Sunan Ibn Majah

Sunan Ibn Majah 2075

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Sunan Ibn Majah 2075
Arabic hadith text

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى، وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ خَلاَّدٍ الْبَاهِلِيُّ، قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَهَّابِ الثَّقَفِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا خَالِدٌ الْحَذَّاءُ، عَنْ عِكْرِمَةَ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، قَالَ كَانَ زَوْجُ بَرِيرَةَ عَبْدًا يُقَالُ لَهُ مُغِيثٌ كَأَنِّي أَنْظُرُ إِلَيْهِ يَطُوفُ خَلْفَهَا وَيَبْكِي وَدُمُوعُهُ تَسِيلُ عَلَى خَدِّهِ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ لِلْعَبَّاسِ ‏"‏ يَا عَبَّاسُ أَلاَ تَعْجَبُ مِنْ حُبِّ مُغِيثٍ بَرِيرَةَ وَمِنْ بُغْضِ بَرِيرَةَ مُغِيثًا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ لَهَا النَّبِيُّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ ‏ "‏ لَوْ رَاجَعْتِيهِ فَإِنَّهُ أَبُو وَلَدِكِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَتْ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ تَأْمُرُنِي قَالَ ‏"‏ إِنَّمَا أَشْفَعُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَتْ لاَ حَاجَةَ لِي فِيهِ ‏.‏

Translation

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna and Muhammad ibn Khallad al-Bahili narrated to us; they said: ʿAbd al-Wahhab al-Thaqafi narrated to us; Khalid al-Hadhdhaʾ narrated to us, from ʿIkrimah, from Ibn ʿAbbas, who said: Barirah’s husband was an enslaved man named Mughith. It is as though I can see him following her around, weeping, with tears streaming down his cheeks. The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said to al-ʿAbbas, ‘O ʿAbbas, are you not amazed by Mughith’s love for Barirah and Barirah’s aversion to Mughith?’ The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) then said to her, ‘Why don’t you go back to him? He is the father of your child.’ She said, ‘Messenger of Allah, are you commanding me?’ He replied, ‘I am only interceding.’ She said, ‘I have no desire for him.’

Notes and open questions — unreviewed
  • قَالَ كَانَ زَوْجُ بَرِيرَةَ عَبْدًا يُقَالُ لَهُ مُغِيثٌ كَأَنِّي أَنْظُرُ إِلَيْهِ يَطُوفُ خَلْفَهَا وَيَبْكِي وَدُمُوعُهُ تَسِيلُ عَلَى خَدِّهِ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ لِلْعَبَّاسِ ‏"‏ يَا عَبَّاسُ أَلاَ تَعْجَبُ مِنْ حُبِّ مُغِيثٍ بَرِيرَةَ وَمِنْ بُغْضِ بَرِيرَةَ مُغِيثًا ‏"‏ ‏.

    بغض means hatred or aversion; ‘aversion’ is used for natural English while retaining the contrast with Mughith’s love.

    Does ‘aversion’ accurately convey Barirah’s بغض without softening the contrast?

  • ‏ فَقَالَ لَهَا النَّبِيُّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ ‏ "‏ لَوْ رَاجَعْتِيهِ فَإِنَّهُ أَبُو وَلَدِكِ ‏"‏ ‏.

    لو راجعتيه is a suggestion to return to him; the subsequent question asks whether the Prophet is commanding her.

    Does ‘Why don’t you go back to him?’ preserve the suggestion and the distinction from a command?