‘Umar b. al-Khattab and Abu Huraira reported God’s messenger as saying that if anyone says, on seeing someone who is suffering affliction, “Praise be to God who has kept me free from the affliction He has brought on him and has shown me favour above many whom He has created,” that affliction, whatever it may be, will not smite him.
Tirmidhi transmitted it, and Ibn Majah transmitted it from Ibn ‘Umar. Tirmidhi said this is a gharib tradition, and ‘Amr b. Dinar, the transmitter, is not strong.
Talha b. ‘Ubaidallah told that when the Prophet saw the new moon he said, “O God, make the new moon rise on us with security, faith, safety and Islam. My Lord and your Lord is God.”
Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is a hasan gharib tradition.
‘Umar reported God’s messenger as saying that if anyone says on entering the market, “There is no god but God alone who has no partner, to whom belongs the dominion, to whom praise is due, who gives life and causes death while He is living and does not die, in whose hand is good, and who is omnipotent,” God will record for him a million good deeds, obliterate from him a million evil deeds, raise him a million degrees, and build him a house in paradise.
Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted it, Tirmidhi saying this is a gharib tradition. Sharh as-sunna has, “Says in a general market in which things are sold,” instead of “on entering the market.”
‘Abdallah b. Busr said that God’s messenger visited his father and they presented him with some food and a mixture of dates, dried curd and clarified butter,* some of which he ate. Then some dates were brought to him and he ate them, throwing away the stones between two fingers, joining the forefinger and the middle finger. A version says that he began to throw away the stones on the outside of his forefinger and middle finger. He was then brought something to drink, and when he had drunk it father took hold of the bridle of his beast and said, “Supplicate God for us.” So he said, “O God, bless them in that with which Thou hast provided them, forgive them and show them mercy.”
*The Arabic word for this dish is watba. The word hais is used for very much the same dish. See p. 439, n.1.
