Mu'jam Kabir Tabarani 19576 — from Sayyidah Aishah, who said

Urwah narrates from Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her), who said: In the Days of Ignorance I boasted of my father's wealth, which amounted to about one million uqiyah, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: "Be quiet, O Aishah! I was to you as Abu Zar' was to Umm Zar'." Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) began to relate that eleven women gathered in the Days of Ignorance and made a pact among themselves that each woman would tell about her husband and would not lie.

It was said: You tell, O so-and-so! She said: (My husband) is like the night of Tihamah: neither hot, nor cold, nor any fear.

It was said: You tell, O so-and-so! She said: (My husband's) scent is the scent of zarnab, and his touch is (soft) like a rabbit's, and I keep him under my control while he prevails over (other) people.

It was said: You tell, O so-and-so! She said: By Allah! All I know is that he is one with a lofty pillar, a long sword-belt, abundant ashes, and his house is near the place of assembly.

It was said: You tell, O so-and-so! She said: I married Malik, and what is Malik! He has camels that mostly go out to graze and seldom stay kneeling at home; when they hear the sound of the lute, they are certain that they are about to be slaughtered.

It was said: You tell, O so-and-so! She said: My husband, I mention him; if I were to mention him, I would have to recount all his faults, small and large; I fear that I would not be able to describe him completely.

It was said: You tell, O so-and-so! She said: By Allah! All I know is that when he enters the house, he is like a gentle cheetah, and when he goes out, he becomes a lion, and he does not ask about what he left behind.

It was said: You tell, O so-and-so! She said: (My husband) is like the meat of a lean camel (placed) on a mountain; it is neither fat enough to be brought down, nor soft enough that one would climb up to it.

It was said: You tell, O so-and-so! She said: By Allah! All I know is that if he eats, he gathers up everything; if he drinks, he drinks up everything; if he slaughters, he picks a lean animal; if he sleeps, he wraps himself up (in a blanket); and he does not put his hand inside to learn my grief.

It was said: You tell, O so-and-so! She said: I married a tall (useless) man; if I speak, he divorces me, and if I keep silent, he leaves me hanging.

It was said: You tell, O so-and-so! She said: He is feeble and useless; every illness has a cure; he may wound you, or break one of your limbs, or do both together.

It was said: You tell, O so-and-so! She said: I married Abu Zar', and what is Abu Zar'! He weighed down my ears with ornaments, and filled my upper arms with fat, and he made me happy, so I became happy too. He had found me in a poor family with a few sheep, then he brought me into an environment bustling with neighing horses, groaning camels, and those who thresh the crops and clean the grain. So with him I sleep and wake late at leisure, I drink and am fully satisfied, and whatever I say, I am not rebuked for it. The son of Abu Zar', and what is the son of Abu Zar'! His sleeping manner is like a (thin) palm stalk, and the foreleg of a young kid satisfies him. The daughter of Abu Zar', and what is the daughter of Abu Zar'! Filling her wrap, the adornment of her father, the adornment of her mother, and the best (example) for her co-wife. The maidservant of Abu Zar', and what is the maidservant of Abu Zar'! She does not waste our talk by spreading it, nor does she waste our provisions by scattering them.

One day Abu Zar' went out from my presence while the milk skins were being churned, and his eyes fell upon a woman who had two sons (agile) like falcons, so Abu Zar' married her and divorced me. I sought a replacement (for him), and every replacement has some deficiency. I married a dignified young man who rode a swift horse, carried a Khatti spear, gave me many cattle, and gave me a pair of every kind of grazing animal, and said: O Umm Zar'! Take provisions and feed your family. I gathered all of it, yet it did not fill even the smallest of Abu Zar's vessels.

Sayyidah Aishah said: I said: O Messenger of Allah! Rather, you are better than Abu Zar'.