Maulana Dawood Raz
Explanation:
Where the narrator has mentioned nine wives, what is meant there are your nine noble wives, and where eleven are mentioned, there Maria and Rayhana, who were your bondwomen, have also been included.
Allamah ‘Ayni states:
«قال ابن خزيمة لم يقل احدمن اصحاب قتادة احدي عشرة الامعاذ بن هشام وقدروي البخاري الرواية الاخري عن انس تسع نسوة وجمع بينهما بان ازواجه كن تسعا فى هذاالوقت كما فى رواية سعيد و سريتاه مارية و ريحانة .»
From the word «في الساعة الواحدة» in the hadith, the heading of the chapter is established. You (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) had intercourse with all your wives in a single period and then performed only one ritual bath (ghusl) at the end.
The virility (quwwat mardaniyyah) mentioned in the narration is not a flaw; rather, impotence is considered a flaw. In reality, your virility was even greater than this. Despite this, in the very prime of your youth, you sufficed with only one elderly wife, Sayyidah Khadijah al-Kubra radi Allahu anha, which is a clear proof of your perfect self-control. Yes, in the Madinan period, there were certain national, political, ethical, and social interests due to which the number of your noble wives reached nine. Those who object to this should first look to their own homes, for in the houses of their religious elders, the books of history record hundreds or even thousands of women. The details of this will come at another place.
Source: Sahih Bukhari: Commentary by Maulana Dawood Raz, Page: 268
Shaykh Abdul Sattar al-Hammad
Hadith Commentary:
➊
Regarding the relevance of the hadith to the chapter heading, Allamah Sindhi rahimahullah writes that from the hadith of Aisha radi Allahu anha, it is understood that the effects of perfume applied before entering the state of ihram remained even after ihram.
If the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam had performed a separate ritual bath (ghusl) at the house of each wife, then, customarily, it would be unlikely for the effects of the perfume to remain.
Similarly, in the hadith of Anas, the proof for the chapter heading is also found in the words (في الساعة الواحدة) ("in one hour").
This is because, within one hour, to visit each wife and to perform a separate ritual bath (ghusl) at each one’s house is, customarily, impossible.
It is thus known that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam performed one ritual bath (ghusl) at the end, after having visited all of them.
(Hashiyat al-Sindi: 1/59)
From both narrations, the proof for the chapter heading is established by the indication of the text (isharat al-nass).
Imam Bukhari rahimahullah, due to his keen insight, employs new and unique methods for deriving evidence.
➋
In this hadith, it is mentioned that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam visited eleven of his pure wives (azwaj mutahharat) radi Allahu anhunna ajma'in in a single hour. With astonishment and wonder, it was asked whether the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam possessed such strength that he could visit eleven wives in one time. Hazrat Anas radi Allahu anhu replied:
Why not? Among us, it was well-known that he was given the strength of thirty men in this world.
In the narration of Isma‘ili rahimahullah, there is explicit mention of forty men, although this narration is rare (shadh), but in the mursal narrations of Tawus, it is also mentioned similarly, and in it, the phrase (في الجماع) ("in intercourse") is present.
Also, in Sifat al-Jannah by Abu Nu‘aym, there are words regarding the strength of the men of Paradise.
In the narration of Hazrat Zayd ibn Arqam, it is mentioned that a man in Paradise will have the strength for eating, drinking, intercourse, and desire equal to one hundred men.
In this way, the strength of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam would be equivalent to four thousand men.
(Fath al-Bari: 1/491)
Despite possessing such strength for intercourse, he maintained relations with only eleven women.
➌
According to the narration of Hisham, the number of the pure wives (azwaj mutahharat) radi Allahu anhunna ajma'in is eleven.
Whereas in the narration of Sa‘id, nine are mentioned.
Hafiz Ibn Hajar rahimahullah has written that at no time were more than nine wives gathered in the marriage contract of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam; on this basis, the narration of Sa‘id is preferred, and the narration of Hisham will be interpreted as including Mariyah and Rayhanah along with the wives.
The term (نِسَاءَ النَّبِيِّ) ("the women of the Prophet") is applied to all of them by way of predominance (taghlib).
Allamah Dimyati rahimahullah, in his Sirah, has mentioned their number as thirty, including those who were fully honored with the status of wife, those with whom only the marriage contract was performed, those whom he divorced before consummation, and those to whom he sent a proposal but did not contract marriage.
The truth is that the aforementioned large number is due to differences in some names.
This necessitates that the correct number is much less than that.
(Fath al-Bari: 1/490)
There is a difference of opinion regarding the number of the pure wives radi Allahu anhunna ajma'in, but there is consensus on eleven.
Hazrat Khadijah radi Allahu anha, Hazrat Aisha radi Allahu anha, Hazrat Umm Habibah radi Allahu anha, Hazrat Umm Salamah radi Allahu anha, Hazrat Hafsah radi Allahu anha, Hazrat Zaynab bint Jahsh radi Allahu anha, Hazrat Maymunah radi Allahu anha, Hazrat Zaynab bint Khuzaymah radi Allahu anha, Hazrat Juwayriyyah radi Allahu anha, Hazrat Sawdah radi Allahu anha—the order of marriage is as follows:
Hazrat Khadijah radi Allahu anha, Hazrat Sawdah radi Allahu anha, Hazrat Aisha radi Allahu anha, Hazrat Hafsah radi Allahu anha, Hazrat Umm Salamah radi Allahu anha, Hazrat Umm Habibah radi Allahu anha, Hazrat Zaynab bint Jahsh radi Allahu anha, Hazrat Zaynab bint Khuzaymah radi Allahu anha (Umm al-Masakin), Hazrat Maymunah radi Allahu anha, Hazrat Juwayriyyah radi Allahu anha, Hazrat Safiyyah radi Allahu anha.
Most of the children of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam were from Hazrat Khadijah radi Allahu anha, whose details are as follows:
Hazrat Qasim radi Allahu anhu, Hazrat Zaynab radi Allahu anha, Hazrat Ruqayyah radi Allahu anha, Hazrat Umm Kulthum radi Allahu anha, Hazrat Fatimah radi Allahu anha, Hazrat Abdullah radi Allahu anhu. In addition to these, the last and seventh child was Hazrat Ibrahim radi Allahu anhu, who was born from his slave woman Mariyah al-Qibtiyyah; he also passed away in childhood.
Source: Hidayat al-Qari: Commentary on Sahih Bukhari, Urdu, Page: 268