Bukhari

Hadith Commentary:
What happened was that some of the wives of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) gathered in the house of Umm al-Mu’minin, Umm Salamah (radi Allahu anha), and said to her: “You should request the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) to instruct his Companions not to wait for the time when he is staying at the house of a particular wife before sending gifts and presents, but rather, they should send them regardless of which wife’s house he is in.”

Accordingly, Umm al-Mu’minin Umm Salamah (radi Allahu anha) presented this request, but the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) did not pay any attention to her submission.

The reason for not paying attention was that the request of Umm Salamah (radi Allahu anha) was not reasonable.

The one who wishes to send a gift may do so whenever he pleases; he cannot be compelled to send it at a particular time or to refrain from sending it at another.

This lengthy hadith details this very incident, and the correspondence between the hadith and the chapter is evident.

As far as the obligatory rights of the wives were concerned, the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) had allotted one night each for every wife, and this was being implemented accordingly.

Since ‘A’ishah (radi Allahu anha) possessed some special virtuous qualities, and because of these, the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) loved her more.

Therefore, some of the Companions (radi Allahu anhum) thought that when the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) would come to ‘A’ishah’s (radi Allahu anha) house on her turn, they would send gifts and presents at that time.

Upon this, the other noble wives requested the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) to prevent the Companions (radi Allahu anhum) from this particularity.

The demand was not correct, so the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) did not pay any attention to it, until Fatimah al-Zahra (radi Allahu anha) was brought into the matter.

The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “O my beloved daughter! Do you not love those whom I love?”

Upon this, Fatimah (radi Allahu anha) replied: “Yes, O Messenger of Allah, indeed I also love those whom you love.”

After this, Fatimah (radi Allahu anha) always loved ‘A’ishah (radi Allahu anha).

‘Ali (radi Allahu anhu), in the virtues of ‘A’ishah (radi Allahu anha), says: “Allah knows that ‘A’ishah al-Siddiqah (radi Allahu anha) is the wife of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) in this world and the Hereafter.”

May Allah’s curse be upon those foul-mouthed, unrestrained, unworthy people who speak ill of ‘A’ishah al-Siddiqah (radi Allahu anha).

May Allah guide them to the straight path, ameen.

It is sufficient for the virtue of ‘A’ishah al-Siddiqah (radi Allahu anha) that she is the daughter of our master Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (radi Allahu anhu), and just as al-Siddiq al-Akbar (radi Allahu anhu) possessed the most knowledge and virtue among the Companions, so too his daughter was a scholar, learned, and an eloquent orator among women.

She had thousands of verses of poetry memorized by heart.

No one was her equal in eloquence and rhetoric.

“And that is the bounty of Allah; He gives it to whom He wills.” ()

And the greatest virtue is that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) chose her as his special companion in life due to many unique qualities.

Jibril (alayhis salam) honored her especially.

And that suffices as a virtue.

Imam al-Bukhari (rahimahullah) brought this lengthy hadith here because the subject of the chapter is explicitly established by it: that a person may present gifts and presents to his particular friend during the turn of his special wife.

All praise is due to Allah; up to the fifth of April 1970, this section was read in the Sacred Ka‘bah in Makkah al-Mukarramah, and after reflecting on every word of the Prophetic hadiths, I prayed to Allah in the Ka‘bah to grant me the ability to understand it, to write its Urdu translation and concise comprehensive commentary with the realization of the truth, and to accept the great reward of this enduring good deed for my late brother Haji Muhammad Ali, known as Bilari Pyaru Qureshi of Bangalore, on whose behalf I was granted the honor of visiting the Two Sacred Sanctuaries for the performance of Hajj on his behalf.

Our Lord, accept from us; indeed, You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.

Hadith Commentary:
(1)
From this lengthy hadith, Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has established that a person may present gifts and offerings to a particular friend during the turn of his specific wife.
It is up to the discretion of the one sending the gift—he may send it whenever and wherever he wishes. No one can impose upon him by force any ruling that he must send it at a certain time and not at another.
(2)
Among the pure wives of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, the Truthful One of the Universe, Lady Aisha radi Allahu anha, held a special status.
May the curse of Allah be upon those unworthy people who speak insolently regarding Lady Aisha radi Allahu anha.
(3)
The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said regarding her:
“After all, she is the daughter of Abu Bakr radi Allahu anhu.”
Hafiz Ibn Hajar rahimahullah writes:
The meaning of this is that Lady Aisha radi Allahu anha was noble by nature, intelligent, wise, and perceptive, just as her esteemed father was a most noble and intelligent person.
(Fath al-Bari: 5/256)
The purpose of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was to prevent discord.
Had both parties not vented their feelings, the matter would have been prolonged.
It was good that, in the presence of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, the matter was resolved briefly.
And Allah knows best.

Hadith Commentary:

This is because the Companions (radi Allahu anhum) had the authority to act according to their own discretion; they were well-acquainted with the temperament of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). They would do such things on their own initiative, so how could they be prevented from doing so?

Hadith Commentary:
People would make special arrangements to wait for the day of Aisha (radi Allahu anha) in order to please the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam).
When this arrangement became disagreeable to the other wives, they collectively protested regarding this matter.
They submitted to the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) that he should instruct the people regarding gifts, that they should not wait for a specific day, but rather, wherever he (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was staying, gifts should be sent to that house.
The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) did not pay any attention to this matter, because he had no role in it; nor had people formed this habit by his command, and it was also not appropriate for him to stop them.
The details of this protest are mentioned in the next hadith.

Hadith Commentary:
Presenting a gift in the service of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), and then presenting it again during the turn of Aisha (radi Allahu anha), both matters were causes of happiness for the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam).
This is the meaning of the narrator’s statement.

Hadith Commentary:
On the day when the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) would be present in the house of Aisha (radi Allahu anha), people used to send him gifts and offerings.

There were two aspects to the respect people held for Aisha (radi Allahu anha):
➊ The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) had a special affection for her, and on this basis, people wished to attain the pleasure of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam).
➋ She also held a special status due to her knowledge and rank, and for this reason, the respect people had for her was, in itself, commendable.

Presenting a gift in the service of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), and then offering it during the turn of Aisha (radi Allahu anha), both matters were causes of happiness for the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam).

Despite this, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) would distribute among all the wives whatever items reached the house of Aisha (radi Allahu anha) in this manner.

(Fath al-Bari: 5/256)

Hadith Commentary:
Vocabulary of the Hadith:
yataharrūn:
They intended and desired,
They would wait for the day of Aisha (radi Allahu anha).

Benefits and Issues:
From this hadith, it is understood that the noble Companions (radi Allahu anhum) knew that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) loved Aisha (radi Allahu anha) more,
Therefore, by presenting a gift on that day, he (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) would be more pleased and happier,
For this reason, they would wait for the turn of Aisha (radi Allahu anha) so that they could attain the honor of pleasing the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam).