It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Prayer in congregation is twenty-five times better than praying [alone] in one’s house or in one’s marketplace. Indeed, if one of you does wudu’ and does it well, and comes to the mosque only intending to pray, he does not take one step but Allah will elevate him in status one degree thereby, and will remove one sin from him, until he enters the mosque. When he enters the mosque, he will be in a state of prayer so long as that is the reason he is there, and the angels will send blessings upon him so long as he remains in the place where he prayed, saying: O Allah forgive him, O Allah have mercy on him – so long as nothing happens..

Commentary : Prayer is the foundation of faith and a major pillar of Islam. Islamic teachings urge us to hasten to prayer, and not to stay away from praying in congregation, because of the multiplied reward that that brings.
In this hadith, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) highlights the virtue of prayer in congregation, and tells us that praying in congregation is twenty-five times better than praying alone in one’s house or marketplace. In al-Sahihayn it says that it is twenty-seven times better. This difference depends on the differences in the condition of the worshipper and of the prayer. For some of them it will be twenty-five times better, and for others it will be twenty-seven times better, according to how perfect the prayer is, how properly they performed it, how focused and humble they were when praying, how large the congregation was, the virtues of the members of the congregation, and how sacred the place in which the prayer was offered is. And it was said that there are other factors.
Then the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) explained the reason for this increased reward, which is that if the Muslim does wudu’ and does it thoroughly, paying attention to the sunnahs and etiquette of the action, and comes to the mosque intending only to pray, and for no other purpose, he will not take one step but Allah will raise him one degree in status thereby and will erase one sin from him, until he enters the mosque. Then when he enters the mosque, he will be in a state of prayer, so long as his reason for being in the mosque is to pray. The angels will send blessings upon him – that is, they will pray for him – so long as he remains in the place where he prayed. Therefore the blessing of the angels depends on his remaining in the place where he prayed, and this virtue, reward and goodness will continue for him so long as nothing happens, which refers to his invalidating his wudu’; if he does invalidate his wudu’, it will become forbidden for the angels to pray for forgiveness for him, even if he remains sitting in that spot. And it was said that what was meant is so long as he does not commit sin.
Then the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) stated that the angels pray for him, saying in their supplication: O Allah forgive him, O Allah have mercy on him. The difference between forgiveness and mercy is that forgiveness is concealment and pardoning of sins, whereas mercy is showing kindness to him.
This hadith highlights the great virtue and reward of praying in congregation.
It highlights the virtue of waiting for the prayer, and that the one who does that will attain the angels’ prayer for forgiveness for him.
It also urges us to do wudu’ properly..

480

It was narrated from ‘Abdullah [that] the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “O ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr, what will you do when you find yourself among the dregs of the people… like this?”.

Commentary : The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) taught his companions (may Allah be pleased with them) how to recognize fitnahs (tribulations) and how they should deal with them.
This text is a brief part of a hadith in which ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) called out to him to warn him and advise him. He said to him: “O ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr, what will you do when you find yourself among the dregs of the people?” The dregs of the people are the lowest and worst of people; one of their characteristics is that they will not commit to a promise or covenant that they made; they will break that promise and will not fulfil it. Honesty will be rare among them, so that no one will appreciate the virtue of honesty and trustworthiness at that time, except a few. “They mingled and became like this,” and he interlaced his fingers. What this means is that they will become so mixed up that one will not be able to tell who among them is good or evil, believer or hypocrite. What is meant by the word in the text “like this” is that in this report, it refers to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) interlacing his fingers.
At the end of the report, it says that ‘Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) asked him: What should he do in that situation, if he lives until that time and finds himself among such people? The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) instructed him to take what he knew of truth, and leave what he found reprehensible of falsehood; to keep to himself and discipline himself to follow the right path, and not worry about what was happening to the people and what they were doing. This is by way of ensuring that one is protected from trials and tribulations.
All of this may be understood as meaning that if someone is unable to enjoin what is right, or he fears harm in general, then the duty of enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong with the hand and tongue is waived in his case, but he can still resent it in his heart.
In this hadith, we see a warning from the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to ‘Abdullah that he would live to see those people, so he forbade him to mix with people like that and urged him, if he lived to see them, to take care of his own self and keep away from those people..

481

It was narrated from Abu Moosa that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “The believers are like a structure, parts of which support other parts,” and he interlaced his fingers..

Commentary : Islam built the Muslim community on a solid foundation of brotherhood and mutual support. Allah (may He be exalted) tells us in His Holy Book that the believers are brothers in faith; brotherhood is contrary to rancour and hatred and dictates mutual love, mutual support, and harmony and love among brethren.
In this hadith, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) tells us that the believers, in their mutual support and holding fast to one another, are like a solid structure that cannot remain standing unless one part supports another, brick by brick. If it begins to develop cracks and becomes unstable, it will collapse and fall. And the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) interlaced his fingers to indicate that the way in which the believers stand together and support one another is like interlocked fingers. But just as the numerous fingers of the hands belong to one body and one person, similarly the believers, although they are many individuals, all share a common origin and are bound by the bonds of faith.
The Prophet’s demonstration of interlacing his fingers in this hadith was for the purpose of illustrating what he was teaching his companions. When he likened the believers to a structure, parts of which support other parts, that was giving an example in word, then he clarified it with actions, interlacing his fingers to make clearer to them the likeness that he had given in words, and to make it more understandable..

482

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) led us in praying one of the two afternoon prayers – Ibn Sirin said: Abu Hurayrah named it but I forgot it – he led us in praying two rak‘ahs, then he said the taslim. Then he stood up and went to a piece of wood that was set up in the mosque and reclined against it, as if he was angry. He put his right hand over his left hand, interlaced his fingers, and rested his right cheek on the back of his left hand. Those who usually hastened to leave left through the doors of the mosque, and others said: The prayer has been shortened. Among the people were Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, but they felt that they could not speak to him, out of awe. Among the people there was also a man who had long arms, and he was called Dhul Yadayn (He of the two arms). He said: O Messenger of Allah, did you forget or has the prayer been shortened? He said: “I did not forget and it has not been shortened.” Then he said: “Is it as Dhul Yadayn says?” They said: Yes. So he went forward and prayed what he had omitted, then he said the taslim, then he said takbir and prostrated as he usually did, or longer. Then he raised his head and said takbir, then he said takbir and prostrated as he usually did, or longer. Then he raised his head and said takbir. Perhaps they asked him: Then did he say the taslim? He said: I was told that ‘Imran ibn Husayn said: Then he said taslim..

Commentary : Prayer is an act of worship that nourishes the soul. In the prayer, the individual stands before his Lord, and he should take measures to help him focus properly and not be distracted whilst praying. But he may make mistakes, omitting or adding some actions in the prayer. This error or forgetfulness needs to be compensated for, so the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prescribed doing the two prostrations of forgetfulness (sajdatay as-sahw) in such cases.
In this hadith, Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) led them in praying one of the afternoon prayers, Zuhr or ‘Asr. He prayed two rak‘ahs, then he said the taslim. Then he stood up and leaned against a piece of wood that had been set up in the middle of the mosque. He put his right hand over his left hand, interlaced his fingers, and rested his right cheek on the back of his left hand, as if he was angry. Those who usually left quickly after the prayer had exited the mosque, thinking that the prayer had become two rak‘ahs. Abu Bakr and ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) were among those who had prayed behind the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), but they were afraid to speak to him about this matter, out of awe and respect for him. But a man called Dhul Yadayn spoke up and said to him: O Messenger of Allah, did you forget or has the prayer been shortened? The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “I did not forget and it has not been shortened.” That was because he thought that he had not made a mistake. Then he asked the people who had prayed behind him: Did it really happen that I only prayed two rak‘ahs? They said: Yes. So he went forward to the imam’s place, then he prayed two rak‘ahs to complete the obligatory four. Then he said the tashahhud and the taslim, then he said takbir and prostrated twice, the prostration of forgetfulness, then he said the taslim. The two prostrations were to make up for the mistake and forgetting, and to make up for the shortcoming. They also serve to annoy the Shaytan if there was not actually any shortcoming in the prayer, for the Shaytan tries to confuse the Muslim when he is praying, and tries to spoil his prayer and make it defective. So Allah (may He be exalted) has given the worshipper a way to make up for any shortcoming in his prayer and a way to handle any confusion caused by the Shaytan, and a way to annoy the Shaytan and send him away empty-handed, having failed to achieve his goal. By doing the prostration of forgetfulness the person’s prayer is completed.
This hadith highlights the importance of the prostration of forgetfulness, and that it may be done after the taslim..

483

It was narrated that Musa ibn ‘Uqbah said: I saw Salim ibn ‘Abdillah looking for certain places on the road and praying in those spots. He narrated that his father used to pray in those spots, and that he saw the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) praying in those spots. Nafi‘ told me, from Ibn ‘Umar, that he used to pray in those spots. I asked Salim, and I only think that he agreed with Nafi‘ about all those spots, except that they differed concerning a mosque in the highest part of ar-Rawha’..

Commentary : The Sahabah used to follow the teachings and practice of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in all situations. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar was one of the keenest of them to follow him in all circumstances, to the extent that he would try hard to seek out the places where the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had prayed on his journeys, and pray in those places, seeking blessing (barakah) and out of love for him. His son Salim used to follow his example in that regard, as mentioned in this hadith, in which the Tabi‘i Musa ibn ‘Uqbah narrates that he saw Salim ibn ‘Abdillah seeking out certain places on his journey and making an effort to find them, so that he could pray in them. What appears to be the case is that these places were mosques on the roads that led from Madinah, and other places on his journeys. He narrated that his father ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar used to seek out those places and pray in them, because he had seen the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) pray in those places .
Then Musa ibn ‘Uqbah narrates that he asked Nafi‘, the freed slave of ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar, about these places, and he told him that that was correct, and that Ibn ‘Umar would seek to pray in those places. Salim ibn ‘Abdillah and Nafi‘ agreed on the location of each of those places, except that they differed concerning a mosque in the highest part of ar-Rawha’. Ar-Rawha’ was a village 80 km distant from Madinah. Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was well-known for following the footsteps of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and that included praying in the places in which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had prayed. This narrative from Ibn ‘Umar indicates that he went to great lengths, because he was known to be very keen to follow the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). But something different was narrated from his father, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him). When he saw people on a journey from Makkah to Madinah rushing to a certain place, he asked about that, and they said: This is a place where the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed. He said to them: This is how the People of the Book were doomed; they took places connected to their prophets as places of worship. If prayer becomes due for any of you in that place, then he may pray there, but whoever passes by it when it is not time for prayer, he should not pray there. Narrated by ‘Abd ar-Razzaq and Ibn Abi Shaybah in their Musannafs.
What ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) wanted to do by prohibiting people to seek out the places where the prophets had been was to block means that may lead to shirk, for he had more knowledge about that than his son. As for the places concerning which there is a religious text that speaks of the virtue of praying there – such as the Haramayn, al-Aqsa, Quba’ and so on, and also going to any mosques to pray, and even what was narrated about mosques in which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed, that is not included in this prohibition.
Al-Bukhari narrated nine hadiths from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar identifying the places in which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed during his journeys on the way between Madinah and Makkah, including this hadith. It was said that these mosques are not known today, except for the mosque in Dhul Hulayfah and the mosques in ar-Rawha’..

484

It was narrated from Nafi‘ that ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar told him that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to halt in Dhul Hulayfah when he went for ‘umrah and when he went for Hajj; he would halt beneath a thorny tree on the site of the mosque that is in Dhul Hulayfah. When he returned from a campaign via that route, or he returned from Hajj or ‘umrah, he would go down into the bottom of the valley, and when he emerged from the bottom of the valley, he would make his camel kneel in al-Batha’ which is on the eastern edge of the valley. He would halt there and rest until morning came, not at the mosque that is built of stone and not on the high ground where the mosque is. There was a deep valley in which ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar used to pray, at the bottom of which there were sandhills. The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to pray there. Then the flash flood brought debris, stones and sand into al-Batha’ and buried the place where ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar used to pray..

Commentary : The Sahabah used to follow the teachings and practice of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in all situations. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar was one of the keenest of them to follow him in all circumstances, to the extent that he would try hard to seek out the places where the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had prayed on his journeys, and pray in those places, seeking blessing (barakah) and out of love for him.
In this hadith, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) describes some of the places in which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to halt during his journey to Makkah, and that he used to halt in Dhul Hulayfah, which was a village approximately fourteen kilometres from the Prophet’s Mosque; it is the miqat of the people of Madinah. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to halt there when he wanted to do ‘umrah, and he halted there when he went for Hajj, sitting beneath a thorny tree. The word samurah, translated here as thorny tree, refers to a tall tree with branches going in different directions; it offered little shade, and had small leaves and short thorns, and produced high-quality wood. It was also said that it was a kind of tree called talh, which is a huge type of thorny tree.
The phrase “on the site of the mosque that is in Dhul Hulayfah” means that a mosque was built after that, and it was not there at the time of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). When the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) returned from a campaign via that road, or returned from Hajj or ‘umrah, he would go down into the bottom of Wadi al-‘Atiq, which is one of the most famous wadis of Madinah. When he came up out of the bottom of the valley, he would make his mount or she-camel that he was riding kneel in the wide watercourse where pebbles collect from the flow of the floodwaters. This is the area on the east side of the valley. He halted to rest in that area, then he would stay there until morning came; he did not halt at the mosque that is built of stone, or on the high ground where the mosque was built. But there was a deep valley where ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) used to pray, and at the bottom of this deep valley there was sand that had collected and piled up. This was the same place where the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to pray. But with the passage of time, the floodwaters rushed through Wadi al-‘Atiq and made it level with the rocks and sand that it carried from al-Batha’ – the wide watercourse – until the debris carried by the flood buried that place in which ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar used to pray.
Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was famous for his keenness to seek out places connected to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), which included praying in places in which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had prayed. Ibn ‘Umar’s keenness to do that may be understood on the basis of what is known of his being very keen to emulate the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). But something different was narrated from his father, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him). When he saw people on a journey from Makkah to Madinah rushing to a certain place, he asked about that, and they said: This is a place where the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed. He said to them: This is how the People of the Book were doomed; they took places connected to their prophets as places of worship. If prayer becomes due for any of you in that place, then he may pray there, but whoever passes by it when it is not time for prayer, he should not pray there. Narrated by ‘Abd ar-Razzaq and Ibn Abi Shaybah in their Musannafs.
What ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) wanted to do by prohibiting people to seek out the places where the prophets had been was to block means that may lead to shirk, for he had more knowledge about that than his son. As for the places concerning which there is a religious text that speaks of the virtue of praying there – such as the Haramayn, al-Aqsa, Quba’ and so on, and also going to any mosques to pray, and even what was narrated about mosques in which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed, that is not included in this prohibition.
Al-Bukhari narrated nine hadiths from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar identifying the places in which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed during his journeys on the way between Madinah and Makkah, including this hadith. It was said that these mosques are not known today, except for the mosque in Dhul Hulayfah and the mosques in ar-Rawha’..

485

It was narrated from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed where the small mosque is that is closer than the mosque in the highest part of ar-Rawha. ‘Abdullah knew the place in which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed. He used to say: it is there on your right when you stand in the mosque to pray. That mosque is on the right-hand side of the road when you are going towards Makkah, a stone’s throw or thereabouts from the larger mosque..

Commentary : The Sahabah used to follow the teachings and practice of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in all situations. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar was one of the keenest of them to follow him in all circumstances, to the extent that he would try hard to seek out the places where the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had prayed on his journeys, and pray in those places, seeking blessing (barakah) and out of love for him.
In this hadith, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) identifies one of the places in which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed during his journey from Madinah to Makkah, and states that he prayed beside the small mosque that is close to the large mosque in the highest area of ar-Rawha’, which is a village 80 km from Madinah.
This hadith indicates that in ar-Rawha’ there were two mosques, one of which was a large mosque and the other was a small one. The large mosque was in the highest part of ar-Rawha’, and the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) did not pray in that spot; rather he prayed in the small mosque to the right of that mosque.
Ibn ‘Umar knew the place where the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had prayed, and he described it as being to the right of one who enters the mosque. This small mosque was on the right-hand side of the road, and the distance between the two mosques was a stone’s throw, which is not very far.
Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was famous for his keenness to seek out places connected to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), which included praying in places in which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had prayed. Ibn ‘Umar’s keenness to do that may be understood on the basis of what is known of his being very keen to emulate the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). But something different was narrated from his father, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him). When he saw people on a journey from Makkah to Madinah rushing to a certain place, he asked about that, and they said: This is a place where the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed. He said to them: This is how the People of the Book were doomed; they took places connected to their prophets as places of worship. If prayer becomes due for any of you in that place, then he may pray there, but whoever passes by it when it is not time for prayer, he should not pray there. Narrated by ‘Abd ar-Razzaq and Ibn Abi Shaybah in their Musannafs.
What ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) wanted to do by prohibiting people to seek out the places where the prophets had been was to block means that may lead to shirk, for he had more knowledge about that than his son. As for the places concerning which there is a religious text that speaks of the virtue of praying there – such as the Haramayn, al-Aqsa, Quba’ and so on, and also going to any mosques to pray, and even what was narrated about mosques in which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed, that is not included in this prohibition.
Al-Bukhari narrated nine hadiths from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar identifying the places in which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed during his journeys on the way between Madinah and Makkah, including this hadith. It was said that these mosques are not known today, except for the mosque in Dhul Hulayfah and the mosques in ar-Rawha’..

486

Ibn ‘Umar used to pray facing towards the small mountain of sand at the end of ar-Rawha’; that small mountain was at the edge of the road, before the mosque that is between it and the end of ar-Rawha’ as you are going towards Makkah. A mosque has been built there, but ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar did not pray in that mosque. He used to stand with it on his left and behind him, and pray in front of it, facing towards that small mountain. ‘Abdullah used to depart from ar-Rawha’ in the morning, and he did not pray Zuhr until he reached that place, then he would pray Zuhr there. If he came from Makkah, if he passed it shortly before Fajr, or at the end of the night, he would halt and rest so that he could pray Fajr there..

Commentary : The Sahabah used to follow the teachings and practice of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in all situations. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar was one of the keenest of them to follow him in all circumstances, to the extent that he would try hard to seek out the places where the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had prayed on his journeys, and pray in those places, seeking blessing (barakah) and out of love for him.
In this hadith, Nafi‘, the freed slave of Ibn ‘Umar, narrates that Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) used to pray facing towards the small mountain; what is meant is ‘Irq az-Zibah, which is a small mountain of sand at the end of ar-Rawha’, which is a village 80 km from Madinah. A report in Sahih al-Bukhari explains that in this area there were two mosques close to one another: one of them was small, which was the one near which Ibn ‘Umar used to pray, and the other was a large mosque that was a stone’s throw away from the small mosque. That small mountain ended at the side of the road, near the big mosque which is between it and the end of ar-Rawha’ as you are going towards Makkah. A mosque was built there, but ‘Abdullah did not pray in that mosque; rather he would stand with it on his left and behind him, and pray in front of the mosque, facing towards the small mountain.
As he was returning from the area of ar-Rawha’, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) would not pray until he reached that place, then he would pray Zuhr there. If he was coming from Makkah on his way back to Madinah, if he passed by that place shortly before Fajr or at the end of the night – meaning the time between the false dawn and the true dawn; the difference between that and saying shortly before Fajr is that the latter means towards the end of the period mentioned, which is less than an hour – he would halt and rest so that he could pray Fajr there.
Ibn ‘Umar did not clearly say that the reason why he prayed facing towards that small mountain was that he had seen the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) praying there, but the fact that he always prayed in that spot whether he was going or coming back, and that he halted to rest there so that he could pray there, indicates that he only did that by way of emulating the prayer of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). In Sahih al-Bukhari there is a report which says that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed on the site of the small mosque that is closer than the mosque in the highest part of ar-Rawha’.
This may be understood on the basis of what is known of Ibn ‘Umar being very keen to emulate the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). But something different was narrated from his father, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him). When he saw people on a journey from Makkah to Madinah rushing to a certain place, he asked about that, and they said: This is a place where the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed. He said to them: This is how the People of the Book were doomed; they took places connected to their prophets as places of worship. If prayer becomes due for any of you in that place, then he may pray there, but whoever passes by it when it is not time for prayer, he should not pray there. Narrated by ‘Abd ar-Razzaq and Ibn Abi Shaybah in their Musannafs.
What ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) wanted to do by prohibiting people to seek out the places where the prophets had been was to block means that may lead to shirk, for he had more knowledge about that than his son. As for the places concerning which there is a religious text that speaks of the virtue of praying there – such as the Haramayn, al-Aqsa, Quba’ and so on, and also going to any mosques to pray, and even what was narrated about mosques in which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed, that is not included in this prohibition.
Al-Bukhari narrated nine hadiths from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar identifying the places in which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed during his journeys on the way between Madinah and Makkah, including this hadith. It was said that these mosques are not known today, except for the mosque in Dhul Hulayfah and the mosques in ar-Rawha’..

487

It was narrated from Ibn ‘Umar that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to halt beneath a huge thornless tree before ar-Ruwaythah on the right-hand side of the road, facing towards the road in a vast and flat area, so that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) would emerge from high ground just two miles before ar-Ruwaythah. The top of that tree had broken and fallen inside it; the tree was standing on its trunk, and inside and around the trunk a great deal of sand had piled up..

Commentary : The Sahabah used to follow the teachings and practice of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in all situations. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar was one of the keenest of them to follow him in all circumstances, to the extent that he would try hard to seek out the places where the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had prayed on his journeys, and pray in those places, seeking blessing (barakah) and out of love for him.
In this hadith, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) describes a place in which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) halted during his journey from Madinah to Makkah. He tells us that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) halted beneath a huge thornless tree, near the village of ar-Ruwaythah; it is approximately 100 km from Madinah. This tree was on the right-hand side of the road, facing it, in a vast, flat area, so that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) would emerge from high ground [when he resumed his journey]; between that high ground and the official staging-post in ar-Ruwaythah that was set up by ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allah be pleased with him) during his caliphate was approximately 3 km. This approximate definition was given by Ibn ‘Umar to identify the old location, because so many structures had been set up by the state after the time of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
This is assuming that the pronoun in the word “he emerged” refers to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and that the staging-post referred to is one of the stations set up by the state during the caliphate of ‘Umar to collect official correspondence. It was also said that the pronoun may refer to the place, and that what is meant by the word translated above as staging-post is a road that people followed. In that case, what is meant is that the distance from the location of this tree and the place where the road started to descend was two miles.
Then Ibn ‘Umar began to describe how this tree was at the time that he was speaking. Its top had broken off and fallen into its hollow interior, and fallen onto its trunk; it was now standing on its trunk like a structure that was not very wide at the bottom. In and around its trunk a great deal of sand had piled up.
This may be understood on the basis of what is known of Ibn ‘Umar being very keen to emulate the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). But something different was narrated from his father, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him). When he saw people on a journey from Makkah to Madinah rushing to a certain place, he asked about that, and they said: This is a place where the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed. He said to them: This is how the People of the Book were doomed; they took places connected to their prophets as places of worship. If prayer becomes due for any of you in that place, then he may pray there, but whoever passes by it when it is not time for prayer, he should not pray there. Narrated by ‘Abd ar-Razzaq and Ibn Abi Shaybah in their Musannafs.
What ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) wanted to do by prohibiting people to seek out the places where the prophets had been was to block means that may lead to shirk, for he had more knowledge about that than his son. As for the places concerning which there is a religious text that speaks of the virtue of praying there – such as the Haramayn, al-Aqsa, Quba’ and so on, and also going to any mosques to pray, and even what was narrated about mosques in which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed, that is not included in this prohibition.
Al-Bukhari narrated nine hadiths from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar identifying the places in which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed during his journeys on the way between Madinah and Makkah, including this hadith. It was said that these mosques are not known today, except for the mosque in Dhul Hulayfah and the mosques in ar-Rawha’..

488

It was narrated from Nafi‘ that ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar told him that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed at the edge of an area of higher ground beyond al-‘Arj as you are going towards the hill. Near that mosque there are two or three graves, and on the graves there are piles of stones, on the right-hand side of the road near the rocks of the road, among the rocks. ‘Abdullah used to leave al-‘Arj after the sun passed the meridian in the middle of the day, then he used to pray Zuhr in that mosque..

Commentary : The Sahabah used to follow the teachings and practice of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in all situations. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar was one of the keenest of them to follow him in all circumstances, to the extent that he would try hard to seek out the places where the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had prayed on his journeys, and pray in those places, seeking blessing (barakah) and out of love for him.
In this hadith, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) describes some of the places in which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to pray, and he calls those places masajid (“mosques”; lit. places of prostration) because they are places where the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prostrated and prayed, or because in the end mosques were built there, after the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had prayed in those places. He tells us that he prayed on the edge of an area of higher ground, which refers to an area of wide, elevated land through which floodwaters would flow; it may also refer to a place where water flows from the top of the wadi and what goes down to lower ground. That place is located beyond al-‘Arj, which is a place between Makkah and Madinah. It is so called because it is crooked (ta‘rij). There are several places called al-‘Arj: it was said that it is a village on the road to Makkah from Madinah, 14 miles from ar-Rawha’. It was said that al-‘Arj is five miles from the Prophet’s Mosque. It was said that al-‘Arj is a village on the outskirts of at-Ta’if; it was said that al-‘Arj is a mountain pass in which there is a bend, between Makkah and Madinah, on the road, and it is mentioned with as-Suqya.
Then Ibn ‘Umar tried to identify the features of that place, stating that it is in the region of al-‘Arj as you are going towards the high ground, and beside that mosque there are two or three graves, on which there are large white stones. It is on the right-hand side of the road, near the rocks of the road. The word translated here as rocks may refer to big trees, or to rocks that are found on the road.
‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar used to set out from al-‘Arj after the sun passed the meridian in the middle of the day – meaning at midday, when it is very hot – and he would pray Zuhr in that mosque, which is the place where the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed.
Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was famous for his keenness to seek out places connected to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), which included praying in places in which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had prayed. Ibn ‘Umar’s keenness to do that may be understood on the basis of what is known of his being very keen to emulate the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). But something different was narrated from his father, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him). When he saw people on a journey from Makkah to Madinah rushing to a certain place, he asked about that, and they said: This is a place where the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed. He said to them: This is how the People of the Book were doomed; they took places connected to their prophets as places of worship. If prayer becomes due for any of you in that place, then he may pray there, but whoever passes by it when it is not time for prayer, he should not pray there. Narrated by ‘Abd ar-Razzaq and Ibn Abi Shaybah in their Musannafs.
What ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) wanted to do by prohibiting people to seek out the places where the prophets had been was to block means that may lead to shirk, for he had more knowledge about that than his son. As for the places concerning which there is a religious text that speaks of the virtue of praying there – such as the Haramayn, al-Aqsa, Quba’ and so on, and also going to any mosques to pray, and even what was narrated about mosques in which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed, that is not included in this prohibition.
Al-Bukhari narrated nine hadiths from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar identifying the places in which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed during his journeys on the way between Madinah and Makkah, including this hadith. It was said that these mosques are not known today, except for the mosque in Dhul Hulayfah and the mosques in ar-Rawha’..

489

It was narrated from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) halted at the large trees on the left-hand side of the road in a watercourse before Harsha; that watercourse is connected to the edge of Harsha, and between it and the road there is the distance an arrow travels. ‘Abdullah used to pray facing towards a large tree, which was the closest of the large trees to the road, and the tallest of them..

Commentary : The Sahabah used to follow the teachings and practice of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in all situations. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar was one of the keenest of them to follow him in all circumstances, to the extent that he would try hard to seek out the places where the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had prayed on his journeys, and pray in those places, seeking blessing (barakah) and out of love for him.
In this hadith, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) describes a place where the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to halt. He tells us that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) halted at some large trees on the left-hand side of the road, in a watercourse, which is a sloping place, before Harsha and near to it. Harsha is a mountain in the land of Tihamah, at the place where the roads to Syria and Madinah meet. It is part of al-Juhfah from which the sea is visible. Today it is called Rabigh. That slope is connected to the edge of Jabal Harsha; between it and the road there is the distance that an arrow travels, or the distance that a horse runs, which is two thirds of a mile.
‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) used to pray facing towards a tree, which was the closest tree to the road, and also the tallest. Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was famous for his keenness to seek out places connected to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), which included praying in places in which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had prayed. Ibn ‘Umar’s keenness to do that may be understood on the basis of what is known of his being very keen to emulate the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). But something different was narrated from his father, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him). When he saw people on a journey from Makkah to Madinah rushing to a certain place, he asked about that, and they said: This is a place where the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed. He said to them: This is how the People of the Book were doomed; they took places connected to their prophets as places of worship. If prayer becomes due for any of you in that place, then he may pray there, but whoever passes by it when it is not time for prayer, he should not pray there. Narrated by ‘Abd ar-Razzaq and Ibn Abi Shaybah in their Musannafs.
What ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) wanted to do by prohibiting people to seek out the places where the prophets had been was to block means that may lead to shirk, for he had more knowledge about that than his son. As for the places concerning which there is a religious text that speaks of the virtue of praying there – such as the Haramayn, al-Aqsa, Quba’ and so on, and also going to any mosques to pray, and even what was narrated about mosques in which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed, that is not included in this prohibition.
Al-Bukhari narrated nine hadiths from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar identifying the places in which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed during his journeys on the way between Madinah and Makkah, including this hadith. It was said that these mosques are not known today, except for the mosque in Dhul Hulayfah and the mosques in ar-Rawha’..

490

It was narrated from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to halt in the watercourse that was the closest part of Marr az-Zahran, in the direction of Madinah, when he came down from as-Safrawat. He would halt at the bottom of that watercourse, on the left-hand side of the road as you are going towards Makkah, and between the place where the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) halted and the road there was no more than a stone’s throw..

491

It was narrated from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to halt in Dhu Tuwa and stay there overnight until morning, and he would pray Fajr when he came to Makkah. The place where the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed was on a broad area of high ground, not in the mosque that was built there; rather it was further than that, on a broad area of high ground..

492

It was narrated from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) turned to face two gaps in the mountain that stood between him and the high mountain in the direction of the Kaaba. Ibn ‘Umar stood with the mosque that had been built there to the left of the mosque that is on the high ground, and the place where the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed was further than that, on the high black ground. Leave ten cubits or thereabouts between you and the high ground, then pray facing towards the two gaps in the mountain that is between you and the Kaaba..

Commentary : Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was famous for his keenness to seek out places connected to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), which included praying in places in which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had prayed..
In this hadith, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) describes some of the places in which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed. In this hadith, he describes where the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed in Dhu Tuwa, which is a well-known valley in Makkah, between the two mountain passes. It is close to Makkah, at its border. It is known now as az-Zahir. In it there is Bi’r Dhi Tuwa, which is an ancient well that was dug by ‘Abd Shams ibn Abd Manaf. It is in the highest place in Makkah, at al-Bayda’, the home of Muhammad ibn Sayf.
Ibn ‘Umar tells us that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) turned to face towards two gaps in the mountain that was between him and the high mountain, facing towards the Kaaba. The gap in a mountain is the entrance to the road to the mountain, or what slopes down the middle or side of the mountain.
Then Nafi‘ – who is the one who narrated from Ibn ‘Umar, and the most famous of his freed slaves – said: Then ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) described the place where the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed. He stood with the mosque that was subsequently built there to the left of the second mosque which is on the edge of the high ground. The place where the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed was further than that, on the high black ground. You go past the high ground – which is elevated land – for about ten cubits or thereabouts, then pray facing towards the two gaps in the mountain that is between you and the Kaaba. It was said: what appears to be the case is that there were two mosques that were built after the time of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), but nothing is known of them today. This was possible in the past, because it was empty space, but now the area is built-up so it is not possible (to pray there).
Ibn ‘Umar’s keenness to do that may be understood on the basis of what is known of his being very keen to emulate the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). But something different was narrated from his father, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him). When he saw people on a journey from Makkah to Madinah rushing to a certain place, he asked about that, and they said: This is a place where the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed. He said to them: This is how the People of the Book were doomed; they took places connected to their prophets as places of worship. If prayer becomes due for any of you in that place, then he may pray there, but whoever passes by it when it is not time for prayer, he should not pray there. Narrated by ‘Abd ar-Razzaq and Ibn Abi Shaybah in their Musannafs.
What ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) wanted to do by prohibiting people to seek out the places where the prophets had been was to block means that may lead to shirk, for he had more knowledge about that than his son. As for the places concerning which there is a religious text that speaks of the virtue of praying there – such as the Haramayn, al-Aqsa, Quba’ and so on, and also going to any mosques to pray, and even what was narrated about mosques in which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed, that is not included in this prohibition.
Al-Bukhari narrated nine hadiths from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar identifying the places in which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed during his journeys on the way between Madinah and Makkah, including this hadith. It was said that these mosques are not known today, except for the mosque in Dhul Hulayfah and the mosques in ar-Rawha’..

493

It was narrated from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas that he said: I came riding on a female donkey, and at that time I was on the brink of puberty; the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was leading the people in Mina with no wall in front of him. I passed in front of part of the row, then I dismounted, left the donkey to graze and joined the row, and no one objected to me doing that..

Commentary : The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) instructed the worshipper to have something as a sutrah (screen) in front of him, so that no one would pass in front of him and interrupt his prayer. In the case of congregational prayer, the imam is the sutrah for the people praying behind him.
In this hadith, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that he came riding on a female donkey, and he was on the brink of puberty, but had not yet reached it. What is meant by that is the age of accountability. The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was praying in Mina with no sutrah, such as a wall and the like, in front of him. Mina is a wadi near the Makkan Haram zone where the pilgrims halt on the day of at-tarwiyah, which is the eighth day of Dhu’l-Hijjah. Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) passed in front of some of the rows of worshippers, riding on his donkey, when the imam – namely the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) – had no sutrah, then he dismounted and left the donkey to eat grass and graze freely, wandering about in front of the rows, and he joined them in prayer, and no one objected to him doing that.
This hadith indicates that it is acceptable for the imam to pray without a sutrah, and that the imam is the sutrah for those who are praying behind him.
It also indicates that a minor who has reached the age of discernment may acquire knowledge and it is permissible for one who acquired knowledge as a minor to convey it to people as an adult..

1471

Ibn ‘Umar reported that he divorced his wife during her menstruation in the Prophet's lifetime. So, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb asked the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) about that and the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Order him to take her back and keep her until she attains purity, then menstruates, then attains purity. Then, if he wishes he may keep her, and if he wishes he may divorce her before having intercourse with her. This is the ‘Iddah (waiting period) that Allah Almighty has ordered for the divorce of women." [Another version reads]: That he divorced his wife during her menstruation, once. So, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) commanded him to take her back and keep her until she attains purity, then menstruates again, while still being with him, then to give her time until she attains purity from her menstruation. After that, if he wanted to divorce her, he could do so when she becomes pure before having sexual intercourse with her, as this is the ‘iddah that Allah commanded for the divorce of women. [Another version reads]: On being asked about this, ‘Abdullah said to someone: "If you divorced your wife once or twice, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) commanded me to do this. However, if you have divorced her thrice, she became forbidden to you until she is married to another man, and you have disobeyed Allah regarding what He commanded you in divorcing your wife.".

Commentary : The legislated divorce is that one divorces his wife one time while being pure (of her menses) without having sexual intercourse with her during this period of purity. It is called Talāq Sunni (Sunnah-compliant divorce). As for the forbidden divorce, it is to divorce one's wife more than once in one utterance, or to divorce her during her menstruation, or during a period of purity in which he had sexual intercourse with her. This is called Talāq Bid‘i (Heretic divorce).
In this Hadīth, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) narrates that he divorced his wife - her name was Āminah bint Ghifār, and it was said: Āminah bint ‘Ammār, and there are other opinions as well - during her menstruation before attaining purity, and that was in the Prophet's lifetime. His father, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb, went to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and asked him about the ruling on this divorce that occurred during menstruation, whether it is permissible or not, and whether it counts or not. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) commanded him to order his son, ‘Abdullah, to take her back in marriage and keep her with him "until she attains purity" from the menstruation in which he divorced her, "then menstruates" again, "then attains purity" from the second menstruation. After attaining purity from the second menstruation, he could keep her as his wife if he wished or he could divorce her in the second period of purity before having intercourse with her. This state, namely the state of purity, is the time for starting "the ‘Iddah that Allah Almighty has commanded for the divorce," i.e., during which, "women", as Allah Almighty says: {O Prophet, when you [believers] divorce women, divorce them with concern to their waiting period.} [Surat at-Talāq: 1] That is to say, divorce them while receiving their ‘Iddah, i.e., at the time they could start the ‘Iddah, and the period of menstruation is not counted in the ‘Iddah. So, if one divorces during this time, his divorce does not occur in the state commanded by Allah, which is starting and entering the ‘Iddah, when the divorce occurs during the period of her purity not during the period of her menstruation. This is because, during the purity period, she can keep an accurate count of her ‘Iddah, which is three Qurū’ (menstrual cycles), and "qur’" is purity, and it was said: menstruation.
In another version, Muhammad ibn Rumh - one of the Hadīth narrators - added: Whenever ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar was asked about divorcing a woman during menstruation, he would say to the questioner: If you divorced your wife once or twice then take her back, as the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) commanded me to do so. However, if you divorced her thrice then this is an irrevocable divorce and you cannot take her back and she becomes forbidden for you "until she is married to another man," and he has sexual intercourse with her and then divorces her. After her ‘Iddah is over, she becomes lawful for you again to marry.
And by doing this, you disobeyed Allah and went against Him "regarding what He commanded you in divorcing your wife" during the purity state in which you had intercourse with her, as Allah Almighty says: {O Prophet, when you [believers] divorce women, divorce them with concern to their waiting period.} [Surat at-Talāq: 1]
This clarifies that the divorce counts, whether it is Sunni or Bid‘i. The fact that the Bid‘i divorce is forbidden does not entail that it does not occur. It only means that whoever does this deliberately is considered sinful, yet the divorce still counts.
In a version of Muslim, Anas ibn Sīrīn said to Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father): "Was that divorce that you gave her when she was menstruating counted as such?" and you considered it one of the three divorces. "‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar said: Why would I not count it? (It must be counted) even if I failed and acted foolishly," i.e, failed to fulfill an obligation or acted foolishly and did not fulfill it, or failed to take her back and acted foolishly. Would that be an excuse for him, or would his foolishness make it not count, or would his failure invalidate it?! It is a question of disapproval whose answer is supposed to be: Yes, it is counted, and his failure and foolishness do not prevent it from being counted.
The Hadīth indicates the keenness of Islam to restrict the circumference of divorce as much as possible, and if it happens, it does not cause harm to any of the spouses.
It also indicates that the husband alone has the right to Raj‘ah (taking the wife back) without the guardian..

1472

Ibn ‘Abbās reported: The triple divorce during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and that of Abu Bakr and two years of the caliphate of ‘Umar was counted as one. Then ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb said: "Indeed, people have hastened to a matter regarding which they used to act with deliberation. So, if we would make them count (as three divorces)," and he did that..

Commentary : Allah Almighty has made divorce a kind of respite between the spouses when life between them becomes impossible. In Islam, divorce has certain criteria and results in a number of rights.
In this Hadīth, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: During the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and that of Abu Bakr and two years of ‘Umar's caliphate, whoever triply divorced his wife in one session or in one time, would count as a single divorce. An example of this is saying: "You are divorced thrice," or saying: "You are divorced. You are divorced. You are divorced." Then the husband can take his wife back during the period of ‘Iddah (waiting period) without a new contract. If the ‘Iddah is over, he can take her back with a new contract. It is not counted as three divorces that would make his wife unlawful for him until she is married to another man. It is deemed to refer to what was most likely meant, which was the intent of confirmation, not for continuing the count. During the lifetime of ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), people used this form frequently while most likely intending to continue the count not by way of confirmation. Hence, ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) made it count as three divorces. He said: "Indeed, people have hastened to a matter regarding which they used to act with deliberation," i.e., they were entitled to three divorces to give themselves a chance to reconsider their affairs, as it might seem better for them to take their wives back. His saying: "So if we made them count," i.e., He consulted those who were with him from the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) regarding the one who gave three divorces all at once to make such a divorce an irrevocable triple divorce as he uttered, to deter them from rushing into divorce. Thus, he enforced it on people after consulting the senior Companions and their agreement with him.
This is interpreted from him (may Allah be pleased with him) as a form of Ijtihād and laying down rules that would bring benefit to his subjects within the boundaries of Shariah, without making things too difficult or too easy..

1476

‘Ā’ishah reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to seek our permission on the day he had to stay with one of his wives (by turns) after the following verse was revealed: {You [O Prophet] may postpone [the turn of] whoever you wish [of your wives], and you may share your time with whoever of them you wish.} [Surat al-Ahzāb: 51] Mu‘ādhah said to her: What did you use to say to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) when he asked your permission? She said: I used to say: Were it up to me, I would not give anyone preference over myself..

Commentary : The Prophet's wives loved him dearly to the extent that they used to compete to please him and show their love to him.
In this Hadīth, the Mother of the Believers ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reports that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to ask permission from his wife, whose turn was due, to go to another one of his wives. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) had nine wives, and he used to allocate a day for each to stay with her overnight. This act of his seeking permission was after the revelation of the following verse: {You [O Prophet] may postpone [the turn of] whoever you wish [of your wives], and you may share your time with whoever of them you wish, and there is no blame on you if you call back any of those whose turn you have set aside. That is more likely that they will be content and not distressed, and that they will be satisfied with what you give them all. Allah knows what is in your hearts, and Allah is All-Knowing, Most Forbearing.} [Surat al-Ahzāb: 51] This verse means: O Messenger, you have the right to delay the turn of whoever you wish of your wives and not stay overnight with her, and you have the right to share your time with whoever you wish of them and stay overnight with her; and there is no blame on you if you call back any of those whom you have delayed. Giving you the choice and making things flexible for you are more likely to make your wives content and satisfied with what you give them all for knowing that you have not neglected duty and have not withheld a right, and Allah knows what is in your hearts - O men - of inclination to some women apart from others, as Allah is All-Knowing of His slaves' actions and nothing thereof is hidden from Him, and He is Most Forbearing and does not hasten to punish them hoping that they may return to Him in repentance.
The female Tābi‘i Mu‘ādhah al-‘Adawiyyah asked ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her): "What did you use to say to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) when he asked for your permission?" ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) replied that she used to say to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him): "Were it up to me," i.e., if this act of seeking permission is in my hands, "I would not give anyone preference over myself," i.e., I would not give my day to another wife. This was due to her love to be close to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) to serve him, enjoy intimacy with him, and benefit from him.
Such a competition between his wives was not for mere pleasure, intimacy, personal desires, and enjoyment, as is the case with some people. Instead, it was a competition for matters related to the Hereafter and for being close to the master of the first and the last, for expecting the descent of mercy and revelation upon him while being with her and so on.
The Hadīth clarifies one of the Prophet's exclusive rights, namely choosing whomever he wished from his wives whenever he wished.
It also points out some of the etiquettes between spouses and teaches them how a man should seek his wives' permission when sharing his time with them and how the woman should show him love and affection..

1478

Jābir ibn ‘Abdullah reported: Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) came and sought permission to see the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). He found people sitting at his door and none amongst them had been granted permission, but it was granted to Abu Bakr and he went in. Then came ‘Umar and he sought permission and it was granted to him. He found the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) sitting sad and silent with his wives around him, and said: He said: I would say something that would make the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) laugh. So, he said: "O Messenger of Allah, I wish you had seen the daughter of Khārijah when she asked me for extra money, and I got up and slapped her on the neck. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) laughed and said: "They are around me as you see, asking for extra money." So, Abu Bakr got up and slapped ‘Ā’ishah on the neck, and ‘Umar got up and slapped Hafsah on the neck. Both of them did this saying: "Are you asking the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) what he does not have?!" They said: "By Allah, we would never ask the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) for something that he does not have." Then he retreated from them for a month or for twenty-nine days. Then, the following verse was revealed to him: {O Prophet, tell your wives} until the part that reads {for those who do good among you a great reward.} [Surat al-Azāb: 28-29] He said: So, he started with ‘Ā’ishah, saying: "O ‘Ā’ishah, I want to propound something to you but I wish you not to be hasty concerning it until you consult your parents." She said: "What is that, O Messenger of Allah?" So he recited the verse to her. She said: "Is it concerning you, O Messenger of Allah, that I should consult my parents?! Nay, I choose Allah, His Messenger, and the Final Abode; but I ask you not to tell any of your wives what I have said." He said: "None of them asks me except that I will inform her. Allah did not send me to be harsh, or cause harm, but He sent me to teach and make things easy.".

Commentary : The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was generous with his wives and provided for them from what Allah granted him. However, he used to spend often on the cause of Allah and on what would benefit people, leaving only a little for himself and his family. This led to some harm felt by his wives; however, Allah Almighty gave them the choice to either endure life patiently or get a divorce and be separated from him kindly.
In this Hadīth, Jābir ibn ‘Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) narrates: Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) once came and sought permission to see the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and found people sitting at his door and none among them was granted permission to see the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). Then, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) granted Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) permission and he entered. Then, ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) came to the Prophet's house and sought permission to enter and he permitted him. On entering, ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) found the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) sitting with his wives around him and he was intensely sad, so much so that he stopped talking. So, ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said to himself - and it was said: The speaker was Abu Bakr - (may Allah be pleased with him): "I should say something that would make the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) laugh." So, he said: "O Messenger of Allah, I wish you had seen," i.e., if you knew that my wife, the daughter of Khārijah, asked and requested from me an extra amount of money, more than the usual or more than needed, so I got up and "slapped her on the neck," i.e., hit her neck with my hand. So, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) laughed out of the resemblance between his condition and that of ‘Umar. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "They", referring to his wives, are sitting "around me as you see, asking for extra money" and requesting more money than the usual amount. When the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said this, Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) got up and went to ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) to slap her on the neck by way of discipline. ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) also got up to slap his daughter Hafsah (may Allah be pleased with her) on the neck by way of discipline, and each of them was saying to his daughter: "Are you asking the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) for what he does not have?!" It was an expression of rebuke and reprimand for them because of their asking for an extra amount of money while the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) did not have it. "They said: By Allah, we would never ask the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him)," after this "something that he does not have." The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) got angry because of this and he retreated from his wives for thirty or twenty-nine days without entering their houses or approaching them. Then, the following verses were revealed: {O Prophet, tell your wives, “If you seek the life of this world and its embellishments, then come, I will give you provision and release you graciously. But if you seek Allah and His Messenger and the Final Abode, then Allah has prepared for those who do good among you a great reward.”} [Surat al-Ahzāb: 28-29] The two verses mean: O Prophet, tell your wives when they ask you for an increase in sustenance and you have nothing to give them as an extra amount: If you seek the life of this world and its embellishments, then come I will give you provision that is given to the divorced women and release you in a way that involves no harm or damage. However, if you seek Allah's pleasure and the pleasure of His Messenger, and you seek Paradise in the Final Abode, then endure your conditions patiently, as Allah has prepared for those who do good among you, through patience and good treatment, a great reward.
The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) started with ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) in giving her the choice. He called her and informed her that he had something to propound to her and that he wished she would not hasten to give him a reply without consulting her parents. Perhaps this was out of fear for her because of her young age which entailed the desire for worldly embellishments and her not choosing the Hereafter. She asked the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) about that matter and he recited the verse to her, so she hastened to accept being with the Messenger of Allah, and she said: "Is it concerning you," i.e., being separated from you, or staying with you, or regarding your right, "O Messenger of Allah, that I should consult my parents?!" And she told him that she chose Allah, His Messenger, and the Final Abode. She also asked him (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) not to tell any of his wives about her reply out of her jealousy and keenness to have the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) all for herself and enjoy a great deal of his company. In response, he (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "None of them asks me except that I will inform her," to help her make her choice. He justified this by saying that Allah did not send him to be harsh, i.e., causing someone to be in a difficult situation and "‘anat", meaning difficulty and sin as well, "or cause harm," i.e., seek others' mistakes. "But He sent me to teach" people goodness and make things easy. Facilitation here lies in the fact that if he informed them, his other wives would follow the example of ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) and it would be easy for them to choose Allah Almighty, His Messenger (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), and the Final Abode.
This Hadīth points out that asking permission is from the Prophet's guidance.
It also indicates that one can discipline one's child, even if he grew up.
It shows the ascetic life of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and his abstention from worldly life.
It also demonstrates how the Companions used to console the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) in his sadness.
It denotes the merit of Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, and ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with them)..

1479

‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb reported: When the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) secluded himself from his wives, he ('Umar) said: I entered the mosque and found the people pelting the ground with pebbles and saying: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) divorced his wives, and that was before they were commanded with Hijāb. ‘Umar said: I said: I must find this out today. He said: I entered upon ‘Ā’ishah and said: O daughter of Abu Bakr, have you gone to the extent of giving trouble to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him)?! She said: O Ibn al-Khattāb, stay out of my affairs and mind your receptacle. He said: So, I entered upon Hafsah bint ‘Umar and said to her: O Hafsah, have you gone to the extent of giving trouble to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him)?! By Allah, you know that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) does not love you, and had it not been for me, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would have divorced you. So, she wept bitterly. I said to her: Where is the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him)? She said: He is in his cabinet in the attic room. I went there and found Rabāh, the servant of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), sitting on the attic's doorstep with his legs dangling on carved wood, which is a trunk used by the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) to ascend and descend. I called out: O Rabāh, seek permission for me from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). Rabāh looked at the room then looked at me and said nothing. Then, I said: O Rabāh, seek permission for me from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). Rabāh looked at the room then looked at me and said nothing. Then, I raised my voice and said: O Rabāh, seek permission for me from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). I think the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) thought I had come for Hafsah's sake. By Allah, if the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) commands me to strike her neck, I will undoubtedly strike her neck. I raised my voice, and he signaled to me to ascend. I entered upon the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) while he was lying on a straw mat. I sat down and he drew up his lower garment over him and he had nothing else on him, and the mat had left marks on his side. I looked around in the cabinet of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and found only a handful of barley around one Sā‘ and an equal quantity of the leaves of mimosa flava placed in one side of the room, and a semi-tanned leather bag hanging. He said: Tears started falling from my eyes. He said: O Ibn al-Khattāb, what makes you weep? I said: O Prophet of Allah, how could I not weep when this straw mat has left marks on your side and I see nothing in your cabinet except what I have seen, while Caesar and Khosrau are enjoying fruits and rivers, whereas you are the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and His chosen one and this is your cabinet?! He said: O Ibn al-Khattāb, does it not please you that the Hereafter is for us and the worldly life is for them? I said: Yes. He said: When I entered upon him, I saw signs of anger on his face, so I said: O Messenger of Allah, what trouble have the women caused you? If you had divorced them, verily, Allah is with you, His angels, Jibrīl (Gabriel), Mikā’īl (Michael), I, Abu Bakr, and the believers are with you. I rarely spoke - thanks to Allah - any words except that I hoped Allah would confirm the words I uttered, and this verse, Āyat at-Takhyīr (the Verse of Choice), was revealed: {Perhaps, if he were to divorce you all, his Lord would replace you with better wives.} [Surat at-Tahrīm: 5] {But if you insist on conspiring against him, then indeed Allah is his Protector, as well as Gabriel and the righteous believers, and moreover, the angels are his supporters.} [Surat at-Tahrīm: 4] ‘Ā’ishah bint Abi Bakr and Hafsah were cooperating against the rest of the Prophet's wives. I said: O Messenger of Allah, did you divorce them? He said: No. I said: O Messenger of Allah, when I entered the mosque, I found the Muslims pelting the ground with pebbles and saying: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) divorced his wives. Should I go down and tell them that you did not divorce them? He said: Yes, if you wish. I kept talking to him until there were no more signs of anger on his face and until he laughed and his teeth showed, and he had the most charming front teeth of all people. Then, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) descended and I descended while catching hold of the trunk, but the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) went down as if he was walking on the ground without touching it with his hand. I said: O Messenger of Allah, you remained in your room for twenty-nine days. He said: The month consists of twenty-nine days. I, thus, stood at the door of the mosque and called out at the top of my voice: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) did not divorce his wives, and this verse was revealed: {Whenever they hear any news of security or fear, they spread it. If they referred it to the Messenger or to those in authority among them, those with sound judgment among them could know it.} [Surat an-Nisā’: 83] And it was I who drew correct conclusions and Allah Almighty revealed the Verse of Choice..

Commentary : Perhaps the Prophet's wives caused him trouble like women usually cause their husbands trouble, resulting from jealousy, vexation, and the like.
In this Hadīth, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that when the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) secluded himself from his wives and swore not to enter upon them, for he was angry with them, ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) entered the Prophet's mosque "and found the people pelting the ground with pebbles," i.e., moving them around and throwing them on the ground, which is something normally done by someone concerned and absorbed in thought. "And saying: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) divorced his wives," i.e. when they saw how the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) kept himself away from his wives, they thought that he had divorced them, so they said this. "And that was before they were commanded with Hijāb," i.e., women conceal themselves from men. This remark is questionable; rather, it is a clear mistake since Hijāb was enjoined at the time of the Prophet's marriage to Zaynab bint Jahsh (may Allah be pleased with her) in the fourth or fifth year, and Zaynab (may Allah be pleased with her) was among his wives who were given the choice; and the story of his seclusion from his wives and giving them the choice took place in the ninth year of Hijrah. The best thing said with this regard to: "that it was before they were commanded with Hijāb" is from the words of the narrator who, when seeing that 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said he had entered upon 'Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), thought that this was before Hijāb, so he affirmed it. This could be responded by saying: Entering does not entail removing Hijāb (screen), for he could enter from the door, and she could still talk to him from behind the screen.
Then, ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that he said to himself: "I must find this out today," i.e., I must find out the truth about this, did the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) divorce them or not? So, ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) entered upon ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), the Prophet's wife and Abu Bakr's daughter, and said to her: "O daughter of Abu Bakr, have you gone to the extent of giving trouble to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him)?!" blaming her for daring to infuriate the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "O Ibn al-Khattāb, stay out of my affairs," i.e., you are not entitled to admonish me "and mind your receptacle," i.e., rather, you should admonish the one who matters to you, referring to Hafsah bint ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with her). "‘Aybah" (receptacle): the container used for keeping clothes and precious belongings. A man's "‘aybah": his family and those close to him. Then, ‘Umar entered upon his daughter Hafsah and said to her what he had said to ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with them) and added reprovingly: "By Allah, you know that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) does not love you, and had it not been for me, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would have divorced you," deterring and frightening her with divorce and the fact that if it had not been for ‘Umar's special status with the Prophet, this would have occurred. Thereupon, Hafsah cried bitterly because of her sadness about being separated from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and expecting her father to be severely mad at her. Then, ‘Umar asked his daughter (may Allah be pleased with both of them) where the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was. Hafsah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "He is in his cabinet in the attic room." "Mashrubah" (attic room): is an elevated room for storing food and drink. On entering, 'Umar found Rabāh (may Allah be pleased with him), the Prophet's servant, "sitting on the attic's doorstep," i.e., on the doorsill "with his legs dangling," i.e., stretching and hanging them "on carved wood", which is a trunk that had stairs used by the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) to ascend to the room and descend from that place using it as a stair. ‘Umar, then, called out to Rabāh (may Allah be pleased with both of them) to seek permission for him to enter upon the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). So, Rabāh looked inside the room, then, looked at ‘Umar and said nothing. This indirectly indicates that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) had heard ‘Umar's voice; however, he expressed no approval or disapproval of permitting him. So, ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) again sought permission from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), and Rabāh again looked at the room then looked at ‘Umar and said nothing. On the third time, ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) raised his voice so the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would hear him and he called out: "O Rabāh, seek permission for me from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). I think that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) thought I had come for Hafsah's sake," i.e., to apologize for what she did and defend her. "By Allah, if the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) commands me to strike her neck, I will certainly strike her neck." This clarified why he sought permission, namely to console the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and bring him out of his sadness and not for anything related to his daughter Hafsah (may Allah be pleased with her). Rabāh, thus, signaled with his head to ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) after the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) had permitted him to ascend to him in his attic.
On entering upon the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), ‘Umar saw him "lying on a straw mat," i.e., lying on his side on the straw mat. Another version in the two "Sahīh Collections" reads: "And he was on a straw mat with nothing between him and the mat," i.e., he was lying thereon without any bedding. "Hasīr" (straw mat): a mat made of palm leaf stalks or others things. 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) sat down, so the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) drew up his lower garment over his body to cover it more. "Izār" (lower garment): it is the garment used to cover the lower part of the body. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was not wearing anything except this lower garment. "and the mat had left marks on his side," i.e., it left marks on his side as a result of sleeping on it. 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) looked around, exploring the room where the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was staying and found nothing but a handful - i.e., a pile - of barley equal to one Sā '. Sā‘: it is four Mudds, and one Mudd is equal to an amount that could fill both hands. He found an equal amount of "the leaves of mimosa flava placed in one side of the room," i.e., in one of its sides and at a distance from the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). It is said that "Qarazh" (mimosa flava) means: a kind of tree used in tanning leather. "And a semi-tanned leather bag hanging," which is leather that is not yet tanned. All this indirectly indicates the threadbareness of the place where the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was staying and the straitened circumstances he was living in.
‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Tears started falling from my eyes," i.e., tears started flowing by way of sympathy for the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) asked him about the reason for his weeping, so ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: "O Prophet of Allah, how could I not weep when this straw mat has left marks on your side and I see nothing in your cabinet except what I see, while Caesar and Khosrau are enjoying fruits and rivers, whereas you are the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and His chosen one and this is your cabinet?!" All this serves as an indirect reference to the bliss that the disbelievers enjoy compared to the conditions of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). What ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) meant is that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and the Muslims are more entitled to this bliss than the disbelievers. Khosrau: it is the title of the Persians' king. Caesar: it is the title of the Romans' king. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Ibn al-Khattāb, does it not please you that the Hereafter is for us and the worldly life is for them?" In this way, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) explained to him the logic of the worldly pleasures and that of the Hereafter, as part of Allah's immutable rule regarding His slaves is to make the disbelievers enjoy the worldly pleasures. In contrast, His believing slaves will enjoy the enjoyments of the Hereafter, taking into consideration the contradiction between these two types of pleasures and the believers' eternal abidance in the bliss of Paradise and, on the contrary, the disbelievers' eternal abidance in Hellfire. ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Yes" it pleases me, O Messenger of Allah. There were signs of anger on the Prophet's face that ‘Umar noticed the moment he entered, so, ‘Umar said to him: "O Messenger of Allah, what trouble have the women caused you?" He was trying to alleviate the Prophet's sadness and anger. In other words, no trouble will befall you, and you should not care about any of their affairs. "If you had divorced them, verily, Allah is with you, His angels, Jibrīl (Gabriel):" the angel entrusted with the revelation, "Mikā’īl (Michael):" the angel entrusted with the rain and plants, "I, Abu Bakr, and the believers are with you" also with our support and assistance in Da‘wah (call to Allah) and the divine message. ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that he rarely spoke - thanks be to Allah for this - words except that he hoped Allah would confirm the words he uttered, i.e., he was secretly asking Allah to confirm the soundness of his advice to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) with Qur’an. 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was then informed that the Verse of Choice was revealed to confirm his speech with the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). It is the verse where the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) gave his wives the choice either to remain as his wives or to be divorced and released, as Allah Almighty says: {But if you insist on conspiring against him, then indeed Allah is his Protector, as well as Gabriel and the righteous believers, and moreover, the angels are his supporters. Perhaps, if he were to divorce you all, his Lord would replace you with better wives.} [Surat at-Tahrīm: 4-5] It is said: There is no choice in these verses and mentioning it here is a delusion. In Al-Bukhāri's version, it was reported that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: "The Prophet's wives backed each other against him out of jealousy, so, I said to them: Perhaps, if he were to divorce you all, his Lord would replace you with better wives; and so this verse was revealed." The sound opinion here is what was proven in the two Sahīh Collections and others, namely that the Verse of Choice is the verse where Allah Almighty says: {O Prophet, tell your wives, “If you seek the life of this world and its embellishments, then come, I will give you provision and release you graciously. But if you seek Allah and His Messenger and the Final Abode, then Allah has prepared for those who do good among you a great reward.”} [Surat al-Ahzāb: 28-29] It is said: There is a missing "and" probably in his saying: "The Verse of Choice", and the correct view is: "This verse and the Verse of Choice were revealed".
He reported that 'Ā’ishah and Hafsah (may Allah be pleased with both of them) used to cooperate against the rest of the Prophet's wives, forming a team together. The cause behind their excessive jealousy was divulging his secret, which made him upset and angry. ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), then, asked the Messenger of Allah (may Allah be pleased with him) if he had divorced his wives, trying to find out the truth about what people were saying in the mosque. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) negated divorcing his wives, and 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) informed him of how the people felt sad for the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) because of what was circulated about him divorcing his wives. 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), then asked for the Prophet's permission to go down to the people, inform them of the correct news, and clarify the truth for them to rejoice. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) agreed and said to him: "If you wish," i.e. if you like and want to do so.
‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that he kept talking to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) until there were no more signs of anger on his face and his teeth showed from laughing. "And he had the most charming front teeth of all people." "Thaghr" (front teeth): the mouth and front teeth. Then, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) descended from the attic where he had been staying in seclusion, and ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) descended while catching hold of the trunk and resting on it. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) went down "as if he was walking on the ground without touching it with his hand," i.e., he did not need to rest on the trunk when coming down due to his strength. ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Messenger of Allah, you remained in your room for twenty-nine," i.e., there is one day left to complete a month, as the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) swore not to have intercourse with his wives for a month. Thereupon, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The month consists of twenty-nine," i.e., this month was twenty-nine days. ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) stood at the door of the mosque and called out at the top of his voice: "The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) did not divorce his wives", telling and informing the Prophet's Companions that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) did not divorce his wives contrary to what they had been saying, and this verse was revealed: {Whenever they hear any news of security or fear, they spread it. If they referred it to the Messenger or those in authority among them, those with sound judgment could know it.} [Surat an-Nisā’: 83] When the people said that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) had divorced his wives based on no information from anyone and without verifying or checking this out, Allah Almighty blamed them because if they had referred this to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), he would have informed them of the truth about it, or they could have referred it to someone who could ask and find out the truth about it from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "And it was I who drew correct conclusions," i.e., verified this matter and checked it out.
"And Allah Almighty revealed the Verse of Choice," as previously mentioned. In the two Sahīh Collections, it was mentioned that ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: He started with me as the first woman. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I will mention something, but you should only hasten if you consult your parents. She said: Indeed, I know my parents would not order me to leave you." Al-Bukhāri's version reads: "Then, he gave all of his wives the choice, and they said the same as what ‘Ā’ishah had said."
In some narrations in the two Sahīh Collections, the following was reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) kept himself secluded from his wives because of the honey he used to drink in the house of Zaynab bint Jahsh. 'Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "I agreed with Hafsah that the one upon whom the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would enter should say: I can detect the smell of Maghāfīr in you, did you eat Maghāfīr - Maghāfīr: sweet gum that has a foul odor. When he entered upon one of them, she said that to him, and he said: No, but I drank honey in the house of Zaynab bint Jahsh, and I will not drink it again. Thereupon, this verse was revealed: {O Prophet, why do you prohibit [yourself from] what Allah has made lawful to you} to: {You both had better turn to Allah in repentance.} [Surat at-Tahrīm: 1-4] to ‘Ā’ishah and Hafsah, {And [remember] when the Prophet told one of his wives something in secret} [Surat at-Tahrīm: 3], as he said: No, but I drank honey." It is said: The reason is that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) had sexual intercourse with his bondmaid Māriyah in the house of Hafsah (may Allah be pleased with her) and Hafsah (may Allah be pleased with her) learned about it. So, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) ordered her not to inform ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her). However, Hafsah (may Allah be pleased with her) revealed the Prophet's secret to ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her). It is also said: The reason is the things they did as a whole that enraged the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and not a specific incident.
The Hadīth shows the Prophet's good morals and how he would honor whoever smiled at him by smiling back at him.
It also indicates the manifest merit of ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him).
It points out how a man should advise his daughter and fix her manners towards her husband.
It also signifies that putting a lot of pressure on women is something dispraised.
It encourages favoring the Hereafter by performing acts of obedience, avoiding sins, and refraining from being preoccupied with the pursuit of worldly pleasures..

1480

Abu Is-hāq reported: I was with Al-Aswad ibn Yazīd sitting in the grand mosque, and Ash-Sha‘bi was with us, and he narrated the Hadīth of Fātimah bint Qays: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) entitled her to no housing or financial maintenance. Then, Al-Aswad took a handful of pebbles and threw it at him and said: Woe to you! How could you narrate this?! ‘Umar said: We must not abandon the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of our Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) on account of a woman's statement. We do not know whether she memorized or forgot. She is entitled to housing and financial maintenance. Allah Almighty says: {Do not force them out of their houses, nor should they leave unless they commit a clear shameful act.} [Surat at-Talāq: 1].

Commentary : Allah has prescribed divorce after sparing no effort in reconciliation between the spouses. He has clarified its rulings and consequences, and He has made it three incidents of divorce so that each of the spouses would reconsider his stance; otherwise, they should be separated after the third incident of divorce, and the woman becomes unlawful for him after that until she is married to another man.
This Hadīth is related to a story mentioned in the two Sahīh Collections and others about the female Companion Fātimah bint Qays (may Allah be pleased with her) who was triply divorced by her husband. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) commanded her to move to the house of Ibn' Umm Maktūm - who was her cousin and was blind - and spend her 'Iddah (waiting period) there. He made her not entitled to financial maintenance for her particular case, as she used to offend her husband's family verbally or because she was in a desolate area and it was feared that someone might assault her; hence, he moved her to the house of Ibn' Umm Maktūm, as he was blind and would not see her. Fātimah bint Qays kept on narrating this Hadīth of hers after the Prophet's death; however, a group of the Companions disapproved of it. The Tābi‘i Abu Is-hāq as-Sabī‘i narrates that he was with Al-Aswad ibn Yazīd an-Nakha‘i - one of the Tābi‘is - in the great mosque, i.e., the grand mosque, which refers to the mosque of Kūfah, while Ash-Sha‘bi - ‘Āmir ibn Sharāhīl one of the Tābi‘is - was narrating the Hadīth of Fātimah bint Qays in this mosque, i.e., giving a legal fatwa based on this Hadīth. In this Hadīth, it is stated that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) did not make Fātimah entitled to housing or financial maintenance after being triply divorced. So, Al-Aswad took a handful of pebbles and threw them at him and said: "Woe to you!", i.e., may Allah afflict you with ruin and destruction. It was a common saying among the Arabs that was not intended as a supplication. "How could you narrate this?!" All this was meant to express Al-Aswad's disapproval of Ash-Sha‘bi's narration of this Hadīth. Then, he informed him that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "We must not abandon the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of our Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) on account of a woman's statement," i.e., we do not rely on issuing a Fatwa (legal opinion) like this on the Hadīth of Fātimah, given the importance of such a Fatwa, because she might have memorized it in the wrong way or she might have forgotten. Perhaps what ‘Umar meant by the Prophet's Sunnah was what his rulings indicated of adhering to the Book of Allah not a specific Sunnah in this regard. ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), then, supported his saying that the triply divorced woman is entitled to housing and financial maintenance in her ‘Iddah by the verse in which Allah Almighty says: {O Prophet, when you [believers] divorce women, divorce them with consideration to their waiting period and keep a precise count of the waiting period, and fear Allah, your Lord. Do not force them out of their houses, nor should they leave unless they commit a clear shameful act.} [Surat at-Talāq: 1] In other words: O people, fear Allah your Lord and beware of disobeying Him by transgressing His limit; do not force your divorced wives out of their houses, where you made them live before divorce, until their ‘Iddah is over. "Shameful act" here refers to recalcitrance and bad morals. It is said: It means indecency towards her husband's family. It is also said that it means: Unless they commit adultery.
The Hadīth of Fātimah bint Qays was refuted by a group of the Companions, including ‘Umar, ‘Ā’ishah, and others who knew the Sunnah better than Fātimah bint Qays. Some considered the apparent meaning of the Hadīth and, thus, made the triply divorced woman entitled to spend her 'Iddah wherever she chooses without being obliged to spend the night at her ex-husband's house.
The Hadīth shows how a scholar should be corrected, even in his gatherings of knowledge, if he is mistaken.
It also highlights the Companions' keenness on adhering to the Qur’an and the authentic Sunnah..

1480

‘Ubaydullah ibn ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Utbah reported: Abu ‘Amr ibn Hafs ibn al-Mughīrah set out along with ‘Ali ibn Abi Tālib to Yemen. He sent to his wife, Fātimah bint Qays, one pronouncement of divorce that was still left from her divorce. He commanded Al-Hārith ibn Hishām and ‘Ayyāsh ibn Abi Rabī‘ah to give her alimony. They said to her: By Allah, there is no alimony for you unless you are pregnant. Thereupon, she went to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and informed him of what they had said. He said: There is no alimony for you. She, then, asked his permission to move, and he permitted her. She said: O Messenger of Allah, where? He said: To the house of Ibn ’Umm Maktūm, as he was blind and she could take off her clothes in his presence and he would not see her. When her ‘Iddah (waiting period) was over, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) gave her in marriage to Usāmah ibn Zayd. Marwān sent Qabīsah ibn Dhu’ayb to ask her about the Hadīth, and she narrated it to him, whereupon Marwān said: We have not heard this Hadīth except from a woman. We shall adopt a safe path that we have found people upon. On hearing what Marwān said, Fātimah said: The Qur’an is between me and you. Allah Almighty says: {Do not force them out of their houses.} [Surat at-Talāq: 1] She said: This is regarding revocable divorce. What happens after the three? Why do you say there is no alimony for her if she is not pregnant? Then, on what grounds do you restrain her?.

Commentary : Allah has prescribed divorce and clarified its rulings and consequences after sparing no effort in reconciliation between the spouses. He has made it three incidents of divorce so that each of the spouses would reconsider their stance; otherwise, they should be separated after the third incident of divorce, and the woman becomes unlawful for him after that until she is married to another man.
In this Hadīth, the Tābi‘i ‘Ubaydullah ibn ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Utbah reports that the Companion Abu ‘Amr ibn Hafs ibn al-Mughīrah (may Allah be pleased with him) set out on a journey along with ‘Ali ibn Abi Tālib (may Allah be pleased with him) to Yemen when the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) sent him there. Abu ‘Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) sent to his wife Fātimah bint Qays a pronouncement of divorce while traveling. He had previously divorced her twice and had taken her back, and this was the third incident that made the divorce irrevocable. Abu ‘Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) commanded Al-Hārith ibn Hishām and ‘Ayyāsh ibn Abi Rabī‘ah (may Allah be pleased with both of them) to give her alimony. Another version narrated by Muslim reads: "He sent his deputy to her with barley, " but Fātimah declined it because she found it inadequate and did not accept it. They said to her: "By Allah, there is no alimony for you" because you are irrevocably divorced, and alimony is not for someone in your case "unless you are pregnant". In the version of An-Nasā’i: "So, she sent to Al-Hārith and 'Ayyāsh asking them for the alimony that was appointed for her by her husband, and they said: By Allah, no alimony is due on us for her unless she is pregnant, and she is not entitled to live in our house except with our permission." Thereupon, Fātimah went to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and informed him of what they had said, namely that she was not entitled to alimony unless she was pregnant. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) approved of what they had said and said to her: "There is no alimony for you." She then sought the Prophet's permission to move from her house, where she was divorced, as she was afraid for herself. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) permitted her to move to the house of her cousin Ibn' Umm Maktūm as he was blind and would not see her when taking off her clothes. His permission for her to go out is justified by the fact that he permitted her to move for an excuse, namely her indecency towards her husband's relatives or her fear that she might be assaulted, as mentioned in the narrations. However, if there is no need, then it is impermissible for her to go out or move, and it is forbidden to move her. Allah Almighty says: {Do not force them out of their houses, nor should they leave unless they commit a clear shameful act.} [Surat at-Talāq: 1] "Shameful act" here refers to recalcitrance and bad morals. It is said: It means indecency towards her husband's family. It is also said that it means: Unless they commit adultery.
When her 'Iddah was over, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) gave her in marriage to Usāmah ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) for knowing that he was religious, virtuous, had good morals and noble traits.
At that time, Marwān ibn al-Hakam was the ruler of Madīnah. He sent Qabīsah ibn Dhu’ayb to Fātimah (may Allah be pleased with her) to ask about this Hadīth, and she narrated it to him. The reason why Marwān asked her was mentioned in the version of An-Nasā’i: "'Abdullah ibn' Amr ibn' Uthmān, being a young man in the emirate of Marwān, divorced the daughter of Sa‘īd ibn Zayd and her mother was Bint Qays al-Battah. So, her maternal aunt, Fātimah bint Qays, sent to her commanding her to move from the house of 'Abdullah ibn' Amr. When Marwān heard about that, he sent to the daughter of Sa‘īd, commanding her to return to her house and asking her why she moved from her house before completing her 'Iddah." She informed him of the Hadīth of Fātimah, thereupon, Marwān was sent to Fātimah to verify this Hadīth. After hearing her Hadīth, Marwān said: "We have not heard this Hadīth except from a woman," by way of disapproval, and before Marwān, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb and ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with both of them) expressed their disapproval of Fātimah's Hadīth. Marwān said: "We shall adopt a safe path that we found people upon," i.e., what is reliable, strong, and authentic and what people held fast upon and adhered to and acted upon. In other words, we shall adopt the opinion that a woman must not leave her house except after her ‘Iddah is over and that there is no alimony for her. On hearing what Marwān said and how he prevented the irrevocably divorced woman from leaving her house under all circumstances, Fātimah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: The Qur’an is between me and you, Allah Almighty says: {Do not force them out of their houses.} [Surat at-Talāq: 1] Taking this as supporting evidence, she said: This prohibition, which is understood from the first part of the verse, addresses the husband who can take back his wife, i.e., the housing is for the divorced woman whose divorce is revocable, which accords with what Allah Almighty says: {Then when they have approached the end of their waiting period, either retain them honorably or part with them honorably.} [Surat at-Talāq: 2] She said: So, what happens after the three incidents of divorce? How do you prevent her from going out, then, you say: There is no alimony for her unless she is pregnant? Then, on what grounds do you restrain her? She said this as an objection to Marwān, who made the irrevocably divorced woman entitled to housing and prevented her from going out without giving her financial maintenance. To sum up, her objection was: If you do not make the alimony obligatory, how could you prevent her from going out if the alimony is the recompense of being restrained?!.

1481

‘Ā’ishah reported: It is no good for Fātimah to mention this. He said: She was referring to her statement: No housing or financial maintenance..

Commentary : Allah has prescribed divorce for spouses who choose separation after exerting their utmost in reconciliation between them. He has made it three incidents of divorce so that each of the two spouses would reconsider their stance. Otherwise, they would be separated after the third incident of divorce, and she becomes unlawful for him after this until she gets married to another man. Islam has also regulated the rights and duties between spouses after divorce.
In this Hadīth, Muhammad ibn al-Qāsim narrates that when the Mother of the Believers ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) was informed of what Fātimah bint Qays had said, namely that her husband had divorced her thrice and the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) did not make her entitled to housing or financial maintenance during her ‘Iddah (waiting period), she said disapprovingly: "It is no good for Fātimah" bint Qays "to mention" and narrate "this" Hadīth to people because it contradicts the explicit texts of the Book of Allah Almighty and the Sunnah of His Messenger (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him).
A group of the Companions, including ‘Umar, ‘Ā’ishah and others, rejected the Hadīth of Fātimah bint Qays because it contradicts, in their opinion, the verse in which Allah Almighty says: {O Prophet, when you [believers] divorce women, divorce them with concern to their waiting period and keep an accurate count of the waiting period, and fear Allah, your Lord. Do not force them out of their houses, nor should they leave unless they commit a clear shameful act. Such are the limits ordained by Allah.} [Surat at-Talāq: 1] It is said: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) commanded her to leave her house and spend her 'Iddah in the house of Ibn' Umm Maktūm and did not make her entitled to financial maintenance only because of her special case, as she used to verbally offend her husband's family, or because she was in a desolate place and it was feared that her husband or anyone else might assault her. 'Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) censured her narration..

1482

Fātimah bint Qays reported that she said: "O Messenger of Allah, my husband divorced me thrice, and I am afraid that my house will be broken into." So, he commanded her, and she moved (to another house)..

Commentary : Allah has prescribed divorce for spouses who choose separation after exerting their utmost in attempting reconciliation between them. He has made it three divorces; so that each of the two spouses would reconsider their stance. Otherwise, they would be separated after the third divorce, and she becomes unlawful for him after this until she gets married to another man. Islam has also regulated the rights and duties between spouses after divorce. Allah Almighty has commanded the divorced woman - whether the divorce is revocable or irrevocable - to spend the ‘Iddah (waiting period) in her house. Allah Almighty says: {O Prophet, when you [believers] divorce women, divorce them with concern to their waiting period and keep an accurate count of the waiting period, and fear Allah, your Lord. Do not force them out of their houses, nor should they leave unless they commit a clear shameful act. Such are the limits ordained by Allah.} [Surat at-Talāq: 1]
In this Hadīth, Fātimah bint Qays (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that she came to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah, my husband divorced me thrice," so the divorce was irrevocable and final. "And I am afraid that my house will be broken into" during her stay in his house for her ‘Iddah. "Iqtihām" (breaking into): entering quickly. This means: She was afraid that someone would enter upon her and harm her because she was in a desolate place. Thereupon, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) commanded her to leave that place and she went to the house of her paternal cousin, Ibn ’Umm Maktūm, because he was blind, and she could take off her clothes without him seeing her. Since she did not spend her ‘Iddah in her husband's house, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) did not make her entitled to habitation or financial sustenance during her ‘Iddah..

1483

Jābir ibn ‘Abdullah reported: My maternal aunt was divorced, and she wanted to harvest her date palm trees. A man rebuked her for going out, so she went to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) who said: "Yes, go out and harvest your date palm trees, for you may give (some of it) in charity or do a good deed.".

Commentary : The Islamic Shariah has brought facilitation and goodness to people. It takes into consideration their conditions when carrying out the Shariah rulings to prevent them from falling into difficulty or distress.
In this Hadīth, Jābir ibn ‘Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) narrates that his maternal aunt - it was said: her name is Asmā’ - was irrevocably divorced, as mentioned in the version of Abu Dāwūd: "My maternal aunt was divorced thrice." She wanted to go out, during her ‘Iddah (waiting period), to collect the fruits from her date palm trees; however, a man rebuked her and forbade her from going out until her ‘Iddah was over. She went to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) to ask him. She informed him of what had happened and of her condition and her need for harvesting her date palm trees and asked him if it was permissible for her to go out of her house during her ‘Iddah due to this necessity. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessing be upon him) replied saying: "Yes," and the version of Abu Dāwūd reads: "Go out," and collect your fruits, for perhaps after collecting the fruit of your date palm trees you may give part of it in charity to the poor and the needy "or do a good deed." "Ma‘rūf" (good deed): a comprehensive name including every known act of obeying Allah and doing good to people. This is an explanation of permitting the act of going out, even though it came in the form of notifying and urging her to do good. Moreover, he permitted her to go out due to her need to look after her interests, her date palm trees, and her properties as understood from the apparent indication of the beginning of the Hadīth.
Perhaps the difference between charity and a good deed is that the former refers to obligatory charity, while the latter refers to voluntary charity. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said this to her only because he knew that she was a charitable person, who used to do good deeds frequently, or he answered her with what would guide her to charity and voluntary charity, and this denotes obvious kindness and wisdom.
The Hadīth implies guiding the questioner to what is good for him in his religion and worldly matters and adding to the response what the questioner needs.
It also indicates the permissibility of going out for the divorced woman during her ‘Iddah for a necessity and for fulfilling her interests that she cannot dispense with.
It denotes the permissibility of being keen on preserving wealth and acquiring it to do good and use it in consoling others.
It also indicates that charity in dates is to be given at the time of their harvest, and gifting others therefrom.
It also includes giving an indirect reference to the dates' owner to give charity and reminding him of good deeds and beneficence..

1493

Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr reported: I was asked about the two who swore the oath of condemnation during the governance of Mus‘ab; should they be separated? I did not know what to say, so I went to Ibn ‘Umar's house in Makkah. I said to the servant: Seek permission for me. He said: He is taking a nap; but he heard my voice and said: Is this Ibn Jubayr? I said: Yes. He said: Come in. By Allah, you have not come at this time except for a need. I entered and found him lying on a saddlecloth and resting his head on a fibre-filled pillow. I said: O Abu ‘Abdur-Rahmān, should the two involved in a case of Li‘ān (oath of condemnation) be separated? He said: Glory be to Allah! Yes. The first one who asked about this was so-and-so, the son of so-and-so. He said: O Messenger of Allah, what if any of us found his wife committing adultery? What should he do? If he were to say anything, his statement would be a horrible matter, and if he were to remain silent, his silence about the matter would also be terrible. He said: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) kept silent and did not answer him. Later on, he came to him and said: I have been afflicted with what I asked you about. Thereupon, Allah Almighty revealed these verses of Surat an-Nūr: {As for those who accuse their wives [of adultery]} [Surat an-Nūr: 6] So, he recited them to him, admonished and reminded him, and informed him that the worldly punishment is less severe than the punishment of the Hereafter. He said: No, by the One Who sent you with the truth I did not lie about her. Then, he called her, admonished and reminded her and informed her that the worldly punishment is less severe than the punishment of the Hereafter. She said: No, by the One Who sent you with the truth, he is a liar. So, he started with the man who testified four times by Allah that he was truthful and the fifth time that the curse of Allah would be upon him if he were a liar. Then, the woman came next, and she testified four times by Allah that he was a liar and the fifth time that Allah's wrath would be upon her if he were truthful. Then, he separated the two of them..

Commentary : The noble Shariah has clarified the rulings of marriage between the man and the woman and has explained the rulings of the husband's accusation of his wife for committing adultery without evidence and the consequent practice of Li‘ān, besides other rulings of separation, to protect lineages, repel shame from the spouses, and ward off the legally prescribed punishment of Qadhf (false accusation of adultery).
In this Hadīth, the great Tābi‘i Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr tells us that he was asked about the ruling of the two involved in Li‘ān - when a husband accuses his wife of adultery and denies the attribution of her child to himself and the woman negates this, they are required to practice Li‘ān (oath of condemnation) - should they be separated? He did not know what to say and was not aware of the ruling in this regard, and this was during the governance of Mus‘ab ibn az-Zubayr, who was the ruler of Iraq. Mus‘ab did not separate the spouses who practiced Li‘ān, as clarified in another version of Muslim.
Sa‘īd said: "So, I went to the house of Ibn ‘Umar in Makkah" showing that it was a different house than that in Madīnah. It seems that it was the house of Ibn ‘Umar where he stayed when going to Makkah for Hajj or ‘Umrah, and it seems also that Sa‘īd traveled from Kūfah to Makkah. On reaching the house of Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father), he asked the boy, Ibn ‘Umar's servant, to seek permission for him to enter. The servant informed him that Ibn ‘Umar was taking a nap, it was noontime and midday. Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) heard the voice of Ibn Jubayr and recognized him and asked: Is this Ibn Jubayr who is asking for permission? Ibn Jubayr replied: Yes, I am Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr. So, he permitted him to enter and said: "By Allah, you have not come at this time except for a need." This signifies the understanding and modesty of Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) and how he did not make things difficult for whoever needed him during his rest, knowing that the one who would come to him during his rest had only come for a necessity; hence, he should not be upset with him; rather, he should receive him with a cheerful face. Ibn Jubayr entered upon Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) and found him lying on a "saddlecloth," a cloth laid on an animal's back under the saddle, and he was resting his head on a pillow, which is a cushion, and it was filled with fiber, i.e., tree or palm cortex.
Then, Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr said: "O Abu ‘Abdur-Rahmān," which is the nickname of ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar, and he asked him: Should the two involved in a case of Li‘ān be separated? Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) said: "Glory be to Allah! Yes." Ibn ‘Umar glorified Allah to express his surprise that Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr was unaware of this famous ruling. Ibn ‘Umar then said: "The first one who asked about this," i.e., the first one who asked the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) about what you asked me about "was so-and-so the son of so-and-so," who was ‘Uwaymir al-‘Ajlāni as mentioned in another version in Sahīh Muslim Collection: "The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) separated between the two members of Banu al-‘Ajlān." He asked: O Messenger of Allah, tell me about the ruling of one who found his wife committing adultery; what should he do in such a situation? If he spoke about what he had seen, "his statement would be a horrible matter" that people would find disgusting. It would be Qadhf (false accusation of adultery) that entails flogging as a legally prescribed punishment in case he brought no evidence. "And if he were to remain silent" and did not speak about what he had seen, his silence about the matter would also be horrible and an unbearable feeling of anger. Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) remained silent and did not answer the man's question, waiting for the revelation and considering this a serious issue. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would hate questions about things that did not occur. This man who asked the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) came back after some time and said: O Messenger of Allah, "I have been afflicted by" the matter I had asked you about, i.e., I have been afflicted and tested in this regard, as I saw my wife committing adultery. Thereupon, Allah Almighty revealed verses of Surat an-Nūr: {As for those who accuse their wives [of adultery] but have no witnesses except themselves, then the evidence of one of them is to testify four times by Allah that he is telling the truth, and the fifth [oath] is that may Allah curse him if he is telling a lie. But she will be spared the punishment if she testifies four times by Allah that he is telling a lie, and the fifth [oath] is that may Allah’s wrath be upon her if he is telling the truth.} [Surat an-Nūr: 6-9] This means: That Men who accuse their wives without having witnesses besides their own selves to testify to the truthfulness of their accusation, each of them should testify four times by Allah: that he is telling the truth about accusing his wife of adultery, then, in the fifth testimony, he should add the supplication against himself of being worthy of curse if he was lying about his accusation, which makes her subject to the legal prescribed punishment of adultery. What spares her this punishment is to testify four times by Allah that he is lying about accusing her, then, in her fifth testimony, she should add the supplication against herself of being liable to Allah's wrath if he was telling the truth about what he accuses her of.
The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) recited these verses to the man and admonished him in the hope that he might take back his accusation "and reminded him" to repent, telling him that the worldly punishment - which is the legally prescribed punishment of Qadhf - is less severe and much easier than the punishment of the Hereafter. However, the man said: "No" I shall not take back what I said because it is true, and he swore, saying: By the One Who sent you with the truth, I did not lie about her by accusing her of adultery and immorality. Then, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) called the woman and admonished her to repent in case she had sinned. He reminded and informed her that the worldly punishment - which is the prescribed punishment of adultery, i.e., being stoned - is less severe and much easier than the punishment of the Hereafter. However, the woman swore that her husband was lying in his claim against her. Thereupon, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) commanded both of them to swear the oath of condemnation. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) started with the man since Allah Almighty started with him in the verse. The man swore four times by Allah that he was telling the truth about what he accused her of, and in the fifth testimony, he invoked the curse upon himself if he was a liar. Then, it was the woman's turn. So, she swore four times by Allah that her husband was lying about his claim against her by accusing her of adultery and immorality, and in the fifth, she supplicated against herself invoking Allah's wrath upon her if her husband was truthful in what he said. So, none of them admitted the truthfulness of the other. Hence, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) separated between them. One of the rulings of Li‘ān is that if each of the spouses insists on what he said, then, they should not be united after Li‘ān and their marriage is invalidated.
The Hadīth clarifies the ruling of Li‘ān and its manner.
It points out how the sinner should be admonished and reminded of repentance..

1495

‘Abdullah reported: It was Friday night, and we were in the mosque when a man from the Ansār (supporters) came and said: If a man found another man with his wife and he speaks about it, you will flog him; or if he kills, you will kill him; and if he remains silent, he will remain silent in anger. By Allah, I will surely ask the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) about it. On the next day, he came to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and asked him saying: If a man found another man with his wife and he speaks about it, you will flog him; or if he kills, you will kill him; or if he remains silent, he will remain silent in anger. He said: O Allah, judge; and he kept supplicating, so the verse of Li‘ān (oath of condemnation) was revealed: {As for those who accuse their wives [of adultery] but have no witnesses except themselves} [Surat an-Nūr: 6], these verses. This man, of all people, was afflicted with this. So, he came with his wife to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and swore the oath of condemnation. The man testified four times by Allah that he was from the truthful, then, the fifth time he invoked a curse that Allah's curse be upon him if he was from the liars. She went to invoke a curse, but the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to her: Stop. However, she refused and invoked a curse. After they had both left, he said: Perhaps she will give birth to a curly-haired black child, and she gave birth to a curly-haired black child..

Commentary : The Shariah has clarified the rulings of marriage between the man and the woman and has explained the rulings of the husband's accusation of his wife for committing adultery without evidence and the consequent practice of Li‘ān, besides other rulings of separation, to protect lineages, repel shame from the spouses, and ward off the legally prescribed punishment of Qadhf (false accusation of adultery).
In this Hadīth, ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that they were in the Prophet's mosque on Friday night when a man from the Ansār - the people of Madīnah - came. It was Hilāl ibn ’Umayyah, and it is said: ‘Uwaymir al-‘Ajlāni. He said: "If a man found another man with his wife," i.e., he saw her committing adultery with him. If "he speaks" about it, "you will flog him" inflicting on him the legally prescribed punishment of Qadhf for having no witnesses, and if "he kills" the adulterer, "you will kill him" by way of legal retribution. "And if he remains silent" and does nothing, "he will remain silent in anger," i.e., anger and hatred for her. It seems that the man's speech was before the revelation of the verses of Li‘ān and it also seems that it was a mere question posed by that man at that time, not a real incident that had already occurred. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to hate such questions as mentioned in the Hadīth of Sahl ibn Sa‘d in the two Sahīh Collections.
Then, this man swore to ask the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) about this matter. On the next day - the next morning - the man went to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) asking about what was previously mentioned. Thereupon, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) supplicated: "O Allah, judge," i.e., clarify to us the ruling in this regard, and he continued supplicating Allah Almighty to clarify this incident, so, the verses of Li‘ān were revealed. These are the verses in which Allah Almighty says: {As for those who accuse their wives [of adultery] but have no witnesses except themselves, then the evidence of one of them is to testify four times by Allah that he is telling the truth, and the fifth [oath] is that may Allah curse him if he is telling a lie. But she will be spared the punishment if she testifies four times by Allah that he is telling a lie, and the fifth [oath] is that may Allah’s wrath be upon her if he is telling the truth.} [Surat an-Nūr: 6-9] This means: Men who accuse their wives without having witnesses besides their own selves to testify to the truthfulness of their accusation, each of them should swear four times by Allah that he is telling the truth about accusing his wife of adultery. Then, in the fifth testimony, he should add the supplication against himself of being worthy of condemnation if he is lying about his accusation, which makes her subject to the legally prescribed punishment of adultery. What spares her of this punishment is to testify four times by Allah that he is lying about accusing her. Then, in her fifth testimony, she should add the supplication against herself of being liable for Allah's wrath if he is telling the truth about what he accuses her of.
Among all people, this man was afflicted by the occurrence of what he asked about to his wife. So, he accompanied his wife to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). They both swore the oath of condemnation, i.e., the man testified four times by Allah that he was telling the truth, and then, the fifth time, he invoked the curse of Allah upon himself if he was lying. This is because testimony in an adultery case is not complete except with four witnesses, but this case was witnessed by none except the husband; hence, he was assigned four testimonies so that each oath would replace a witness, as an oath could sometimes replace a witness like when someone is entitled to some right but has one witness only. In this case, the Shariah considers his oath in place of the witness. After completing the four testimonies that replace the four witnesses, nothing is left after the testimony of the four witnesses in adultery against the married person, as in this case, except stoning, which is death. There is nothing left after taking the oath of condemnation four times except the curse of Allah Almighty or His wrath, which also indicates death (ruin). The woman, then, went to swear the oath of condemnation, but the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to her: "Stop," a word meant here to deter her, i.e., refrain and take your time. However, she refused to stop or be dissuaded from completing Li‘ān. Hence, she took her part in Li‘ān. When the two parties swore the oath of condemnation and went away after finishing their testimonies, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Perhaps she will give birth to" the baby in her womb, and he will be "a curly-haired black child," i.e., not straight-haired, which was the description of the one she was accused of committing adultery with. It is as if the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) most likely believed that she was lying, and the child she gave birth to was just as the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) had described.
The Hadīth clarifies that the ruling of Li‘ān, in principle, is to take place between the man and his wife if he accuses her of adultery and has no witness but himself.
It also points out that things must be judged according to what is apparent, whereas Allah Almighty is the One Who judges the intentions.
It explains how Li‘an must take place in the presence of the Imam or the judge and in the presence of an assembly of people.
It shows the condition that makes Li‘ān obligatory, which is the woman's denial of committing adultery because if she admits it, Li‘ān becomes impermissible and she becomes subject to the legally prescribed punishment.
It also signifies that it is Sunnah for the ruler to admonish the two persons involved in Li‘ān when intending to swear the oath of condemnation, which becomes confirmed after the fifth time..

1496

Muhammad ibn Sīrīn reported: I asked Anas ibn Mālik, knowing that he had knowledge of that, and he said: Hilāl ibn ’Umayyah accused his wife of committing adultery with Sharīk ibn Sahmā’, the brother of Al-Barā’ ibn Mālik from his mother's side. He was the first man who practiced Li‘ān (oath of condemnation) in Islam. He swore oaths of Li‘ān against his wife, so the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Watch her, if she gives birth to a white-complexioned child having straight hair and sore eyes, he is the son of Hilāl ibn ’Umayyah, but if she gives birth to a child with dark eyelids, curly hair, and thin shanks, then he is the son of Sharīk ibn Sahmā’." He (the narrator) said: I was informed that she gave birth to a child with dark eyelids, curly hair, and thin shanks..

1498

Abu Hurayrah reported: Sa‘d ibn ‘Ubādah al-Ansāri said: O Messenger of Allah, what if a man finds his wife with another man? Should he kill him? The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: No. Sa‘d said: Yes, by the One Who honored you with the truth. Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: Listen to what your master is saying!.

1502

Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said about the slave whose ownership is shared between two men and one of them emancipates him, he said: He should guarantee..

Commentary : The Shariah has protected all rights including the partners' rights. It has forbidden any kind of offense practiced by one partner against the other. This Hadīth clarifies that when two people own a slave jointly and one of them emancipates his share of that slave, this entails emancipating the rest of the slave. When the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "He should guarantee," it meant that the emancipator should guarantee his partner's share of the slave whom he emancipated, i.e., he is financially responsible for securing the complete freedom of that slave. In the Two Sahīh Collections: "But if he has no money, the slave will be required to work to pay for his freedom, but must not be overburdened." So, it made it clear that if the emancipator is poor and has no money to free the rest of the slave, he remains in slavery and is required to work for his freedom and to pay for the share of the partner who did not emancipate him. However, he should not be assigned tasks that are hard for him or beyond his ability..

Book of Hadith

| Hadiths

It was narrated from ‘Abdullah [that] the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “O ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr, what will you do when you find yourself among the dregs of the people… like this?”.

It was narrated from Abu Moosa that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “The believers are like a structure, parts of which support other parts,” and he interlaced his fingers..

‘Ā’ishah reported: It is no good for Fātimah to mention this. He said: She was referring to her statement: No housing or financial maintenance..

Fātimah bint Qays reported that she said: "O Messenger of Allah, my husband divorced me thrice, and I am afraid that my house will be broken into." So, he commanded her, and she moved (to another house)..

Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said about the slave whose ownership is shared between two men and one of them emancipates him, he said: He should guarantee..