Sunan an-Nasa'i
Sunan an-Nasa'i 3489
أَخْبَرَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ حُجْرٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُسْهِرٍ، عَنِ الأَجْلَحِ، عَنِ الشَّعْبِيِّ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ أَبِي الْخَلِيلِ الْحَضْرَمِيُّ، عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَرْقَمَ، قَالَ بَيْنَا نَحْنُ عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم إِذْ جَاءَهُ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْيَمَنِ فَجَعَلَ يُخْبِرُهُ وَيُحَدِّثُهُ وَعَلِيٌّ بِهَا فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَتَى عَلِيًّا ثَلاَثَةُ نَفَرٍ يَخْتَصِمُونَ فِي وَلَدٍ وَقَعُوا عَلَى امْرَأَةٍ فِي طُهْرٍ . وَسَاقَ الْحَدِيثَ .
Ali ibn Hujr informed us; he said: Ali ibn Mushir narrated to us, from al-Ajlaha, from al-Sha'bi, who said: Abd Allah ibn Abi al-Khalil al-Hadrami informed me, from Zayd ibn Arqam, who said: While we were with the Messenger of Allah, a man from Yemen came to him and began telling him what had happened, while Ali was there. He said, ‘Messenger of Allah, three men came to Ali disputing over a child; they had all had intercourse with a woman during one period of purity.’ He then related the rest of the report.
Translation notes
The Arabic says the intercourse occurred during one period of purity (ṭuhr); the English witness says one menstrual cycle. The closing phrase is a compiler’s instruction that the remainder of the report follows.
قَالَ بَيْنَا نَحْنُ عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم إِذْ جَاءَهُ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْيَمَنِ فَجَعَلَ يُخْبِرُهُ وَيُحَدِّثُهُ وَعَلِيٌّ بِهَا فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَتَى عَلِيًّا ثَلاَثَةُ نَفَرٍ يَخْتَصِمُونَ فِي وَلَدٍ وَقَعُوا عَلَى امْرَأَةٍ فِي طُهْرٍ .
The Arabic طهر identifies a period of purity, while the English witness calls it a menstrual cycle.
Should the English witness’s wording be retained for this timing phrase?