مسند امام احمد بن حنبل · Hadith 2020

It was narrated that Abu Jamrah said: I heard Ibn 'Abbas say: The delegation of ' Abdul-Qais came to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: "Who is this delegation?" - or: "Who are these people?" - They said: Rabee'ah. He said: "Welcome to the delegation - or: to the people - who were neither humiliated nor do they have any regrets." They said: O Messenger of Allah, we have come to you from a far-off land, and between us and youthere is this tribe of the kuffar of Mudar. We can only come to you during a sacred month, so give us a clear command by which we may enter Paradise and which we can tell to those whom we have left behind. And they asked him about drinks. He enjoined four things upon them and forbade them to do four. He enjoined them to believe in Allah alone and said, "Do you know what believing in Allah alone means?" They said: Allah and His Messenger know best. He said: "(It means) testifying that there is no god but Allah alone and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), establishing regular prayer, paying zakah, fasting Ramadan and giving one-fifth ( khumus ) of the war booty." And he forbade them to use gourds, green glazed pitchers, hollowed-out stumps or varnished jars - perhaps he said [another type of] varnished jars - and he said: "Remember this and tell it to those whom you have left behind."

Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020