Muslim

Hadith Commentary:
Vocabulary of the Hadith:
MAGHAFIR:
It is the plural of MAGHFUR.
This is a type of flower from a plant called ‘urft, from which a bad odor emanates.

Benefits and Issues:
Since Hafsah radi Allahu anha and Aishah radi Allahu anha knew that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam would drink honey at the house of Zaynab radi Allahu anha, and that honey bees make honey by sucking nectar from the herbs of the region, and in the area of Madinah there was the ‘urft plant whose flowers emitted a bad smell, both of them, employing indirect speech and allusion, asked in a questioning manner: “Did you eat maghafir?” so as to point towards the smell of the nectar, and the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam disliked odors.

In this way, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam would not stay longer at the house of Zaynab radi Allahu anha to drink honey, and this was their intention.

And in the verse, the matter is referred to as a secret, so it is stated in Sahih al-Bukhari:
(QAD HALAFTU)
(I have taken an oath)
(WA LA TUKHBIRI BI DHALIKA AHADAN)
(Do not inform anyone about this)

And from another narration, it is understood that on the day of Hafsah’s radi Allahu anha turn, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam called Mariyah al-Qibtiyyah to the house of Hafsah radi Allahu anha, because Hafsah radi Allahu anha had taken permission from the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam to go to her father’s house for a while. Upon her return, when she saw the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam had performed a ritual bath (ghusl), she objected.

So the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam made Mariyah haram (forbidden) upon himself and said not to inform the other wife about it, but Hafsah radi Allahu anha struck her hand on the partition wall to attract the attention of Aishah radi Allahu anha and informed her.

And after both of these incidents, the opening verses of Surah al-Tahrim were revealed, and the basis of the statement of Ibn Abbas radi Allahu anhuma is this second incident.

Because in the Noble Qur’an, it is referred to as an oath:
﴿قَدْ فَرَضَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ تَحِلَّةَ أَيْمَانِكُمْ﴾ (al-Tahrim: 2) (Allah has ordained for you the dissolution of your oaths)

Hadith Commentary:
Upon this, the aforementioned verse was revealed.
Maghafir is a foul-smelling gum that drips from a tree.
Explanation:
The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) had a very refined temperament and was fond of cleanliness. He disliked that any kind of bad odor should emanate from his body or clothes. He always preferred fragrance and regularly used perfume.
Wherever he passed by, the walls and doors would become perfumed.
Lady Aisha (radi Allahu anha) gave this advice so that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) would reduce the time he spent staying with Lady Zaynab (radi Allahu anha).
It was regarding this incident that the verse,
﴿يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ لِمَ تُحَرِّمُ مَا أَحَلَّ اللَّهُ لَكَ﴾ (At-Tahrim: 1)
was revealed, and the command regarding breaking oaths and expiation (kaffarah) was given.
In this incident, there is a great proof of the truthfulness of Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). If, God forbid, he had not been truthful to Allah, he would not have disclosed such a personal matter in this way, but would have kept it hidden. On the contrary, Allah the Exalted revealed it in the Noble Qur’an through revelation, which will continue to indicate this human weakness until the Day of Judgment.
There are many lessons contained in this for the believers. May Allah the Exalted grant us the ability to understand and reflect, Ameen.
Lady Zaynab bint Jahsh (radi Allahu anha) is among the Mothers of the Believers. Her mother’s name was Umayyah.
She was the daughter of Abdul Muttalib and the paternal aunt of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam).
She was married to Zayd bin Harithah, who was the freed slave of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). Later, Zayd divorced her.
After this, in the 8th year of Hijrah, she entered the household of the Noble Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam).
Among the purified wives, Lady Zaynab (radi Allahu anha) was the first to pass away after the Prophet’s (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) demise.
Lady Aisha (radi Allahu anha) says about her: Lady Zaynab (radi Allahu anha) was the most devout, the most God-fearing, and the most truthful among us.
She passed away in Madinah in the year 20 AH at the age of 53.
Lady Aisha and Lady Umm Habibah (radi Allahu anhuma), among others, narrate hadith from her.

Hadith Commentary:
➊
The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) had a very refined temperament and was fond of cleanliness.
He greatly disliked that any unpleasant odor should emanate from his body or clothes.
He always liked fragrance and used to apply perfume.
Lady Aisha (radi Allahu anha) devised this plan so that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) would reduce his visits and stays at the house of Lady Zaynab (radi Allahu anha).
Accordingly, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), in order to please his wives, took an oath to abstain from eating honey, upon which Allah, the Exalted, admonished him.

➋
Since the act of making a lawful thing unlawful for himself, which the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) did in order to please his wives, was, although not appropriate in view of his most important and responsible position, it was not a sin for which he would be held accountable. Therefore, Allah, the Exalted, sufficed with merely reproaching him and correcting the matter, and forgave this slip of his.
And Allah knows best.

Hadith Footnote:
Hafsah bint Umar radi Allahu anha’s first husband, Khunays ibn Hudhafah Sahmi, passed away after the Battle of Badr.
In 3 AH, her second marriage took place with the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.
She was a very pious woman.
She was very diligent in performing prayers and fasting.
She passed away in Sha’ban, 45 AH.
Radi Allahu anha.

Hadith Commentary:
(1)
This is an example of a vow of disobedience or obstinacy, meaning a vow in which a person makes something lawful (halal) unlawful (haram) upon himself as a vow. Regarding such a vow, the position of the scholars of Kufa is that it is necessary to end such a vow by giving the expiation (kaffarah) of an oath, but the more correct opinion is that such a vow has no validity; it should be annulled, and if an oath was taken, then its expiation should be given, otherwise there is no expiation.
(2)
This appears to be the inclination of Imam Bukhari rahimahullah as well, because at the end of the hadith he has referenced the narration in which the oath of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is explicitly mentioned. Imam Shafi'i rahimahullah has also adopted this position.
(3)
It should be noted that the narration mentioned by Imam Bukhari rahimahullah is in the Book of Tafsir, Hadith: 4912. And Allah knows best.

Hadith Commentary: By bringing this hadith, Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has refuted the statement of Ibn Abbas radi Allahu anhuma, who says that nothing becomes obligatory in the matter of making a woman unlawful (to oneself), because he derived evidence from this very verse. So Imam Bukhari rahimahullah clarified that this verse was revealed regarding the prohibition of honey, not regarding making a woman unlawful (to oneself).

The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam had a great aversion to any bad odor emanating from his body or clothes.

He was extremely fond of cleanliness.

He would always remain perfumed with fragrance.

Aishah and Hafsah radi Allahu anhuma devised this plan so that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam would stop drinking honey and, from that day, would stop staying with Zaynab radi Allahu anha.

Hadith Commentary:
(1)
Those scholars who say that declaring one’s wife forbidden upon oneself does not entail any consequence have taken their evidence from this very verse. However, Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has refuted this position, stating that this verse was revealed regarding the prohibition of honey, not regarding the prohibition of a woman.

(2)
The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was, by nature, very fond of cleanliness. He greatly disliked that any kind of odor should emanate from his body or clothes; therefore, the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam would often remain perfumed. This was also the reason for declaring honey forbidden. Since you had also taken an oath, as is known from another narration (Sahih al-Bukhari, al-Tafsir, Hadith: 4912), you were instructed regarding the expiation (kaffarah) of the oath. The position of Ibn Abbas radi Allahu anhuma was that declaring one’s wife forbidden does not constitute a divorce; rather, expiation of the oath must be given. As is mentioned in a narration, a man came to Ibn Abbas radi Allahu anhuma and said: I have declared my wife forbidden upon myself. He replied: You are mistaken. She has not become forbidden to you. Then he recited the first verse of Surah al-Tahrim and said that you must free a slave. (Sunan al-Nasa’i, al-Talaq, Hadith: 3449)

(1) "He used to stay" — After the ‘Asr prayer, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) would visit the houses of all his noble wives (radi Allahu anhunna) for a short while, so that if any of them had a difficulty or a need, he would come to know of it, and also to maintain daily contact with each one. He would spend more time at the house of Zaynab (radi Allahu anha) because of drinking honey there, which was noticed by his other wives (Aisha and Hafsa, radi Allahu anhuma), and they devised a plan to prevent this. Up to this point, it was fine, but the method they adopted was not correct, as it involved saying something contrary to reality. That is why this ruling was given.

(2) "Maghafir" — This is a resin-like substance that comes out from a tree similar to gum. Its taste is sweet, but it has a foul odor. Even after eating it, the smell is noticeable from the mouth of the one who ate it. And the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) had a strong dislike for bad odors, so he decided not to drink honey. However, since these noble wives (radi Allahu anhunna) had used an incorrect method for this purpose, Allah, the Exalted, commanded him to continue using honey.

(3) "If you both repent" — Mistakes can happen from any human. The noble wives (radi Allahu anhunna) were not infallible. They made this mistake, then they repented, and it is mentioned in the noble hadith [التّائِبُ مِنَ الذَّنْبِ كمَن لا ذَنْبَ له ] (Sahih al-Jami‘ al-Saghir, Hadith: 3008) that repentance erases sins. Therefore, no objection can be raised against them; rather, their repentance is a virtue for them.

(4) "A secret matter" — The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) had said: "I will not drink honey at their place, but do not mention this to anyone." However, Hafsa (radi Allahu anha) made a mistake and mentioned this to Aisha (radi Allahu anha). That is why they were advised to repent, and they did repent.

Urdu marginal note:
Declaring something lawful (halal) as forbidden (haram) for oneself is similar to a vow (nadhar) or an oath (qasam). It is not permissible to make something lawful into something forbidden; therefore, one must use that thing and also give expiation (kaffarah). This applies even if the explicit words of oath or vow are not used. (For details, see Hadith: 3410)

For details, see Hadith: 3410