Fath al-Rabbani

It is narrated from ‘Aidh bin ‘Abdullah that Sayyiduna Mu‘adh (may Allah be pleased with him) came to Yemen. He met a woman from the Khaulān tribe, and with her were her twelve sons. She had left their father at home. The youngest of her sons was fully bearded. She stood up, and two of her sons were supporting her. She greeted Sayyiduna Mu‘adh (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: “O man! Who sent you here?” Sayyiduna Mu‘adh (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent me here.” She said: “Did the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) really send you? Well, if you are the messenger of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), why don’t you tell me something?” Sayyiduna Mu‘adh (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “Ask whatever you need.” She said: “Tell me, what is a man’s right over his wife?” He told her: “Fear Allah as much as you are able, listen and obey.” She said: “I ask you by Allah, tell me, what is a man’s right over his wife?” He said: “Are you not satisfied that you listen to your husband, obey him, and fear Allah?” She said: “Yes, I am certainly satisfied, but still, tell me, what is a man’s right over his wife? Because I have left their father at home, and he has become very old.” Sayyiduna Mu‘adh (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “By Him in Whose Hands is the soul of Mu‘adh! Suppose when you return to him, you find him in such a state that leprosy has eaten away his flesh, and both his nostrils have burst, and pus and blood are flowing from his nostrils, and you put both his nostrils in your mouth so that you may fulfill his right, even then you would not have fulfilled his right.”