Sunan Ibn Majah
Sunan Ibn Majah 2051
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، وَعَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ، عَنْ جَرِيرِ بْنِ حَازِمٍ، عَنِ الزُّبَيْرِ بْنِ سَعِيدٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ يَزِيدَ بْنِ رُكَانَةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ جَدِّهِ، أَنَّهُ طَلَّقَ امْرَأَتَهُ الْبَتَّةَ فَأَتَى رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ فَسَأَلَهُ فَقَالَ " مَا أَرَدْتَ بِهَا " . قَالَ وَاحِدَةً . قَالَ " آللَّهِ مَا أَرَدْتَ بِهَا إِلاَّ وَاحِدَةً قَالَ آللَّهِ مَا أَرَدْتُ بِهَا إِلاَّ وَاحِدَةً . قَالَ فَرَدَّهَا عَلَيْهِ . قَالَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ مَاجَهْ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ عَلِيَّ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ الطَّنَافِسِيَّ يَقُولُ مَا أَشْرَفَ هَذَا الْحَدِيثَ . قَالَ ابْنُ مَاجَهْ أَبُو عُبَيْدٍ تَرَكَهُ نَاحِيَةً وَأَحْمَدُ جَبُنَ عَنْهُ .
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah and ʿAli ibn Muhammad narrated to us; they said: Wakiʿ narrated to us, from Jarir ibn Hazim, from al-Zubayr ibn Saʿid, from ʿAbdullah ibn ʿAli ibn Yazid ibn Rukanah, from his father, from his grandfather, that he divorced his wife irrevocably. He came to the Messenger of Allah, who asked him, ‘What did you intend by it?’ He said, ‘One divorce.’ The Prophet asked, ‘By Allah, did you intend by it nothing but one?’ He said, ‘By Allah, I intended nothing but one.’ So he returned her to him. Muhammad ibn Majah said: I heard Abu al-Hasan ʿAli ibn Muhammad al-Tanafisi say, ‘How excellent this hadith is!’ Ibn Majah said: ‘Abu ʿUbayd left it aside, and Ahmad was apprehensive about it.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The report includes Ibn Majah’s comments after the narration; these are rendered as part of the source text. The phrase الْبَتَّةَ is translated as ‘irrevocably.’
أَنَّهُ طَلَّقَ امْرَأَتَهُ الْبَتَّةَ فَأَتَى رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ فَسَأَلَهُ فَقَالَ " مَا أَرَدْتَ بِهَا " .
The term الْبَتَّةَ can describe an irrevocable or final divorce, while the man says he intended only one; the report does not further explain the formula.
Does ‘divorced his wife irrevocably’ preserve the term without deciding its legal effect?
قَالَ ابْنُ مَاجَهْ أَبُو عُبَيْدٍ تَرَكَهُ نَاحِيَةً وَأَحْمَدُ جَبُنَ عَنْهُ .
The phrase وَأَحْمَدُ جَبُنَ عَنْهُ literally says Ahmad was afraid or held back from it; ‘was apprehensive about it’ leaves the reason unstated.
Does ‘Ahmad was apprehensive about it’ best preserve the brief editorial comment?