'Ashura' (i.e. the tenth of Muharram) was a day on which the tribe of Quraish used to fast in the prelslamic period of ignorance. The Prophet ﷺ also used to fast on this day. So when he migrated to Medina, he fasted on it and ordered (the Muslims) to fast on it. When the fasting of Ramadan was enjoined, it became optional for the people to fast or not to fast on the day of Ashura.  

كَانَ عَاشُورَاءُ يَوْمًا تَصُومُهُ قُرَيْشٌ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ وَكَانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ يَصُومُهُ فَلَمَّا قَدِمَ الْمَدِينَةَ صَامَهُ وَأَمَرَ بِصِيَامِهِ فَلَمَّا نَزَلَ رَمَضَانُ كَانَ مَنْ شَاءَ صَامَهُ وَمَنْ شَاءَ لاَ يَصُومُهُ  

The people used to consider the performance of ʿUmra in the months of Hajj an evil deed on the earth, and they used to call the month of Muharram as Safar and used to say, "When (the wounds over) the backs (of the camels) have healed and the foot-marks (of the camels) have vanished (after coming from Hajj), then ʿUmra becomes legal for the one who wants to perform ʿUmra." Messenger of Allah ﷺ and his companions reached Mecca assuming Ihram for Hajj on the fourth of Dhul-Hijja. The Prophet ﷺ ordered his companions to perform ʿUmra (with that lhram instead of Hajj). They asked, "O Allah's Apostle! What kind of finishing of Ihram?" The Prophet ﷺ said, "Finish the Ihram completely.'  

أَنَّ الْعُمْرَةَ فِي أَشْهُرِ الْحَجِّ مِنَ الْفُجُورِ فِي الأَرْضِ وَكَانُوا يُسَمُّونَ الْمُحَرَّمَ صَفَرًا وَيَقُولُونَ إِذَا بَرَا الدَّبَرْ وَعَفَا الأَثَرْ حَلَّتِ الْعُمْرَةُ لِمَنِ اعْتَمَرْ قَالَ فَقَدِمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَأَصْحَابُهُ رَابِعَةً مُهِلِّينَ بِالْحَجِّ وَأَمَرَهُمُ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ أَنْ يَجْعَلُوهَا عُمْرَةً قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَىُّ الْحِلِّ قَالَ الْحِلُّ كُلُّهُ  

In the pre-lslamic period of ignorance a flood of rain came and filled the valley in between the two mountains (around the Kaʿba).  

جَاءَ سَيْلٌ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ فَكَسَا مَا بَيْنَ الْجَبَلَيْنِ قَالَ سُفْيَانُ وَيَقُولُ إِنَّ هَذَا لَحَدِيثٌ لَهُ شَأْنٌ  

Abu Bakr went to a lady from the Ahmas tribe called Zainab bint Al-Muhajir and found that she refused to speak. He asked, "Why does she not speak." The people said, "She has intended to perform Hajj without speaking." He said to her, "Speak, for it is illegal not to speak, as it is an action of the pre-islamic period of ignorance. So she spoke and said, "Who are you?" He said, "A man from the Emigrants." She asked, "Which Emigrants?" He replied, "From Quraish." She asked, "From what branch of Quraish are you?" He said, "You ask too many questions; I am Abu Bakr." She said, "How long shall we enjoy this good order (i.e. Islamic religion) which Allah has brought after the period of ignorance?" He said, "You will enjoy it as long as your Imams keep on abiding by its rules and regulations." She asked, "What are the Imams?" He said, "Were there not heads and chiefs of your nation who used to order the people and they used to obey them?" She said, "Yes." He said, "So they (i.e. the Imams) are those whom I meant."  

دَخَلَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ عَلَى امْرَأَةٍ مِنْ أَحْمَسَ يُقَالُ لَهَا زَيْنَبُ فَرَآهَا لاَ تَكَلَّمُ فَقَالَ مَا لَهَا لاَ تَكَلَّمُ قَالُوا حَجَّتْ مُصْمِتَةً قَالَ لَهَا تَكَلَّمِي فَإِنَّ هَذَا لاَ يَحِلُّ هَذَا مِنْ عَمَلِ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ فَتَكَلَّمَتْ فَقَالَتْ مَنْ أَنْتَ قَالَ امْرُؤٌ مِنَ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ قَالَتْ أَىُّ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ قَالَ مِنْ قُرَيْشٍ قَالَتْ مِنْ أَىِّ قُرَيْشٍ أَنْتَ قَالَ إِنَّكِ لَسَئُولٌ أَنَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ قَالَتْ مَا بَقَاؤُنَا عَلَى هَذَا الأَمْرِ الصَّالِحِ الَّذِي جَاءَ اللَّهُ بِهِ بَعْدَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ قَالَ بَقَاؤُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ مَا اسْتَقَامَتْ بِكُمْ أَئِمَّتُكُمْ قَالَتْ وَمَا الأَئِمَّةُ قَالَ أَمَا كَانَ لِقَوْمِكِ رُءُوسٌ وَأَشْرَافٌ يَأْمُرُونَهُمْ فَيُطِيعُونَهُمْ قَالَتْ بَلَى قَالَ فَهُمْ أُولَئِكَ عَلَى النَّاسِ  

A black lady slave of some of the 'Arabs embraced Islam and she had a hut in the mosque. She used to visit us and talk to us, and when she finished her talk, she used to say: "The day of the scarf was one of our Lord's wonders: Verily! He has delivered me from the land of Kufr." When she said the above verse many times, I (i.e. ʿAisha) asked her, "What was the day of the scarf?" She replied, "Once the daughter of some of my masters went out and she was wearing a leather scarf (round her neck) and the leather scarf fell from her and a kite descended and picked it up, mistaking it for a piece of meat. They (i.e. my masters) accused me of stealing it and they tortured me to such an extent that they even looked for it in my private parts. So, while they all were around me, and I was in my great distress, suddenly the kite came over our heads and threw the scarf, and they took it. I said to them 'This is what you accused me of stealing, though I was innocent."  

أَسْلَمَتِ امْرَأَةٌ سَوْدَاءُ لِبَعْضِ الْعَرَبِ وَكَانَ لَهَا حِفْشٌ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ قَالَتْ فَكَانَتْ تَأْتِينَا فَتَحَدَّثُ عِنْدَنَا فَإِذَا فَرَغَتْ مِنْ حَدِيثِهَا قَالَتْ وَيَوْمُ الْوِشَاحِ مِنْ تَعَاجِيبِ رَبِّنَا أَلاَ إِنَّهُ مِنْ بَلْدَةِ الْكُفْرِ أَنْجَانِي فَلَمَّا أَكْثَرَتْ قَالَتْ لَهَا عَائِشَةُ وَمَا يَوْمُ الْوِشَاحِ قَالَتْ خَرَجَتْ جُوَيْرِيَةٌ لِبَعْضِ أَهْلِي وَعَلَيْهَا وِشَاحٌ مِنْ أَدَمٍ فَسَقَطَ مِنْهَا فَانْحَطَّتْ عَلَيْهِ الْحُدَيَّا وَهْىَ تَحْسِبُهُ لَحْمًا فَأَخَذَتْ فَاتَّهَمُونِي بِهِ فَعَذَّبُونِي حَتَّى بَلَغَ مِنْ أَمْرِي أَنَّهُمْ طَلَبُوا فِي قُبُلِي فَبَيْنَا هُمْ حَوْلِي وَأَنَا فِي كَرْبِي إِذْ أَقْبَلَتِ الْحُدَيَّا حَتَّى وَازَتْ بِرُءُوسِنَا ثُمَّ أَلْقَتْهُ فَأَخَذُوهُ فَقُلْتُ لَهُمْ هَذَا الَّذِي اتَّهَمْتُمُونِي بِهِ وَأَنَا مِنْهُ بَرِيئَةٌ  

The Prophet ﷺ said, "If anybody has to take an oath, he should swear only by Allah." The people of Quraish used to swear by their fathers, but the Prophet ﷺ said, "Do not swear by your fathers. "  

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ أَلاَ مَنْ كَانَ حَالِفًا فَلاَ يَحْلِفْ إِلاَّ بِاللَّهِ فَكَانَتْ قُرَيْشٌ تَحْلِفُ بِآبَائِهَا فَقَالَ لاَ تَحْلِفُوا بِآبَائِكُمْ  

Al-Qasim used to walk in front of the funeral procession. He used not to get up for the funeral procession (in case it passed by him). And he narrated from ʿAisha that she said, "The people of the pre-lslamic period of ignorance used to stand up for the funeral procession. When they saw it they used to say twice: 'You were noble in your family. What are you now?"  

أَنَّ الْقَاسِمَ كَانَ يَمْشِي بَيْنَ يَدَىِ الْجَنَازَةِ وَلاَ يَقُومُ لَهَا وَيُخْبِرُ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ قَالَتْ كَانَ أَهْلُ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ يَقُومُونَ لَهَا يَقُولُونَ إِذَا رَأَوْهَا كُنْتِ فِي أَهْلِكِ مَا أَنْتِ مَرَّتَيْنِ  

The pagans used not to leave Jam' (i.e. Muzdalifa) till the sun had risen on Thabir mountain. The Prophet contradicted them by leaving (Muzdalifa) before the sun rose.  

عُمَرُ ؓ إِنَّ الْمُشْرِكِينَ كَانُوا لاَ يُفِيضُونَ مِنْ جَمْعٍ حَتَّى تَشْرُقَ الشَّمْسُ عَلَى ثَبِيرٍ فَخَالَفَهُمُ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ فَأَفَاضَ قَبْلَ أَنْ تَطْلُعَ الشَّمْسُ  

That ʿIkrima said, "Kasan Dihaqa means glass full (of something) followed successively with other full glasses."  

مَلأَى مُتَتَابِعَةً  

"In the pre-lslamic period of ignorance I heard my father saying, "Provide us with Kasan Dihaqa."  

سَمِعْتُ أَبِي يَقُولُ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ اسْقِنَا كَأْسًا دِهَاقًا  

The Prophet ﷺ said, "The most true words said by a poet was the words of Labid." He said, Verily, Everything except Allah is perishable and Umaiya bin As-Salt was about to be a Muslim (but he did not embrace Islam).  

قَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ أَصْدَقُ كَلِمَةٍ قَالَهَا الشَّاعِرُ كَلِمَةُ لَبِيدٍ أَلاَ كُلُّ شَىْءٍ مَا خَلاَ اللَّهَ بَاطِلٌ وَكَادَ أُمَيَّةُ بْنُ أَبِي الصَّلْتِ أَنْ يُسْلِمَ  

Abu Bakr had a slave who used to give him some of his earnings. Abu Bakr used to eat from it. One day he brought something and Abu Bakr ate from it. The slave said to him, "Do you know what this is?" Abu Bakr then enquired, "What is it?" The slave said, "Once, in the pre-Islamic period of ignorance I foretold somebody's future though I did not know this knowledge of foretelling but I, cheated him, and when he met me, he gave me something for that service, and that is what you have eaten from." Then Abu Bakr put his hand in his mouth and vomited whatever was present in his stomach.  

كَانَ لأَبِي بَكْرٍ غُلاَمٌ يُخْرِجُ لَهُ الْخَرَاجَ وَكَانَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ يَأْكُلُ مِنْ خَرَاجِهِ فَجَاءَ يَوْمًا بِشَىْءٍ فَأَكَلَ مِنْهُ أَبُو بَكْرٍ فَقَالَ لَهُ الْغُلاَمُ تَدْرِي مَا هَذَا فَقَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ وَمَا هُوَ قَالَ كُنْتُ تَكَهَّنْتُ لإِنْسَانٍ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ وَمَا أُحْسِنُ الْكِهَانَةَ إِلاَّ أَنِّي خَدَعْتُهُ فَلَقِيَنِي فَأَعْطَانِي بِذَلِكَ فَهَذَا الَّذِي أَكَلْتَ مِنْهُ فَأَدْخَلَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ يَدَهُ فَقَاءَ كُلَّ شَىْءٍ فِي بَطْنِهِ  

In the pre-lslamic period of ignorance the people used to bargain with the meat of camels on the principle of Habal-al-Habala which meant the sale of a she-camel that would be born by a she-camel that had not yet been born. The Prophet ﷺ forbade them such a transaction.  

كَانَ أَهْلُ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ يَتَبَايَعُونَ لُحُومَ الْجَزُورِ إِلَى حَبَلِ الْحَبَلَةِ قَالَ وَحَبَلُ الْحَبَلَةِ أَنْ تُنْتَجَ النَّاقَةُ مَا فِي بَطْنِهَا ثُمَّ تَحْمِلَ الَّتِي نُتِجَتْ فَنَهَاهُمُ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ عَنْ ذَلِكَ  

We used to visit Anas bin Malik and he used to talk to us about the Ansar, and used to say to me: "Your people did so-and-so on such-and-such a day, and your people did so-and-so on such-and-such a day."  

فَيُحَدِّثُنَا عَنِ الأَنْصَارِ وَكَانَ يَقُولُ لِي فَعَلَ قَوْمُكَ كَذَا وَكَذَا يَوْمَ كَذَا وَكَذَا وَفَعَلَ قَوْمُكَ كَذَا وَكَذَا يَوْمَ كَذَا وَكَذَا