Sunan an-Nasa'i
Sunan an-Nasa'i 3239
أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ مَنْصُورٍ، وَسَعِيدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، عَنْ سَعِيدٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَقَالَ مُحَمَّدٌ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم " لاَ تَنَاجَشُوا وَلاَ يَبِعْ حَاضِرٌ لِبَادٍ وَلاَ يَبِعِ الرَّجُلُ عَلَى بَيْعِ أَخِيهِ وَلاَ يَخْطُبْ عَلَى خِطْبَةِ أَخِيهِ وَلاَ تَسْأَلِ الْمَرْأَةُ طَلاَقَ أُخْتِهَا لِتَكْتَفِئَ مَا فِي إِنَائِهَا " .
Muhammad ibn Mansur and Said ibn Abd al-Rahman reported to us; they said: Sufyan narrated to us, from al-Zuhri, from Said, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said—and Muhammad also reported it from the Prophet: ‘Do not engage in false bidding. A townsman should not sell on behalf of a desert-dweller. No man should outbid his brother in a sale, or make a proposal over his brother’s proposal. And no woman should ask that her sister be divorced so that she may take what is in her vessel.’’
Translation notes
The report prohibits several forms of commercial and marital interference. The closing image of taking what is in another woman’s vessel refers figuratively to seeking her place or share.
قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَقَالَ مُحَمَّدٌ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم " لاَ تَنَاجَشُوا وَلاَ يَبِعْ حَاضِرٌ لِبَادٍ وَلاَ يَبِعِ الرَّجُلُ عَلَى بَيْعِ أَخِيهِ وَلاَ يَخْطُبْ عَلَى خِطْبَةِ أَخِيهِ وَلاَ تَسْأَلِ الْمَرْأَةُ طَلاَقَ أُخْتِهَا لِتَكْتَفِئَ مَا فِي إِنَائِهَا " .
The image لِتَكْتَفِئَ مَا فِي إِنَائِهَا literally concerns turning over or emptying what is in her vessel; its intended metaphor is to take the other woman’s share.
Does “take what is in her vessel” preserve the image while allowing the idiom to remain visible?