Sunan Ibn Majah
Sunan Ibn Majah 2087
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ نُمَيْرٍ، عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ حَسَّانَ، عَنْ حَفْصَةَ، عَنْ أُمِّ عَطِيَّةَ، قَالَتْ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ " لاَ تُحِدُّ عَلَى مَيِّتٍ فَوْقَ ثَلاَثٍ إِلاَّ الْمَرْأَةُ تُحِدُّ عَلَى زَوْجِهَا أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍ وَعَشْرًا وَلاَ تَلْبَسُ ثَوْبًا مَصْبُوغًا إِلاَّ ثَوْبَ عَصْبٍ وَلاَ تَكْتَحِلُ وَلاَ تَطَيَّبُ إِلاَّ عِنْدَ أَدْنَى طُهْرِهَا بِنُبْذَةٍ مِنْ قُسْطٍ وَأَظْفَارٍ " .
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah narrated to us; ʿAbdullah ibn Numayr narrated to us, from Hisham ibn Hassan, from Hafsah, from Umm ʿAtiyyah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: ‘A woman must not observe mourning for a deceased person for more than three days, except that a woman observes mourning for her husband for four months and ten days. She must not wear dyed clothing, except an ʿasb garment; she must not apply kohl or perfume, except at the end of her menstrual period, when she may use a small amount of qust and azfar.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
ʿAsb is a type of patterned or dyed cloth; qust and azfar are aromatic substances used in this context.
قَالَتْ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ " لاَ تُحِدُّ عَلَى مَيِّتٍ فَوْقَ ثَلاَثٍ إِلاَّ الْمَرْأَةُ تُحِدُّ عَلَى زَوْجِهَا أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍ وَعَشْرًا وَلاَ تَلْبَسُ ثَوْبًا مَصْبُوغًا إِلاَّ ثَوْبَ عَصْبٍ وَلاَ تَكْتَحِلُ وَلاَ تَطَيَّبُ إِلاَّ عِنْدَ أَدْنَى طُهْرِهَا بِنُبْذَةٍ مِنْ قُسْطٍ وَأَظْفَارٍ " .
The final exception permits a small amount of qust and azfar at أدنى طهرها, i.e. at the end of her menstrual period/when she has become pure; the precise ritual sequence is compressed in this wording.
Does ‘at the end of her menstrual period’ convey أدنى طهرها without adding a ritual sequence absent from this text?
قَالَتْ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ " لاَ تُحِدُّ عَلَى مَيِّتٍ فَوْقَ ثَلاَثٍ إِلاَّ الْمَرْأَةُ تُحِدُّ عَلَى زَوْجِهَا أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍ وَعَشْرًا وَلاَ تَلْبَسُ ثَوْبًا مَصْبُوغًا إِلاَّ ثَوْبَ عَصْبٍ وَلاَ تَكْتَحِلُ وَلاَ تَطَيَّبُ إِلاَّ عِنْدَ أَدْنَى طُهْرِهَا بِنُبْذَةٍ مِنْ قُسْطٍ وَأَظْفَارٍ " .
ثوب عصب names a specific textile or garment; its precise fabric description is not stated in the report.
Should ʿasb be retained as a transliterated garment term with a short note rather than given a more specific textile identification?