Hadith of Khawlah bint Tha'labah (may Allah be pleased with her)

حَدِيثُ خَوْلَةَ بِنْتِ ثَعْلَبَةَ (١)، ٢٧٣١٩ - حَدَّثَنَا سَعْدُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، وَيَعْقُوبُ، قَالَا: حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْحَاقَ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنِي مَعْمَرُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ حَنْظَلَةَ، عَنْ يُوسُفَ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ سَلَامٍ، عَنْ خَوْلَةَ (٢) بِنْتِ ثَعْلَبَةَ قَالَتْ: فِيَّ - وَاللهِ (٣) - وَفِي أَوْسِ بْنِ صَامِتٍ أَنْزَلَ اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ صَدْرَ سُورَةِ الْمُجَادَلَةِ قَالَتْ: كُنْتُ عِنْدَهُ وَكَانَ شَيْخًا كَبِيرًا قَدْ سَاءَ خُلُقُهُ وَضَجِرَ، قَالَتْ: فَدَخَلَ عَلَيَّ يَوْمًا فَرَاجَعْتُهُ بِشَيْءٍ فَغَضِبَ، فَقَالَ: أَنْتِ عَلَيَّ كَظَهْرِ أُمِّي، قَالَتْ: ثُمَّ خَرَجَ فَجَلَسَ فِي نَادِي قَوْمِهِ سَاعَةً، ثُمَّ دَخَلَ عَلَيَّ، فَإِذَا هُوَ يُرِيدُنِي عَلَى (٤) نَفْسِي، قَالَتْ: فَقُلْتُ: كَلَّا وَالَّذِي نَفْسُ خُوَيْلَةَ بِيَدِهِ، لَا تَخْلُصُ إِلَيَّ وَقَدْ قُلْتَ مَا قُلْتَ حَتَّى، ، يَحْكُمَ اللهُ وَرَسُولُهُ فِينَا بِحُكْمِهِ (١) ، قَالَتْ: فَوَاثَبَنِي وَامْتَنَعْتُ مِنْهُ، فَغَلَبْتُهُ بِمَا تَغْلِبُ بِهِ الْمَرْأَةُ الشَّيْخَ الضَّعِيفَ، فَأَلْقَيْتُهُ عَنِّي، قَالَتْ: ثُمَّ خَرَجْتُ إِلَى بَعْضِ جَارَاتِي فَاسْتَعَرْتُ مِنْهَا ثِيَابَهَا، ثُمَّ خَرَجْتُ حَتَّى جِئْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَجَلَسْتُ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ، فَذَكَرْتُ لَهُ مَا لَقِيتُ مِنْهُ، فَجَعَلْتُ أَشْكُو إِلَيْهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَا أَلْقَى مِنْ سُوءِ خُلُقِهِ، قَالَتْ: فَجَعَلَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ: " يَا خُوَيْلَةُ، ابْنُ عَمِّكِ شَيْخٌ كَبِيرٌ فَاتَّقِي اللهَ فِيهِ "، قَالَتْ: فَوَاللهِ مَا بَرِحْتُ حَتَّى نَزَلَ فِيَّ الْقُرْآنُ، فَتَغَشَّى رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَا كَانَ يَتَغَشَّاهُ، ثُمَّ سُرِّيَ عَنْهُ فَقَالَ لِي: " يَا خُوَيْلَةُ، قَدْ أَنْزَلَ اللهُ فِيكِ وَفِي صَاحِبِكِ "، ثُمَّ قَرَأَ عَلَيَّ: {قَدْ سَمِعَ اللهُ قَوْلَ الَّتِي تُجَادِلُكَ فِي زَوْجِهَا وَتَشْتَكِي إِلَى اللهِ، وَاللهُ يَسْمَعُ تَحَاوُرَكُمَا، إِنَّ اللهَ سَمِيعٌ بَصِيرٌ} [المجادلة: ١] إِلَى قَوْلِهِ: {وَلِلْكَافِرِينَ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ} [البقرة: ١٠٤] ، فَقَالَ لِي (٢) رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: " مُرِيهِ فَلْيُعْتِقْ رَقَبَةً "، قَالَتْ: فَقُلْتُ: وَاللهِ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ مَا عِنْدَهُ مَا يُعْتِقُ، قَالَ: " فَلْيَصُمْ شَهْرَيْنِ مُتَتَابِعَيْنِ "، قَالَتْ: فَقُلْتُ: وَاللهِ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ إِنَّهُ شَيْخٌ كَبِيرٌ مَا بِهِ مِنْ صِيَامٍ، قَالَ: " فَلْيُطْعِمْ سِتِّينَ مِسْكِينًا، وَسْقًا مِنْ تَمْرٍ "، قَالَتْ: فَقُلْتُ (٣) : وَاللهِ (٤) يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ مَا ذَاكَ عِنْدَهُ، قَالَتْ: فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: "، ، فَإِنَّا سَنُعِينُهُ بِعَرَقٍ مِنْ تَمْرٍ "، قَالَتْ: فَقُلْتُ: وَأَنَا (١) يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ سَأُعِينُهُ بِعَرَقٍ آخَرَ، قَالَ: " قَدْ أَصَبْتِ وَأَحْسَنْتِ، فَاذْهَبِي فَتَصَدَّقِي عَنْهُ (٢) ، ثُمَّ اسْتَوْصِي بِابْنِ عَمِّكِ خَيْرًا "، قَالَتْ: فَفَعَلْتُ، قَالَ: عَبْدُ اللهِ قَالَ: أَبِي قَالَ سَعْدٌ: الْعَرَقُ الصَّنُّ (٣)، ،

It is narrated from Khawlah bint Tha'labah (may Allah be pleased with her) that Allah Almighty revealed the initial verses of Surah Al-Mujadilah, by Allah! regarding me and Aws bin Samit. I was married to Aws, and due to his old age, bitterness and irritability had developed in his temperament. One day he came to me, and when I replied to something he said, he became angry and said, "You are to me like the back of my mother." After a short while, he went outside and sat for some time in the gathering of his people, then returned. Now he wanted to fulfill his desire with me, but I said to him, "By the One in Whose hand is Khawlah's soul, this can never happen. After what you have said, you cannot come near me until Allah and His Messenger decide about us." He tried to overpower me, but I defended myself and prevailed over him, just as a woman prevails over an old man, and I pushed him away from me. Then I went out and went to my neighbor's house and borrowed her clothes, put them on, and presented myself before the Prophet (ﷺ). I sat before him and narrated the entire incident that I had faced, and began to complain to the Prophet (ﷺ) about the bitterness of his temperament. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Khawlah! Your cousin has become very old, fear Allah regarding him, by Allah!" I had not yet risen from there when the revelation of the Holy Qur'an began regarding me, and the Prophet (ﷺ) said to me: "Khawlah! Allah has revealed a decision regarding you and your husband." Then the Prophet (ﷺ) recited to me the verses of « قَدْ سَمِعَ اللَّهُ قَوْلَ الَّتِي تُجَادِلُكَ فِي زَوْجِهَا وَتَشْتَكِي إِلَى اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ يَسْمَعُ تَحَاوُرَكُمَا إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ بَصِيرٌ إِلَى قَوْلِهِ وَلِلْكَافِرِينَ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ ». Then the Prophet (ﷺ) said to me: "Tell your husband to free a slave." I said: "O Messenger of Allah! By Allah, he does not have anything to free." The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Then he should fast for two consecutive months." I said: "O Messenger of Allah! By Allah, he is very old and does not have the strength to fast." The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Then he should feed sixty poor people with a wasq of dates." I said: "O Messenger of Allah! By Allah, he does not have anything." The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "We will help him with a basket of dates." I said: "O Messenger of Allah! I will also help him with a basket of dates." The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Very good, very excellent. Go and give it as charity on his behalf, and act upon the advice to treat your cousin well." So I did as instructed.