Nasai

(1) The relevance of the hadith to the chapter heading is absolutely clear: taking the pledge (bay‘ah) from women is legislated, just as the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) himself took the pledge from women.

(2) It is understood from the hadith that wailing (nawhah) is forbidden and impermissible; therefore, it is necessary to avoid it. Legally, this is a very reprehensible act, so special care should be taken to prevent it. If it becomes necessary to use sternness or rebuke in this matter, there is no harm in that either, as is narrated regarding Umar (radi Allahu anhu): if he saw someone weeping in an improper and un-Islamic manner upon someone’s death, he would throw stones or the like at them and would stuff dirt into the mouth of the person wailing. See: There can be several reasons for the prohibition of wailing, for example: it is among the practices of the Age of Ignorance (Jahiliyyah), it increases grief and leads to lack of patience, and wailing entails opposition to Allah’s decree (qada wa qadar) and implies discontent with it.

(3) This blessed hadith also shows that the Lawgiver (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) had the right to make exceptions to the general law whenever and for whomever he wished, just as an exception was made for Umm ‘Atiyyah (radi Allahu anha).

(4) “A woman had helped me in wailing”—In the Age of Ignorance (Jahiliyyah), it was customary that if someone died in a household, other women would take turns visiting the women of that house, feigning grief and wailing verbally. When Umm ‘Atiyyah (radi Allahu anha) was about to pledge allegiance, the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) mentioned abstaining from wailing as a condition of the pledge. She recalled that a certain woman had helped her in wailing. In the Age of Ignorance, such help was considered a kind of transaction, and a formal demand for reciprocation would be made. Umm ‘Atiyyah (radi Allahu anha) feared that in the future that woman might come and demand reciprocation from her, so she thought it best to settle the matter before taking the pledge.