Al-Adab Al-Mufrad: Sitting and lying down

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, forbade two types of dress and two sales transactions. He forbade the sales transactions called mulamasa and munabadha.* The two types of dress are samma' ** and wrapping oneself up in garment while sitting down [with the legs drawn up] without anything covering the private parts."

'Abdullah ibn 'Amr reported his fasting was mentioned to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. He said, "The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came to visit me and I threw him a leather cushion stuffed with palm fibre, but he sat on the ground. The cushion remained between me and him. He asked me, 'Are three days every month enough for you?' I said, 'Messenger of Allah!' He said, 'Five?' I said, 'Messenger of Allah!' He said, Eleven?' I said, 'Messenger of Allah!' Then he said, 'Do not exceed the fast of Da'ud. Half of the time. Fast one day and break the fast the next.'"

'Abdullah ibn Busr reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, passed by 'Abdullah's father who threw the Prophet a rug on which he sat.

Qayla related, "I saw the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, sitting squatting. When I saw the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, humble in his form of sitting, I trembled from fear."

Dhayyal ibn Hanzala said, "I visited the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and I saw him sitting cross-legged."

Abu Ruzayq related that he saw 'Ali ibn 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas sitting cross-legged with one foot crossed over the other, the right on the left.

'Imran ibn Muslim said, "I saw Anas ibn Malik sitting like that - cross-legged, with one of his feet over the other one."

Salim ibn Jabir al-Hujaymi said, "I came up to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, when he was wrapped up in a cloak whose edges were cover his feet. I said, 'Messenger of Allah, advise me.' He said, 'You must have fearful awareness of Allah. Do not scorn anything correct, even pouring water from your bucket into the bucket of someone else who asks you for water or talking to your brother with a happy face. Beware of dragging your waist-wrapper - it is part of arrogance and Allah does not like it. If a man blames you for something he knows about you, do not blame him for anything you know of him. Leave him to his own evil. You will have your reward. Do not abuse anything.'"

It is related that Abu Hurayra said, "I never sae al-Hasan without my eyes overflowing with tears. That is because the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, went out one day and he found me in the mosque. He took my hand and I went along with him. He did not speak to me until we reached the market of Banu Qaynuqa'. He walked around it and looked. Then he left and I left with him until we reached the mosque. He sat down and wrapped himself in his garment. Then he said, 'Where is the little one? Call the little one to me.' Hasan came running and jumped into his lap. Then he put his hand in his beard. Then the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, opened his mouth and put his mouth in his mouth. Then he said, O Allah, I love him, so love him and the one who loves him!'"

Anas ibn Malik related that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, prayed Dhuhr with them. When he said the taslim, he stood on the minbar and talked about the Final Hour. He mentioned terrible things about it. Then he said, 'Whoever wants to ask about something should ask about it. By Allah, whatever you ask me about, I will tell you as long as I am in this place.' People wept a great deal when they heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say that. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, repeated frequently, 'Ask.' 'Umar knelt on knees and said, 'We are content with Allah as Lord, with Islam as (the) deen, and with Muhammad as Messenger.' The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was silent when 'Umar said that. Then the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'Better! By the One in Whose hand the soul of Muhammad is, I have been shown the Garden and the Fire inside this garden while I was praying. I have not seen any good and evil such as I have seen this day.'"

'Abdullah ibn Zayd ibn 'Asim al-Mazini said, "I saw him." Malik ibn Isma'il asked Ibn 'Uyayna (who had transmitted this to him), "The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace?" He replied, "Yes, lying down with one of his feet over the other."

Al-Miswar said, "I saw 'Abdu'r-Rahman ibn 'Awf lying down with one of his feet over the other."

Ibn Tikhfa al-Ghifari reported that his father told him that he had been one of the People of the Bench. He told him, "I was sleeping in the mosque during the last part of the night, lying on my stomach. Someone came to me and moved me with his foot, saying, 'Get up. This is a manner of lying down which Allah hates.' I raised my head and the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was standing by my head."

Abu Umama reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, passed by a man in the mosque who was lying on his front. He kicked him with his foot and said, "Get up. It is the sleep of Jahannam."

Ibn 'Umar said, "the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'None of you should eat with his left hand nor drink with his left hand. Shaytan eats and drinks with his left hand.'"

Ibn 'Abbas said, "Part of the sunna is that when a man sits down, he removes his sandals and puts them at his side."

Abu Umama said, "Shaytan comes to one of you in bed after his family has covered him and wished him good night. He throws sticks, stones or other things on him to make him angry with his family. When he feels that, he should not get angry with his family.' He said, 'It is part of the work of Shaytan.'"

'Ali reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "If anyone spends the night on the top of his house without protection, Allah has no responsibility for (protecting) him."

'Ali ibn 'Umara said, "Abu Ayyub al-Ansari came and went up on the flat roof. He came down and said, 'I almost spent the night with no protection.'"

Zuhayr reported that one of the Companions of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "If anyone spends the night on a flat roof (without walls) and then falls off of it and dies, no one bears any responsibility for him. If anyone embarks on the sea when it is fierce (i.e. stormy) and is destroyed, no one bears any responsibility for him."

Abu Musa al-Ash'ari related that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was sitting in a walled garden on the rim of a well, dangling his feet into the well.

When Ibn 'Umar left his house, he used to say, "O Allah, keep me and those with me safe!"

Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to say when he left his house, "In the Name of Allah. Reliance is on Allah. There is no power nor strength except by Allah."

"When it became clear to us that we should go to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, we travelled until we were in sight of our destination. We were met by a man on a young camel. He greeted is and we returned the greeting. Then he stopped and asked, 'Which tribe are you from?' We replied, 'We are the delegation of 'Abdu'l-Qays.' The man said, 'Welcome. I was looking for you. I came to give you good news. Yesterday the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, looked towards the east and told us, "Tomorrow from that direction (i.e. the east) there will come the best delegation of the Arabs." I spent the night preparing to leave. This morning I rode long and hard on my camel until dawn rose. Then I thought of returning, but I caught sight of the heads of your mounts.'