Sunan Ibn Majah
The Chapters on Divorce
كتاب الطلاق
Chapter 22
الْمُخْتَلِعَةِ تَأْخُذُ مَا أَعْطَاهَا
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Azhar ibn Marwan narrated to us: ʿAbd al-Aʿla ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿla narrated to us: Saʿid ibn Abi ʿArubah narrated to us, from Qatadah, from ʿIkrimah, from Ibn ʿAbbas: Jamilah bint Salul came to the Prophet and said, ‘By Allah, I find no fault with Thabit in his religion or character. But I fear falling into disbelief while in Islam; I cannot bear him out of hatred.’ The Prophet said to her, ‘Will you return his garden to him?’ She said, ‘Yes.’ The Messenger of Allah instructed him to take his garden back from her and no more than that.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The phrase الْكُفْرَ فِي الإِسْلاَمِ is kept close to the source; in context she fears failing to fulfill her marital obligations because of her aversion.
وَلَكِنِّي أَكْرَهُ الْكُفْرَ فِي الإِسْلاَمِ لاَ أُطِيقُهُ بُغْضًا .
The phrase أَكْرَهُ الْكُفْرَ فِي الإِسْلاَمِ is a figurative religious expression; the narration does not explain it further, while the context links it to her aversion toward Thabit.
Does ‘I fear falling into disbelief while in Islam’ preserve the expression without overexplaining its application?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Kurayb narrated to us: Abu Khalid al-Ahmar narrated to us, from Hajjaj, from ʿAmr ibn Shuʿayb, from his father, from his grandfather, who said: Habibah bint Sahl was married to Thabit ibn Qays ibn Shammas, who was an unattractive man. She said, ‘Messenger of Allah, by Allah, if I did not fear Allah, when he comes to me I would spit in his face.’ The Messenger of Allah asked, ‘Will you return his garden to him?’ She said, ‘Yes.’ She returned his garden to him, and the Messenger of Allah separated them.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The phrase إِذَا دَخَلَ عَلَيَّ (‘when he enters upon me’) is translated as ‘when he comes to me,’ retaining the source’s indirect wording.
فَقَالَتْ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهِ لَوْلاَ مَخَافَةُ اللَّهِ إِذَا دَخَلَ عَلَىَّ لَبَصَقْتُ فِي وَجْهِهِ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ " أَتَرُدِّينَ عَلَيْهِ حَدِيقَتَهُ " .
دَخَلَ عَلَيَّ literally means ‘enters upon me’ and can refer to the husband’s coming to her intimately; the passage does not spell this out further.
Does ‘when he comes to me’ preserve the indirectness of the Arabic?
Chapter 23
عِدَّةِ الْمُخْتَلِعَةِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
ʿAli ibn Salamah al-Naysaburi narrated to us: Yaʿqub ibn Ibrahim ibn Saʿd narrated to us: my father narrated to us, from Ibn Ishaq, who informed me: ʿUbadah ibn al-Walid ibn ʿUbadah ibn al-Samit informed me, from al-Rubayyiʿ bint Muʿawwidh ibn ʿAfraʾ, who said: I asked her, ‘Tell me your story.’ She said: ‘I obtained a khulʿ from my husband, then went to ʿUthman and asked what waiting period I had to observe. He said, “You have no waiting period unless he had been intimate with you recently; then you must stay with him until you menstruate once.”’ She said: ‘In this ruling, he followed the judgment of the Messenger of Allah concerning Maryam al-Maghaliyyah. She had been married to Thabit ibn Qays and obtained a khulʿ from him.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The phrase حَدِيثَ عَهْدٍ بِكِ is rendered as recent intimacy, preserving its euphemistic wording. The epithet الْمَغَالِيَّةِ is transliterated because its referent is not explained here.
فَسَأَلْتُ مَاذَا عَلَىَّ مِنَ الْعِدَّةِ فَقَالَ لاَ عِدَّةَ عَلَيْكِ إِلاَّ أَنْ يَكُونَ حَدِيثَ عَهْدٍ بِكِ فَتَمْكُثِينَ عِنْدَهُ حَتَّى تَحِيضِينَ حَيْضَةً .
حَدِيثَ عَهْدٍ بِكِ literally means ‘recently connected/associated with you’; in context it appears to refer to recent marital intimacy.
Does ‘had been intimate with you recently’ preserve the euphemism while making the likely sense clear?
Chapter 24
الإِيلاَءِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Hisham ibn ʿAmmar narrated to us: ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn Abi al-Rijal narrated to us, from his father, from ʿAmrah, from ʿAishah, who said: ‘The Messenger of Allah swore that he would not visit his wives for a month. He stayed away for twenty-nine days, then, on the evening of the thirtieth, he came to me. I said, “You swore not to visit us for a month.” He said, “A month is like this,” extending his fingers three times, “and a month is like this.” He extended all his fingers and held one back on the third count.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The final gesture contrasts counting ten fingers three times with holding one back on the third count, indicating that a lunar month may be twenty-nine days.
وَأَرْسَلَ أَصَابِعَهُ كُلَّهَا وَأَمْسَكَ إِصْبَعًا وَاحِدًا فِي الثَّالِثَةِ .
The account describes a finger-counting gesture; the sequence seems to indicate a thirty-day month and a twenty-nine-day month, but its exact staging is compressed.
Does ‘held one back on the third count’ convey the gesture without overexplaining it?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Suwayd ibn Saʿid narrated to us: Yahya ibn Zakariya ibn Abi Zaʾidah narrated to us, from Harithah ibn Muhammad, from ʿAmrah, from ʿAishah: The Messenger of Allah took an oath of abstinence because Zaynab had returned his gift. ʿAishah said, ‘She has certainly upset you.’ He became angry and swore to abstain from them.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
آلَى refers to taking an oath to abstain from marital relations. The phrase لَقَدْ أَقْمَأَتْكَ is rendered broadly as ‘she has certainly upset you.’
فَقَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ لَقَدْ أَقْمَأَتْكَ .
The uncommon verb أَقْمَأَتْكَ conveys causing displeasure or humiliation; ‘upset you’ may soften its force.
Would ‘she has certainly offended you’ better convey the force of the verb?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ahmad ibn Yusuf al-Sulami narrated to us: Abu ʿAsim narrated to us, from Ibn Jurayj, from Yahya ibn ʿAbdullah ibn Muhammad ibn Sayfi, from ʿIkrimah ibn ʿAbd al-Rahman, from Umm Salamah: The Messenger of Allah swore to abstain from some of his wives for a month. When twenty-nine days had passed, he went out in the evening—or in the morning. Someone said, ‘Messenger of Allah, only twenty-nine days have passed.’ He said, ‘A month is twenty-nine days.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The report gives both possibilities, رَاحَ أَوْ غَدَا (‘went out in the evening or morning’), without resolving which occurred.
Chapter 25
الظِّهَارِ
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: Muhammad ibn Ishaq narrated to us, from Muhammad ibn ʿAmr ibn ʿAtaʾ, from Sulayman ibn Yasar, from Salamah ibn Sakhr al-Bayadi, who said: ‘I was a man who had frequent relations with women; I do not think any man had as much intercourse as I did. When Ramadan began, I declared zihar against my wife until Ramadan ended. One night, while she was talking with me, part of her became visible to me, so I leapt upon her and had intercourse with her. In the morning I went to my people, told them what had happened, and asked them to ask the Messenger of Allah for me. They said, “We will not do that, in case Allah sends down a revelation about us or the Messenger of Allah says something about us, leaving us with its shame. Rather, we will leave you to bear the consequences of your offense. Go and tell the Messenger of Allah your own case.”’ He said: ‘I went to him and told him what happened. The Messenger of Allah said, “Are you the one who did that?” I said, “I am the one, and here I am, Messenger of Allah, ready to accept Allah’s judgment upon me.” He said, “Then free a slave.” I said, “By the One who sent you with the truth, this morning I own nothing except this neck of mine.” He said, “Then fast two consecutive months.” I said, “Messenger of Allah, has this affliction befallen me except through fasting?” He said, “Then give charity and feed sixty poor people.” I said, “By the One who sent you with the truth, we spent this night with nothing for supper.” He said, “Go to the collector of the charity of Banu Zurayq and tell him to give it to you; feed sixty poor people with it and make use of whatever remains.”’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
Zihar is retained as a technical term: a husband’s declaration likening his wife to a permanently forbidden female relative. ‘This neck of mine’ preserves the man’s wording while referring to his own person; the report does not specify the meaning of his remark about fasting and affliction.
قَالَ كُنْتُ امْرَأً أَسْتَكْثِرُ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ لاَ أُرَى رَجُلاً كَانَ يُصِيبُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ مَا أُصِيبُ فَلَمَّا دَخَلَ رَمَضَانُ ظَاهَرْتُ مِنِ امْرَأَتِي حَتَّى يَنْسَلِخَ رَمَضَانُ فَبَيْنَمَا هِيَ تُحَدِّثُنِي ذَاتَ لَيْلَةٍ انْكَشَفَ لِي مِنْهَا شَىْءٌ فَوَثَبْتُ عَلَيْهَا فَوَاقَعْتُهَا فَلَمَّا أَصْبَحْتُ غَدَوْتُ عَلَى قَوْمِي فَأَخْبَرْتُهُمْ خَبَرِي وَقُلْتُ لَهُمْ سَلُوا لِي رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ .
ظَاهَرْتُ مِنِ امْرَأَتِي names the technical act of zihar; translating it simply as ‘I divorced my wife’ would obscure the distinct declaration described.
Should ‘declared zihar against my wife’ remain transliterated with an explanatory note?
قَالَ قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَهَلْ دَخَلَ عَلَىَّ مَا دَخَلَ مِنَ الْبَلاَءِ إِلاَّ بِالصَّوْمِ قَالَ " فَتَصَدَّقْ وَأَطْعِمْ سِتِّينَ مِسْكِينًا " .
The remark ‘has this affliction befallen me except through fasting?’ is compressed and its connection to fasting is not explained in the text.
Does the literal phrasing preserve the man’s remark without supplying an unstated meaning?
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: Muhammad ibn Abi ʿUbaydah narrated to us: my father narrated to us, from al-Aʿmash, from Tamim ibn Salamah, from ʿUrwah ibn al-Zubayr, who said: ʿAishah said: ‘Blessed is the One whose hearing encompasses everything. I can hear some of what Khawlah bint Thaʿlabah says, while some of it is hidden from me, as she complains to the Messenger of Allah about her husband. She says, “Messenger of Allah, he has consumed my youth, and I bore him children. Now that I am advanced in age and my childbearing has ended, he has declared zihar against me. O Allah, I complain to You.”’ She did not cease until Gabriel came down with these verses: ‘Allah has indeed heard the words of the woman who disputes with you concerning her husband and complains to Allah.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The phrase نَثَرْتُ لَهُ بَطْنِي is rendered as ‘I bore him children,’ a contextual interpretation of the euphemistic wording. ظَاهَرَ مِنِّي refers to a zihar declaration.
إِنِّي لأَسْمَعُ كَلاَمَ خَوْلَةَ بِنْتِ ثَعْلَبَةَ وَيَخْفَى عَلَىَّ بَعْضُهُ وَهِيَ تَشْتَكِي زَوْجَهَا إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ وَهِيَ تَقُولُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَكَلَ شَبَابِي وَنَثَرْتُ لَهُ بَطْنِي حَتَّى إِذَا كَبِرَتْ سِنِّي وَانْقَطَعَ وَلَدِي ظَاهَرَ مِنِّي اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَشْكُو إِلَيْكَ .
The phrase نَثَرْتُ لَهُ بَطْنِي literally means ‘I spread my belly for him’; in context it appears to refer to bearing children, but the source keeps the expression euphemistic.
Does ‘I bore him children’ convey the contextual sense clearly while preserving the passage’s meaning?
Chapter 26
الْمُظَاهِرُ يُجَامِعُ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُكَفِّرَ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
ʿAbdullah ibn Saʿid narrated to us: ʿAbdullah ibn Idris narrated to us, from Muhammad ibn Ishaq, from Muhammad ibn ʿAmr ibn ʿAtaʾ, from Sulayman ibn Yasar, from Salamah ibn Sakhr al-Bayadi, from the Prophet, concerning a man who has made a zihar declaration and has intercourse before making expiation. He said: ‘One expiation.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
Zihar is retained as a technical term for the declaration mentioned in the report.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Al-ʿAbbas ibn Yazid narrated to us, saying: Ghundar narrated to us: Maʿmar narrated to us, from al-Hakam ibn Aban, from ʿIkrimah, from Ibn ʿAbbas: A man made a zihar declaration against his wife and had intercourse with her before making expiation. He went to the Prophet and told him what had happened. The Prophet asked, ‘What prompted you to do that?’ He said, ‘Messenger of Allah, I saw the pale gleam of her anklets in the moonlight, and I could not control myself, so I had intercourse with her.’ The Messenger of Allah laughed and instructed him not to approach her until he had made expiation.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
Zihar is retained as a technical term. حِجْلَيْهَا refers to her anklets; the phrase may evoke their bright appearance in the moonlight.
فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ رَأَيْتُ بَيَاضَ حِجْلَيْهَا فِي الْقَمَرِ فَلَمْ أَمْلِكْ نَفْسِي أَنْ وَقَعْتُ عَلَيْهَا .
The phrase بَيَاضَ حِجْلَيْهَا refers to the whiteness or pale gleam of her anklets; whether the image is of the jewelry or her lower legs is not fully clear.
Does ‘the pale gleam of her anklets’ best preserve the stated image?
Chapter 27
اللِّعَانِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Marwan Muhammad ibn ʿUthman al-ʿUthmani narrated to us: Ibrahim ibn Saʿd narrated to us, from Ibn Shihab, from Sahl ibn Saʿd al-Saʿidi, who said: ʿUwaymir came to ʿAsim ibn ʿAdi and said, ‘Ask the Messenger of Allah for me: What do you think of a man who finds another man with his wife and kills him? Is he then killed in retaliation for him, or what should he do?’ ʿAsim asked the Messenger of Allah about it, and the Messenger of Allah criticized such questions. Then ʿUwaymir met him and asked, ‘What did you do?’ He replied, ‘I did not bring you any good. I asked the Messenger of Allah, and he criticized such questions.’ ʿUwaymir said, ‘By Allah, I will go to the Messenger of Allah and ask him.’ He went and found that revelation concerning the two of them had come down. The Prophet conducted the mutual imprecation between them. ʿUwaymir said, ‘By Allah, Messenger of Allah, if I stay with her, I would be lying about her.’ He separated from her before the Messenger of Allah instructed him to do so, and this became the practice for spouses who invoke mutual imprecation. Then the Prophet said, ‘Observe her: if she gives birth to a dark-skinned child with very dark eyes and large buttocks, I think he has told the truth about her. But if she gives birth to a reddish child, like a lizard, I think he has lied about her.’ He said: She gave birth in the disliked description.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The report’s phrase فَلاَعَنَ بَيْنَهُمَا refers to the formal mutual imprecation (liʿan) between spouses. The physical descriptions are translated as stated, without adding an explanation.
قَالَ فَفَارَقَهَا قَبْلَ أَنْ يَأْمُرَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ فَصَارَتْ سُنَّةً فِي الْمُتَلاَعِنَيْنِ ثُمَّ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ " انْظُرُوهَا فَإِنْ جَاءَتْ بِهِ أَسْحَمَ أَدْعَجَ الْعَيْنَيْنِ عَظِيمَ الأَلْيَتَيْنِ فَلاَ أُرَاهُ إِلاَّ قَدْ صَدَقَ عَلَيْهَا وَإِنْ جَاءَتْ بِهِ أُحَيْمِرَ كَأَنَّهُ وَحَرَةٌ فَلاَ أُرَاهُ إِلاَّ كَاذِبًا " .
The terms أَسْحَمَ and أُحَيْمِرَ describe dark and reddish coloring; وَحَرَةٌ is a lizard-like animal, but the exact species is not specified.
Does ‘a reddish child, like a lizard’ preserve the comparison without over-specifying the animal?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad ibn Bashshar narrated to us: Ibn Abi ʿAdi narrated to us, saying: Hisham ibn Hassan informed us: ʿIkrimah narrated to us, from Ibn ʿAbbas, that Hilal ibn Umayyah accused his wife, in the Prophet’s presence, of adultery with Sharik ibn Sahma. The Prophet said, ‘Bring proof, or else the prescribed punishment will be on your back.’ Hilal ibn Umayyah said, ‘By the One who sent you with the truth, I am telling the truth, and Allah will surely send down concerning my case what clears my back.’ Then these words were revealed: ‘Those who accuse their wives and have no witnesses except themselves…’ up to: ‘and the fifth [oath] is that Allah’s wrath be upon her if he is truthful.’ The Prophet went away, then sent for the two of them, and they came. Hilal ibn Umayyah stood and testified, while the Prophet said, ‘Allah knows that one of you is lying. Will either of you repent?’ Then she stood and testified. When she reached the fifth [oath], ‘that Allah’s wrath be upon her if he is truthful,’ they told her, ‘This is the one that brings the consequence.’ Ibn ʿAbbas said: She hesitated and stepped back, until we thought she would withdraw. Then she said, ‘By Allah, I will not disgrace my people for the rest of the day.’ The Prophet said, ‘Observe her: if she gives birth to a child with kohl-dark eyes, full buttocks, and thick calves, he is Sharik ibn Sahma’s.’ She gave birth to a child with those features. The Prophet said, ‘Were it not for what had already been decreed in the Book of Allah, there would have been a matter between me and her.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The report describes the mutual-imprecation procedure (liʿan) and quotes portions of its verses. The physical description is rendered as stated; the final remark is kept literal because the consequence is not spelled out here.
فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ " انْظُرُوهَا فَإِنْ جَاءَتْ بِهِ أَكْحَلَ الْعَيْنَيْنِ سَابِغَ الأَلْيَتَيْنِ خَدَلَّجَ السَّاقَيْنِ فَهُوَ لِشَرِيكِ بْنِ سَحْمَاءَ " .
The descriptions أَكْحَلَ الْعَيْنَيْنِ سَابِغَ الأَلْيَتَيْنِ خَدَلَّجَ السَّاقَيْنِ refer to dark-rimmed eyes, full buttocks, and thick calves; the exact shades of the latter two adjectives are uncertain.
Does ‘full buttocks and thick calves’ preserve the physical description without over-specifying it?
فَجَاءَتْ بِهِ كَذَلِكَ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ " لَوْلاَ مَا مَضَى مِنْ كِتَابِ اللَّهِ لَكَانَ لِي وَلَهَا شَأْنٌ " .
The phrase لَكَانَ لِي وَلَهَا شَأْنٌ literally says ‘there would have been a matter between me and her,’ without stating the consequence.
Should the final remark stay literal, without naming a punishment or other consequence?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Bakr ibn Khallad al-Bahili and Ishaq ibn Ibrahim ibn Habib narrated to us; they said: ʿAbdah ibn Sulayman narrated to us, from al-Aʿmash, from Ibrahim, from ʿAlqamah, from ʿAbdullah, who said: We were in the mosque on the night of Friday. A man said, ‘If a man were to find another man with his wife and kill him, you would kill him [in retaliation]; and if he spoke [accusing her], you would flog him. By Allah, I will mention this to the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace).’ He then mentioned it to the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace), and Allah revealed the verses of liʿan. After that, the man came and accused his wife, so the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) conducted liʿan between them. He said, ‘Perhaps she will give birth to a dark-skinned child.’ She then gave birth to a dark-skinned child with tightly curled hair.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ لَوْ أَنَّ رَجُلاً وَجَدَ مَعَ امْرَأَتِهِ رَجُلاً فَقَتَلَهُ قَتَلْتُمُوهُ وَإِنْ تَكَلَّمَ جَلَدْتُمُوهُ وَاللَّهِ لأَذْكُرَنَّ ذَلِكَ لِلنَّبِيِّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ .
The conditional phrase وَإِنْ تَكَلَّمَ (literally, ‘if he speaks’) is understood here as speaking an accusation, in light of the subsequent reference to flogging and the later use of يَقْذِفُ.
Does the contextual rendering ‘if he spoke [accusing her]’ preserve the intended meaning without making the implication too explicit?
فَجَاءَتْ بِهِ أَسْوَدَ جَعْدًا .
أَسْوَدَ جَعْدًا describes the child as aswad and jaʿd; ‘dark-skinned’ and ‘tightly curled hair’ are contextual English renderings.
Is ‘dark-skinned child with tightly curled hair’ the clearest natural rendering of these physical descriptors?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ahmad ibn Sinan narrated to us; ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn Mahdi narrated to us, from Malik ibn Anas, from Nafiʿ, from Ibn ʿUmar, that a man performed liʿan with his wife and disavowed her child as his. The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) then separated them and affiliated the child with the mother.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
لاَعَنَ امْرَأَتَهُ وَانْتَفَى مِنْ وَلَدِهَا فَفَرَّقَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ بَيْنَهُمَا وَأَلْحَقَ الْوَلَدَ بِالْمَرْأَةِ .
انتفى من ولدها literally means that he disavowed himself of her child; ألحق الولد بالمرأة states that the child was affiliated to the mother, a concise legal formulation concerning parentage.
Does ‘disavowed her child as his’ accurately convey the denial of paternity, followed by the child’s affiliation with the mother?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
ʿAli ibn Salamah al-Naysaburi narrated to us; Yaʿqub ibn Ibrahim ibn Saʿd narrated to us; my father narrated to us, from Ibn Ishaq, who said: Talhah ibn Nafiʿ mentioned, from Saʿid ibn Jubayr, from Ibn ʿAbbas, who said: A man from the Ansar married a woman from Balʿajlan. He consummated the marriage and spent the night with her. In the morning, he said, ‘I did not find her to be a virgin.’ Her case was brought before the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace), who summoned the young woman and questioned her. She said, ‘Yes, I had been a virgin.’ He ordered the two of them to perform liʿan, and he gave her the bridal gift.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
قَالَ تَزَوَّجَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ امْرَأَةً مِنْ بَلْعِجْلاَنَ فَدَخَلَ بِهَا فَبَاتَ عِنْدَهَا فَلَمَّا أَصْبَحَ قَالَ مَا وَجَدْتُهَا عَذْرَاءَ فَرُفِعَ شَأْنُهَا إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ فَدَعَا الْجَارِيَةَ فَسَأَلَهَا فَقَالَتْ بَلَى قَدْ كُنْتُ عَذْرَاءَ .
The report states that liʿan was ordered after the husband claimed his wife was not a virgin and she denied this. The exact legal rationale is not explained in this wording.
Should liʿan be retained as a technical term here, with the report’s stated sequence left unexplained?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad ibn Yahya narrated to us; Haywah ibn Shurayh al-Hadrami narrated to us, from Damrah ibn Rabiʿah, from Ibn ʿAtaʾ, from his father, from ʿAmr ibn Shuʿayb, from his father, from his grandfather, that the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: ‘There are four categories of women between whom liʿan does not take place: a Christian woman married to a Muslim man, a Jewish woman married to a Muslim man, a free woman married to an enslaved man, and an enslaved woman married to a free man.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ قَالَ " أَرْبَعٌ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ لاَ مُلاَعَنَةَ بَيْنَهُنَّ النَّصْرَانِيَّةُ تَحْتَ الْمُسْلِمِ وَالْيَهُودِيَّةُ تَحْتَ الْمُسْلِمِ وَالْحُرَّةُ تَحْتَ الْمَمْلُوكِ وَالْمَمْلُوكَةُ تَحْتَ الْحُرِّ " .
The wording لا ملاعنة بينهن is rendered as excluding liʿan in the listed marriage pairings; it does not specify in this sentence which legal conditions are meant.
Does ‘between whom liʿan does not take place’ retain the report’s scope without adding a rationale?
Chapter 28
الْحَرَامِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Al-Hasan ibn Qazaʿah narrated to us; Maslamah ibn ʿAlqamah narrated to us; Dawud ibn Abi Hind narrated to us, from ʿAmir, from Masruq, from ʿAʾishah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) swore to abstain from his wives and declared something forbidden; then he made the forbidden permissible, and assigned expiation for the oath.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
قَالَتْ آلَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ مِنْ نِسَائِهِ وَحَرَّمَ فَجَعَلَ الْحَرَامَ حَلاَلاً .
The report says the Prophet performed ilaʾ (swore to abstain from his wives) and ‘made [something] forbidden’; it does not identify here what he declared forbidden. The following phrase states that the forbidden was made permissible.
Does ‘declared something forbidden’ preserve the wording without importing what was prohibited?
وَجَعَلَ فِي الْيَمِينِ كَفَّارَةً .
The phrase وَجَعَلَ فِي الْيَمِينِ كَفَّارَةً states that expiation was assigned for the oath.
Is ‘assigned expiation for the oath’ a clear rendering of the report’s statement?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad ibn Yahya narrated to us; Wahb ibn Jarir narrated to us; Hisham al-Dastawaʾi narrated to us, from Yahya ibn Abi Kathir, from Yaʿla ibn Hakim, from Saʿid ibn Jubayr, who said: Ibn ʿAbbas said, ‘Declaring something forbidden is an oath.’ Ibn ʿAbbas used to say, ‘You have an excellent example in the Messenger of Allah.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
قَالَ قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ فِي الْحَرَامِ يَمِينٌ .
في الحرام يمينٌ literally says ‘concerning al-haram, [it is] an oath’; the surrounding reports suggest declaring something forbidden is treated as an oath, but the statement itself is elliptical.
Does ‘Declaring something forbidden is an oath’ make the implied referent clear while preserving the terse statement?
وَكَانَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ يَقُولُ لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ .
The wording echoes Qur’an 33:21, though this report gives no verse number.
Should the allusion remain as a quotation without an added verse citation?
Chapter 29
خِيَارِ الأَمَةِ إِذَا أُعْتِقَتْ
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; Hafs ibn Ghiyath narrated to us, from al-Aʿmash, from Ibrahim, from al-Aswad ibn Yazid, from ʿAʾishah, that she emancipated Barirah. The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) then gave Barirah the choice, and she had a free husband.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
أَنَّهَا أَعْتَقَتْ بَرِيرَةَ فَخَيَّرَهَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ وَكَانَ لَهَا زَوْجٌ حُرٌّ .
The report says the Prophet gave Barirah the choice but does not state the options in this wording. It explicitly says her husband was free.
Does ‘gave Barirah the choice’ preserve the report’s concise wording without importing the choice’s alternatives?
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?