The command to believe in Allah and His Messenger ﷺ and the laws of Islam, calling people to it, asking about it, memorizing it and conveying it to those who have not heard the message

It is narrated on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas that a delegation of Abdul Qais came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and said: Messenger of Allah, verily ours is a tribe of Rabi'a and there stand between you and us the unbelievers of Mudar and we find no freedom to come to you except in the sacred month. Direct us to an act which we should ourselves perform and invite those who live beside us. Upon this the Prophet remarked: I command you to do four things and prohibit you against four acts. (The four deeds which you are commanded to do are): Faith in Allah, and then he explained it for them and said: Testifying the fact. that there is no god but Allah, that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, performance of prayer, payment of Zakat, that you pay Khums (one-fifth) of the booty fallen to your lot, and I prohibit you to use round gourd, wine jars, wooden pots or skins for wine. Khalaf b. Hisham has made this addition in his narration: Testifying the fact that there is no god but Allah, and then he with his finger pointed out the oneness of the Lord.

حَدَّثَنَا خَلَفُ بْنُ هِشَامٍ، حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ زَيْدٍ، عَنْ أَبِي جَمْرَةَ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ، ح وَحَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ يَحْيَى، - وَاللَّفْظُ لَهُ - أَخْبَرَنَا عَبَّادُ بْنُ عَبَّادٍ، عَنْ أَبِي جَمْرَةَ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، قَالَ قَدِمَ وَفْدُ عَبْدِ الْقَيْسِ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّا هَذَا الْحَىَّ مِنْ رَبِيعَةَ وَقَدْ حَالَتْ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَكَ كُفَّارُ مُضَرَ فَلاَ نَخْلُصُ إِلَيْكَ إِلاَّ فِي شَهْرِ الْحَرَامِ فَمُرْنَا بِأَمْرٍ نَعْمَلُ بِهِ وَنَدْعُو إِلَيْهِ مَنْ وَرَاءَنَا . قَالَ " آمُرُكُمْ بِأَرْبَعٍ وَأَنْهَاكُمْ عَنْ أَرْبَعٍ الإِيمَانِ بِاللَّهِ - ثُمَّ فَسَّرَهَا لَهُمْ فَقَالَ - شَهَادَةِ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ وَإِقَامِ الصَّلاَةِ وَإِيتَاءِ الزَّكَاةِ وَأَنْ تُؤَدُّوا خُمُسَ مَا غَنِمْتُمْ وَأَنْهَاكُمْ عَنِ الدُّبَّاءِ وَالْحَنْتَمِ وَالنَّقِيرِ وَالْمُقَيَّرِ " . زَادَ خَلَفٌ فِي رِوَايَتِهِ " شَهَادَةِ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ " . وَعَقَدَ وَاحِدَةً .

Abu Jamra reported: I was an interpreter between Ibn Abbas and the people, that a woman happened to come there and asked about nabidh or the pitcher of wine. He replied: A delegation of the people of 'Abdul-Qais came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He (the Holy Prophet) asked the delegation or the people (of the delegation about their identity). They replied that they belonged to the tribe of Rabi'a. He (the Holy Prophet) welcomed the people or the delegation which were neither humiliated nor put to shame. They (the members of the delegation) said: Messenger of Allah, we come to you from a far-off distance and there lives between you and us a tribe of the unbelievers of Mudar and, therefore, it is not possible for us to come to you except in the sacred months. Thus direct us to a clear command, about which we should inform people beside us and by which we may enter heaven. He (the Holy Prophet) replied: I command you to do four deeds and forbid you to do four (acts), and added: I direct you to affirm belief in Allah alone, and then asked them: Do you know what belief in Allah really implies? They said: Allah and His Messenger know best. The Prophet ﷺ said: It implies testimony to the fact that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, establishment of prayer, payment of Zakat, fast of Ramadan, that you pay one-fifth of the booty (fallen to your lot) and I forbid you to use gourd, wine jar, or a receptacle for wine. Shu'ba sometimes narrated the word naqir (wooden pot) and sometimes narrated it as muqayyar. The Holy Prophet also said: Keep it in your mind and inform those who have been left behind.

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى، وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ، وَأَلْفَاظُهُمْ، مُتَقَارِبَةٌ - قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ حَدَّثَنَا غُنْدَرٌ، عَنْ شُعْبَةَ، وَقَالَ الآخَرَانِ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، - عَنْ أَبِي جَمْرَةَ، قَالَ كُنْتُ أُتَرْجِمُ بَيْنَ يَدَىِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ وَبَيْنَ النَّاسِ فَأَتَتْهُ امْرَأَةٌ تَسْأَلُهُ عَنْ نَبِيذِ الْجَرِّ، فَقَالَ إِنَّ وَفْدَ عَبْدِ الْقَيْسِ أَتَوْا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ " مَنِ الْوَفْدُ أَوْ مَنِ الْقَوْمُ " . قَالُوا رَبِيعَةُ . قَالَ " مَرْحَبًا بِالْقَوْمِ أَوْ بِالْوَفْدِ غَيْرَ خَزَايَا وَلاَ النَّدَامَى " . قَالَ فَقَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّا نَأْتِيكَ مِنْ شُقَّةٍ بَعِيدَةٍ وَإِنَّ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَكَ هَذَا الْحَىَّ مِنْ كُفَّارِ مُضَرَ وَإِنَّا لاَ نَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ نَأْتِيَكَ إِلاَّ فِي شَهْرِ الْحَرَامِ فَمُرْنَا بِأَمْرٍ فَصْلٍ نُخْبِرْ بِهِ مَنْ وَرَاءَنَا نَدْخُلُ بِهِ الْجَنَّةَ . قَالَ فَأَمَرَهُمْ بِأَرْبَعٍ وَنَهَاهُمْ عَنْ أَرْبَعٍ . قَالَ أَمَرَهُمْ بِالإِيمَانِ بِاللَّهِ وَحْدَهُ . وَقَالَ " هَلْ تَدْرُونَ مَا الإِيمَانُ بِاللَّهِ " . قَالُوا اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَعْلَمُ . قَالَ " شَهَادَةُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ وَإِقَامُ الصَّلاَةِ وَإِيتَاءُ الزَّكَاةِ وَصَوْمُ رَمَضَانَ وَأَنْ تُؤَدُّوا خُمُسًا مِنَ الْمَغْنَمِ " . وَنَهَاهُمْ عَنِ الدُّبَّاءِ وَالْحَنْتَمِ وَالْمُزَفَّتِ . قَالَ شُعْبَةُ وَرُبَّمَا قَالَ النَّقِيرِ . قَالَ شُعْبَةُ وَرُبَّمَا قَالَ الْمُقَيَّرِ . وَقَالَ " احْفَظُوهُ وَأَخْبِرُوا بِهِ مِنْ وَرَائِكُمْ " . وَقَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ فِي رِوَايَتِهِ " مَنْ وَرَاءَكُمْ " وَلَيْسَ فِي رِوَايَتِهِ الْمُقَيَّرِ .

There is another hadith narrated on the authority of Ibn Abbas (the contents of which are similar to the one) narrated by Shu'ba in which Prophet ﷺ said: I forbid you to prepare nabidh in a gourd, hollowed block of wood, a varnished jar or receptacle. Ibn Mu'adh made this addition on the authority of his father that the Messenger of Allah said to Ashajj, of the tribe of 'Abdul-Qais: You possess two qualities which are liked by Allah: insight and deliberateness.

وَحَدَّثَنِي عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُعَاذٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي ح، وَحَدَّثَنَا نَصْرُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ الْجَهْضَمِيُّ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي أَبِي قَالاَ، جَمِيعًا حَدَّثَنَا قُرَّةُ بْنُ خَالِدٍ، عَنْ أَبِي جَمْرَةَ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ بِهَذَا الْحَدِيثِ نَحْوَ حَدِيثِ شُعْبَةَ . وَقَالَ " أَنْهَاكُمْ عَمَّا يُنْبَذُ فِي الدُّبَّاءِ وَالنَّقِيرِ وَالْحَنْتَمِ وَالْمُزَفَّتِ " . وَزَادَ ابْنُ مُعَاذٍ فِي حَدِيثِهِ عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ وَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لِلأَشَجِّ أَشَجِّ عَبْدِ الْقَيْسِ " إِنَّ فِيكَ خَصْلَتَيْنِ يُحِبُّهُمَا اللَّهُ الْحِلْمُ وَالأَنَاةُ " .

It is reported on the authority of Qatada that one among the delegates of the 'Abdul-Qais tribe narrated this tradition to him. Sa'id said that Qatada had mentioned the name of Abu Nadra on the authority of Abu Sa'id Khudri who narrated this tradition: That people from the- tribe of 'Abdul-Qais came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and said: Messenger of Allah, we belong to the tribe of Rabi'a and there live between you and us the unbelievers of the Mudar tribe and we find it impossible to come to you except in the sacred months;
direct us to a deed which we must communicate to those who have been left behind us and by doing which we may enter heaven. Upon this the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: I enjoin upon you four (things) and forbid you to do four (things): worship Allah and associate none with Him, establish prayer, pay Zakat, and observe the fast of Ramadan, and pay the fifth part out of the booty. And I prohibit you from four (things): dry gourds, green-coloured jars, hollowed stumps of palm-trees, and receptacles. They (the members of the delegation) said: Do you know what al-naqir is? He replied: Yes, it is a stump which you hollow out and in which you throw small dates. Sa'id said: He (the Holy Prophet) used the word tamar (dates). (The Holy Prophet then added): Then you sprinkle water over it and when its ebullition subsides, you drink it (and you are so intoxicated) that one amongst you, or one amongst them (the other members of your tribe, who were not present there) strikes his cousin with the sword. He (the narrator) said: There was a man amongst us who had sustained injury on this very account due to (intoxication), and he told that he tried to conceal it out of shame from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. I, however, inquired from the Messenger of Allah (it we discard those utensils which you have forbidden us to use), then what type of vessels should be used for drink? He (the Holy Prophet) replied: In the waterskin the mouths of which are tied (with a string). They (again) said: Prophet of Allah, our land abounds in rats and water-skins cannot remain preserved. The holy Prophet of Allah ﷺ said: (Drink in water-skins) even if these arenibbled by rats. And then (addressing) al-Ashajj of 'Abdul-Qais he said: Verily, you possess two such qualities which Allah loves: insight and deliberateness.

حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ أَيُّوبَ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ عُلَيَّةَ، حَدَّثَنَا سَعِيدُ بْنُ أَبِي عَرُوبَةَ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا مَنْ، لَقِيَ الْوَفْدَ الَّذِينَ قَدِمُوا عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ مِنْ عَبْدِ الْقَيْسِ . قَالَ سَعِيدٌ وَذَكَرَ قَتَادَةُ أَبَا نَضْرَةَ عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ فِي حَدِيثِهِ هَذَا . أَنَّ أُنَاسًا مِنْ عَبْدِ الْقَيْسِ قَدِمُوا عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالُوا يَا نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ إِنَّا حَىٌّ مِنْ رَبِيعَةَ وَبَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَكَ كُفَّارُ مُضَرَ وَلاَ نَقْدِرُ عَلَيْكَ إِلاَّ فِي أَشْهُرِ الْحُرُمِ فَمُرْنَا بِأَمْرٍ نَأْمُرُ بِهِ مَنْ وَرَاءَنَا وَنَدْخُلُ بِهِ الْجَنَّةَ إِذَا نَحْنُ أَخَذْنَا بِهِ . فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ " آمُرُكُمْ بِأَرْبَعٍ وَأَنْهَاكُمْ عَنْ أَرْبَعٍ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ وَلاَ تُشْرِكُوا بِهِ شَيْئًا وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلاَةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ وَصُومُوا رَمَضَانَ وَأَعْطُوا الْخُمُسَ مِنَ الْغَنَائِمِ وَأَنْهَاكُمْ عَنْ أَرْبَعٍ عَنِ الدُّبَّاءِ وَالْحَنْتَمِ وَالْمُزَفَّتِ وَالنَّقِيرِ " . قَالُوا يَا نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ مَا عِلْمُكَ بِالنَّقِيرِ قَالَ " بَلَى جِذْعٌ تَنْقُرُونَهُ فَتَقْذِفُونَ فِيهِ مِنَ الْقُطَيْعَاءِ - قَالَ سَعِيدٌ أَوْ قَالَ مِنَ التَّمْرِ - ثُمَّ تَصُبُّونَ فِيهِ مِنَ الْمَاءِ حَتَّى إِذَا سَكَنَ غَلَيَانُهُ شَرِبْتُمُوهُ حَتَّى إِنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ - أَوْ إِنَّ أَحَدَهُمْ - لَيَضْرِبُ ابْنَ عَمِّهِ بِالسَّيْفِ " . قَالَ وَفِي الْقَوْمِ رَجُلٌ أَصَابَتْهُ جِرَاحَةٌ كَذَلِكَ . قَالَ وَكُنْتُ أَخْبَأُهَا حَيَاءً مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقُلْتُ فَفِيمَ نَشْرَبُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ " فِي أَسْقِيَةِ الأَدَمِ الَّتِي يُلاَثُ عَلَى أَفْوَاهِهَا " . قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّ أَرْضَنَا كَثِيرَةُ الْجِرْذَانِ وَلاَ تَبْقَى بِهَا أَسْقِيَةُ الأَدَمِ . فَقَالَ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ ﷺ " وَإِنْ أَكَلَتْهَا الْجِرْذَانُ وَإِنْ أَكَلَتْهَا الْجِرْذَانُ وَإِنْ أَكَلَتْهَا الْجِرْذَانُ " . قَالَ وَقَالَ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ ﷺ لأَشَجِّ عَبْدِ الْقَيْسِ " إِنَّ فِيكَ لَخَصْلَتَيْنِ يُحِبُّهُمَا اللَّهُ الْحِلْمُ وَالأَنَاةُ " .