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LENGTH OF A MAN’S HAIR

807

“There was a man in Damascus who was a Companion of the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, named ibn al-Hanzaliyyah. He liked solitude and did not spend much time in the company of people. Most of his time was spent in prayer, and when he finished praying he occupied himself with the remembrance (zhikr) of Allah with glorifying (tasbih) and magnifying (takbir) Allah, till he went home. One day as we were sitting with Abu Darda' he passed by and Abu Darda' asked him, ‘Tell us something which would be useful to us and by its telling you will not be harmed.’ He replied, ‘The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, dispatched a reconnaissance party. After they returned one of them went to a group in which he found the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, and said to his neighbor during the course of conversation, ‘I wish you had seen us when we engaged the enemy. One of them (the unbelievers) took his spear and struck one of us and he returned his attack saying, ‘Take this from me and know that I am only a Ghifari slave. Now what do you think of that?’ His neighbor replied, ‘I think he lost his merit because of his boasting.’ The man said, ‘I see no harm in that!’ And they began to argue until the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, heard them and said, ‘Glory be to Allah, there is no harm in him being recompensed (in the Everlasting Life) and praising him (in this world).’ Abu Darda' seemed pleased with this and, raising his head began to repeat:

‘Did you hear the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, say this?’ And ibn al Hanzaliyyah kept answering, ‘Yes, indeed’, till I said to Abu Darda' ‘Why do you keep asking him?’

Ibn al-Hanzaliyyah passed by them another day and Abu Darda' asked him, ‘Tell us something that would be useful to us and by its telling you will not be harmed.’ He replied, ‘The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, told us that he who spends on the upkeep of a horse is like one who extends his hand in charity and does not restrain it.’

He passed by them another day and Abu Darda' asked him, ‘Tell us something that would be useful to us and by its telling you will not be harmed.’ He replied, ‘The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, once said, Khuraim Usaidi would be an excellent person if it were not for his long hair and his long loin cloth.' The news reached the ears of Khurain and in haste he cut his hair to his ears with a knife and shortened his loin cloth to mid-calf.

Ibn al-Hanzaliyyah passed by them on another occasion and Abu Darda' asked him, ‘Tell us something that might be useful for us and by its telling you will not be harmed.’ He replied, ‘I heard the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, say when returning from an expedition, ‘You are returning to your brothers so make your saddles and clothes tidy so that your appearance is decent. Allah does not like untidiness.’"

Abu Daud with a chain up to Kais, the son of Bishr Taghlibi who related that his father, who kept company with Abu Darda' who told him that the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, said this.