The Book Concerning the Use of Correct Words (Kitab Al-Alfaz min Al-Adab wa Ghairiha)

Chapter 1: PROHIBITION OF ABUSING TIME (DAHR)

Abu Huraira reported: I heard Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, said: The son of Adam abuses Dahr (the time), whereas I am Dahr since in My hand are the day and the night.

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, said: The son of Adam displeases Me by abusing Dahr (time), whereas I am Dahr--I alternate the night and the day.

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, said: The son of Adam causes Me pain as he says: Woe be upon the Time. None of you should say this: Woe be upon the Time, as I am the Time (because) I alternate the day and the night, and when I wish I can finish them up.

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: None of you should say: Woe be upon the Time, for verily Allah is the Time.

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) as saying: Do not abuse Time, for it is Allah Who is the Time.

Chapter 2: DISAPPROVAL OF NAMING THE VINE AS A KARM

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: None of you should abuse Time for it is Allah Who is the Time, and none of you should call 'Inab (grape) as al-karm, for karm is a Muslim person.

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: Do not use the word karm (for wine) for worthy of respect is the heart of a believer.

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: Do not name grape as karm, for worthy of respect is a Muslim.

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: None of you should use the word al-harin (for grape) for the heart of a believer is karm (worthy of respect).

Abu Huraira reported from Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) various ahadith, one of which is this that he said: None of you should use the word al-karm for 'Inab, for karm (worthy of respect) is a Muslim person.

'Alqama b. Wa'il reported, from his father, Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) having said: Do not say al-karm (for the word vine) but say al-habala (that is grape). This hadith has been reported by Alqama b. Wa'il on the authority of his father with a different chain of transmitters and with a slight variation of wording.

Chapter 3: THE PROPER USE OF THE WORDS: BONDMAN, SLAVE-GIRL, AL-MAULA AND AS-SAYYID

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: None of you should say: My bondman and my slave-girl, for all of you are the bondmen of Allah, and all your women are the slave-girls of Allah; but say: My servant, my girl, and my young man and my young girl.

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: None of you should say: My bondman, for all of you are the bondmen of Allah, but say: My young man, and the servant should not say: My Lord, but should say: My chief.

This hadith has been reported on the authority of al-A'mash with the same chain of transmitters, and the words are that the servant should not say to his chief: My Lord, and Abu Mu'awiya made an addition:" For it is Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, Who is your Lord."

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) so many ahadith and one of them is this that Allah's Messenaer (may peace be upon him) said: None of you should say: Supply drink to your lord, feed your lord, hell) your lord in performing ablution, and none of you should say: My Lord. He should say: My chief, my patron; and none of you should say: My bondman, my slave-girl, but simply say: My boy, my girl, my servant.

Chapter 4: DISAPPROVAL OF USING THE PHRASE:" MY SOUL HAS BECOME EVIL"

'A'isha reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) having said: None of you should say:" My soul has become evil," but he should say:" My soul has become remorseless." This hadith has been transmitted on the authority of Abfl Bakr with a slight variation of wording.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Abia Mu'iwiya with the same chain of transmitters.

Abu Umama b. Sahl b. Hunaif, on the authority of his father, reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: None of you should say:" My soul has become evil," but he should say:" My soul has become remorseless."

Chapter 5: THE USE OF MUSK AND THAT IS THE BEST SCENT, AND THE DISAPPROVAL OF REJECTING THE GIFT OF SCENT AND FLOWER

Abd Sa'id Khudri reported Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) as saying: There was a woman from Bani Isra'il who was short-statured and she walked in the company of two tall women with wooden sandals in her feet and a ring of gold made of plates with musk filled in them and then looked up, and musk is the best of scents; then she walked between two women and they (the people) did not recognise her, and she made a gesture with her hand like this, and Shu'ba shook his hand in order to give an indication how she shook her hand.

Abu Sa'id Khudri reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) made a mention of a woman of Bana Isra'il who had filled her ring with musk and musk is the most fragrant of the scents.

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: He who is presented with a flower should not reject it, for it is light to carry and pleasant in odour.

Nafi' reported that when Ibn Umar wanted fumigation he got it from aloeswood without mixing anything with it, or he put camphor along with aloeswood and then said: This is how Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) fumigated.