah on the Day of Resurrection are those who try to imitate the creation of Allah.” Agreed upon.

A “sahwah” is a small alcove or recess at the front of a house. A “qirām” (with a kasrah under the qāf) is a fine curtain. “He tore it down” means he ruined the images that were on it.

656 – ʿĀʾishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that Quraysh were troubled about the case of a woman from Banū Makhzūm who had stolen. They said, “Who will speak to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about her?” and concluded, “No one will dare except Usāmah ibn Zayd, the beloved of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.” Usāmah spoke to him, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Do you intercede concerning one of the limits set by Allah?” He then stood and delivered a sermon (2) in which he said, “Those before you were only destroyed because, when a noble person among them stole, they let him go, but when a weak person stole, they enforced the penalty. By Allah, if Fāṭimah the daughter of Muḥammad were to steal, I would cut off her hand.” Agreed upon.

(2) I.e., addressed the people publicly.

657 – Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet ﷺ saw a spot of phlegm on the qiblah wall of the mosque, and the sight of it distressed him so much that it showed on his face. He rose, scraped it off with his own hand, and said, “When one of you stands for prayer—”