Yahya bin Abd al-Rahman bin Hatib says that Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: When Khadijah bint Khuwaylid (may Allah be pleased with her) passed away, Khawlah bint Hakim (may Allah be pleased with her) came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allah, will you not marry? He (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "Whom?" She said: A virgin if you wish, or a previously married woman if you wish. He (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "Who is the virgin, and who is the previously married woman?" Khawlah bint Hakim (may Allah be pleased with her) said: As for the virgin, she is the daughter of the most beloved of Allah's creation to you, Aishah bint Abi Bakr (may Allah be pleased with them both); and as for the previously married woman, she is Sayyidah Sawdah bint Zam'ah (may Allah be pleased with her), who has believed in you and followed you. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Mention me to them both." Khawlah bint Hakim (may Allah be pleased with her) says: She went to Umm Ruman (may Allah be pleased with her) and said: O Umm Ruman, Allah has brought goodness and blessing into your house! Umm Ruman (may Allah be pleased with her) asked: What is that? Khawlah bint Hakim (may Allah be pleased with her) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) has mentioned Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her). Umm Ruman (may Allah be pleased with her) said: Wait a little, Abu Bakr will be here shortly. Meanwhile Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) also arrived, and Umm Ruman (may Allah be pleased with her) mentioned the matter to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Is this proper for him? She is his brother's daughter. Khawlah bint Hakim (may Allah be pleased with her) says that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I am his brother and he is my brother, but marriage to his daughter is proper for me." He mentioned the hadith (up to the point) that Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said to Khawlah bint Hakim (may Allah be pleased with her): Tell the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) to come. The narrator says: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came and contracted the marriage. Then Sayyidah Khawlah bint Hakim (may Allah be pleased with her) says: I went to Sayyidah Sawdah bint Zam'ah (may Allah be pleased with her). Her father was an old man who had retired from his affairs. Sayyidah Khawlah (may Allah be pleased with her) says: I greeted him with the greeting of the time of ignorance; I said: May your morning be pleasant. He said: Who are you? I said: Khawlah bint Hakim. He welcomed me and said whatever Allah willed him to say. She says: I said: Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Abd al-Muttalib (peace and blessings be upon him) has mentioned Sawdah bint Zam'ah (may Allah be pleased with her) (that is, he intends marriage). He said: A noble match. What does your friend (Sawdah) say? I said: Yes, she would love it. He said: Then go and tell him to come. Khawlah (may Allah be pleased with her) says: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) married Sayyidah Sawdah (may Allah be pleased with her). When Abd bin Zam'ah (may Allah be pleased with him) came, he began throwing dust on his head because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had married Sawdah (may Allah be pleased with her). He also mentioned the rest of the hadith.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب النكاح / 13748