Sunan an-Nasa'i
The Book of Marriage
كتاب النكاح
Chapter 1
ذِكْرِ أَمْرِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي النِّكَاحِ وَأَزْوَاجِهِ وَمَا أَبَاحَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لِنَبِيِّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَحَظَرَهُ عَلَى خَلْقِهِ زِيَادَةً فِي كَرَامَتِهِ وَتَنْبِيهًا لِفَضِيلَتِهِ .
Abu Dawud Sulayman ibn Sayf reported to us; he said: Ja'far ibn Awn narrated to us; he said: Ibn Jurayj informed us, from Ata, who said: We attended with Ibn Abbas the funeral of Maymunah, the wife of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), at Sarif. Ibn Abbas said: ‘This is Maymunah. When you lift her bier, do not jolt or shake it. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had nine wives; he allotted turns to eight, while there was one for whom he did not allot a turn.’
Translation notes
The account identifies Maymunah’s funeral at Sarif and reports Ibn Abbas’s instruction about carrying the bier. The final clause says that the Prophet allotted turns to eight of his nine wives and not to one; it does not name that wife here.
Ibrahim ibn Yaqub informed me; he said: Ibn Abi Maryam narrated to us; he said: Sufyan informed us; he said: Amr ibn Dinar narrated to me, from Ata, from Ibn Abbas, who said: When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) died, he had nine wives with whom he shared his time, except Sawdah, for she had given her day and night to Aishah.
Translation notes
Sawdah is named as having relinquished her day and night in favor of Aishah.
Ismail ibn Masud reported to us, from Yazid—namely, Ibn Zuray—who said: Said narrated to us, from Qatadah, that Anas told them: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to visit all his wives in a single night, and at that time he had nine wives.
Muhammad ibn Abd Allah ibn al-Mubarak al-Mukarrimi reported to us; he said: Abu Usamah narrated to us, from Hisham ibn Urwah, from his father, from Aishah, who said: I used to feel jealous of the women who offered themselves to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and I would say, ‘Would a free woman offer herself?’ Then Allah, Mighty and Majestic, revealed: ‘You may defer whom you will of them and receive to yourself whom you will.’ I said: ‘By Allah, I see that your Lord hastens to fulfill your desire.’
Translation notes
The quoted words are from Quran 33:51. Aishah’s final remark is a pointed, jealous comment about the verse’s accommodation of the Prophet.
قَالَتْ كُنْتُ أَغَارُ عَلَى اللاَّتِي وَهَبْنَ أَنْفُسَهُنَّ لِلنَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَأَقُولُ أَوَتَهَبُ الْحُرَّةُ نَفْسَهَا فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ { تُرْجِي مَنْ تَشَاءُ مِنْهُنَّ وَتُؤْوِي إِلَيْكَ مَنْ تَشَاءُ } قُلْتُ وَاللَّهِ مَا أَرَى رَبَّكَ إِلاَّ يُسَارِعُ لَكَ فِي هَوَاكَ .
The final expression فِي هَوَاكَ is a pointed remark about the Prophet’s desire or preference; the tone is conveyed here directly.
Does “hastens to fulfill your desire” capture the force of Aishah’s comment without overstating it?
Muhammad ibn Abd Allah ibn Yazid al-Muqri reported to us; he said: Sufyan narrated to us; he said: Abu Hazim narrated to us, from Sahl ibn Sad, who said: I was among the people when a woman said, ‘I have offered myself to you, Messenger of Allah, so decide what you think concerning me.’ A man stood and said, ‘Marry her to me.’ He said: ‘Go and seek something, even an iron ring.’ The man went and found nothing—not even an iron ring. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: ‘Do you have any chapters of the Quran with you?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ He said: ‘Then he married her to him on the basis of the chapters of the Quran he had.’
Translation notes
The narration says the marriage was made on the basis of the Quran chapters the man knew or had with him; it does not specify further terms in this wording.
قَالَ فَزَوَّجَهُ بِمَا مَعَهُ مِنْ سُوَرِ الْقُرْآنِ .
The phrase بِمَا مَعَهُ مِنْ سُوَرِ الْقُرْآنِ indicates that the marriage was based on the Quran chapters he had; this wording does not explicitly state whether he was to teach them.
Should the final clause be rendered as a marriage in exchange for teaching the Quran, or kept literal as “on the basis of the chapters ... he had”?
Chapter 2
مَا افْتَرَضَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَلَى رَسُولِهِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ وَحَرَّمَهُ عَلَى خَلْقِهِ لِيَزِيدَهُ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ قُرْبَةً إِلَيْهِ .
Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn Abd Allah ibn Khalid al-Naysaburi reported to us; he said: Muhammad ibn Musa ibn Ayan narrated to us; he said: my father narrated to us, from Mamar, from al-Zuhri, who said: Abu Salamah ibn Abd al-Rahman narrated to us, from Aishah, the wife of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who told him that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) came to her when Allah had commanded him to give his wives a choice. Aishah said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) began with me and said: ‘I am going to tell you something, so do not rush; you may consult your parents first.’ She said: He knew that my parents would never tell me to leave him. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) recited: ‘O Prophet, tell your wives: If you desire the life of this world and its adornment, then come, I will provide for you—’ I said: ‘Should I consult my parents about this? I desire Allah, His Messenger, and the Hereafter.’
Translation notes
The Prophet was commanded to offer his wives a choice. Aishah says she already knew her parents would not advise her to leave him.
The Quranic quotation is a fragment of Quran 33:28 and ends in this source after “I will provide for you.”
Bishr ibn Khalid al-Askari reported to us; he said: Ghundar narrated to us; he said: Shu'bah narrated to us, from Sulayman, who said: I heard Abu al-Duha, from Masruq, from Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) gave his wives a choice. Was that a divorce?
Translation notes
Aishah reports that the Prophet gave his wives a choice, then asks whether this counted as divorce; the source provides no answer in this wording.
رضى الله عنها قَالَتْ قَدْ خَيَّرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم نِسَاءَهُ أَوَكَانَ طَلاَقًا .
The short question أَوَكَانَ طَلاَقًا could be a direct question about whether the choice constituted divorce.
Is “Was that a divorce?” the intended sense of the final question?
Amr ibn Ali reported to us; he said: Abd al-Rahman narrated to us, from Sufyan, from Ismail, from al-Shabi, from Masruq, from Aishah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) gave us a choice, and we chose him; that was not a divorce.
Translation notes
Aishah says that the wives chose the Prophet after being given a choice and explicitly states that this was not a divorce.
Muhammad ibn Mansur reported to us, from Sufyan, who said: We memorized it from Amr, from Ata, who said: Aishah said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not die until women had been made lawful for him.
Translation notes
The wording is brief and literal: women were made lawful for the Prophet before his death.
قَالَ قَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ مَا مَاتَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم حَتَّى أُحِلَّ لَهُ النِّسَاءُ .
The concise statement أُحِلَّ لَهُ النِّسَاءُ does not specify the legal context in which women were made lawful for him.
Is the literal wording “women had been made lawful for him” sufficient without supplying its context?
Muhammad ibn Abd Allah ibn al-Mubarak reported to us; he said: Abu Hisham—the Makhzumi, al-Mughirah ibn Salamah—narrated to us; he said: Wuhayb narrated to us; he said: Ibn Jurayj narrated to us, from Ata, from Ubayd ibn Umayr, from Aishah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not die until Allah had made it lawful for him to marry whichever women he wished.
Translation notes
This wording explicitly concerns permission to marry as many women as he wished, granted before the Prophet’s death.
Chapter 3
الْحَثِّ عَلَى النِّكَاحِ .
Amr ibn Zurarah reported to us; he said: Ismail narrated to us; he said: Yunus narrated to us, from Abu Mashar, from Ibrahim, from Alqamah, who said: I was with Ibn Masud while he was with Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him. Uthman said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) came out to some young men—Abu Abd al-Rahman said: I did not understand “young men” as I would have liked—and said: ‘Whoever among you has the means should marry, for it is more effective in lowering the gaze and guarding chastity. Whoever cannot, let him fast, for fasting is a restraint for him.’
Translation notes
The phrase ذَا طَوْلٍ refers to having the means to marry. The closing وَجَاءٌ literally evokes castration and is rendered figuratively as restraint.
قَالَ كُنْتُ مَعَ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ وَهُوَ عِنْدَ عُثْمَانَ رضى الله عنه فَقَالَ عُثْمَانُ خَرَجَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَلَى فِتْيَةٍ - قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ فَلَمْ أَفْهَمْ فِتْيَةً كَمَا أَرَدْتُ - فَقَالَ " مَنْ كَانَ مِنْكُمْ ذَا طَوْلٍ فَلْيَتَزَوَّجْ فَإِنَّهُ أَغَضُّ لِلْبَصَرِ وَأَحْصَنُ لِلْفَرْجِ وَمَنْ لاَ فَالصَّوْمُ لَهُ وِجَاءٌ " .
The narrator’s parenthetical says he did not understand the word فِتْيَةً as intended; its precise textual or contextual concern is unclear.
Should the parenthetical be understood as uncertainty about the word “young men” in the report?
Bishr ibn Khalid reported to us; he said: Muhammad ibn Ja'far narrated to us, from Shu'bah, from Sulayman, from Ibrahim, from Alqamah, that Uthman said to Ibn Masud: ‘Would you like a young woman whom I could marry to you?’ Abd Allah then called Alqamah and related that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: ‘Whoever among you is able to marry should do so, for it is more effective in lowering the gaze and guarding chastity. Whoever is unable should fast, for fasting is a restraint for him.’
Translation notes
The phrase اسْتَطَاعَ الْبَاءَةَ refers to having the capacity for marriage; fasting is described metaphorically as a restraint.
فَدَعَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ عَلْقَمَةَ فَحَدَّثَ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " مَنِ اسْتَطَاعَ الْبَاءَةَ فَلْيَتَزَوَّجْ فَإِنَّهُ أَغَضُّ لِلْبَصَرِ وَأَحْصَنُ لِلْفَرْجِ وَمَنْ لَمْ يَسْتَطِعْ فَلْيَصُمْ فَإِنَّهُ لَهُ وِجَاءٌ " .
The term الْبَاءَةَ may refer to capacity for marriage, including its financial and physical aspects.
Does “is able to marry” preserve the intended range without over-specifying it?
Harun ibn Ishaq al-Hamdani al-Kufi informed me; he said: Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad al-Muharibi narrated to us, from al-Amash, from Ibrahim, from Alqamah and al-Aswad, from Abd Allah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to us: ‘Whoever among you is able to marry should marry; whoever is unable should fast, for fasting is a restraint for him.’ Abu Abd al-Rahman said: Al-Aswad is not preserved in this hadith.
Translation notes
The closing sentence is an editorial transmission note, saying that the inclusion of al-Aswad in this hadith is not preserved.
قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ الأَسْوَدُ فِي هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ لَيْسَ بِمَحْفُوظٍ .
ليس بمحفوظ is a hadith-critical expression meaning the report or narrator detail is not reliably preserved.
Is “Al-Aswad is not preserved in this hadith” the best concise rendering of this technical note?
Muhammad ibn Mansur reported to us; he said: Sufyan narrated to us, from al-Amash, from Umarah ibn Umayr, from Abd al-Rahman ibn Yazid, from Abd Allah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to us: ‘Young men, whoever among you is able to marry should marry, for it is more effective in lowering the gaze and guarding chastity. Whoever cannot should fast, for fasting is a restraint for him.’
Translation notes
The phrase الْبَاءَةَ refers to capacity for marriage; وَجَاءٌ figuratively describes fasting as a restraint.
Muhammad ibn al-Ala reported to us; he said: Abu Muawiyah narrated to us, from al-Amash, from Umarah, from Abd al-Rahman ibn Yazid, from Abd Allah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to us: ‘Young men, whoever among you is able to marry should marry.’ He then related the rest of the hadith.
Translation notes
The source abbreviates the remainder with “he related the rest of the hadith,” rather than repeating its text.
Ahmad ibn Harb reported to us; he said: Abu Muawiyah narrated to us, from al-Amash, from Ibrahim, from Alqamah, who said: I was walking with Abd Allah at Mina when Uthman met him. Uthman stopped and spoke with him, then said: ‘Abu Abd al-Rahman, shall I marry you to a young woman? Perhaps she will remind you of some of what has passed from you.’ Abd Allah said: ‘Since you have said that, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did say to us: “Young men, whoever among you is able to marry should marry.”’
Translation notes
The source ends after the Prophet’s instruction to marry; it does not repeat the continuation of the hadith. Uthman’s phrase “remind you of some of what has passed from you” is kept close to the Arabic wording.
قَالَ كُنْتُ أَمْشِي مَعَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بِمِنًى فَلَقِيَهُ عُثْمَانُ فَقَامَ مَعَهُ يُحَدِّثُهُ فَقَالَ يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ أَلاَ أُزَوِّجُكَ جَارِيَةً شَابَّةً فَلَعَلَّهَا أَنْ تُذَكِّرَكَ بَعْضَ مَا مَضَى مِنْكَ فَقَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ أَمَا لَئِنْ قُلْتَ ذَاكَ لَقَدْ قَالَ لَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " يَا مَعْشَرَ الشَّبَابِ مَنِ اسْتَطَاعَ مِنْكُمُ الْبَاءَةَ فَلْيَتَزَوَّجْ " .
The phrase تُذَكِّرَكَ بَعْضَ مَا مَضَى مِنْكَ literally says she may remind you of some of what has passed from you; the intended nuance is unclear.
Does this refer to renewing some aspect of his former youth or vitality?
Chapter 4
النَّهْىِ عَنِ التَّبَتُّلِ، .
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?
Ismail ibn Masud reported to us; he said: Khalid narrated to us, from Ashath, from al-Hasan, from Sad ibn Hisham, from Aishah, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forbade renouncing marriage.
Translation notes
Tabattul refers to renouncing marriage or leading a life of celibacy.
Ishaq ibn Ibrahim reported to us; he said: Muadh ibn Hisham informed us; he said: my father narrated to me, from Qatadah, from al-Hasan, from Samurah ibn Jundub, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), that he forbade renouncing marriage. Abu Abd al-Rahman said: Qatadah is more reliable and has a better memory than Ashath, but Ashath’s hadith is closer to what is correct. And Allah, Exalted is He, knows best.
Translation notes
The closing note compares the reliability of Qatadah and Ashath, while judging Ashath’s particular report closer to the correct version.
قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ قَتَادَةُ أَثْبَتُ وَأَحْفَظُ مِنْ أَشْعَثَ وَحَدِيثُ أَشْعَثَ أَشْبَهُ بِالصَّوَابِ وَاللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَعْلَمُ .
The note says Qatadah is more reliable overall but Ashath’s hadith is closer to correct, a distinction between transmitter reliability and this specific report.
Does “Ashath’s hadith is closer to what is correct” best preserve that distinction?
Yahya ibn Musa reported to us; he said: Anas ibn Iyad narrated to us; he said: al-Awzai narrated to us, from Ibn Shihab, from Abu Salamah, that Abu Hurayrah said: I said, ‘Messenger of Allah, I am a young man and fear hardship for myself, but I cannot afford to marry women. Should I castrate myself?’ The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) turned away from him until he had asked three times. Then the Prophet said: ‘Abu Hurayrah, the Pen has dried concerning what you will encounter. So castrate yourself on that basis, or leave it.’ Abu Abd al-Rahman said: al-Awzai did not hear this hadith from al-Zuhri. This hadith is sound; Yunus narrated it from al-Zuhri.
Translation notes
The report includes a question about castration and a response invoking what has already been decreed. The source then gives a transmission note concerning al-Awzai and Yunus.
قَالَ قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنِّي رَجُلٌ شَابٌّ قَدْ خَشِيتُ عَلَى نَفْسِي الْعَنَتَ وَلاَ أَجِدُ طَوْلاً أَتَزَوَّجُ النِّسَاءَ أَفَأَخْتَصِي فَأَعْرَضَ عَنْهُ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم حَتَّى قَالَ ثَلاَثًا فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم " يَا أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ جَفَّ الْقَلَمُ بِمَا أَنْتَ لاَقٍ فَاخْتَصِ عَلَى ذَلِكَ أَوْ دَعْ " .
The response فَاخْتَصِ عَلَى ذَلِكَ أَوْ دَعْ is terse and may be a rebuke or a literal leave-it-to-destiny statement.
Does “castrate yourself on that basis, or leave it” best preserve the wording, despite its unusual force?