Jami' at-Tirmidhi
The Book on Marriage
كتاب النكاح عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم
Chapter 1
مَا جَاءَ فِي فَضْلِ التَّزْوِيجِ وَالْحَثِّ عَلَيْهِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Sufyan ibn Wak'i narrated to us: Hafs ibn Ghiyath narrated to us, from al-Hajjaj, from Makhul, from Abu al-Shimal, from Abu Ayyub, who said: The Messenger of Allah said: Four things are among the practices of the Messengers: modesty, using perfume, the toothstick, and marriage. It is also reported in this chapter from Uthman, Thawban, Ibn Mas'ud, Aishah, Abdullah ibn Amr, Abu Najih, Jabir, and Akkaf. Abu Isa said: The hadith of Abu Ayyub is hasan gharīb.
Mahmud ibn Khidash al-Baghdadi narrated to us: Abbad ibn al-Awwam narrated to us, from al-Hajjaj, from Makhul, from Abu al-Shimal, from Abu Ayyub, from the Prophet, with a report like that of Hafs. Abu Isa said: Hushaym, Muhammad ibn Yazid al-Wasiti, Abu Muawiyah, and more than one other narrated this hadith from al-Hajjaj, from Makhul, from Abu Ayyub, without mentioning Abu al-Shimal in it. The hadith of Hafs ibn Ghiyath and Abbad ibn al-Awwam is more authentic.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The wording sunnan here means established practices or ways of the Messengers; the four items are translated directly.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Mahmud ibn Ghaylan narrated to us: Abu Ahmad al-Zubayri narrated to us: Sufyan narrated to us, from al-A'mash, from Umarah ibn Umayr, from Abd al-Rahman ibn Yazid, from Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, who said: We went out with the Prophet while we were young men who could not afford anything. He said: Young men, you should marry, for it is more effective in lowering the gaze and guarding chastity. Whoever among you cannot afford it should fast, for fasting is a restraint for him. Abu Isa said: This hadith is hasan sahih.
Al-Hasan ibn Ali al-Khallal narrated to us: Abdullah ibn Numayr narrated to us: al-A'mash narrated to us, from Umarah, something similar. Abu Isa said: More than one person narrated something like this from al-A'mash with this chain. Abu Muawiyah and al-Muharibi narrated it from al-A'mash, from Ibrahim, from Alqamah, from Abdullah, from the Prophet, with a similar report. Abu Isa said: Both chains are sound.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The term ba'ah refers here to the capacity for marriage. The expression wijāʾ is rendered as restraint, preserving the comparison without adding an explanation to the hadith.
قَالَ خَرَجْنَا مَعَ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَنَحْنُ شَبَابٌ لاَ نَقْدِرُ عَلَى شَيْءٍ فَقَالَ " يَا مَعْشَرَ الشَّبَابِ عَلَيْكُمْ بِالْبَاءَةِ فَإِنَّهُ أَغَضُّ لِلْبَصَرِ وَأَحْصَنُ لِلْفَرْجِ فَمَنْ لَمْ يَسْتَطِعْ مِنْكُمُ الْبَاءَةَ فَعَلَيْهِ بِالصَّوْمِ فَإِنَّ الصَّوْمَ لَهُ وِجَاءٌ " .
The Arabic word wijāʾ refers to a means of curbing sexual desire, with a literal association to castration.
Should the metaphor be made more explicit, or is restraint sufficiently faithful and clear?
Chapter 2
مَا جَاءَ فِي النَّهْىِ عَنِ التَّبَتُّلِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Hisham al-Rifa'i, Zayd ibn Akhzam al-Ta'i, and Ishaq ibn Ibrahim al-Basri narrated to us; they said: Mu'adh ibn Hisham narrated to us, from his father, from Qatadah, from al-Hasan, from Samurah: The Prophet prohibited celibacy. Abu Isa said: Zayd ibn Akhzam added to his report that Qatadah recited: We sent messengers before you and appointed wives and offspring for them. It is also reported in this chapter from Sa'd, Anas ibn Malik, Aishah, and Ibn Abbas. Abu Isa said: The hadith of Samurah is hasan gharīb. Al-Ash'ath ibn Abd al-Malik narrated this hadith from al-Hasan, from Sa'd ibn Hisham, from Aishah, from the Prophet, with a similar report. Both reports are said to be sound.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The quoted verse is translated in line with its wording in this report.
أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم نَهَى عَنِ التَّبَتُّلِ .
The Arabic term tabattul can refer to abstaining from marriage; the report supplies no further qualification here.
Should the rendering specify abstaining from marriage, or retain the concise term celibacy?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Al-Hasan ibn Ali al-Khallal and more than one other narrated to us; they said: Abd al-Razzaq informed us: Ma'mar informed us, from al-Zuhri, from Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib, from Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, who said: The Messenger of Allah rejected celibacy for Uthman ibn Maz'un. Had he permitted it to him, we would have castrated ourselves. Abu Isa said: This hadith is hasan sahih.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
قَالَ رَدَّ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَلَى عُثْمَانَ بْنِ مَظْعُونٍ التَّبَتُّلَ وَلَوْ أَذِنَ لَهُ لاَخْتَصَيْنَا .
The term tabattul refers to abstaining from marriage in this context; the report does not give further detail about the request.
Would a more explicit rendering such as abstaining from marriage better convey the intended meaning?
Chapter 3
مَا جَاءَ إِذَا جَاءَكُمْ مَنْ تَرْضَوْنَ دِينَهُ فَزَوِّجُوهُ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Qutaybah narrated to us: Abd al-Hamid ibn Sulayman narrated to us, from Ibn Ajlan, from Ibn Wathimah al-Nasri, from Abu Hurairah, who said: The Messenger of Allah said: If someone whose religion and character you approve proposes to you, then marry him. If you do not do so, there will be turmoil in the land and widespread corruption. It is also reported in this chapter from Abu Hatim al-Muzani and Aishah. Abu Isa said: This report from Abu Hurairah was opposed in its chain to Abd al-Hamid ibn Sulayman. Al-Layth ibn Sa'd narrated it from Ibn Ajlan, from Abdullah ibn Hurmoz, from the Prophet, with a disconnected chain. Abu Isa said: Muhammad said that the report of al-Layth is more plausible, and he did not consider the report of Abd al-Hamid preserved.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic addresses those responsible for arranging a woman's marriage; the English uses the concise imperative marry him.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad ibn Amr al-Sawwaq al-Balkhi narrated to us: Hatim ibn Isma'il narrated to us, from Abdullah ibn Muslim ibn Hurmoz, from Muhammad and Sa'id, the two sons of Ubayd, from Abu Hatim al-Muzani, who said: The Messenger of Allah said: When someone whose religion and character you approve comes to you, marry him to your ward. If you do not do so, there will be turmoil in the land and corruption. They said: Messenger of Allah, even if there is something objectionable in him? He said: When someone whose religion and character you approve comes to you, marry him. He said this three times. Abu Isa said: This hadith is hasan gharīb. Abu Hatim al-Muzani was a Companion, and we know of no other hadith he narrated from the Prophet besides this one.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The verb ankihuhu means arranging a marriage for a woman under one's care; ward makes that relationship explicit from context.
قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَإِنْ كَانَ فِيهِ قَالَ " إِذَا جَاءَكُمْ مَنْ تَرْضَوْنَ دِينَهُ وَخُلُقَهُ فَأَنْكِحُوهُ " .
The Arabic asks 'even if there is something in him?' without specifying what it is.
Should the question remain general, or can the unspecified concern be rendered more explicitly?
Chapter 4
مَا جَاءَ أَنَّ الْمَرْأَةَ تُنْكَحُ عَلَى ثَلاَثِ خِصَالٍ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Musa informed us: Ishaq ibn Yusuf al-Azraq informed us: Abd al-Malik ibn Abi Sulayman informed us, from Ata, from Jabir, that the Prophet said: A woman is married for her religion, wealth, and beauty, so seek the one who is religious; may your hands be rubbed with dust. It is also reported in this chapter from Awf ibn Malik, Aishah, Abdullah ibn Amr, and Abu Sa'id. Abu Isa said: The hadith of Jabir is hasan sahih.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The closing phrase is an Arabic idiom of exhortation; the literal image of dust on the hands is retained.
أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " إِنَّ الْمَرْأَةَ تُنْكَحُ عَلَى دِينِهَا وَمَالِهَا وَجَمَالِهَا فَعَلَيْكَ بِذَاتِ الدِّينِ تَرِبَتْ يَدَاكَ " .
The final phrase is idiomatic and can function as emphasis rather than a literal wish.
Would a nonliteral exhortation better convey the force of this idiom?
Chapter 5
مَا جَاءَ فِي النَّظَرِ إِلَى الْمَخْطُوبَةِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ahmad ibn Mani narrated to us: Ibn Abi Za'idah narrated to us; he said: Asim ibn Sulayman—the Squinter—narrated to me, from Bakr ibn Abdullah al-Muzani, from al-Mughirah ibn Shu'bah, who had proposed to a woman. The Prophet said: Look at her, for that is more likely to bring affection between the two of you. It is also reported in this chapter from Muhammad ibn Maslamah, Jabir, Anas, Abu Humayd, and Abu Hurairah. Abu Isa said: This hadith is hasan. Some scholars followed this hadith and said there is no harm in looking at her, so long as he does not see anything forbidden of her. This was the view of Ahmad and Ishaq. The meaning of his words, more likely to bring affection between the two of you, is: more likely that affection between you will endure.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The narrator's epithet al-Ahwal is rendered literally as the Squinter. The compiler explains the idiom as the endurance of affection.
Chapter 6
مَا جَاءَ فِي إِعْلاَنِ النِّكَاحِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ahmad ibn Mani narrated to us: Hushaym informed us: Abu Balj informed us, from Muhammad ibn Hatib al-Jumahi, who said: The Messenger of Allah said: The distinction between the lawful and the unlawful is the tambourine and the voice. It is also reported in this chapter from Aishah, Jabir, and al-Rubayyi bint Muawwidh. Abu Isa said: The hadith of Muhammad ibn Hatib is hasan. Abu Balj's name was Yahya ibn Abi Sulaym; it is also said Ibn Sulaym. Muhammad ibn Hatib saw the Prophet when he was a young boy.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic word duff denotes a frame drum or tambourine; sawt means voice or vocal sound.
قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " فَصْلُ مَا بَيْنَ الْحَرَامِ وَالْحَلاَلِ الدُّفُّ وَالصَّوْتُ " .
The source names a duff and a voice without further specifying the kind of vocal sound.
Should voice be retained broadly, or rendered as singing in this context?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ahmad ibn Mani narrated to us: Yazid ibn Harun narrated to us: Isa ibn Maymun al-Ansari informed us, from al-Qasim ibn Muhammad, from Aishah, who said: The Messenger of Allah said: Publicize this marriage, hold it in the mosques, and beat the tambourines for it. Abu Isa said: This hadith is gharīb, hasan in this chapter. Isa ibn Maymun al-Ansari is considered weak in hadith. Isa ibn Maymun, who narrated Quran exegesis from Ibn Abi Najih, is trustworthy.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Humayd ibn Mas'adah al-Basri narrated to us: Bishr ibn al-Mufaddal narrated to us: Khalid ibn Dhakwan narrated to us, from al-Rubayyi bint Mu'awwidh, who said: The Messenger of Allah came and visited me on the morning after my marriage was consummated. He sat on my bed as you are sitting in relation to me now. Some young girls of ours were beating their tambourines and mourning those of my fathers who had been killed at Badr. Then one of them said: Among us is a Prophet who knows what will happen tomorrow. The Messenger of Allah said to her: Stop saying that, and say what you were saying before it. Abu Isa said: This hadith is hasan sahih.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic says he sat on her bed in the same relative position as the addressee now sits; the comparison is retained.
Chapter 7
مَا جَاءَ فِيمَا يُقَالُ لِلْمُتَزَوِّجِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Qutaybah narrated to us: Abd al-Aziz ibn Muhammad narrated to us, from Suhayl ibn Abi Salih, from his father, from Abu Hurairah: When the Prophet congratulated someone on marriage, he would say: May Allah bless you, send blessings upon you, and bring you together in goodness. It is also reported in this chapter from Aqil ibn Abi Talib. Abu Isa said: The hadith of Abu Hurairah is hasan sahih.
Chapter 8
مَا جَاءَ فِيمَا يَقُولُ إِذَا دَخَلَ عَلَى أَهْلِهِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ibn Abi Umar narrated to us: Sufyan ibn Uyaynah narrated to us, from Mansur, from Salim ibn Abi al-Ja'd, from Kurayb, from Ibn Abbas, who said: The Prophet said: If one of you, when he approaches his wife, says, In the name of Allah. O Allah, keep Satan away from us and keep Satan away from what You provide us, then if Allah decrees a child for them, Satan will not harm him. Abu Isa said: This hadith is hasan sahih.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The invocation is translated directly, including the request concerning the child Allah may provide.
Chapter 9
مَا جَاءَ فِي الأَوْقَاتِ الَّتِي يُسْتَحَبُّ فِيهَا النِّكَاحُ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad ibn Bashshar narrated to us: Yahya ibn Sa'id narrated to us: Sufyan narrated to us, from Isma'il ibn Umayyah, from Abdullah ibn Urwah, from Urwah, from Aishah, who said: The Messenger of Allah married me in Shawwal and consummated the marriage with me in Shawwal. Aishah used to prefer that marriages to her women relatives be consummated in Shawwal. Abu Isa said: This hadith is hasan sahih. We know it only through the report of al-Thawri from Isma'il ibn Umayyah.
Chapter 10
مَا جَاءَ فِي الْوَلِيمَةِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Qutaybah narrated to us: Hammad ibn Zayd narrated to us, from Thabit, from Anas ibn Malik: The Messenger of Allah saw a yellow mark on Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf and said: What is this? He replied: I married a woman for a dowry of gold weighing a date stone. He said: May Allah bless you. Hold a wedding banquet, even if only with a sheep. It is also reported in this chapter from Ibn Mas'ud, Aishah, Jabir, and Zuhayr ibn Uthman. Abu Isa said: The hadith of Anas is hasan sahih. Ahmad ibn Hanbal said: A date-stone's weight in gold is three and one-third dirhams. Ishaq said: It is five and one-third dirhams.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The date-stone weight is left as a measure; Ahmad and Ishaq give different conversions in the compiler's note.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ibn Abi Umar narrated to us: Sufyan ibn Uyaynah narrated to us, from Wa'il ibn Dawud, from his son, from al-Zuhri, from Anas ibn Malik: The Prophet held a wedding banquet for Safiyyah bint Huyayy with sawiq and dates. Abu Isa said: This hadith is hasan gharīb.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
Sawiq is a roasted grain or flour preparation; the Arabic does not specify its ingredients here.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad ibn Yahya narrated to us: al-Humaydi narrated to us, from Sufyan, with a report like this. More than one person narrated this hadith from Ibn Uyaynah, from al-Zuhri, from Anas, without mentioning Wa'il from his son in it. Abu Isa said: Sufyan ibn Uyaynah practiced tadlis in this hadith: sometimes he did not mention Wa'il from his son in its chain, and sometimes he did.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
Tadlis is a technical term for concealing or omitting a link in a chain of transmission; the compiler describes the varying forms of this chain.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad ibn Musa al-Basri narrated to us: Ziyad ibn Abdullah narrated to us: Ata ibn al-Sa'ib narrated to us, from Abu Abd al-Rahman, from Ibn Mas'ud, who said: The Messenger of Allah said: Food on the first day is a right, food on the second day is a sunnah, and food on the third day is for show. Whoever seeks to be heard of, Allah will make him heard of. Abu Isa said: We know the hadith of Ibn Mas'ud as a marfūʿ report only through the narration of Ziyad ibn Abdullah. Ziyad ibn Abdullah has many strange and objectionable reports. He said: I heard Muhammad ibn Isma'il relate from Muhammad ibn Uqbah, who said: Waki said, Ziyad ibn Abdullah, despite his standing, does not lie in hadith.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic distinguishes a right on the first day, a sunnah on the second, and ostentation or seeking reputation on the third.
قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " طَعَامُ أَوَّلِ يَوْمٍ حَقٌّ وَطَعَامُ يَوْمِ الثَّانِي سُنَّةٌ وَطَعَامُ يَوْمِ الثَّالِثِ سُمْعَةٌ وَمَنْ سَمَّعَ سَمَّعَ اللَّهُ بِهِ " .
The word haqq can mean a right, due, or obligation; the Arabic gives no further qualification.
Which English term best preserves the force of haqq here?
Chapter 11
مَا جَاءَ فِي إِجَابَةِ الدَّاعِي
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Salamah, Yahya ibn Khalaf, narrated to us: Bishr ibn al-Mufaddal narrated to us, from Isma'il ibn Umayyah, from Nafi, from Ibn Umar, who said: The Messenger of Allah said: Accept the invitation when you are invited. It is also reported in this chapter from Ali, Abu Hurairah, al-Bara, Anas, and Abu Ayyub. Abu Isa said: The hadith of Ibn Umar is hasan sahih.
Chapter 12
مَا جَاءَ فِيمَنْ يَجِيءُ إِلَى الْوَلِيمَةِ مِنْ غَيْرِ دَعْوَةٍ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Hannad narrated to us: Abu Muawiyah narrated to us, from al-A'mash, from Shaqiq, from Abu Mas'ud, who said: A man called Abu Shu'ayb came to a young servant of his who was a butcher and said: Prepare enough food for five, for I have seen hunger on the face of the Messenger of Allah. The servant prepared food, then Abu Shu'ayb sent for the Prophet and invited him and the companions who were with him. When the Prophet got up, a man who had not been with them when they were invited followed them. When the Messenger of Allah reached the door, he said to the host: A man who was not with us when you invited us has followed us. If you permit him, he will come in. The host said: We have given him permission, so let him enter. Abu Isa said: This hadith is hasan sahih. It is also reported in this chapter from Ibn Umar.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The source says the man was a young servant, not necessarily specifying his legal status beyond that wording.