Sunan Ibn Majah

Sunan Ibn Majah 1963

Arabic hadith text

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ خَلَفٍ الْعَسْقَلاَنِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا الْفِرْيَابِيُّ، عَنْ أَبَانَ بْنِ أَبِي حَازِمٍ، عَنْ أَبِي بَكْرِ بْنِ حَفْصٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ، قَالَ لَمَّا وَلِيَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ خَطَبَ النَّاسَ فَقَالَ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ أَذِنَ لَنَا فِي الْمُتْعَةِ ثَلاَثًا ثُمَّ حَرَّمَهَا وَاللَّهِ لاَ أَعْلَمُ أَحَدًا تَمَتَّعَ وَهُوَ مُحْصَنٌ إِلاَّ رَجَمْتُهُ بِالْحِجَارَةِ إِلاَّ أَنْ يَأْتِيَنِي بِأَرْبَعَةٍ يَشْهَدُونَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَحَلَّهَا بَعْدَ إِذْ حَرَّمَهَا ‏.‏

Translation

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

Ibn Umar said: When Umar ibn al-Khattab became caliph, he addressed the people and said, ‘The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) permitted temporary marriage for us for three [days], then forbade it. By Allah, I will not find anyone engaging in temporary marriage while muhsan except that I will stone him, unless he brings me four witnesses who testify that the Messenger of Allah made it lawful after he had forbidden it.’

Notes and open questions — unreviewed
  • The source says ‘for three’ without stating the unit. Muhsan is retained because its precise legal nuance in this context is not fully expressed by a single English word.

  • قَالَ لَمَّا وَلِيَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ خَطَبَ النَّاسَ فَقَالَ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ أَذِنَ لَنَا فِي الْمُتْعَةِ ثَلاَثًا ثُمَّ حَرَّمَهَا وَاللَّهِ لاَ أَعْلَمُ أَحَدًا تَمَتَّعَ وَهُوَ مُحْصَنٌ إِلاَّ رَجَمْتُهُ بِالْحِجَارَةِ إِلاَّ أَنْ يَأْتِيَنِي بِأَرْبَعَةٍ يَشْهَدُونَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَحَلَّهَا بَعْدَ إِذْ حَرَّمَهَا ‏.

    The term muhsan can denote a person who is married or otherwise legally protected/chaste; the report gives no further definition.

    Should muhsan here be rendered ‘married,’ ‘chaste,’ or ‘legally protected’?