Sunan Ibn Majah
Sunan Ibn Majah 2013
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ، حَدَّثَنَا مُؤَمَّلٌ، حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ سَالِمِ بْنِ أَبِي الْجَعْدِ، عَنْ أَبِي أُمَامَةَ، قَالَ أَتَتِ النَّبِيَّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ امْرَأَةٌ مَعَهَا صَبِيَّانِ لَهَا قَدْ حَمَلَتْ أَحَدَهُمَا وَهِيَ تَقُودُ الآخَرَ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ " حَامِلاَتٌ وَالِدَاتٌ رَحِيمَاتٌ لَوْلاَ مَا يَأْتِينَ إِلَى أَزْوَاجِهِنَّ دَخَلَ مُصَلِّيَاتُهُنَّ الْجَنَّةَ " .
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: Muʾammal narrated to us: Sufyan narrated to us, from al-Aʿmash, from Salim ibn Abi al-Jaʿd, from Abu Umamah, who said: A woman came to the Prophet with her two young children; she was carrying one and leading the other. The Messenger of Allah said, ‘Mothers who bear children and are compassionate—were it not for what they do toward their husbands, those among them who pray would enter Paradise.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The phrase لَوْلاَ مَا يَأْتِينَ إِلَى أَزْوَاجِهِنَّ is translated generally as ‘what they do toward their husbands’; the source does not state the conduct more explicitly.
قَالَ أَتَتِ النَّبِيَّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ امْرَأَةٌ مَعَهَا صَبِيَّانِ لَهَا قَدْ حَمَلَتْ أَحَدَهُمَا وَهِيَ تَقُودُ الآخَرَ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ " حَامِلاَتٌ وَالِدَاتٌ رَحِيمَاتٌ لَوْلاَ مَا يَأْتِينَ إِلَى أَزْوَاجِهِنَّ دَخَلَ مُصَلِّيَاتُهُنَّ الْجَنَّةَ " .
The phrase مَا يَأْتِينَ إِلَى أَزْوَاجِهِنَّ does not spell out the conduct toward husbands; ‘what they do toward their husbands’ keeps it general.
Should this phrase stay general, or is there a clear contextual meaning to state more directly?