Sunan Ibn Majah
Sunan Ibn Majah 3445
حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ الْجَوْهَرِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ ابْنُ عُلَيَّةَ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ السَّائِبِ بْنِ بَرَكَةَ، عَنْ أُمِّهِ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، قَالَتْ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ إِذَا أَخَذَ أَهْلَهُ الْوَعْكُ أَمَرَ بِالْحَسَاءِ . قَالَتْ وَكَانَ يَقُولُ " إِنَّهُ لَيَرْتُو فُؤَادَ الْحَزِينِ وَيَسْرُو عَنْ فُؤَادِ السَّقِيمِ كَمَا تَسْرُو إِحْدَاكُنَّ الْوَسَخَ عَنْ وَجْهِهَا بِالْمَاءِ " .
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
ʿĀʾishah reported: When illness or fever afflicted the Messenger of Allah’s ﷺ family, he would order soup. She said he used to say, ‘It strengthens the grieving heart and relieves the sick heart, just as water washes dirt from one of your faces.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic names ḥasāʾ, a soup or broth, without specifying its ingredients.
The comparison describes relief to the sick heart as like washing dirt from the face with water.
حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ ابْنُ عُلَيَّةَ،
Waʿk refers to an illness or feverish ailment, but the report does not specify its symptoms.
What specific illness is meant by waʿk here?
قَالَتْ وَكَانَ يَقُولُ " إِنَّهُ لَيَرْتُو فُؤَادَ الْحَزِينِ وَيَسْرُو عَنْ فُؤَادِ السَّقِيمِ كَمَا تَسْرُو إِحْدَاكُنَّ الْوَسَخَ عَنْ وَجْهِهَا بِالْمَاءِ " .
The verbs describe strengthening the grieving heart and relieving the sick heart; the exact nuance may include soothing or cleansing distress.
Should the effect on the grieving and sick heart be rendered as strengthening and relieving, or more literally as mending and clearing?