The Book of the Kind Treatment of Women

Shaykh and Imam Abu ʿAbd al-Rahman al-Nasaʾi narrated to me; he said: al-Husayn ibn ʿIsa al-Qumasi reported to us; he said: ʿAffan ibn Muslim narrated to us; he said: Sallam Abu al-Mundhir narrated to us, from Thabit, from Anas, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: ‘Of this world, women and perfume have been made dear to me, and the delight of my eyes has been placed in prayer.’

ʿAli ibn Muslim al-Tusi reported to us; he said: Sayyar narrated to us; he said: Jaʿfar narrated to us; he said: Thabit narrated to us, from Anas, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: ‘Women and perfume have been made dear to me, and the delight of my eyes has been placed in prayer.’

Ahmad ibn Hafs ibn ʿAbdullah reported to us; he said: My father narrated to me; he said: Ibrahim ibn Tahman narrated to me, from Saʿid ibn Abi ʿArubah, from Qatadah, from Anas ibn Malik, who said: ‘After women, nothing was dearer to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, than horses.’

ʿAmr ibn ʿAli reported to us; he said: ʿAbd al-Rahman narrated to us; he said: Hammam narrated to us, from Qatadah, from al-Nadr ibn Anas, from Bashir ibn Nahik, from Abu Hurayrah, from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, who said: ‘Whoever has two wives and favors one of them over the other will come on the Day of Resurrection with one side of his body leaning.’

Muhammad ibn Ismaʿil ibn Ibrahim informed me; he said: Yazid narrated to us; he said: Hammad ibn Salamah informed us, from Ayyub, from Abu Qilabah, from ʿAbdullah ibn Yazid, from ʿAishah, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, would divide his time among his wives and then act justly. Then he would say: ‘O Allah, this is my action regarding what is within my power, so do not blame me for what is within Your power and not mine.’ Hammad ibn Zayd transmitted it in mursal form.

ʿUbaydullah ibn Saʿd ibn Ibrahim ibn Saʿd informed me; he said: My uncle narrated to us; he said: My father narrated to us, from Salih, from Ibn Shihab, who said: Muhammad ibn ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn al-Harith ibn Hisham informed me that ʿAishah said: The wives of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, sent Fatimah, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, to him. She asked permission to enter while he was reclining with me beneath my cloak, and he gave her permission. She said: ‘Messenger of Allah, your wives have sent me to ask you to be fair regarding the daughter of Abu Quhafah.’ I remained silent. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said to her: ‘My daughter, do you not love the one whom I love?’ She replied: ‘Of course.’ He said: ‘Then love this one.’ When she heard this from the Messenger of Allah, Fatimah rose and returned to the Prophet’s wives. She told them what she had said and what he had said to her. They said: ‘We do not think you have accomplished anything for us. Go back to the Messenger of Allah and tell him: Your wives implore you to be fair regarding the daughter of Abu Quhafah.’ Fatimah said: ‘No, by Allah, I will never speak to him about her again.’

ʿAishah continued: The Prophet’s wives then sent Zaynab bint Jahsh to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. Among his wives, she was the one who competed with me for status in his eyes. I have never seen a woman better in religion than Zaynab: she was more mindful of Allah, more truthful in speech, more devoted to family ties, more generous in charity, and more willing to expend herself in the good deed through which she gave charity and sought nearness to Allah. She did, however, have a quick temper, though she soon calmed down. She asked permission to enter while the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, was with ʿAishah beneath her cloak, just as he had been when Fatimah entered. He gave her permission. She said: ‘Messenger of Allah, your wives have sent me to ask you to be fair regarding the daughter of Abu Quhafah.’ Then she spoke harshly to me at length. I watched the Messenger of Allah and his expression, to see whether he would allow me to answer her. Zaynab did not stop until I realized that the Messenger of Allah would not object if I defended myself. So when I answered her, I did not hold back before responding to her forcefully. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, then said: ‘She is the daughter of Abu Bakr.’

ʿImran ibn Bakar al-Himsi informed me; he said: Abu al-Yaman narrated to us; he said: Shuʿayb informed us, from al-Zuhri, who said: Muhammad ibn ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn al-Harith ibn Hisham informed me that ʿAishah mentioned a similar report and said: The wives of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, sent Zaynab. She asked permission to enter, and he gave her permission, so she entered. She then related something similar. Maʿmar differed from the two narrators: he reported it from al-Zuhri, from ʿUrwah, from ʿAishah.

Muhammad ibn Rafiʿ al-Naysaburi, the trustworthy and reliable, reported to us; he said: ʿAbd al-Razzaq narrated to us, from Maʿmar, from al-Zuhri, from ʿUrwah, from ʿAishah, who said: The wives of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, gathered and sent Fatimah to the Prophet. They told her, ‘Your wives…’—the narrator used a phrase meaning that they were imploring him to be fair regarding the daughter of Abu Quhafah. ʿAishah said: Fatimah entered upon the Prophet while he was with me beneath my wrap and said to him: ‘Your wives have sent me, and they implore you to be fair regarding the daughter of Abu Quhafah.’ The Prophet said to her: ‘Do you love me?’ She said: ‘Yes.’ He said: ‘Then love her.’ Fatimah returned to them and told them what he had said. They said: ‘You have accomplished nothing; go back to him.’ She replied: ‘By Allah, I will never go back to him to speak about her.’ She was truly the daughter of the Messenger of Allah. So they sent Zaynab bint Jahsh.

ʿAishah continued: Zaynab was the one among the Prophet’s wives who competed with me in status. She said: ‘Your wives have sent me, and they implore you to be fair regarding the daughter of Abu Quhafah.’ Then she turned on me, insulting me. I watched the Prophet and his expression to see whether he would permit me to defend myself. She kept insulting me until I thought he would not object if I answered her. So I faced her, and before long I had silenced her. The Prophet said to her: ‘She is the daughter of Abu Bakr.’ ʿAishah said: I have never seen a woman better, more charitable, more devoted to family ties, or more willing to expend herself in everything by which one seeks nearness to Allah, Exalted is He, than Zaynab—except that she had a quick temper, though she was soon ready to calm down. Abu ʿAbd al-Rahman said: ‘This is an error; the correct version is the one preceding it.’

Ismaʿil ibn Masʿud reported to us; he said: Bishr—meaning Ibn al-Mufaddal—narrated to us; he said: Shuʿbah narrated to us, from ʿAmr ibn Murrah [from Murrah], from Abu Musa, from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, who said: ‘The excellence of ʿAishah over other women is like the excellence of tharid over all other food.’

ʿAli ibn Khashram reported to us; he said: ʿIsa ibn Yunus informed us, from Ibn Abi Dhiʾb, from al-Harith ibn ʿAbd al-Rahman, from Abu Salamah, from ʿAishah, that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: ‘The excellence of ʿAishah over other women is like the excellence of tharid over all other food.’

Abu Bakr ibn Ishaq al-Saghani reported to us; he said: Shadhan narrated to us; he said: Hammad ibn Zayd narrated to us, from Hisham ibn ʿUrwah, from his father, from ʿAishah, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: ‘Umm Salamah, do not distress me concerning ʿAishah. By Allah, revelation has never come to me beneath the blanket of any of you except hers.’

Muhammad ibn Adam informed me, from ʿAbdah, from Hisham, from ʿAwf ibn al-Harith, from Rumaythah, from Umm Salamah, that the Prophet’s wives asked her to speak to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and tell him that people would deliberately bring their gifts on ʿAishah’s day. They told her to say: ‘We love good things just as ʿAishah does.’ She spoke to him, but he did not answer her. When he came around to her again, she spoke to him again, but he did not answer. The wives asked her: ‘What did he say to you?’ She replied: ‘He did not answer me.’ They said: ‘Do not leave him until he answers you, or until you see what he says.’ When he came around to her again, she spoke to him, and he said: ‘Do not distress me concerning ʿAishah, for revelation has never come down to me while I was beneath the wrap of any of you except while I was beneath ʿAishah’s wrap.’ Abu ʿAbd al-Rahman said: ‘These two hadiths from ʿAbdah are sound.’

Ishaq ibn Ibrahim reported to us; he said: ʿAbdah ibn Sulayman informed us; he said: Hisham narrated to us, from his father, from ʿAishah, who said: People would make a point of bringing their gifts on ʿAishah’s day, seeking thereby to please the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him.

Muhammad ibn Adam narrated to us, from ʿAbdah, from Hisham, from Salih ibn Rabiʿah ibn Hudayr, from ʿAishah, who said: Revelation came to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, while I was with him. I got up and closed the door between him and me. When the experience had passed, he said to me: ‘ʿAishah, Jibril sends you greetings of peace.’

Nuh ibn Habib reported to us; he said: ʿAbd al-Razzaq narrated to us; he said: Maʿmar narrated to us, from al-Zuhri, from ʿUrwah, from ʿAishah, that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said to her: ‘Jibril sends you greetings of peace.’ She replied: ‘And upon him be peace, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. You see what we do not.’

ʿAmr ibn Mansur reported to us; he said: al-Hakam ibn Nafiʿ narrated to us; he said: Shuʿayb informed us, from al-Zuhri, who said: Abu Salamah informed me, from ʿAishah, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: ‘ʿAishah, here is Jibril, sending you greetings of peace.’ The report is the same. Abu ʿAbd al-Rahman said: ‘This version is correct; the preceding one is mistaken.’

Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna reported to us; he said: Khalid narrated to us; he said: Humayd narrated to us; he said: Anas narrated to us, saying: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was with one of the Mothers of the Believers when another sent a bowl containing food. She struck the hand of the messenger, and the bowl fell and broke. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, picked up the two pieces, fitted one against the other, and began gathering the food into it. He said: ‘Your mother became jealous. Eat.’ They ate. He waited until she brought the bowl from her own house, then gave the intact bowl to the messenger and left the broken one in the house of the wife who had broken it.

Al-Rabiʿ ibn Sulayman reported to us; he said: Asad ibn Musa narrated to us; he said: Hammad ibn Salamah narrated to us, from Thabit, from Abu al-Mutawakkil, from Umm Salamah: She brought food in one of her dishes to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and his Companions. ʿAishah then came, wrapped in a garment and carrying a stone pestle, and struck the dish with it, splitting it. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, fitted the two broken pieces together and said twice: ‘Eat; your mother became jealous.’ Then the Messenger of Allah took ʿAishah’s dish and sent it to Umm Salamah, and gave Umm Salamah’s dish to ʿAishah.

Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna reported to us, from ʿAbd al-Rahman, from Sufyan, from Fulayt, from Jasrah bint Dajjajah, from ʿAishah, who said: ‘I have never seen anyone prepare food like Safiyyah. She sent the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, a dish containing food, and I could not restrain myself from breaking it. I asked the Prophet what its expiation was, and he said: “A dish in place of a dish, and food in place of food.”’

Al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Zaʿfarani reported to us; he said: Hajjaj narrated to us, from Ibn Jurayj, from ʿAtaʾ, who heard ʿUbayd ibn ʿUmayr say: I heard ʿAishah state that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, would stay with Zaynab bint Jahsh and drink honey at her home. Hafsah and I agreed that whichever of us the Prophet entered upon would say to him: ‘I smell maghafir on you. Have you eaten maghafir?’ He entered upon one of them, and she said this to him. He replied: ‘No; rather, I drank honey at Zaynab bint Jahsh’s home, but I will not do so again.’ Then these verses were revealed: ‘O Prophet, why do you forbid what Allah has made lawful for you?’ and ‘If you two turn to Allah in repentance…’—about ʿAishah and Hafsah—and ‘When the Prophet confided a matter to one of his wives…’—referring to his words, ‘Rather, I drank honey.’