Sunan an-Nasa'i
Sunan an-Nasa'i 3212
أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عُبَيْدٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ، عَنْ مَعْمَرٍ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُسَيَّبِ، عَنْ سَعْدِ بْنِ أَبِي وَقَّاصٍ، قَالَ لَقَدْ رَدَّ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَلَى عُثْمَانَ التَّبَتُّلَ وَلَوْ أَذِنَ لَهُ لاَخْتَصَيْنَا .
Muhammad ibn Ubayd reported to us; he said: Abd Allah ibn al-Mubarak narrated to us, from Mamar, from al-Zuhri, from Said ibn al-Musayyab, from Sad ibn Abi Waqqas, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) rejected Uthman’s renunciation of marriage. Had he permitted him, we would have castrated ourselves.
Translation notes
Tabattul here means renouncing marriage or sexual life. The closing verb literally means “we would have castrated ourselves.”
قَالَ لَقَدْ رَدَّ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَلَى عُثْمَانَ التَّبَتُّلَ وَلَوْ أَذِنَ لَهُ لاَخْتَصَيْنَا .
The final clause لَاخْتَصَيْنَا literally means “we would have castrated ourselves,” a hyperbolic expression in response to the rejection of celibacy.
Should the literal image of castration be retained in English?