English translation
4005. Narrated 'Abdullāh bin 'Umar رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ 'Umar bin Al-Khaṭṭāb said, "When (my daughter) Ḥafṣa bint 'Umar lost her husband Khunais bin Ḥudhaifa As-Sahmī, who was one of the Companions of Allāh's Messenger ﷺ and had fought in the battle of Badr and had died in Al-Madīna, I met 'Uthmān bin 'Affān and suggested that he should marry Ḥafṣa saying, 'If you wish, I will marry Ḥafṣa bint 'Umar to you.' On that, he said, 'I will think it over.' I waited for a few days and then he said to me, 'I am of the opinion that I shall not marry at present.' Then I met Abū Bakr and said, 'If you wish, I will marry you Ḥafṣa bint 'Umar.' He kept quiet and did not give me any reply and I became more angry with him than I was with 'Uthmān. Some days later, Allāh's Messenger ﷺ demanded her hand in marriage and I married her to him. Later on, Abū Bakr met me and said, 'Perhaps you were angry with me when you offered me Ḥafṣa for marriage and I gave no reply to you?' I said, 'Yes.' Abū Bakr said, 'Nothing prevented me from accepting your offer except that I learnt that Allāh's Messenger ﷺ had referred to the issue of Ḥafṣa; and I did not want to disclose the secret of Allāh's Messenger ﷺ, but had he (i.e., the Prophet ﷺ) given her up I would surely have accepted her."
Arabic text
4005 - حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو اليَمَانِ، أَخْبَرَنَا شُعَيْبٌ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنِي سَالِمُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا، يُحَدِّثُ: أَنَّ عُمَرَ بْنَ الخَطَّابِ، حِينَ تَأَيَّمَتْ حَفْصَةُ بِنْتُ عُمَرَ مِنْ خُنَيْسِ بْنِ حُذَافَةَ السَّهْمِيِّ، وَكَانَ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَدْ شَهِدَ بَدْرًا، تُوُفِّيَ بِالْمَدِينَةِ، قَالَ عُمَرُ: فَلَقِيتُ عُثْمَانَ بْنَ عَفَّانَ، فَعَرَضْتُ عَلَيْهِ حَفْصَةَ، فَقُلْتُ: إِنْ شِئْتَ أَنْكَحْتُكَ حَفْصَةَ بِنْتَ عُمَرَ، قَالَ: سَأَنْظُرُ فِي أَمْرِي، فَلَبِثْتُ لَيَالِيَ، فَقَالَ: قَدْ بَدَا لِي أَنْ لاَ أَتَزَوَّجَ يَوْمِي هَذَا، قَالَ عُمَرُ: فَلَقِيتُ أَبَا بَكْرٍ، فَقُلْتُ: إِنْ شِئْتَ أَنْكَحْتُكَ حَفْصَةَ بِنْتَ عُمَرَ، فَصَمَتَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ فَلَمْ يَرْجِعْ إِلَيَّ شَيْئًا، فَكُنْتُ عَلَيْهِ أَوْجَدَ مِنِّي عَلَى عُثْمَانَ، فَلَبِثْتُ لَيَالِيَ ثُمَّ «خَطَبَهَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَأَنْكَحْتُهَا إِيَّاهُ» فَلَقِيَنِي أَبُو بَكْرٍ فَقَالَ: لَعَلَّكَ وَجَدْتَ عَلَيَّ حِينَ عَرَضْتَ عَلَيَّ حَفْصَةَ فَلَمْ أَرْجِعْ إِلَيْكَ؟ قُلْتُ: نَعَمْ، قَالَ: فَإِنَّهُ لَمْ يَمْنَعْنِي أَنْ أَرْجِعَ إِلَيْكَ فِيمَا عَرَضْتَ، إِلَّا أَنِّي قَدْ عَلِمْتُ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَدْ ذَكَرَهَا، فَلَمْ أَكُنْ لِأُفْشِيَ سِرَّ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَلَوْ تَرَكَهَا لَقَبِلْتُهَا
