Sunan an-Nasa'i
The Book of Marriage
كتاب النكاح
Chapter 29
إِنْكَاحِ الرَّجُلِ ابْنَتَهُ الصَّغِيرَةَ .
Muhammad ibn al-Nadr ibn Musawir reported to us; he said: Ja'far ibn Sulayman narrated to us, from Hisham ibn Urwah, from his father, from Aishah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) married me when I was seven years old and consummated the marriage with me when I was nine.
Translation notes
This source states seven years at marriage and nine at consummation; the preceding related report at offset 210 states six years at marriage.
قَالَتْ تَزَوَّجَنِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم لِسَبْعِ سِنِينَ وَدَخَلَ عَلَىَّ لِتِسْعِ سِنِينَ .
This narration states seven years at marriage, while the immediately preceding related narration states six; the age of consummation is nine in both.
Should the difference between the two transmitted ages be preserved as a source variant?
Qutaybah reported to us; he said: Abthar narrated to us, from Mutarrif, from Abu Ishaq, from Abu Ubaydah, who said: Aishah said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) married me when I was nine years old, and I lived with him for nine years.
Translation notes
The report gives nine years both as Aishah’s age when she married and as the length of her companionship with the Prophet.
Muhammad ibn al-Ala and Ahmad ibn Harb reported to us; they said: Abu Muawiyah narrated to us, from al-Amash, from Ibrahim, from al-Aswad, from Aishah: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) married her when she was nine years old, and he died while she was eighteen.
Translation notes
The report states Aishah’s age at marriage as nine and her age when the Prophet died as eighteen.
Chapter 30
إِنْكَاحِ الرَّجُلِ ابْنَتَهُ الْكَبِيرَةَ .
Muhammad ibn Abd Allah ibn al-Mubarak reported to us; he said: Yaqub ibn Ibrahim ibn Sad narrated to us; he said: my father narrated to us, from Salih, from Ibn Shihab, who said: Salim ibn Abd Allah informed me that he heard Abd Allah ibn Umar relate that Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, told us: Hafsah bint Umar became a widow after Khunays ibn Hudhafah al-Sahmi—one of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)—who died in Medina. Umar said: I went to Uthman ibn Affan, may Allah be pleased with him, and offered him Hafsah bint Umar, saying: ‘If you wish, I will marry Hafsah to you.’ He said: ‘I will consider it.’ Several nights passed, then he met me and said: ‘I have decided not to marry at this time.’
Umar said: I then met Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, and said: ‘If you wish, I will marry Hafsah bint Umar to you.’ Abu Bakr was silent and gave me no answer, so I felt more upset with him than I had with Uthman. Several nights passed, then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) proposed to her, and I married her to him. Abu Bakr met me and said: ‘Perhaps you were upset with me when you offered Hafsah to me and I gave you no answer.’ Umar said: I replied, ‘Yes.’ Abu Bakr said: ‘Nothing prevented me from answering your offer except that I already knew the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had mentioned her, and I would not disclose the Messenger of Allah’s secret. Had the Messenger of Allah left her, I would have accepted her.’
Translation notes
This report recounts Hafsah’s widowhood and Umar’s offer of her hand to Uthman and Abu Bakr before the Prophet proposed to her.
Abu Bakr explains his silence as respect for the Prophet’s undisclosed interest in Hafsah; this wording says he would have accepted her had the Prophet left her.
Chapter 31
اسْتِئْذَانِ الْبِكْرِ فِي نَفْسِهَا .
Qutaybah reported to us; he said: Malik narrated to us, from Abd Allah ibn al-Fadl, from Nafi ibn Jubayr ibn Mutim, from Ibn Abbas, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: ‘A previously married woman has more right to decide for herself than her guardian, and a virgin’s permission must be sought regarding herself; her silence is her permission.’
Translation notes
The narration distinguishes a previously married woman, who has greater authority over her own marriage decision, from a virgin, whose permission must be sought; silence counts as permission.
Mahmud ibn Ghaylan reported to us; he said: Abu Dawud narrated to us; he said: Shu'bah narrated to us, from Malik ibn Anas. [The narrator] said: I heard it from him a year after Nafi’s death, when he had a teaching circle. He said: Abd Allah ibn al-Fadl informed me, from Nafi ibn Jubayr, from Ibn Abbas, that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: ‘A previously married woman has more right to decide for herself than her guardian, and an orphan girl’s permission must be sought; her silence is her permission.’
Translation notes
The report explicitly says that Malik had a teaching circle at the time. The matn specifies an orphan girl (al-yatima).
Ahmad ibn Sa'id al-Ribati reported to me; he said: Ya'qub narrated to us; he said: my father narrated to me, from Ibn Ishaq, who said: Salih ibn Kaysan narrated to me, from Abd Allah ibn al-Fadl ibn Abbas ibn Rabi'ah, from Nafi ibn Jubayr ibn Mut'im, from Ibn Abbas, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: ‘A previously married woman has greater authority over her own affairs, and an orphan girl is consulted about herself; her silence is her permission.’
Muhammad ibn Rafi' reported to us; he said: Abd al-Razzaq narrated to us; he said: Ma'mar informed us, from Salih ibn Kaysan, from Nafi ibn Jubayr, from Ibn Abbas, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who said: ‘A guardian has no authority over a previously married woman, and an orphan girl is consulted; her silence is her affirmation.’
Translation notes
The matn distinguishes a previously married woman (al-thayyib) from an orphan girl (al-yatima); it describes the latter’s silence as affirmation (iqrar).
Chapter 32
اسْتِئْمَارِ الأَبِ الْبِكْرَ فِي نَفْسِهَا .
Muhammad ibn Mansur reported to us; he said: Sufyan narrated to us, from Ziyad ibn Sa'd, from Abd Allah ibn al-Fadl, from Nafi ibn Jubayr, from Ibn Abbas, that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: ‘A previously married woman has more right to decide for herself. A virgin is to be consulted by her father, and her silence is her permission.’
Chapter 33
اسْتِئْمَارِ الثَّيِّبِ فِي نَفْسِهَا .
Yahya ibn Durust reported to us; he said: Abu Isma'il narrated to us; he said: Yahya narrated to us, that Abu Salama related to him from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: ‘A previously married woman must not be married until her permission is sought, nor a virgin until she is consulted.’ They said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, how is her permission given?’ He said: ‘Her permission is that she remain silent.’
Translation notes
The wording uses distinct verbs for seeking permission from a previously married woman and consulting a virgin; both are rendered explicitly.
Chapter 34
إِذْنِ الْبِكْرِ .
Ishaq ibn Mansur reported to us; he said: Yahya ibn Sa'id narrated to us, from Ibn Jurayj, who said: I heard Ibn Abi Mulaykah relate from Dhakwan Abu Amr, from A'ishah, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who said: ‘Consult women regarding their marital relations.’ It was said: ‘A virgin may feel shy and remain silent.’ He said: ‘That is her permission.’
Translation notes
The phrase fi abda'ihinna refers to women’s marriage/sexual relations; rendered here as ‘marital relations’ to retain the context without over-literal wording.
Muhammad ibn Abd al-A'la reported to us; he said: Khalid—namely, Ibn al-Harith—narrated to us; he said: Hisham narrated to us, from Yahya ibn Abi Kathir, who said: Abu Salama ibn Abd al-Rahman narrated to us; he said: Abu Hurayrah narrated to me that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: ‘A previously married woman must not be married until she is consulted, nor a virgin until her permission is sought.’ They said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, how is her permission given?’ He said: ‘By her remaining silent.’
Translation notes
This report’s wording assigns ist’imar (consultation) to the previously married woman and ist’idhan (permission-seeking) to the virgin; the distinction is preserved.
Chapter 35
الثَّيِّبِ يُزَوِّجُهَا أَبُوهَا وَهِيَ كَارِهَةٌ .
Harun ibn Abd Allah reported to us; he said: Ma'n narrated to us; he said: Malik narrated to us, from Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Qasim. And Muhammad ibn Salamah informed us; he said: Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Qasim narrated to us, from Malik, who said: Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Qasim narrated to me, from his father, from Abd al-Rahman and Mujamma', the two sons of Yazid ibn Jariyah al-Ansari, from Khansa' bint Khidam: her father gave her in marriage when she was previously married, but she disliked it, so she went to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and he annulled her marriage.
Translation notes
The Arabic transmits two routes before the report; both are retained. Khansa' is described as thayyib, a previously married woman.
Chapter 36
الْبِكْرِ يُزَوِّجُهَا أَبُوهَا وَهِيَ كَارِهَةٌ .
Ziyad ibn Ayyub reported to us; he said: Ali ibn Ghurab narrated to us; he said: Kahmas ibn al-Hasan narrated to us, from Abd Allah ibn Buraydah, from A'ishah: A young woman came to her and said, ‘My father married me to his brother’s son so that he could raise his own low standing through me, but I am unwilling.’ A'ishah said, ‘Sit until the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) comes.’ The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) came, and she told him. He sent for her father and summoned him, then gave her the choice in the matter. She said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, I accept what my father did, but I wanted to know whether women have any say in the matter.’
Translation notes
The young woman’s stated reason for her father’s action is rendered as raising his low standing through her; the report does not specify further what that standing means.
Amr ibn Ali reported to us; he said: Yahya narrated to us; he said: Muhammad ibn Amr narrated to us; he said: Abu Salama narrated to us, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: ‘An orphan girl is consulted about herself. If she remains silent, that is her permission; but if she refuses, she cannot be forced.’
Translation notes
The final clause (fa-la jawaza alayha) is rendered as explicitly ruling out compulsion when she refuses.
Chapter 37
الرُّخْصَةِ فِي نِكَاحِ الْمُحْرِمِ .
Amr ibn Ali reported to us, from Muhammad ibn Sawa', who said: Sa'id narrated to us, from Qatadah and Ya'la ibn Hakim, from Ikrimah, from Ibn Abbas, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) married Maymunah bint al-Harith while he was in the consecrated state. In Ya'la’s report, it says: ‘at Sarif.’
Translation notes
The final phrase identifies Sarif as the location in Ya'la’s version of the report.
Muhammad ibn Mansur reported to us; he said: Sufyan narrated to us, from Amr, from Abu al-Sha'tha', that Ibn Abbas informed him that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) married Maymunah while he was in the consecrated state.
Uthman ibn Abd Allah reported to us; he said: Ibrahim ibn al-Hajjaj narrated to me; he said: Wuhayb narrated to us, from Ibn Jurayj, from Ata, from Ibn Abbas: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) married Maymunah while he was in the consecrated state. She entrusted her marriage to al-Abbas, who gave her in marriage to him.
Translation notes
This report adds that Maymunah entrusted the matter to al-Abbas, who arranged the marriage.
Ahmad ibn Nasr reported to us; he said: Ubayd Allah—namely, Ibn Musa—narrated to us, from Ibn Jurayj, from Ata, from Ibn Abbas, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) married Maymunah while he was in the consecrated state.
Chapter 38
النَّهْىِ عَنْ نِكَاحِ الْمُحْرِمِ، .
Harun ibn Abd Allah reported to us; he said: Ma'n narrated to us; he said: Malik narrated to us—and al-Harith ibn Miskin, by recitation to him while I listened—from Ibn al-Qasim, who said: Malik narrated to me, from Nafi, from Nubayh ibn Wahb, that Aban ibn Uthman said: I heard Uthman ibn Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) say: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: ‘A person in the consecrated state must not marry, give someone in marriage, or propose.’
Translation notes
The transmission notes that the text was recited to al-Harith ibn Miskin while the narrator listened. The three prohibitions are retained separately.