Abu Dawud

Benefits and Issues:
➊ Some people lacking modesty attempt, through the wording of this authentic hadith, to color the translation in such a way as to suggest—Allah forbid—that the Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was a person overpowered by desire, while others try to cast doubt on the authority of hadith altogether. Both of these stances are contrary to knowledge and intelligence. The Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was so modest that even the modesty of a veiled maiden paled in comparison to his. Those who translate in such a manner are unaware of the station of Prophethood. In Arabic language and literature, the phrase “he fulfilled his need or necessity” has no other meaning except for intimacy (intercourse). The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) went to the gathering of the Companions and explicitly stated that a woman creates temptations and whispers for a man like Satan and becomes a cause of trial. The best remedy for this is a man’s own wife. To connect this advice with the previous sentences and derive a meaning that would not even befit an ordinary dignified person, let alone to attribute it to the Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), is extremely inappropriate.

➋ A woman should not go out in such a manner that she comes to be described as having Satan-like qualities.

➌ The pure and lawful place for fulfilling sexual desires is a person’s own home.

➍ A woman should also be obedient to her husband so that the husband remains pure and his honor and chastity remain unblemished.

Hadith Commentary:
Vocabulary of the Hadith:
(1)
Zamharīr:
Extreme cold.
(2)
Harūr:
Intensity of heat,
fierceness.

Benefits and Issues:
This hot and cold breath spreads towards their respective regions as commanded by the Lord of the Fire; therefore, the seasons of heat and cold are not the same in every place and country.

1:
"It is said, 'the woman appears in the form of a devil,' because just as Satan leads a person astray, in the same way, an unveiled woman also leads a man astray."