The rights of a wife over her husband

Sayyidah Aishah Siddiqah (may Allah be pleased with her), the wife of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), narrates: Khuwaylah bint Hakim bin Umayyah bin Harithah bin al-Awqas al-Sulamiyyah came to me; she was the wife of Sayyiduna Uthman bin Maz'un (may Allah be pleased with him). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw her shabby state and said to me: O Aishah, why is Khuwaylah in such a poor state? Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) says: I said: O Messenger of Allah, she is a woman who is as if she has no husband; he fasts by day and keeps praying voluntary prayers by night, so she is like a woman who has no husband. She has neglected herself and is letting herself go to waste. Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent for Sayyiduna Uthman bin Maz'un (may Allah be pleased with him), and he came to him. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: O Uthman, are you turning away from my Sunnah? He said: No, by Allah, O Messenger of Allah; rather, it is your Sunnah that I seek to follow. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Then I sleep (at night) and I also pray voluntary prayers; I fast (voluntarily, by day) and I also leave off fasting; and I have married women. O Uthman, fear Allah. Your wife has a right over you, your guest has a right over you, and your own self has a right over you. So fast (voluntarily) and also leave off fasting, and pray (voluntary prayers at night) and also sleep.
('Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say: Abu Dawud recorded part of this narration.
Ahmad recorded it, and al-Bazzar recorded something similar, with these words: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Uthman, in my way there is the best example for you. I am the one among you who fears Allah Almighty the most and guards His limits the most."

In a narration reported from Ahmad, the words are: "Monasticism has not been prescribed for us. I am the one among you who fears Allah Almighty the most and guards His limits the most."

In a narration in the Musnad of Ahmad, it is reported from Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that she said: The wife of Sayyiduna Uthman bin Maz'un (may Allah be pleased with him) (Khawlah bint Hakim) used to apply dye (henna) and wear perfume, then she gave it all up. Then she came to me, and I asked her: Is (your husband) at home or away (on a journey)? She said: Though present, he is as if absent. I asked her: What is the matter with you? She said: Uthman desires neither this world nor women. Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) says: Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came to me, and I informed him (peace and blessings be upon him) of this. So he (peace and blessings be upon him) met Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: "O Uthman, do you believe in what we believe in?" He said: Yes, O Messenger of Allah. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Then why do you not have an example to follow in our way?"
The narrators of all of Ahmad's chains are thiqat (trustworthy), except that the route with "Inna akhshakum" (i.e. the one among you who fears Allah the most) was given a chain by Ahmad, and al-Bazzar narrated it as connected (mawsul) with thiqah (trustworthy) narrators.

Sayyiduna Abu Musa al-Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The wife of Sayyiduna Uthman bin Maz'un (may Allah be pleased with him) came to the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The wives saw that she was in a poor state. They asked: What is the matter with you? There is no man in Quraysh more well-off than your husband. The woman said: I have nothing to do with him; he fasts by day and keeps praying voluntary prayers by night. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came home, and the wives mentioned this to him. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) met Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: O Uthman, is there not an example for you in my way? He said: O Messenger of Allah, what has happened? May my father and mother be sacrificed for you. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: You keep praying voluntary prayers by night and fasting by day? Your wife also has a right over you, and your body also has a right over you. Pray and also sleep; fast and also leave off fasting. The narrator says: After that, the woman came to the wives wearing perfume, as if she were a bride. The wives asked her: What has happened now? She told them: We too have been granted what people are granted.
Abu Ya'la and al-Tabarani recorded it with various chains. The narrators of some of al-Tabarani's chains are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Abu Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The wife of Sayyiduna Uthman bin Maz'un (may Allah be pleased with him) was a beautiful woman who wore perfume and loved fine clothing and adorning herself for her husband. Once Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) saw that she was in a neglected state and asked: Why have you come to this state? She said that some Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), among them Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Rawahah (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Uthman bin Maz'un (may Allah be pleased with him), have secluded themselves for worship, have kept away from women, have given up eating meat, fast by day and keep praying voluntary prayers by night. So I did not like to show him a state of mine that would call him to what I have, away from what he has secluded himself for. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came home, Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) told him about this. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) took his sandal and carried it with the index finger of his left hand, then went off to all of them, until he came to them and asked them about their state. They said: We intended good. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: I have been sent only with the gentle, upright religion; I have not been sent with innovated monasticism. Some people invented monasticism, then it was prescribed for them, but they did not observe it as it should have been observed. Beware! Eat meat, go to women, fast (voluntarily) and also leave off fasting, and pray (voluntary prayers) and also sleep, for this is what I have been commanded.
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains Ufayr bin Ma'dan, who is da'if (weak). Another chain of this narration has already passed in the chapter on knowledge.

Sayyiduna al-Miqdam bin Ma'dikarib (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stood among the people, praised and glorified Allah Almighty, then said: Indeed, Allah Almighty has commanded you to treat women well. Indeed, Allah Almighty has commanded you to treat women well. They are your mothers, your daughters and your maternal aunts. A man from the People of the Book marries a woman whose hands have nothing to do with thread, yet neither of the two (husband and wife) turns away from the other.
('Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say: Ibn Majah recorded from him this narration: "Indeed, Allah Almighty has commanded you regarding your mothers; indeed, Allah Almighty has commanded you regarding your fathers; indeed, Allah Almighty has commanded you regarding your nearest relatives, then the next nearest." It contains only these words.
Al-Tabarani recorded it, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy); however, Yahya bin Jabir did not hear from Sayyiduna al-Miqdam (may Allah be pleased with him). And Allah knows best.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The most perfect of the believers in faith is the one who is best in character and best to his wife."
Ahmad recorded it. Its chain contains Muhammad bin Amr, whose narrations are hasan (good), and the rest of its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.
Abu Dawud recorded it, except that he did not record these words: "best to his wife."

Sayyiduna Abu Kabshah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "The best of you is the one who is best to his wife."
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains Umar bin Ru'bah, whom Ibn Hibban and others declared thiqah (trustworthy), while a group declared him da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The best of you is the one who is best towards his wife."
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains Ali bin Asim bin Suhayb; his many errors and his persistence in them were held against him.

Sayyiduna Abd al-Rahman bin Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The best of you is the one who is best towards his wife, and I am the best of all towards my wives."
Al-Bazzar recorded it. Its chain contains Mus'ab bin Mus'ab, who is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The best of you is the one who is best towards his wives."
Al-Bazzar recorded it. Its chain contains Muhammad bin Amr bin Alqamah, who has been declared trustworthy, though there is weakness in him, and the rest of its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "It happens that one of you beats his wife the way a slave girl is beaten. Beware! The best of you is the one who is best towards his wife."
Al-Bazzar recorded it from his teacher Zakariyya bin Yahya bin Ayyub al-Darir, whom I do not know. The rest of its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave permission to beat women. At night he heard loud voices and said: I heard voices. The people said: O Messenger of Allah, you gave permission to beat women. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The best of you is the one who is best towards his wife, and I am the best of all towards my wives. ('Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say: Ibn Majah recorded part of this narration.
Al-Bazzar recorded it. Its chain contains Ja'far bin Yahya bin Thawban, who is mastur (of unknown reliability), and the rest of its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy). Abu Dawud recorded a narration from this Ja'far and remained silent about him, so his hadith is hasan (good).

Sayyidah Aishah Siddiqah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates: the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The best of you is the one who is best towards his wife."
Al-Bazzar recorded it from his teacher Uthman bin Umar, and I do not know him. The rest of its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Nu'aym bin Qa'nab narrates: I went out to al-Rabadhah, and Sayyiduna Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him) was there. He came and spoke with his wife about something, and she answered him back. He repeated what he had said, and that woman repeated her reply as well. Then Sayyiduna Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him) said: You women do not go beyond what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A woman is like a rib: if you try to straighten it, it will break; yet in her there is sufficiency (that is, the fulfilment of basic needs) and there is crookedness as well."
Ahmad and al-Bazzar recorded it. Its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih, except Nu'aym bin Qa'nab, and he is thiqah (trustworthy).

Sayyidah Aishah Siddiqah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "A woman is like a rib: if you try to straighten it, you will break it. Benefit can be had from her along with her crookedness."
Ahmad recorded it, and al-Tabarani in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat, and al-Bazzar recorded it. The narrators of al-Bazzar are the narrators of the Sahih.

A man narrates: I heard Sayyiduna Samurah (may Allah be pleased with him), while delivering a sermon in Basrah, saying: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Woman was created from a rib. If you try to straighten the rib, you will break it. So treat her gently, and (in this way) you will be able to live with her."
Ahmad and al-Bazzar recorded it with two chains. The narrators of one of them are the narrators of the Sahih, and in one of them the man is named as Abu Raja' al-Utaridi. Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir and al-Mu'jam al-Awsat. In Ahmad's chain there is a narrator who is not named, and the rest of its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih. In al-Tabarani's chain there are mastur (concealed-status) narrators and narrators who could not be identified.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A woman will never become straight for you in every respect. She is like a rib: if you try to straighten it, you will break it; and if you leave it as it is, you will benefit from her while there is crookedness in her." In one narration the words are: "And breaking her means divorcing her."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat. Its chain contains Suwayd bin Abd al-Aziz, whom Duhaym and Hushaym declared thiqah (trustworthy) while the majority declared him da'if (weak). The rest of its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

An elder narrates from his father: Sayyiduna Jarir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) complained to Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) about (the unpleasant situations) he faced from women. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: We too find this. Sometimes, when I am about to go out for some need, that woman (that is, my wife) says: You are going to look at the girls of Banu so-and-so. At that, Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: Has it not reached you that Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him) complained to Allah Almighty about the sharpness of temper of Sayyidah Sarah (may Allah be pleased with her), and he was told: She was created from a rib, so live with her as she is, as long as you do not see anything wrong in her religion? Then Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: A great deal of knowledge has been packed between your ribs.
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains two narrators who are not named. The rest of its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.