Nasai

(1) This pertains to the illness of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) before his passing. And the one who asked this question was none other than Aisha (radi Allahu anha) herself.

(2) This narration is concise. The actual incident is that by measuring the hands, it was found that Sawda (radi Allahu anha) had the longest hands, so everyone thought that she would be the first to pass away. Moreover, she was also the eldest in age among them. However, it so happened that Zaynab bint Jahsh (radi Allahu anha) passed away first. Upon reflection, it became clear that the length of the hands was not meant literally, but rather it referred to the abundance of charity (sadaqah)—just as we call a generous person "open-handed." Zaynab (radi Allahu anha) was a generous lady. In terms of stature, she was actually short, whereas Sawda (radi Allahu anha) was tall and of large build. May Allah be pleased with all of them. In the translation, an effort has been made through the use of parentheses, etc., to present the narration in accordance with the actual situation; otherwise, from the apparent wording of the narration, it seems as if Sawda (radi Allahu anha) was the first to pass away, whereas this is historically incorrect. Sawda (radi Allahu anha) passed away in 54 AH during the caliphate of Muawiyah (radi Allahu anhu), and Zaynab (radi Allahu anha) was the first among the Mothers of the Believers to pass away, in 30 AH during the caliphate of Umar (radi Allahu anhu). This is historically agreed upon. And this detail is also found in some ahadith.