Living with wives in kindness

Sayyidah Aishah al-Siddiqah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates: One night the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) told his wives a story, and one of the wives said: "O Messenger of Allah! This story is like the story of Khurafah." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "Do you know who Khurafah was? Khurafah was a man from the tribe of Udhrah whom the jinn took captive in the time of Jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic ignorance). He remained among them for a long period, then the jinn sent him back to mankind, and he used to tell people about the strange and wondrous things he had seen among the jinn, so people would say: 'This is a story of Khurafah.'"
Ahmad, Abu Ya'la and al-Bazzar recorded it.

Al-Tabarani recorded in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat from Sayyidah Aishah al-Siddiqah (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) told her a story while he was with her under a quilt. Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "O Messenger of Allah! May my father and mother be sacrificed for you, had you not told me this story, I would have thought that it was a story of Khurafah." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "What is a story of Khurafah, O Aishah?" Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) explained: "Something that does not exist is said to be a story of Khurafah." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The truest of stories is the story of Khurafah. Khurafah was a man from Banu Udhrah whom the jinn took captive, and he stayed with them. Whenever they eavesdropped and heard some news, they would tell him, and Khurafah would tell people, and people would find matters exactly as he had described."
The narrators of Ahmad are thiqat (trustworthy); some of them have been criticised in a way that does not discredit them. The chain of al-Tabarani contains Ali bin Abi Sarah, who is da'if (weak).

Sayyidah Aishah al-Siddiqah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates: I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) with harirah (a flour-and-milk porridge) which I had cooked for him. I said to Sayyidah Sawdah (may Allah be pleased with her) - the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was with her at the time: "You eat too." She refused. I said: "Either you will eat it, or I will smear it on your face." She refused. So I put my hand in the harirah and reached towards her face. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) laughed, placed his hand for her, and said to her: "Smear it on her face." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) laughed at this. Meanwhile Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) passed by and said: "O Abdullah! O Abdullah!" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) thought that he might want to come in, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Both of you get up and wash your faces." Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) says: Ever since I saw that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) held Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) in regard, I have always held Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) in regard.
Abu Ya'la recorded it. Its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih, except for Muhammad bin Amr bin Alqamah, and his hadith is hasan (good).

Sayyidah Ruzaynah (may Allah be pleased with her), the freed slave-woman of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), narrates: Sayyidah Sawdah al-Yamaniyyah (may Allah be pleased with her) came to visit Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her), and Sayyidah Hafsah (may Allah be pleased with her) was also with Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her). Sayyidah Sawdah (may Allah be pleased with her) had come dressed up and in a very fine state. She was wearing a fine Yemeni cloak and a fine head-covering of the same kind, and on her (face) were two dots like two lentils, of aloe and saffron, reaching to the corners of her eyes. The female narrator Ulaylah said: I have seen women adorning themselves with it. Sayyidah Hafsah (may Allah be pleased with her) said to Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her): "O Mother of the Believers! The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) will come, and this one will be sitting among us all adorned." The Mother of the Believers, Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her), said: "O Hafsah! Fear Allah." Sayyidah Hafsah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "I will spoil her adornment." Sayyidah Sawdah (may Allah be pleased with her) asked: "What are you saying?" - she was hard of hearing. Sayyidah Hafsah (may Allah be pleased with her) said to her: "O Sawdah! The one-eyed one (i.e. the Dajjal) has come out." She said: "Really?" She became extremely frightened and began to tremble. She asked: "Where shall I hide?" Sayyidah Hafsah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "Go into the tent." They had a tent made of dry palm fronds in which they used to hide. She went and hid in it; there was rubbish lying in it and spider webs. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came, and meanwhile these two women (i.e. Sayyidah Aishah and Sayyidah Hafsah, may Allah be pleased with them) were laughing and could not speak because of how much they were laughing. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "What is this laughter about?" He asked this three times, and the two of them pointed with their hands towards the tent. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) went there, and there was Sayyidah Sawdah (may Allah be pleased with her) trembling. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Sawdah! What is the matter with you?" She said: "O Messenger of Allah! The one-eyed one (i.e. the Dajjal) has come out." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "He has not come out, but he will surely come out; he has not come out, but he will surely come out." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) went inside, brought her out, and began brushing the dust and spider webs off her.
Abu Ya'la and al-Tabarani recorded it, except that al-Tabarani has these words: Sayyidah Hafsah (may Allah be pleased with her) said to Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her): "The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) will come to us while we are in a shabby state, and this one will be shining among us." Its chain contains narrators whom I do not know.

Sayyidah Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to visit his wives every morning and greet them with salam. One of his wives had some honey, and whenever the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) went to her, she would offer him some of the honey, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would stay with her. Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) and Sayyidah Hafsah (may Allah be pleased with her) were troubled by this. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came to the two of them, they both said: "O Messenger of Allah! We notice the smell of maghafir (a foul-smelling gum) from you." So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave up that honey.
Abu Ya'la recorded it. Its chain contains Musa bin Ya'qub al-Zam'i, whom Yahya bin Ma'in and others declared thiqah (trustworthy), while Ali bin al-Madini declared him da'if (weak). The rest of its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Amr bin Hurayth narrates: Some Zanj (i.e. black people) were performing displays in Madinah, and Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) had placed her shoulder on the shoulder of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and was watching them.
Al-Tabarani recorded it, and its chain is hasan (good).

Sayyidah Aishah al-Siddiqah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates: I boasted about my father's wealth in the time of Jahiliyyah, which amounted to a thousand thousand uqiyah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: "O Aishah! Be quiet, for I am to you as Abu Zar' was to Umm Zar'." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) began to narrate: "In the time of Jahiliyyah, eleven women gathered together and agreed that each woman would tell about her husband and would not lie. It was said to one woman: 'O so-and-so! You tell.' She said: 'He is like the night of Tihamah: neither very cold nor very hot, neither causing fear nor causing weariness.' Then it was said: 'O so-and-so! You tell.' She said: 'His scent is like that of the zarnab plant, and he is soft like a rabbit; I prevail over him, and he prevails over people.' Then it was said: 'O so-and-so! You tell.' She answered: 'By Allah, as far as I know, my husband is the owner of lofty pillars, with a long sword-belt, with much ash, and with his house near the gathering place.' Then it was said: 'O so-and-so! You tell.' She said: 'I married Malik, who has camels with many grazing grounds and few resting places, and when they hear the sound of the lute (at the arrival of a guest), they become certain that they are about to be slaughtered.' Then it was said: 'O so-and-so! You tell.' She said: 'I will not mention my husband, for if I mention him, I will describe everything about him and reveal his hidden and open faults; I will not leave anything out.' Then it was said: 'O so-and-so! You tell.' She said: 'By Allah, as far as I know, when he enters the house he is a cheetah, and when he goes out he is a lion, and he is not asked about what he has undertaken.' Then it was said: 'O so-and-so! You tell.' She said: 'He is the meat of a lean camel placed on a hilltop; it is neither so healthy that it would be carried away, nor is reaching it so easy that one would climb the mountain.' Then it was said: 'O so-and-so! You tell.' She said: 'By Allah, as far as I know, when he eats he gobbles up everything, and when he drinks he finishes everything; when he slaughters an animal (he consumes its meat), and when he sleeps he sleeps wrapped up and oblivious. He does not stretch out his palm towards me so as to learn of my distress.' Then it was said: 'O so-and-so! You tell.' She said: 'Nothing about my husband is straight; if I speak I am divorced, and if I remain silent I am left hanging.' Then it was said: 'O so-and-so! You tell.' She said: 'My husband is impotent and foolish; he cannot converse, every kind of ailment afflicts him, and he also beats.' Then it was said: 'O so-and-so! You tell.' She said: 'I married Abu Zar', and what a man Abu Zar' was! He weighed down my ears with jewellery and filled my arms with fat, and he pleased me with his kindness so much that I became thoroughly happy. He had found me in a small household owning a few goats, and then he brought me to a house where there were horses, camels, ploughing oxen and farmers. When I slept at his home, I would sleep until the morning, and when I drank, I would drink my fill. When I spoke, I was not rebuked. And the son of Abu Zar', what a son he is! He fits completely into a space as small as that in which a slender, delicate branch is laid, and the shoulder of a young goat suffices to fill his stomach. The daughter of Abu Zar', and what a daughter of Abu Zar' she is! She has a full body, she is an adornment for her mother and father, and she is the best towards her neighbour (or co-wife). The slave-girl of Abu Zar', and what a slave-girl of Abu Zar' she is! She does not pry into our affairs, and she does not take the things of the house outside. Once Abu Zar' went out from my home while butter was being churned from the milk, and there he saw the mother of two boys, and the boys were like two falcons. Abu Zar' married her and divorced me. Then I married another man. I married a well-mannered young man, who was also brave and a fine horseman. He gave me all kinds of blessings and gave me various kinds of animals, and he said: 'O Umm Zar'! Use these yourself and give to your family too.' I gathered all these things together, and all of them together would not fill even the smallest of Abu Zar''s vessels.'" Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "O Messenger of Allah! You are better for me than Abu Zar'." (Al-Haythami says:) I say: The hadith of Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) about Abu Zar' is mentioned in the Sahih as mawquf (stopping) on Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her). In that narration only these words are marfu' (attributed to the Prophet): "I am to you as Abu Zar' was to Umm Zar'."
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Some of its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih, the rest have been declared trustworthy by Ibn Hibban and others, and some of them have been criticised in a way that does not discredit them.

Sayyidah Aishah al-Siddiqah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came to me and said: "O Aishah! I am to you as Abu Zar' was to Umm Zar'." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "In one of the villages of Yemen there lived a clan of Yemen. There were eleven women there; they gathered in a gathering and said to one another: 'Come, let us speak about our husbands, and we will not say anything untrue.' So it was said to the first: 'You speak.'" After this the narrator mentioned the full hadith. The second spoke; she was Amrah bint Amr. Then it was said to the third: "You speak." She was Hubba bint Ka'b. Then it was said to the fourth: "You speak." She was Hudad bint Abi Harwayh. Then it was said to the fifth: "You speak." She was Kabshah. Then it was said to the sixth: "You speak." She was Hind. Then it was said to the seventh: "You speak." She was Hubba bint Alqamah. Then it was said to the eighth: "You speak." She was Asma' bint Abd. Then it was said to the ninth: "You speak." The narrator did not mention her name. Then it was said to the tenth: "You speak." She was Kabshah bint al-Arqam. Then it was said to Umm Zar': "You speak." She was the daughter of al-Ukayhil bin Sa'idah, and she said: "Abu Zar', and what a man Abu Zar' is!" After this the narrator mentioned the full hadith.
Al-Tabarani recorded it from his teacher Ubaydah bin Muhammad al-Umari, whom al-Nasa'i (may Allah have mercy on him) accused of lying.

Sayyidah Aishah al-Siddiqah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "In the time of Jahiliyyah, eleven women gathered together and agreed that they would speak the truth among themselves and would not conceal anything about their husbands. The first said: 'My husband is the meat of a lean camel placed on a mountaintop; the mountain is not easy enough to be climbed, and the meat is not healthy enough to be carried away.' The second said: 'I will not say anything about my husband, for I fear that I will not leave out anything about him and will describe every open and hidden matter.' The third said: 'Nothing about my husband is straight; if I speak I will be divorced, and if I remain silent (my life) will be left hanging.' The fourth said: 'When my husband eats, he finishes everything; when he drinks, he finishes everything; when he lies down, he sleeps wrapped up and oblivious. He does not stretch out his hand to gauge my distress.' The fifth said: 'My husband is impotent and foolish, every ailment afflicts him, and still he also beats.' The sixth said: 'My husband is like the night of Tihamah: neither hot nor cold, nor causing fear.' The seventh said: 'When my husband comes into the house he is a cheetah, and when he goes out he is a lion, and he is not asked about what he has undertaken.' The eighth said: 'My husband is like a rabbit to the touch and like the zarnab plant in scent. I prevail over him, and people are overpowered by him.' The ninth said: 'My husband is the owner of a lofty building and a long dining-cloth; his ash is plentiful, and his house is near the gathering place.' The tenth said: 'My husband is Malik, and what a man Malik is! Malik is better than anything that could be said about him. He has camels that go to pasture little and stay in the pen much. When they hear the sound of the lute (at the arrival of a guest), they become certain that they are now going to be slaughtered.' The eleventh said: 'My husband is Abu Zar', and what a man Abu Zar' is! He filled my ears with jewellery and filled my arms with fat. He made me so happy that I forgot that he had found me in a household with a few goats, and then he brought me and settled me in a house where there were horses, camels, oxen and farmers. At his home, when I said anything, I was not criticised; when I slept, I would sleep until morning; and when I drank anything, I would drink my fill. The mother of Abu Zar', and what a mother of Abu Zar' she is! Her containers were always full, and her house was spacious. The son of Abu Zar', and what a son of Abu Zar' he is! He would fit entirely into a space the size of a branch, and the foreleg of a young goat would fill his stomach. The daughter of Abu Zar', and what a daughter of Abu Zar' she is! She was obedient to her mother and obedient to her father, she had a full body, and she was a cause of increasing the anger of her neighbour (or co-wife). The slave-girl of Abu Zar', and what a slave-girl of Abu Zar' she is! She did not spread the talk of our house outside, she did not take the things of our house outside, and she did not let rubbish collect in our house. One day Abu Zar' went out while butter was being churned from the milk, and he passed by a woman who had her two sons with her. The two of them were like cheetah cubs, playing with two pomegranates at her side. So Abu Zar' divorced me and married her. After him I married a well-mannered young man, who was a horseman and also brave. He gave me all kinds of blessings and gave me a pair of every kind of blessing, and said: 'O Umm Zar'! Eat yourself, and give to your family too.' If I were to gather together everything he gave me, it would not fill even the smallest vessel of Abu Zar'.'" Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I am to you as Abu Zar' was to Umm Zar'."
Its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih, except for Abdullah bin Ahmad bin Hanbal, but he is thiqah (trustworthy), an imam and a hujjah (authority).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I was sitting with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and his Companions were with him, when a woman came who was unclothed. A man from among those present got up, threw a cloth over her and held her close to himself. The face of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) changed. One of his Companions said: "I think she is this man's wife." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I think she is overcome by jealousy. Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, has decreed jealousy for women and has made jihad obligatory upon men; whoever among these women is patient will receive the reward of a martyr."
Al-Bazzar and al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains Ubayd bin al-Sabbah, whom Abu Hatim declared da'if (weak) and al-Bazzar declared thiqah (trustworthy). The rest of its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).