Al-Bukhari recorded that `Ubayd bin `Umayr said that he heard `A'ishah
claiming that Allah's Messenger used to stay for a period in the house of Zaynab
bint Jahsh and drink honey in her house. (She said) "Hafsah and I decided that
when the Prophet entered upon either of us, we would say, `I smell Maghafir on
you. Have you eaten Maghafir' When he entered upon one of us, she said that to
him. He replied (to her),
«لَا، بَلْ شَرِبْتُ
عَسَلًا عِنْدَ زَيْنَبَ بِنْتِ جَحْشٍ وَلَنْ أَعُودَ لَه»
(No, but I drank honey in the house of Zaynab bint Jahsh, and I will never
drink it again.)'' Then the following was revealed;
[يأَيُّهَا
النَّبِىُّ لِمَ تُحَرِّمُ مَآ أَحَلَّ اللَّهُ لَكَ]
(O Prophet! Why do you fobid that which Allah has allowed to you) up to,
[إِن تَتُوبَآ إِلَى
اللَّهِ فَقَدْ صَغَتْ قُلُوبُكُمَا]
(If you both turn in repentance to Allah, your hearts are indeed so
inclined;) in reference to `A'ishah and Hafsah.
[وَإِذَ أَسَرَّ
النَّبِىُّ إِلَى بَعْضِ أَزْوَجِهِ حَدِيثاً]
(And (remember) when the Prophet disclosed a matter in confidence to one of
his wives,) which refers to this saying,
«بَلْ شَرِبْتُ
عَسَلًا»
(But I have drunk honey.) Ibrahim bin Musa said that Hisham said that it also
meant his saying,
«وَلَنْ أَعُودَ لَهُ
وَقَدْ حَلَفْتُ فَلَا تُخْبِرِي بِذَلِكِ أَحَدًا»
(I will not drink it anymore, I have taken an oath to that. Therefore, do not
inform anybody about it.) Al-Bukhari also recorded this Hadith in the Book of
Divorce; then he said, "Al-Maghafir is a type of sap, and in Ar-Rimth (a type of
citrus) its taste is sweet...'' Al-Jawhari said, "The `Urfut is a tree of the
shrub variety, which secretes Maghfur.'' Muslim collected this Hadith from
`A'ishah in the Book of Divorce in his Sahih, and his wording is the same as
Al-Bukhari in the Book of Vows. In the Book of Divorce, Al-Bukhari recorded that
`A'ishah said, "Allah's Messenger liked sweets and honey. After performing the
`Asr prayer, he used to visit his wives, going close to them. So he went to
Hafsah, daughter of `Umar, and stayed with her more than his usual stay. I
(`A'ishah) became jealous and asked about that. It was said to me, `A woman of
her family sent her a small vessel of honey as a gift, and she gave a drink to
Allah's Messenger made from it.' I said, `By Allah, we will contrive a plot
against him.' I said to Sawdah bint Zam`ah, `When the Messenger visits you and
draws close to you, say to him, `Have you eaten Maghafir' And when he says to
you, `No', then ask him, `What is this odor' He will say to you, `Hafsah has
given me a drink of honey.' Then you should say to him, `The honeybees might
have eaten from Urfut, and I will also say the same to him. Safiyyah, you should
also say this.' Sawdah later said, `It was under compulsion that I had decided
to state that which you told me; soon, by Allah, he was standing at my door.' So
when Allah's Messenger came near her, she said, `O Messenger of Allah! Did you
eat Maghafir' He said, `No.' She again said, `Then what is this odor' He said,
«سَقَتْنِي حَفْصَةُ
شَرْبَةَ عَسَل»
(Hafsah gave me honey to drink.) She said, `The honeybees might have eaten
from `Urfut.')'' `A'ishah continued, "When he came to me I said the same to him.
He then visited Safiyyah and she also said similar to him. When he again visited
Hafsah, she said, `O Messenger of Allah, should I not give you that (drink)' He
said,
«لَا حَاجَةَ لِي
فِيه»
(I do not need it.) Sawdah said, `By Allah! We have prevented him from
drinking honey.' I said to her, `Keep quiet!''' Muslim also recorded this
Hadith, but this wording is from Al-Bukhari. In the narration of Muslim,
`A'ishah said, "The Messenger of Allah used to hate to have a bad odor coming
from him'' This is why they suggested to him that he ate Maghafir, because it
causes a bad odor. When he said,
«بَلْ شَرِبْتُ
عَسَلًا»
(No, I had some honey.) They said that the bees ate from a tree that is
called Al-`Urfut, which has Maghafir gum, suggesting that this is the reason
behind the bad odor they claimed was coming from him. The latter narration,
collected through `Urwah from `A'ishah, mentions that it was Hafsah who gave the
Prophet the honey. In another narration collected from `Ubayd bin `Umayr, from
`A'ishah, it was Zaynab bint Jahsh who gave the honey to the Prophet , while
`A'ishah and Hafsah were the plotters. Allah knows best. Some might say that
they were two separate incidents. However, it is not likely that the Ayat were
revealed about both incidents, if indeed they were two separate incidents. Allah
knows best. A Hadith that Imam Ahmad collected in the Musnad mentions that
`A'ishah and Hafsah were the plotters. Imam Ahmad recorded that Ibn `Abbas said,
"I was eager to ask `Umar about the two ladies among the wives of the Prophet ,
about whom Allah said,
[إِن تَتُوبَآ إِلَى
اللَّهِ فَقَدْ صَغَتْ قُلُوبُكُمَا]
(If you two turn in repentance to Allah your hearts are indeed so inclined;)
Then I performed Hajj along with `Umar, and on our way back from Hajj he went
aside (to relieve himself). I also went aside along with him carrying a tumbler
of water. When he finished and returned, I poured water on his hands from the
tumbler and he performed ablution. I said, `O Commander of the faithful! Who
were the two ladies among the wives of the Prophet , to whom Allah said,
[إِن تَتُوبَآ إِلَى
اللَّهِ فَقَدْ صَغَتْ قُلُوبُكُمَا]
(If you two turn in repentance to Allah your hearts are indeed so inclined)'
`Umar said, `I am astonished at your question, O Ibn `Abbas.''' - Az-Zuhri (a
subnarrator) said that `Umar did not like the question, but he still answered
it, saying that they were `A'ishah and Hafsah. "Then `Umar went on relating the
story and said, `We, the people of Quraysh, used to have authority over our
women. But when we came to live with the Ansar, we noticed that the Ansari women
had the upper hand over their men, so our women started acquiring the habits of
the Ansari women. At that time, I was residing at the house of Umayyah bin Zayd,
in Al-`Awali. Once I got angry with my wife, and she talked back to me; I
disliked her answering me back. She said, `Why do you dislike me talking back to
you By Allah, the wives of the Prophet talk back to him, and some of them may
not speak with him for the whole day, until nightfall.' Then I went to Hafsah
and asked her, `Do you talk back to Allah's Messenger' She said, `Yes.' I asked,
`Does any of you keep Allah's Messenger angry all day long, until night' She
replied, `Yes.' I said, `Whoever among you does this is a ruined, losing person!
Doesn't she fear that Allah may get angry for the anger of His Messenger and,
thus, she will be ruined Don't ask Allah's Messenger too many things, and don't
retort him in any case. Demand from me whatever you like, and don't be tempted
to imitate your neighbor, for she is more beautiful than you, and more beloved
to Allah's Messenger than you.' He meant `A'ishah.
I, and an Ansari neighbor of mine used to visit the Prophet in turns. He used
to go one day, and I another day. When I went I would bring him the news of what
had happened that day regarding the revelation and when he went, he used to do
the same for me. In those days it was rumored that the Ghassan (tribe) were
preparing their horses to invade us. My companion went and returned to us at
night and knocked at my door. I came out to him. He said that a grave thing
happened. I asked him, `What is it Have Ghassan come' He replied that it was
worse and more serious than that, adding that Allah's Messenger had divorced all
his wives. I said, `Hafsah is a ruined loser! I expected that would happen some
day.' So I dressed myself and I performed the Subh prayer. I went to Hafsah and
found her weeping. I asked her, `Has Allah's Messenger divorced all of you' She
replied, `I don't know. He is there alone in the upper room.' I went to the
upper room and asked a black slave of the Prophet to ask for his permission to
see me, and the boy went in and then came out saying, `I mentioned you to him
and he remained silent.' I then went out and came to the Minbar and found a
group of people around it and some of them were weeping. I sat with them for
some time, but could not endure the situation. So, I requested to the boy, `Will
you get the permission for `Umar' He went in and then came out saying, `I
mentioned you to him, but he did not reply.' So, I went to Minbar and sat with
the people who were sitting by the Minbar, but I could not bear the situation,
so I went to the boy again and said, `Will you get the permission for `Umar' He
went in and brought the same reply as before. When I was leaving, behold, he
called me saying, `Allah's Messenger has granted you permission.' So, I entered
the Prophet's room, greeted him with the Salam and saw him lying on a mat
without bedding on it, and the mat had left its mark on the body of the Prophet.
I said, `Have you divorced your wives, O Allah's Messenger' He raised his
eyes to me and replied no. I said, `Allahu Akbar. O Allah's Messenger! We, the
people of Quraysh used to have the upper hand over our women. But when we came
to Al-Madinah, we found a people whose women had the upper hand over them. Our
women started learning this behavior from them. Once, I got angry with my wife,
and she talked back to me. I disliked that behavior from her and she said, `Why
do you dislike that I talk back to you By Allah, the Prophet's wives talk back
to him and one of them would ignore him the whole day, until the night.' I said
to her, `Whoever does this among them is the ruined loser! Does she feel safe
from Allah getting angry with her on account of His Messenger's anger In that
case, she would be ruined.' On that the Prophet smiled. I then said, `O Allah's
Messenger! I went to Hafsah and said to her, `Do not be tempted to imitate your
companion (`A'ishah) for she is more beautiful than you and more beloved to the
Prophet.' The Prophet smiled again. When I saw him smiling, I said, `Does the
Messenger feel calm' He said, `Yes.' So, I sat down and cast a glance at the
room, and by Allah, I couldn't see anything of importance, except three hides. I
said, `Invoke Allah, O Allah's Messenger, to make your followers prosperous, for
the Persians and the Byzantines have been made prosperous and given worldly
luxuries, even though they do not worship Allah.' The Prophet sat upright and
said,
«أَفِي شَكَ أَنْتَ
يَا ابْنَ الْخَطَّابِ أُولَئِكَ قَوْمٌ عُجِّلَتْ لَهُمْ طَيِّبَاتُهُمْ فِي
الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا»
(O Ibn Al-Khattab! Do you have any doubt These people have been given rewards
of their good deeds in this world only.) I asked the Prophet , `Please beg
Allah's forgiveness for me, O Allah's Messenger.' The Prophet swore that he
would not go to his wives for one month, because of his severe anger towards
them, until Allah the Exalted and Most Honored censured him.'' Al-Bukhari,
Muslim, At-Tirmidhi and An-Nasa'i also collected this Hadith using various
chains of narration. Al-Bukhari and Muslim also collected it from Ibn `Abbas,
who said, "For a whole year, I was eager to ask `Umar bin Al-Khattab about an
Ayah. However, I hesitated out of respect for him. Once, he went on a Hajj trip
and I accompanied him. On our way back, he stopped to relieve himself behind
some trees of Arak. I stopped until he finished and then walked along with him
and asked him, `O Leader of the believers! Who are the two women who helped each
other (or plotted) against the Prophet ''' This is the narration that Al-Bukhari
collected, while Muslim recorded that Ibn `Abbas asked, "Who are the two women
about whom Allah the Exalted said,
[وَإِن تَظَاهَرَا
عَلَيْهِ]
(but if you help one another against him, )'' `Umar replied, "A'ishah and
Hafsah.'' Muslim mentioned the rest of the Hadith. Muslim also recorded that Ibn
`Abbas said that `Umar bin Al-Khattab said to him, "When Allah's Messenger
stayed away from his wives, I entered the Masjid and found people striking the
ground with pebbles. They said, `Allah's Messenger has divorced his wives.' That
occurred before Hijab was commanded. I said to myself, `I must investigate this
news today.''' So he mentioned the Hadith in which he went to `A'ishah and
Hafsah and admonished them. He then said, `I went in and found Rabah, the
servant of Allah's Messenger , sitting on a window sill. I called, `O Rabah,
seek permission for me from Allah's Messenger.''' He then mentioned the story as
we mentioned above. `Umar continued, "I said, `O Messenger of Allah, what
trouble do you feel from your wives If you have divorced them, verily Allah is
with you, His angels, Jibril, Mikal, I, Abu Bakr and the rest of believers are
with you.' Often, when I talked, all praise is due to Allah, I hoped that Allah
would testify to the words that I uttered. And so the Ayat of option was
revealed. Allah said,
[عَسَى رَبُّهُ إِن
طَلَّقَكُنَّ أَن يُبْدِلَهُ أَزْوَجاً خَيْراً مِّنكُنَّ]
(Maybe his Lord, if he divorces you, will give him in your place wives better
than you,) and,
[وَإِن تَظَاهَرَا
عَلَيْهِ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ مَوْلَـهُ وَجِبْرِيلُ وَصَـلِحُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ
وَالْمَلَـئِكَةُ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ ظَهِيرٌ]
(but if you help one another against him, then verily, Allah is his
Protector, and Jibril, and the righteous among the believers; and after that the
angels are his helpers.) I said, `Messenger of Allah, have you divorced them' He
said, `No.' I stood at the door of the Masjid and called out at the top of my
voice, `The Messenger of Allah has not divorced his wives.' It was on this
occasion that this Ayah was revealed,
[وَإِذَا جَآءَهُمْ
أَمْرٌ مِّنَ الاٌّمْنِ أَوِ الْخَوْفِ أَذَاعُواْ بِهِ وَلَوْ رَدُّوهُ إِلَى
الرَّسُولِ وَإِلَى أُوْلِى الاٌّمْرِ مِنْهُمْ لَعَلِمَهُ الَّذِينَ
يَسْتَنْبِطُونَهُ مِنْهُمْ]
(When any matter pertaining to peace or alarm comes to them, they broadcast
it; whereas, if they would refer it to the Messenger and those who have been
entrusted with authority among them, those of them who are engaged in obtaining
intelligence would indeed know (what to do with) it.)(4:83) It was I who
understood (and properly investigated) this matter.'' Similar was said by Sa`id
bin Jubayr, `Ikrimah, Muqatil bin Hayyan, Ad-Dahhak and others. The Ayah,
[وَصَـلِحُ
الْمُؤْمِنِينَ]
(and the righteous among the believers;) refers to Abu Bakr and `Umar.
Al-Hasan Al-Basri added `Uthman to them. Layth bin Abi Sulaym said from Mujahid:
[وَصَـلِحُ
الْمُؤْمِنِينَ]
(and the righteous among the believers;) includes `Ali bin Abi Talib also.
Al-Bukhari recorded that Anas said, "`Umar said, `The wives of the Prophet were
all jealous for his affection, and I said to them,
[عَسَى رَبُّهُ إِن
طَلَّقَكُنَّ أَن يُبْدِلَهُ أَزْوَجاً خَيْراً مِّنكُنَّ]
(Maybe his Lord, if he divorces you, will give him instead of you, wives
better than you.) Thereafter, this Ayah was revealed.''' We mentioned before
that `Umar said statements that were confirmed by the Qur'an, such as about the
revelation about Hijab [see 33:53] and the captive idolators after the battle of
Badr [see 8:67]. `Umar's suggestion to take the Station of Ibrahim as a place
for prayer and Allah revealed this Ayah;
[وَاتَّخِذُواْ مِن
مَّقَامِ إِبْرَهِيمَ مُصَلًّى]
(And take you the Maqam (station) of Ibrahim as a place of prayer.) (2:125)
Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Anas said that `Umar bin Al-Khattab said, "I heard
news that the Mothers of the faithful had a dispute with the Prophet . So I
advised them, saying, `Either stop bothering Allah's Messenger or Allah might
provide him better wives than you. Al-Hasan Al-Basri added `Uthman to them.
Layth bin Abi Sulaym said from Mujahid:
[وَصَـلِحُ
الْمُؤْمِنِينَ]
(and the righteous among the believers;) includes `Ali bin Abi Talib also.
Al-Bukhari recorded that Anas said, "`Umar said, `The wives of the Prophet were
all jealous for his affection, and I said to them,
[عَسَى رَبُّهُ إِن
طَلَّقَكُنَّ أَن يُبْدِلَهُ أَزْوَجاً خَيْراً مِّنكُنَّ]
(Maybe his Lord, if he divorces you, will give him instead of you, wives
better than you.) Thereafter, this Ayah was revealed.''' We mentioned before
that `Umar said statements that were confirmed by the Qur'an, such as about the
revelation about Hijab [see 33:53] and the captive idolators after the battle of
Badr [see 8:67]. `Umar's suggestion to take the Station of Ibrahim as a place
for prayer and Allah revealed this Ayah;
[وَاتَّخِذُواْ مِن
مَّقَامِ إِبْرَهِيمَ مُصَلًّى]
(And take you the Maqam (station) of Ibrahim as a place of prayer.) (2:125)
Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Anas said that `Umar bin Al-Khattab said, "I heard
news that the Mothers of the faithful had a dispute with the Prophet . So I
advised them, saying, `Either stop bothering Allah's Messenger or Allah might
provide him better wives than you. Abu `Abdur-Rahman As-Sulami, Abu Malik,
Ibrahim An-Nakha`i, Al-Hasan, Qatadah, Ad-Dahhak, Ar-Rabi` bin Anas, As-Suddi,
and others.
[يأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ
ءَامَنُواْ قُواْ أَنفُسَكُمْ وَأَهْلِيكُمْ نَاراً وَقُودُهَا النَّاسُ
وَالْحِجَارَةُ عَلَيْهَا مَلَـئِكَةٌ غِلاَظٌ شِدَادٌ لاَّ يَعْصُونَ اللَّهَ مَآ
أَمَرَهُمْ وَيَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُؤْمَرُونَ - يأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لاَ
تَعْتَذِرُواْ الْيَوْمَ إِنَّمَا تُجْزَوْنَ مَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ - يأَيُّهَا
الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ تُوبُواْ إِلَى اللَّهِ تَوْبَةً نَّصُوحاً عَسَى رَبُّكُمْ
أَن يُكَفِّرَ عَنكُمْ سَيِّئَـتِكُمْ وَيُدْخِلَكُمْ جَنَّـتٍ تَجْرِى مِن
تَحْتِهَا الاٌّنْهَـرُ يَوْمَ لاَ يُخْزِى اللَّهُ النَّبِىَّ وَالَّذِينَ
ءَامَنُواْ مَعَهُ نُورُهُمْ يَسْعَى بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَبِأَيْمَـنِهِمْ
يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَآ أَتْمِمْ لَنَا نُورَنَا وَاغْفِرْ لَنَآ إِنَّكَ عَلَى كُلِّ
شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ ]
(6. O you who believe! Protect yourselves and your families against a Fire
(Hell) whose fuel is men and stones, over which are (appointed) angels stern
(and) severe, who disobey not the commands they receive from Allah, but do that
which they are commanded.) (7. (It will be said in the Hereafter) O you who
disbelieve! Make no excuses this Day! You are being requited only for what you
used to do.) (8. O you who believe! Turn to Allah with sincere repentance! It
may be that your Lord will expiate from you your sins, and admit you into
Gardens under which rivers flow -- the Day that Allah will not disgrace the
Prophet and those who believe with him. Their light will run forward before them
and in their right hands. They will say: "Our Lord! Keep perfect our light for
us and grant us forgiveness. Verily, You are Able to do all things.'')
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