English translation
[3691] 30 - (1479) 'Abdullāh bin 'Abbās narrated: "Umar bin Al-Khaṭṭāb told me: 'When the Prophet of Allāh ﷺ stayed away from his wives, I entered the Masjid and saw the people striking the ground with pebbles and saying: "The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ has divorced his wives." That was before Hijāb had been enjoined upon them.' Umar said: [1] Vowing to stay away from one's wife for a certain period of time. [2] At-Tahrīm 66:4. 'I said: "I must find out about this today." So I entered upon 'Aishah and said: "O daughter of Abû Bakr, have you gone so far that you annoy the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ?" She said: "What have I to do with you, O son of Al-Khattâb? You should pay attention to your own daughter." So I entered upon Hafṣah bint 'Umar and said to her: "O Hafṣah, have you gone so far that you annoy the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ? By Allâh you know that the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ does not love you, and were it not for me the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ would have divorced you." She began to weep bitterly, and I said to her: "Where is the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ?" She said: "He is in his store room in the loft." I went in and I saw Rabâh, the slave of the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ, sitting at the threshold of the loft, with his legs dangling on the hollow wood of the tree trunk on which the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ used to climb up and down. I called out: "O Rabâh, ask the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ for permission for me to enter." Rabâh looked into the room, then he looked at me and did not say anything. Then I said: "O Rabâh, ask the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ for permission for me to enter." Rabâh looked into the room, then he looked at me and did not say anything. Then I raised my voice and said: "O Rabâh! Ask for the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ for permission for me to enter, for I think that the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ thinks that I have come because of Hafşah, but by Allâh, if the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ tells me to strike her neck, I will certainly do it." I raised my voice, then he gestured to me to climb up. I entered upon the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ and found him lying on a reed mat. I sat down, and he drew his Izâr up over him. He was not wearing anything else and I could see that the reed mat had left marks on his side. I looked around the store room of the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ and all I saw was a handful of barley, about a Ṣâ', and an equal amount of Qaraz[1] in the corner of the room, and I saw a half-tanned piece of leather hanging up. My eyes filled with tears and he said: "Why are you weeping, O son of Al-Khaṭṭâb?" I said: "O Prophet of Allâh, why shouldn't I weep when this reed mat has left marks on your side, and this is your store room, and all I see in it is what I see, when this Caesar and this Kisra are living lives of plenty, but you are the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ and His chosen one, and this is your store room?" He said: "O son of Al-Khaṭṭāb, does it not please you that the Hereafter is for us and this world is for them?" I said: "Yes." And when I entered upon him I saw signs of anger on his face. I said: "O Messenger of Allāh, why are you so upset about these women? If you divorce them, Allāh is with you, and the Angels and Jibrīl and Mikā'il, and myself and Abū Bakr and the believers will be with you." Seldom did I speak words - praise be to Allāh - but I hoped that Allah would confirm what I said. Then this verse, the verse of choice, was revealed: "It may be if he divorced you (all) that his Lord will give him instead of you, wives better than you..."[1] "...But if you help one another against him, then verily, Allāh is his Maulā (Lord, or Master, or Protector), and Jibrīl (Gabriel), and the righteous among the believers; and furthermore, the Angels are his helpers".[2] 'Aishah bint Abī Bakr and Ḥaṣṣah had helped one another against the other wives of the Prophet ﷺ. I said: "O Messenger of Allāh, have you divorced them?" He said: "No." I said: "O Messenger of Allāh, I entered the Masjid and the Muslims were striking the ground with the pebbles and saying that the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ has divorced his wives. Shall I go down and tell them that you have not divorced them?" He said: "Yes, if you wish." I kept on talking to him until the signs of anger disappeared from his face, and until he began to smile, and he had the most handsome teeth of any people. Then the Prophet of Allāh ﷺ went down and I went down clinging to the tree trunk, while the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ went down as if he was walking on the ground, not holding on with his hand. I said: "O Messenger of Allāh, you were in that room for twenty-nine days." He said: "The month may be twenty-nine days." I stood at the door of the Masjid and called out at the top of my voice: "The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ has not divorced his wives, and this verse has been revealed: When there comes to them some matter touching (public) safety or fear, they make it known (among the people); if only they had referred it to the Messenger or to those charged with authority among them, the proper investigators would have understood it from them (directly)..."[1] I understood this matter, and Allāh [the Mighty and Sublime] revealed the verse of choice.