It was narrated from Abu Qatadah al-Ansari that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was praying whilst carrying Umamah, the daughter of Zaynab the daughter of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and of Abu’l-‘As ibn Rabi‘ah ibn ‘Abd Shams. When he prostrated he put her down, and when he stood up, he picked her up again..

Commentary : The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was kind and forbearing to old and young alike. He (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) loved children and was compassionate towards them.
In this hadith, Abu Qatadah al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) sometimes led them in an obligatory prayer whilst carrying his granddaughter Umamah, the daughter of Zaynab the daughter of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). Her father’s name was Abu’l-‘As ibn ar-Rabi‘ ibn ‘Abd Shams. When the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) stood up, he carried her on his shoulder, as is narrated in as-Sahihayn, and when he bowed and prostrated, he put her down on the ground. Then when he rose from prostration and stood up for the second rak‘ah, he picked her up again, (and continued like that) until he finished his prayer. This indicates that it is permissible to carry children whilst praying, if there are no impure substances (najasah) on them, such as urine, stools and the like.
This hadith highlights the compassion and good attitude of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
It indicates that a slight movement whilst praying, picking up a child whilst praying, and other actions, even if they are many but not consecutive – rather they are intermittent – do not invalidate the prayer..

517

It was narrated that ‘Abdullah ibn Shaddad ibn al-Had said: My maternal aunt Maymunah bint al-Harith told me: My bed was next to the place where the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed, and sometimes part of his garment would fall on me whilst I was on my bed..

Commentary : Among the Jews, when a woman menstruated, they would expel her from the house; they would not eat with her, or drink with her or be with her in the same room. In Islamic teachings, however, the menstruating woman is not blamed for something that Allah has decreed for her; her entire body is pure (tahir) apart from the place where the hurt (i.e., menses) is.
This hadith is a brief part of a longer hadith in which the Mother of the Believers Maymunah (may Allah be pleased with her) stated that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to pray in her apartment, and the place where he prayed was next to her bed on which she would be sleeping, and when she was menstruating – as is mentioned in a report in al-Sahihayn – sometimes the garment of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) would touch her whilst he was praying.
This indicates that the menstruating woman is not impure (najis) and it indicates that her garment that she wears whilst menstruating is pure (tahir). It also indicates that the menstruating woman may be close to one who is praying, and that does not affect his prayer or interrupt it. This is an example of the ways in which Islam makes things easier for women in all circumstances, and honours women, especially at the time of menses, whereas the Jews used to regard the menstruating woman as impure, so no one would go near her or eat with her..

520

It was narrated that ‘Abdullah said: Whilst the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was standing in prayer at the Kaaba, and a group of Quraysh were sitting in one of their gatherings, one of them said: Look at this show-off! Which of you will go the recently slaughtered camel of the family of So-and-so, and bring its dung, blood and intestines, then wait until he prostrates and put it between his shoulders? The most wretched of them jumped up [and went and brought that filth], then when the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prostrated, he put it between his shoulders. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) remained in prostration, and the polytheists fell about laughing, then someone went to Faatimah (peace be upon her) – who was still a young girl – and she came running, whilst the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was still prostrating, and she lifted [that filth] off him and cast it aside, then she turned to them and berated them. When the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) finished his prayer, he said: “O Allah, I urge You to wreak vengeance upon Quraysh; O Allah, I urge You to wreak vengeance upon Quraysh; O Allah, I urge You to wreak vengeance upon Quraysh.” Then he said: “O Allah, I urge You to wreak vengeance upon ‘Amr ibn Hisham, ‘Utbah ibn Rabi‘ah, Shaybah ibn Rabi‘ah, al-Walid ibn ‘Utbah, Umayyah ibn Khalaf, ‘Uqbah ibn Abi Mu‘ayt and ‘Umarah ibn al-Walid.” ‘Abdullah said: By Allah, I saw them fallen in battle on the day of Badr, then they were dragged to the dry well, the dry well of Badr. Then the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “And the people in the dry well were followed with a curse.”.

Commentary : The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was sorely mistreated by the polytheists, but he persevered in the face of many difficulties for the sake of spreading his call and conveying the message of his Lord. The polytheists persecuted him in Makkah and elsewhere, but he remained steadfast, seeking reward for that with Allah, in the hope that Allah (may He be glorified) would guide them to enter Islam.
In this hadith, ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be pleased with him) speaks of one of the kinds of mistreatment that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) endured at the hands of the disbelievers of Quraysh. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was standing in prayer at the Kaaba, and some of the disbelievers of Quraysh were sitting in one of their gatherings, when one of them said: Do you not see this showoff? referring to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). He falsely claimed that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was praying at the Kaaba in order to show off, so that people would see his worship. Then that man said: Which of you will go to the recently slaughtered camel of the family of So-and-so …? What is meant is that a specific person had recently slaughtered a camel; the word translated here as camel refers to an animal that has been slaughtered and is being cut up. He wanted someone to go and take the dung, blood and intestines of that camel and bring it to them, then wait until the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prostrated, then place that filth between his shoulders. The most wretched of the people, whose name was ‘Uqbah ibn Abi Mu‘ayt, went and did what they had agreed on. The polytheists laughed so much at the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) that they found themselves leaning on one another in their laughter. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) remained in prostration, and someone – it may have been Ibn Mas‘ud himself (may Allah be pleased with him) – went to Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) and told her what had happened. At that time she was still very young. Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) came quickly, removed the filth from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), then turned to the polytheists and berated them.
When the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) finished his prayer, he prayed against them, saying: “O Allah, I urge You to wreak vengeance upon Quraysh; O Allah, I urge You to wreak vengeance upon Quraysh; O Allah, I urge You to wreak vengeance upon Quraysh.” In other words, destroy Quraysh. What is meant is the disbelievers among them, or those whom he named after that. The words were general in meaning but what was meant was specific individuals. Then he (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed against specific individuals, as he said: “O Allah, I urge You to wreak vengeance upon ‘Amr ibn Hisham, ‘Utbah ibn Rabi‘ah, Shaybah ibn Rabi‘ah, al-Walid ibn ‘Utbah, Umayyah ibn Khalaf, ‘Uqbah ibn Abi Mu‘ayt and ‘Umarah ibn al-Walid.” On the day of the battle of Badr – which took place in 2 AH, and was the first and greatest battle – all of those whom the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had prayed against were killed, and were thrown into a dry well. When they were thrown into the dry well, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “And the people in the dry well were followed with a curse,” meaning that Allah followed them with a curse, so that just as they were killed in this world, they will be cast out from the mercy of Allah (may He be glorified and exalted) in the hereafter.
This hadith highlights a clear miracle of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), as his supplication was answered and each of those against whom he had prayed was killed..

521

It was narrated from Ibn Shihab that ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz delayed the prayer one day. ‘Urwah ibn al-Zubayr went to him and told him that al-Mughirah ibn Shu‘bah delayed the prayer one day when he was in Iraq, then Abu Mas‘ud al-Ansari came to him and said: What is this, O Mughirah? Do you not know that Jibril (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) came down and prayed, and the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed; then he prayed, and the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed; then he prayed, and the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed; then he prayed, and the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed; then he prayed, and the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed – then he said: Thus I have been commanded? ‘Umar said to ‘Urwah: Watch what you are saying! Are you saying that Jibril was the one who defined the times of prayer for the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)? ‘Urwah said: That is what Bashir ibn Abi Mas‘ud used to narrate from his father.
‘Urwah said: ‘A’ishah told me that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to pray ‘Asr when the sun was shining into her apartment, before the apartment became shady..

Commentary : Praying at the beginning of the time for the prayer, and hastening to do so, is among the best of deeds by means of which one may draw closer to Allah (may He be exalted). The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) explained the times of prayer in both his words and his actions. The Sahabah after him were careful to offer the prayers on time, and they encouraged one another to do that.
In this hadith, it says that when ‘Urwah ibn al-Zubayr saw ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz – who at that time was the governor of Madinah, during the caliphate of ‘Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan – delaying the prayer, namely ‘Asr prayer, one day, he went to him and told him that al-Mughirah ibn Shu‘bah (may Allah be pleased with him) delayed the prayer one day when he was in Iraq, and Abu Mas‘ud al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) went to him and objected to his doing that. He said to him: Do you not know that Jibril came down and prayed, and the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed? He was referring to the time when Jibril came down to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and led him in prayer at the times of all five daily prayers; thus he taught the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) when the times for the prayers began and when the prayers are to be performed. In other words, he explained the times of prayer to him, and that delaying the prayer from that time to the time when ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz prayed was something that was not narrated from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). The words “Thus I have been commanded” are the words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz said to ‘Urwah: Watch what you are saying! In other words, verify what you are narrating; are you saying that Jibril was the one who defined the times of prayer for the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)? From this question of ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz – was it Jibril who taught the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) the times of the prayers? – it seems that he was not aware of this hadith. So ‘Urwah said to him: That is what Bashir ibn Abi Mas‘ud used to narrate from his father, meaning that this was the isnad (chain of narrators) of the report, so that he would know that it was sahih (sound), with an uninterrupted isnad.
Then ‘Urwah said, as further confirmation: ‘A’ishah the Mother of the Believers (may Allah be pleased with her) told me that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to pray ‘Asr when the sun was shining into her apartment, before the apartment became shady. What is meant is that the sun was still high; in other words, he used to offer the prayer at the beginning of its time.
This hadith urges the Muslim to pray at the beginning of the time for the prayer, especially in the case of ‘Asr prayer, and that delaying the prayer may take it to the time when it is not allowed and it is makruh (disliked) to pray.
It also indicates that it is prescribed for the scholar to advise one who is in a position of authority.
And it indicates that one may request verification of a hadith from the one who narrates it..

526

It was narrated from Ibn Mas‘ud that a man kissed a woman, then he came to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and told him about that. Then Allah (may He be glorified and exalted) revealed the verse: {And establish prayer at the two ends of the day and in some hours of the night. Indeed, good deeds do away with misdeeds} [Hud 11:114]. The man said: O Messenger of Allah is this for me? He said: “It is for all of my ummah.”.

Commentary : One of the means that help a person to repent is being keen to increase the number of righteous deeds that he does, so that most of his time will be spent in worshipping Allah and his heart will always be thinking of doing righteous deeds. One of these means of expiating sin is prayer.
In this hadith, ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that a man kissed a woman who was not permissible for him. Then he came to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and told him what had happened. Then Allah revealed this verse: {And establish prayer at the two ends of the day} [Hud 11:114]. That is, establish the obligatory prayers at the beginning and end of the day, namely Fajr, Zuhr and ‘Asr; {and in some hours of the night} that is, and establish prayer during the night hours, namely Maghrib and ‘Isha’; {Indeed, good deeds do away with misdeeds} – righteous deeds, such as prayer and other actions, expiate minor sins. The man asked the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him): O Messenger of Allah, is this ruling for me alone? The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “It is for all of my ummah.” This was affirmation after affirmation from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) that this included both those who were present and those who were absent. In other words, it is for them, and you are one of them.
This expiation is only for minor sins. In the case of major sins, complete repentance is required, fulfilling all the necessary conditions.
This hadith highlights the extent of Allah’s mercy to His slaves, and that He accepts the repentance of those who repent..

527

It was narrated that ‘Abdullah said: I asked the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him): Which deed is most beloved to Allah? He said: “Prayer offered on time.” He said: Then which? He said: “Then honouring one’s parents.” He said: Then which? He said: “Jihad in Allah’s cause.” He told me these, and if I had asked for more, he would have told me more..

Commentary : The Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them) – because of their keenness to do that which would bring them closer to the pleasure of Allah (may He be glorified and exalted) – often asked the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) about the best deeds and those which would bring them closest to Allah (may He be exalted). The responses of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) varied from one person to another, according to their character and situation, and what would be most beneficial for each of them.
In this hadith, ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be pleased with him) asks the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him): Which deed is most beloved to Allah? The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) answered that the most beloved of deeds to Allah (may He be exalted) and the most pleasing to Him is prayer offered at the beginning of its time. That means that the Muslim regularly offers the prayer after hearing the adhan. Mentioning the best time to pray serves to urge and encourage the Muslim to hasten to pray, and not be lazy or delay offering the prayer, because offering the prayer at the beginning of its time indicates that one is keen to do it, and that the Muslim acknowledges the rights of Allah and honours them, that he offers the prayer at the time when it becomes obligatory, without delaying or procrastinating, and that he is not among those of whom Allah (may He be exalted) says: {So woe to those who pray, [But] who are heedless of their prayer} [al-Ma‘un 107:4-5] – they are the ones who delay the prayer from the best time to offer it, or even until its time has ended. Then the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) told him that the next most beloved deed to Allah is honouring one’s parents, by treating them kindly and serving them, and not defiantly disobeying them. That was because Ibn Mas‘ud had a mother, so he needed to be reminded about honouring his parents after the prayer, because prayer is the right of Allah and the rights of parents come after the rights of Allah (may He be glorified and exalted, as He says: {Be grateful to Me and to your parents; to Me is the [final] destination} [Luqman 31:14]. Then Ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be pleased with him) asked which deed was most beloved to Allah (may He be exalted) after honouring one’s parents, and the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) told him that it is jihad in Allah’s cause, to make the word of Allah (may He be glorified and exalted) supreme, offering one’s life and wealth, so that the symbols and rituals of Islam may be practised openly.
What is meant is that the best of deeds is fulfilling the rights of Allah that He has enjoined upon His slaves, the best of which is prayer offered on time, then fulfilling the rights of His slaves, the most important of which is honouring one’s parents. And the pinnacle of deeds is jihad in Allah’s cause.
It was said that the wisdom behind singling out these three things for mention – prayer on time, honouring one’s parents, and jihad – is because these three are the best of deeds after faith. The one who neglects the prayer – which is the foundation of faith – at the time when he is aware of its virtue, is more likely to neglect other matters of religion, be careless about them and take them lightly. Similarly, the one who fails to honour his parents is more likely to neglect other rights of people. By the same token, the one who neglects jihad in Allah’s cause – even though he is able to do it when it becomes an individual obligation for him –is more likely to neglect other deeds by means of which he may draw closer to Allah (may He be exalted).
Then Ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be pleased with him) stated that if he had asked the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to tell him about more deeds, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) would not have refused to tell him of the best deeds.
This hadith highlights the keenness of the Sahabah and of Ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be pleased with him) to seek out the most sublime of deeds.
It also indicates that Muslims are urged to pray when the time for the prayer begins, to honour their parents, and to strive in jihad in Allah’s cause..

528

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that he heard the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) say: “Do you think, if there were a river at the door of one of you in which he bathed five times every day, would there be any trace of dirt left on him?” They said: There would be no trace of dirt left on him. He said: “That is the likeness of the five daily prayers; Allah erases sins by means of them.”.

Commentary : The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was the best teacher and the most eloquent of the people in speech. One of the effective ways in which he educated and taught people was by making knowledge straightforward and easy to understand, by giving tangible likenesses to make things clearer.
In this hadith, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) gives the likeness of how sins are erased by means of the five daily prayers, as he likened the five daily prayers to a river at the door of a person in which he bathes five times every day. Just as all dirt would be removed from him, so that there would be no trace of dirt left on him, in like manner the five daily prayers erase sins and misdeeds until there is nothing left of them.
The reason for that is that just as a person may become contaminated with physical dirt on his body and clothes, which he cleanses by means of abundant water, by the same token, the prayers cleanse a person of the dirt of sin, until there is no sin left that has not been expiated and removed, so long as he avoids major sins, as it was narrated in a sahih report by Muslim that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “The five daily prayers, one Jumu‘ah to the next, and one Ramadan to the next, are expiation for what comes between them, so long as major sins are avoided.”
The view of many scholars is that the prayers expiate all minor sins, so long as one does not persist in them, because by persisting in them they become major sins. As for major sins, they require complete repentance, fulfilling all the necessary conditions..

529

It was narrated that Anas said: I cannot recognize anything of what you do that is the same as it was at the time of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). It was said: What about prayer? He said: Are you not neglecting what you are neglecting in it?.

Commentary : Prayer is the foundation and basis of faith, on which the rest is built. Whoever upholds it as the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) did it, will uphold other things, but whoever neglects it will be more neglectful with regard to other duties.
In this hadith, Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I cannot recognize anything of what you do that is the same as it was at the time of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). According to another report, that was in Damascus, and what he was referring to was the neglect of some sunnahs and much of what was done at the time of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). Some of those who heard him were astonished, and it was said: What about the prayer? Meaning that prayer is something that was known at the time of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and was still practised. Anas said: Are you not neglecting what you are neglecting in it? What he meant was: that they delayed it from its proper time, or until the time for it ended.
According to a report narrated by Ahmad: “You prayed when the sun was setting.” His aim was to warn them against delaying ‘Asr prayer from the beginning of its time, until the time when prayer is not allowed and it is disliked (makruh) to pray.
This hadith highlights the keenness of the Sahabah to uphold the sunnahs of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and to warn against being heedless with regard to prayer..

532

It was narrated from Anas ibn Malik that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Prostrate properly, and do not rest your forearms on the ground as a dog does. If you spit, then do not spit in front of you or to your right, for you are conversing with your Lord.”.

Commentary : The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to teach his companions (may Allah be pleased with them) how to pray, and the etiquette and sunnahs of prayer.
In this hadith, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) instructs the Muslim to prostrate properly when praying, by resting on his feet (toes), knees, hands and face. The worshipper should not rest his forearms on the ground when prostrating, as a dog rests, which means placing the hands and the elbows on the ground.
Then the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) forbade spitting – which means ejecting mucus from the mouth or nose – whilst praying or whilst one is in the mosque. Thus he forbade the worshipper to spit in front of him, which is the direction of the qiblah, or to spit to his right, because that is the honourable side, and all honourable actions are started on the right. That is because the person – whether he is praying or is in the mosque – is standing before his Lord, so he must adhere to proper etiquette and not do anything that it is not appropriate to do before Him (may He be glorified and exalted). Other reports explain that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) instructed the worshipper, if he cannot help but spit, to spit to his left or under his foot, in order to bury it, or to spit into the edge of his garment if he cannot spit in any of those directions. The Muslim should take precautions to avoid contaminating the mosque with spittle on the ground, especially if the mosque is carpeted, and he is able to use a handkerchief or the edge of his garment to spit into if he is praying. But if he is not praying, then he can exit the mosque and go somewhere else where he can clean his mouth and nose. This comes under the heading of proper etiquette and respecting the mosque..

539

It was narrated that Abu Dharr al-Ghifari said: We were with the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) on a journey, and the mu’adhdhin wanted to give the call to prayer for Zuhr, but the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Wait until it cools down.” Then he wanted to give the call to prayer, but the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said to him: “Wait until it cools down.” Then when we saw the shadow of the high ground begin to appear, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Intense heat is from the exhalation of Hell, so when it is intensely hot, wait until it cools down before you pray.”.

Commentary : There are many examples that illustrate the easy-going nature of Islamic teachings. One example of that is that for each prayer there is a considerable amount of time during which the prayer may be offered, so as to avoid hardship and difficulty.
In this hadith, Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him) tells us that they were with the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) on a journey, and the mu’adhdhin wanted to give the call to prayer for Zuhr, but the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) told him to delay it until it had cooled down and the heat had dissipated, so he sat down. Then after a while he wanted to give the call to prayer, but the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said to him: “Wait until it cools down.” Then when they saw the shadow of the high ground begin to appear, as a result of the delay, at that point the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Intense heat is from the exhalation of hell – meaning from its scorching heat – so when it is intensely hot, wait until it cools down before you pray.” In the case of Zuhr, waiting until it cools down means delaying going out to offer the prayer until it has cooled down and the heat has reduced in comparison to the heat at the beginning of the noontime..

541

It was narrated from Abu Barzah that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to pray Fajr and one of us could recognize the person next to him, and in the prayer he would recite between sixty and one hundred verses. He would pray Zuhr when the sun passed the meridian, and he would pray ‘Asr then one of us would go to the furthest part of the city and come back when the sun was still bright – and I forgot what he said about Maghrib – and we would not mind if ‘Isha’ was delayed until one third of the night had passed. Then he said: until half of the night had passed. Mu‘adh said: Shu‘bah said: I met him once, and he said: or one third of the night..

Commentary : The best guidance is the guidance of Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). He taught his ummah everything having to do with religious matters, including prayer, its timings and how to do it, because of its great importance in Islamic teachings.
In this hadith, Abu Barzah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to pray Fajr and one of us would recognize the person next to him. This indicates that the dawn had grown so light that a worshipper could recognize the person next to him. That was at the end of the prayer; he would make the prayer lengthy and would not finish it until things had become visible and faces had become recognizable. In the prayer he would recite between sixty and one hundred verses.
The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) would pray Zuhr straight after the sun had passed the meridian in the middle of the day, when the sun started to decline from the middle of the sky.
He (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) would pray ‘Asr at such a time that one of them would be able to go to the furthest part of Madinah and come back, and the sun would still be shining strongly, very hot and bright. This indicates that he offered the prayer at the beginning of its time.
Then the narrator, Abu’l-Minhal, says that he forgot what Abu Barzah (may Allah be pleased with him) told him about the time when they used to pray Maghrib.
Abu Barzah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: we would not mind if ‘Isha’ was delayed until one third of the night had passed. Then he said: until half of the night had passed. In other words, sometimes they would pray ‘Isha’ after one third, or one half, of the night had passed, because of its virtue. Concerning the virtue of delaying it there is a report narrated by Abu Dawud, according to which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Offer this prayer when it is very dark, for you have been given precedence over other nations because of it; no nation before you ever had a prayer like it.”.

542

It was narrated that Anas ibn Malik said: When we prayed Zuhr behind the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), we would prostrate on our garments to protect ourselves from the heat..

Commentary : Islam is a religion of mercy and ease in all its laws and teachings, and in the application of its teachings, as it takes into consideration an individual’s ability, without causing undue hardship.
In this hadith, Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) says: When we prayed Zuhr behind the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), we would pray on our garments. They used to use the edges of their garments when prostrating, placing the cloth between their foreheads and the ground, to protect themselves from the intense heat. That is because in the summer, when temperatures are high, Zuhr prayer is offered during the hottest time of the day, as a result of which the ground is extremely hot.
This hadith indicates that it is permissible to take measures to help one do acts of worship without facing any harm or difficulty..

543

It was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed seven [rak‘ahs] and eight [rak‘ahs] in Madinah: Zuhr and ‘Asr, and Maghrib and ‘Isha’. Ayyub said: Perhaps that was on a rainy night? He said: Perhaps..

Commentary : In this hadith, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that when he was in Madinah, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed seven [rak‘ahs], meaning that he put ‘Maghrib and ‘Isha’ together, so he delayed Maghrib until the end of its time, when he prayed it with three rak‘ahs, and when he finished it, the time for ‘Isha’ began and he prayed it with four rak‘ahs.
And he prayed eight [rak‘ahs], meaning that he put Zuhr and ‘Asr together in a similar manner. So he delayed Zuhr until the end of its time, and when he had prayed it with four [rak‘ahs], its time had ended and the time for ‘Asr began, so he prayed ‘Asr with four rak‘ahs.
Ayyub – namely Ayyub al-Sakhtiyani, the narrator of the hadith, and the one to whom he spoke was Jabir ibn Zayd – said: Perhaps this delay was on a very rainy night? Jabir ibn Zayd said: Perhaps that was on a rainy night. This was an expression of hope on his part that that had happened on a rainy night, because usually the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) did not delay a prayer from the beginning of its time except for a valid reason and hardship that required the concession allowing a delay.
This hadith indicates that Islam aims to make things easy and avoid causing difficulty, and that it is permissible to avail oneself of concessions with regard to acts of worship..

547

It was narrated that Sayyar ibn Salamah said: My father and I went to see Abu Barzah al-Aslami, and my father said to him: How did the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) offer the obligatory prayers? He said: He used to pray al-hajir [Zuhr] – which you call the first prayer – when the sun passed the zenith. He would pray ‘Asr, then one of us would be able to go to his residence in the furthest part of Madinah when the sun was still bright – and I forgot what he said about Maghrib – and he liked to delay ‘Isha’ – which you call al-‘atamah (lit. darkness) – and he did not like to sleep before it or to talk after it. He would finish Fajr prayer when a man could recognize the person next to him, and he would recite between sixty and one hundred verses..

Commentary : This hadith highlights the eagerness of the Tabi‘in to seek knowledge of the Sunnah and their keenness to follow the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). In it, Sayyar ibn Salamah, who was one of the Tabi‘in, went with his father Salamah to see Abu Barzah al-Aslami (may Allah be pleased with him). Salamah the father of Sayyar asked him about the prayer of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and how he used to offer the obligatory prayers that Allah (may He be exalted) prescribed for His slaves. Abu Barzah (may Allah be pleased with him) answered by telling him that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to offer al-hajir prayer – the word hajir refers to extreme heat; what is meant here is Zuhr prayer, and it is so called because the time for the prayer begins then. They also used to call Zuhr the first prayer, because it was the first prayer in which Jibril (peace be upon him) led the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). So the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) would offer this prayer when the sun passed the meridian and began to decline from the middle of the sky towards the west. What that implies is that he used to pray Zuhr at the beginning of its time.
Then the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to hasten to pray ‘Asr; he would pray it so early in its time that one of those who had prayed with him could go to his home in the furthest part of Madinah when the sun was still bright and its light and heat had not changed. The narrator forgot what Abu Barzah said about Maghrib prayer. Then Abu Barzah said: The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) liked to delay ‘Isha’ prayer because of the virtue that there is in that. Concerning the virtue of delaying it there is the report narrated by Abu Dawud, which says that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Offer this prayer when it is very dark, for you have been given precedence over other nations because of it; no nation before you ever had a prayer like it.” This is the prayer you call al-‘atamah (lit. darkness); al-‘atamah refers to the darkness that appears after the red afterglow disappears. This indicates that this prayer should not be called by this name. It is disliked (makruh) to sleep before ‘Isha’, for fear that one may end up praying it after its time has ended. It is also disliked to speak about worldly matters after it, because that may lead to missing out on praying qiyam al-layl and Fajr.
The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to finish praying, or turn towards the congregation after praying Fajr, when a man could recognize the person next to him. This indicates that the dawn had grown so light that a worshipper could recognize the person next to him. That was at the end of the prayer; he would make the prayer lengthy and would not finish it until things had become visible and faces had become recognizable. In the prayer he would recite between sixty and one hundred verses..

548

It was narrated that Anas ibn Malik said: We would pray ‘Asr, then one of us would go out to Banu ‘Amr ibn ‘Awf, and find them praying ‘Asr..

Commentary : The Sahabah were very keen to teach the people and the Tabi‘in the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and the times of the prayer, and how it is to be done.
In this hadith, Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that they used to pray ‘Asr with the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), then one of them would go out to Banu ‘Amr ibn ‘Awf and find them still praying ‘Asr. This indicates that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to pray ‘Asr very early. That was because the houses of Banu ‘Amr ibn ‘Awf were in Quba’, two miles away from Madinah. They used to pray ‘Asr in the middle of its time, because they were busy working in their fields, then when they had finished their work, they would get ready to pray by purifying themselves and so on, then they would gather for the prayer. So they would delay the prayer until the middle of its time for that reason.
The beginning of the time for ‘Asr – as is stated in the reports – is when the sun is in the sky and the length of the shadow of a thing is double its height.
This hadith indicates that one may delay ‘Asr so long as the time when praying is disliked (makruh) has not yet begun, because during the time of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), some of the Sahabah used to offer this prayer later than he did, and what appears to be the case is that he (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was aware of that and approved of it..

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

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