Lu'lu' wal-Marjan

Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that when I got married, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) asked me, "Whom did you marry?" I replied, "A widow." He said, "Why did you not marry a virgin, so that you could play with her?" Muharib (one of the narrators in the chain) said: Then I related this statement of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to Amr bin Dinar, so he said: I heard Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah say that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to me, "Why did you not marry a virgin woman, so that you could play with her and she could play with you?"

Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that my father was martyred and he left behind seven daughters, or (the narrator said) nine daughters. So I married a previously married woman. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) asked me, "Jabir, have you married?" I said, "Yes." He asked, "To a virgin or to a previously married woman?" I replied, "To a previously married woman." He said, "Why did you not marry a virgin girl, so that you could play with her and she could play with you, you could laugh with her and she could laugh with you?" Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that upon this I said to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), "My father Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) was martyred and he left behind several daughters, so I did not like to bring to them a girl like themselves. That is why I married a woman who could look after them and take care of their upbringing." The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) then said, "May Allah bless you," or (the narrator was in doubt) "May Allah grant you goodness."

Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: I was with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in a military expedition (Tabuk). When we were returning, I was trying to urge my slow camel to move faster. Suddenly, a rider approached me from behind. I turned and saw that it was the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). He said, "Why are you hurrying?" I replied, "I have recently gotten married." He asked, "Did you marry a virgin or a widow?" I replied, "A widow." Upon this, he said, "Why did you not marry a virgin, so that you could play with her and she could play with you?" Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: Then, when we reached (Medina), we wanted to enter the city, but he said, "Wait until night falls, then enter, so that your wives whose hair is disheveled may comb and braid their hair, and those whose husbands were absent may shave their pubic hair." And in this hadith, it is also mentioned that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Al-Kayyis, al-Kayyis," meaning, "O Jabir, when you go home, be wise (Imam Bukhari, may Allah have mercy on him, said that the meaning of 'wise' here is to desire to have children)."

Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: I was with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in a military expedition (Dhat al-Riqa‘ or Tabuk). My camel became tired and sluggish. At that moment, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came to me and said, “Jabir!” I replied, “O Messenger of Allah! At your service.” He asked, “What is the matter?” I said, “My camel has become tired and sluggish and is not moving, so I have been left behind.” Then he dismounted from his mount and began to prod my camel with a crooked stick (i.e., to urge it on), and said, “Now mount it.” So I mounted it, and now it was such that I had to restrain it from overtaking the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). He asked, “Jabir, have you married?” I replied, “Yes.” He asked, “To a virgin or a widow?” I replied, “I have married a widow.” He said, “Why not a virgin, so that you could play with her and she could play with you?” (Sayyiduna Jabir was also a bachelor.) I replied, “I have several sisters (and my mother has passed away), so I preferred to marry a woman who would gather them together, comb their hair, and look after them.” Then he said, “Well, when you reach home, enjoy yourself in goodness and safety.” After that, he said, “Will you sell your camel?” I said, “Yes.” So he bought it from me for one uqiyah of silver. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) reached (Medina) before me, and I arrived the next morning. Then we went to the mosque, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) met me at the door of the mosque. He asked, “Have you just arrived?” I replied, “Yes.” He said, “Then leave your camel and go into the mosque and pray two rak‘ahs.” I went inside and prayed. After that, he ordered Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) to weigh out one uqiyah of silver for me. He weighed out one uqiyah, slightly more (i.e., a little extra). As I turned to leave, he said, “Call Jabir back.” I thought perhaps now he would return my camel to me, though nothing would have been more unpleasant to me than that. So he said, “Take your camel, and its price is also yours.”