The Divorces of the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the name of Allāh the Exceptionally Merciful, the Perpetually Merciful.
Introduction
The Islamic tradition exerts men and women to get married if they are able and ready to do so.[i] That ability and readiness is conditional on being Muslim, having reached physical maturity, possessing a sound mind, having substantial knowledge of an action, and maintaining the ability to perform the action.[ii] At the same time, Islām recognizes that not all marriages will be successful due to reasons that may be specific to each case.[iii] Hence, neither does the Qur’ān nor the Prophetic tradition shy away from bluntly discussing divorce as an option in an irreconcilable marriage. Sadly, the only Islamic dialogue that occurs about divorce in the Muslim community is that “it is the most hated permissible act in the sight of God.” Instead, the dialogue ought to be about unrealistic expectations of marriage, broken community standards, and mental health awareness within families.
This shift in the Muslim community’s mindset can begin with a textual dialogue on the various women who were once married to the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ. The information discussed herein is by no means exhaustive. The reader is encouraged to do their own research into the nuances of this subject.
To properly examine this issue in earnest, this article will discuss the situations of wives who are reported to have been married to the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ, but whose marriages went through divorce in one stage or another. The wives mentioned in this article will be Ḥafṣah b. ‘Umar and Bint al-Jawn.
Ḥafṣah b. ‘Umar
Perhaps the most known case of the divorces of the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ is that of Ḥafṣah, the daughter of ‘Umar b. al-Khaṭṭāb. Her case is referenced in the Qur’ān in Sūrah Taḥrīm.
يَـٰٓأَيُهَا ٱلنَّبِىُّ لِمَ تُحَرِّمُ مَآ أَحَلَّ ٱللَّهُ لَكَۖ تَبۡتَغِى مَرۡضَاتَ أَزۡوَٲجِكَۚ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌ۬ رَّحِيمٌ۬ (١) قَدۡ فَرَضَ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمۡ تَحِلَّةَ أَيۡمَـٰنِكُمۡۚ وَٱللَّهُ مَوۡلَٮٰكُمۡۖ وَهُوَ ٱلۡعَلِيمُ ٱلۡحَكِيمُ (٢) وَإِذۡ أَسَرَّ ٱلنَّبِىُّ إِلَىٰ بَعۡضِ أَزۡوَٲجِهِۦ حَدِيثً۬ا فَلَمَّا نَبَّأَتۡ بِهِۦ وَأَظۡهَرَهُ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيۡهِ عَرَّفَ بَعۡضَهُ ۥ وَأَعۡرَضَ عَنۢ بَعۡضٍ۬ۖ فَلَمَّا نَبَّأَهَا بِهِۦ قَالَتۡ مَنۡ أَنۢبَأَكَ هَـٰذَاۖ قَالَ نَبَّأَنِىَ ٱلۡعَلِيمُ ٱلۡخَبِيرُ (٣) إِن تَتُوبَآ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ فَقَدۡ صَغَتۡ قُلُوبُكُمَاۖ وَإِن تَظَـٰهَرَا عَلَيۡهِ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ مَوۡلَٮٰهُ وَجِبۡرِيلُ وَصَـٰلِحُ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَۖ وَٱلۡمَلَـٰٓٮٕكَةُ بَعۡدَ ذَالِكَ ظَهِيرٌ (٤) عَسَىٰ رَبُّهُ ۥۤ إِن طَلَّقَكُنَّ أَن يُبۡدِلَهُ ۥۤ أَزۡوَٲجًا خَيۡرً۬ا مِّنكُنَّ مُسۡلِمَـٰتٍ۬ مُّؤۡمِنَـٰتٍ۬ قَـٰنِتَـٰتٍ۬ تَـٰٓٮِٕبَـٰتٍ عَـٰبِدَٲتٍ۬ سَـٰٓٮِٕحَـٰتٍ۬ ثَيِّبَـٰتٍ۬ وَأَبۡكَارً۬ا (
٥ )
“O Prophet, why do you make impermissible that which God made allowed to you, seeking to [simply] please your wives. God is All-Forgiving, All-Merciful. Allah has already ordained for you [Muslims] the dissolution of your oaths. And Allah is your protector, and He is the Knowing, the Wise. And [remember] when the Prophet confided to one of his wives a statement; and when she informed [another] of it and Allah showed it to him, he made known part of it and ignored a part. And when he informed her about it, she said, “Who told you this?” He said, “I was informed by the Knowing, the Acquainted.” If you two [wives] repent to Allah , [it is best], for your hearts have deviated. But if you cooperate against him – then indeed Allah is his protector, and Gabriel and the righteous of the believers and the angels, moreover, are [his] assistants. Perhaps his Lord, if he divorced you [all], would substitute for him wives better than you – submitting [to Allah ], believing, devoutly obedient, repentant, worshipping, and traveling – [ones] previously married and virgins.” [66:1-5][iv].
The divorce of Ḥafṣah b. ‘Umar was initiated by the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ after she disclosed a secret to some of the other wives which the Prophet had asked her not to share. Though there are differences of opinions reported about what the actual content of the secret were, there is consensus that Hafsah’s divorce was initiated because she revealed the secret. Reports in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhāri and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim mention that the sūrah was revealed in regards to the incident of Al-Maghāfīr,[v] wherein Ḥafṣah and ‘Ā’ishah separately told the Prophet that his breath smelled of honey. This was a means of expressing their dismay at him staying at the house of Zaynab for too long and eating honey with her. Other reports in Al-Dāraqutnī state that the revelation had to do with the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ being intimate with Māriyah al-Qibṭiyyah in the absence of Ḥafṣah in her bed. You can read about both incidents in-depth here, as delving into them is externally beyond the matrices of this article.
Eventually, the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ divorced Ḥafṣah completely without the intention to take her back. (For those unfamiliar with the Islamic divorce process, please see the endnote tagged here).[vi]
Al-Qurṭubī reports the following:
سَبَبُ نُزُوْلِ هَذِهِ الْآيَةِ غَضبُ رَسُولِ الله ﷺ عَلى حَفْصَةَ لما أسرَّ إليها حَديثاً فأظْهَرتْه لعَائشةَ، فطَلَّقَهَا تَطْلِيْقَة
“The cause of revelation for this verse (66:3) was the anger of the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ towards Ḥafṣah when he confided a matter to her, but she revealed it to ‘Ā’ishah. He then divorced her [Ḥafṣah] once completely.
Later though, the Angel Jibrīl came to the Prophet and ordered him to take Ḥafṣah back:
إِنَّ جِبْرِيْلَ آتَانيْ ، فَقَالَ لِيْ : رَاجِعْ حَفْصَةَ ، فَاِنَّهَا صَوَّامَةٌ قَوَّامَةٌ وَهِيَ زَوْجَتُكَ فِيْ الْجَنَّةِ
“Indeed, Gabriel came to me and said ‘Take Ḥafṣah back, for she fasts, prays, and is your wife in paradise.” [Reported in the Mustadrak of Al-Ḥākim]
as “she is upright and fasts, and she is your wife in paradise.” Hence, contrary to many Muslims thinking that the divorce never happened, it indeed took place.
عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ جُبَيْرٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، عَنْ عُمَرَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ طَلَّقَ حَفْصَةَ ثُمَّ رَاجَعَهَا
“Indeed, the Messenger of God divorced Hafsah, and then took her back.” [Sunan Abī Dāwūd]
According to the Prophet Muḥammad’s ﷺ own choice and decision, he divorced Ḥafṣah without the intention to take her back, yet it was Allāh’s command through Jibrīl that led to the Prophet remarrying Ḥafṣah. He took her back solely on that basis, as Divine commands take precedent over the volition of the Prophet. Ḥafṣah lived with the Prophet until his death and is honored with the title of “Mother of the Believers.”
Bint al-Jawn
The second known case of the divorces of the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ is that of Bint al-Jawn. Though her case is referenced in several ḥadīths, we will look at Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhāri under the chapter titled “should a man tell his wife face-to-face that she is divorced” (باب: مَنْ طَلَّقَ وَهَلْ يُوَاجِهُ الرَّجُلُ امْرَأَتَهُ بِالطَّلاَقِ):
عَنْ أَبِي أُسَيْدٍ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ خَرَجْنَا مَعَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ حَتَّى انْطَلَقْنَا إِلَى حَائِطٍ يُقَالُ لَهُ الشَّوْطُ، حَتَّى انْتَهَيْنَا إِلَى حَائِطَيْنِ فَجَلَسْنَا بَيْنَهُمَا فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ” اجْلِسُوا هَا هُنَا ”. وَدَخَلَ وَقَدْ أُتِيَ بِالْجَوْنِيَّةِ، فَأُنْزِلَتْ فِي بَيْتٍ فِي نَخْلٍ فِي بَيْتٍ أُمَيْمَةُ بِنْتُ النُّعْمَانِ بْنِ شَرَاحِيلَ وَمَعَهَا دَايَتُهَا حَاضِنَةٌ لَهَا، فَلَمَّا دَخَلَ عَلَيْهَا النَّبِيُّ ﷺ قَالَ ” هَبِي نَفْسَكِ لِي ”. قَالَتْ وَهَلْ تَهَبُ الْمَلِكَةُ نَفْسَهَا لِلسُّوقَةِ. قَالَ فَأَهْوَى بِيَدِهِ يَضَعُ يَدَهُ عَلَيْهَا لِتَسْكُنَ فَقَالَتْ أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْكَ. فَقَالَ ” قَدْ عُذْتِ بِمَعَاذٍ ”. ثُمَّ خَرَجَ عَلَيْنَا، فَقَالَ ” يَا أَبَا أُسَيْدٍ اكْسُهَا رَازِقِيَّتَيْنِ وَأَلْحِقْهَا بِأَهْلِهَا”
“We went out with the Prophet (ﷺ) to a garden called Ash-Shaut till we reached two walls between which we sat down. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Sit here,” and went in (the garden). The Jawniyya (a lady from Bani Jawn) had been brought and lodged in a house in a date-palm garden in the home of Umaima bint An- Nu`mān bin Sharāhīl, and her wet nurse was with her. When the Prophet (ﷺ) entered upon her, he said to her, “Gift yourself to me.” She said, “Can a princess give herself in marriage to an ordinary man?” The Prophet (ﷺ) raised his hand to console her so that she might become tranquil. She said, “I seek refuge with Allāh from you.” He said, ‘You have sought refuge with One Who gives refuge.’ Then the Prophet (ﷺ) came out to us and said, “O Abū Usayd! Give her two white linen dresses to wear and let her go back to her family.”
Who was Bint al-Jawn?
Firstly, what was the identity of this woman? Bint al-Jawn was a woman from the tribe of Jawn who came from an aristocratic family, and who was married off to the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ. According Ibn Ḥajar al-‘Asqalānī in his Fatḥ al-Bāri’, there are various opinions as to what her name was. Hishām b. al-Kalbī mentioned that her name may have been Umaymah b. Nu’mān b. Sharāhīl b. al-Aswad b. al-Jawn al-Kindiyyah, the namesake of the owner of the home mentioned in the ḥadīth. Muslim historians such as Muḥammad b. Isḥāq and Muḥammad b. Ḥabīb said that her name was either Asmā’ b. Ka’ab al-Jawniyyah or Asmā’ b. al-Aswad b. al-Ḥārith b. al-Nu’mān—as is reported in the narrations of Yūnus b. Bukayr. They further mention that perhaps her name was Asmā’, but her nickname was Umaymah.
Ibn Ḥajar further mentions that there are other narrations that report names such as Fāṭimah b. al-Ḍaḥḥāk, ‘Umrah b. Yazīd, Sanā b. Sufyān b. ‘Awf, Al-‘Āliyah b. Ẓibyān b. ‘Amr b. ‘Awf, and Asmā’ b. al-Nu’mān, and a few others. Similarly, some of these narrations mention that these women also had divorces in a similar manner with the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ. They also contend that Bint al-Jawn was not from the tribe of Jawn, but from Kilāb. But, the narrations with these aberrations and names have inconsistencies in them (iḍṭirāb). Hence, preference is given to the names in the former paragraph, as well as to the fact that this incident has only to do with one woman known as Bint al-Jawn. None the less, her exact name bears little value in the discussion at hand.
Why Did the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ Divorce Her?
The narration in Bukhārī shows us that Bint al-Jawn was dissatisfied with being with the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ. Though most women in Bint al-Jawn’s position may have preferred to be married to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, she did not want to be. She mentions her reason when she tells the Prophet “will a princess gift herself to an ordinary man?” By ordinary (sūqah), she is referring to the fact that she comes from royalty, while the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ did not come from an aristocratic lineage. Then she expresses her displeasure of being in the marriage by seeking refuge in Allāh from the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ.
As interesting as this ḥadīth in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī is, Ibn Ḥajar mentions something further. Though this woman is not content being in this marriage, the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ neither takes Bint al-Jawn to account nor holds it against her for not wanting to be married to him. She wanted to be with someone of royalty. Upon expressing this, the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ respected her wishes and sends her back to her family in an honorable manner. Other narrations also mention that this divorce took place very shortly after the celebration of the wedding.
Lastly, some scholars postulated that Bint al-Jawn did not know that the man approaching her was the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ, but Ibn Ḥajar says otherwise, as the context of her words are clearly stated. Similarly, this incident is reported in other ḥadīths, hence, saying she did not know does not make any sense. Other ḥadīths state that Bint al-Jawn was told that seeking refuge in Allāh against the Prophet ﷺ would draw her closer to him, but Ibn Ḥajar does not gave this idea much credence based on the lack of strength in the ḥadīths which purport as such.
Umm Sharīk Ghaziyyah b. Jābir
Umm Sharīk was a woman who was reported to have gifted herself in marriage to the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ without requesting a dowry. Some of the scholars of tafsīr such as Al-Qurṭubī, Al-Suyūṭī, and Al-Ṭabarī report that her request may have caused the revelation of verse 50 of Sūrah al-Aḥzāb, which is a verse dealing with who the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ could marry. But this is not the endorsed opinion on this verse, as an overwhelming majority of scholars of tafsīr note that this verse was revealed allowing the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ to act as such, but he did not do so. Al-Qurṭubī mentions that Mujāhid and Ibn ‘Abbās believed that there was no woman to whom the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ was married to that had ‘gifted’ herself to him without a dowry. Similarly, Ibn Ḥajar held that the narrations about the marriage of Umm Sharīk to the Prophet were inconsistent.[vii] For the sake of context, the verse is below.
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ إِنَّا أَحْلَلْنَا لَكَ أَزْوَاجَكَ اللَّاتِي آتَيْتَ أُجُورَهُنَّ وَمَا مَلَكَتْ يَمِينُكَ مِمَّا أَفَاءَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكَ وَبَنَاتِ عَمِّكَ وَبَنَاتِ عَمَّاتِكَ وَبَنَاتِ خَالِكَ وَبَنَاتِ خَالَاتِكَ اللَّاتِي هَاجَرْنَ مَعَكَ وَامْرَأَةً مُّؤْمِنَةً إِن وَهَبَتْ نَفْسَهَا لِلنَّبِيِّ إِنْ أَرَادَ النَّبِيُّ أَن يَسْتَنكِحَهَا خَالِصَةً لَّكَ مِن دُونِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ۗ قَدْ عَلِمْنَا مَا فَرَضْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ فِي أَزْوَاجِهِمْ وَمَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُهُمْ لِكَيْلَا يَكُونَ عَلَيْكَ حَرَجٌ ۗ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا
“O Prophet, indeed We have made lawful to you your wives to whom you have given their due compensation and those your right hand possesses from what Allah has returned to you [of captives] and the daughters of your paternal uncles and the daughters of your paternal aunts and the daughters of your maternal uncles and the daughters of your maternal aunts who emigrated with you and a believing woman if she gives herself to the Prophet [and] if the Prophet wishes to marry her, [this is] only for you, excluding the [other] believers. We certainly know what We have made obligatory upon them concerning their wives and those their right hands possess, [but this is for you] in order that there will be upon you no discomfort. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful.” [33:50]
The reason I am mentioning her name here is because there are reports in the Ṭabaqāt of Ibn Sa’ad which say that the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ divorced her after seeing her in person due to her old age.[viii] Ibn Sa’ad mentions another narration from Al-Wāqidī saying that Umm Sharīk gifted herself to the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ, but he did not accept her marriage.[ix] Hence, Umm Sharīk decided not to get married until she passed away.[x] Again though, these reports become irrelevant, as the ḥadīths of the marriage of Umm Sharīk to the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ are not very strong. Similarly, narrations that are mentioned by historians within Sīrah records are compiled very differently from the ḥadīth canon. The ḥadīths herein cannot lead one to make clear inferences, as whether or not the marriage even took place cannot be clearly established. So in the end, neither is the marriage of Umm Sharīk nor her divorce recorded with veracity within the Islamic tradition. For those interested, you can read the Arabic of the narrations of Ibn Sa’ad in the endnotes.[xi]
Does Allāh Hate Divorce?
An oft-quoted ḥadīth in regards to divorce is the following:
إِنَّ أَبْغَضَ الحَلَالِ عِنْدَ اللهِ الْطَّلَاق
“Indeed, the most detested [thing] from [what is] permissible, with Allah, is divorce.” [Sunan Ibn Mājah]
Firstly, this narration’s chain contains ‘Ubayd Allah b. Al-Walīd Al-Waṣṣāfī, someone who was considered extremely weak in narration according to Yaḥyā b. Ma’īn, ‘Alī al-Madīnī, Al-Dāraquṭnī, and an overwhelming majority of ḥadīth scholars for that matter. Similarly, a narration is also reported in the Sunan of Abū Dāwūd with a similar wording.[xii] In the latter ḥadīth, the presence of Muḥarib b. Dīthār was a point of contention, as though many scholars considered him to be a strong narrator, others such as Ibn Sa’ad considered him to be from the Murji’ah[xiii], hence, did not consider him to be strong.
Secondly, ḥadīth are not binary statements that are understood and practiced in a bubble. Rather, they must be put into context. Though divorce is understood to be one of the most detestably permissible recourses to take in a marriage, this ḥadīth is highlighting that it ought to not be the first solution to solving issues within a marriage. Rather, if a couple can see a means to resolve their differences, they ought to do so as such. Whether that be attempting to talk things out, going to a therapist, or using an arbitrator, the Islamic tradition seeks to bring life to a marriage if it is dying. But, if a marriage cannot be resuscitated for whatever reason, that is when a husband and wife ought to decide if it is healthier for them to stay together or part ways. As such, we saw above that there were cases where the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ understood this, and had divorces of his own. Not only him, but we see from the Islamic tradition that marriage and divorce were extremely fluid processes within the companions as well.
Conclusion
As we saw above, our beloved Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ is reported to have gone through the process of divorce. In the modern day, the high financial burdens that are put on a groom or bridge when getting married makes this process very difficult. Similarly, the culture of looking down on divorce completely makes marriage a living nightmare for some. Of course, no one gets married knowing nor wanting their marriage to end in divorce. Neither the Prophet nor an everyday man or woman. But not every situation and person is in a single person’s control.
At the end of the day, Islam does not legally burden two people to stay married if every attempt to stay together has been exhausted. In such a case, it may be Islamically recommended for them to divorce as opposed to staying together. Similarly, if someone is not ready for marriage for whatever reason, Islamically, they would be recommended to not get married until they have the physical, mental, and financial means to do so. This is what Islam has taught for over a thousand years, but it is our broken cultural standards that force people into marriages when they are not ready, and also force them to stay in broken marriages, due to cultural standards which look down on the divorced, even when a couple is clearly being harmed from being with each other when they are not compatible for whatever reason.
At the same time, some may contend that Muslims should not get divorced under any circumstances, as a common tagline that is used is “But he was a Prophet.” Unless an action is solely mentioned to be specific to the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ, it is assumed to be applicable to all people in all times. For example, the wives of the Prophet cannot marry anyone after his death, but that is not the case for a regular woman whose husband dies. Similarly, divorce is not an action sanctioned solely for the Prophet in any form of Islamic legal literature. By this faulty logic, should people also not get married since “He was a Prophet and we aren’t?” Will we begin to classify the sunnah as the antithesis of whatever the Prophet Muḥammadﷺ did, just because it is inconvenient to our inconsistent to our social constructs?
Divorcees are not spoiled,
our standards are. Our standards of making families live in darkness and
unhappiness just to maintain a social order which is antithetical to the
Islamic tradition. We ought to ask ourselves—does our community make it easy
for a divorced person to get married, or would we reject the proposal of the
Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ if he came as a suitor to us—solely on the basis of having been
married before.
[i] Verses in the Qur’ān and Prophetic ḥadīths encourage people to get married if they can. Sūrah al-Nūr mentions وَأَنكِحُوا الْأَيَامَىٰ مِنكُمْ وَالصَّالِحِينَ مِنْ عِبَادِكُمْ وَإِمَائِكُمْ ۚ إِن يَكُونُوا فُقَرَاءَ يُغْنِهِمُ اللَّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِ “And marry the unmarried among you and the righteous among your male slaves and female slaves. If they should be poor, Allah will enrich them from His bounty.” Similarly, the Prophet exerted يا معشر الشباب من استطاعَ منكم الباءة فليتزوج “O young men, whoever among you can afford it, let him get married.”
[ii]Al-Ghazālī., Al-Musṭaṣfā min ‘Ilm al-Uṣūl al-Fiqh, Vol 1., p. 277-282, Sharikha al-Madīnah al-Munawwarah li al-Tabā’ah
[iii] Sūrah Baqarah: 227-241, Sūrah al-Nisā’: 21, 35
[iv] Qur’ānic Translations are from Sahih International
[v] Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 5267, Chapter of “O Prophet! Why do you forbid that which Allah has allowed to you…? (Bāb Lima Tuḥarrimu Mā Aḥallahu Lak), I heard `Aisha saying, “The Prophet (ﷺ) used to stay for a long while with Zainab bint Jahsh and drink honey at her house. So Hafsa and I decided that if the Prophet (ﷺ) came to anyone of us, she should say him, “I detect the smell of Maghafir (a nasty smelling gum) in you. Have you eaten Maghafir?’ ” So the Prophet (ﷺ) visited one of them and she said to him similarly. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Never mind, I have taken some honey at the house of Zainab bint Jahsh, but I shall never drink of it anymore.” So there was revealed: ‘O Prophet ! Why do you ban (for you) that which Allah has made lawful for you . . . If you two (wives of Prophet) turn in repentance to Allah,’ (66.1-4) addressing Aisha and Hafsa. ‘When the Prophet (ﷺ) disclosed a matter in confidence to some of his wives.’ (66.3) namely his saying: But I have taken some honey.” قَالَ زَعَمَ عَطَاءٌ أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ عُبَيْدَ بْنَ عُمَيْرٍ، يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ عَائِشَةَ ـ رضى الله عنها ـ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم كَانَ يَمْكُثُ عِنْدَ زsيْنَبَ ابْنَةِ جَحْشٍ، وَيَشْرَبُ عِنْدَهَا عَسَلاً، فَتَوَاصَيْتُ أَنَا وَحَفْصَةُ أَنَّ أَيَّتَنَا دَخَلَ عَلَيْهَا النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَلْتَقُلْ إِنِّي أَجِدُ مِنْكَ رِيحَ مَغَافِيرَ، أَكَلْتَ مَغَافِيرَ فَدَخَلَ عَلَى إِحْدَاهُمَا فَقَالَتْ لَهُ ذَلِكَ، فَقَالَ ” لاَ بَلْ شَرِبْتُ عَسَلاً عِنْدَ زَيْنَبَ ابْنَةِ جَحْشٍ وَلَنْ أَعُودَ لَهُ ”. فَنَزَلَتْ {يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ لِمَ تُحَرِّمُ مَا أَحَلَّ اللَّهُ لَكَ} إِلَى {إِنْ تَتُوبَا إِلَى اللَّهِ} لِعَائِشَةَ وَحَفْصَةَ {وَإِذْ أَسَرَّ النَّبِيُّ إِلَى بَعْضِ أَزْوَاجِهِ} لِقَوْلِهِ ” بَلْ شَرِبْتُ عَسَلاً
[vi] A common misunderstanding within the Islamic divorce process is that the man simply gives his wife three verbal divorces to end their marriage. But, this method is actually impermissible according to the consensus of Islamic legal scholars. A proper divorce within the Islamic legal tradition is initiated through ṭalāq for the man and khula’ for the woman. In the case of ṭalāq, the man will utter words to his wife intending to divorce her, which will then begin divorce proceedings. The divorce will take roughly three months to actualize in congruence to three menstrual cycles of the woman. In the period of these three cycles, the man and woman can reconcile and end the Islamic divorce proceedings. If they do not reconcile after the three cycle period, the divorce actualizes and they are not married according to Islamic law anymore. This full process can happen twice. If the man and woman get married for a third time, and begin divorce proceedings then, neither can they get back together during the three cycle period, nor can they get married again. But, until and unless the woman gets married to another man, consummates the marriage, and divorces him, only then can she get back together with her first husband.
[vii] قد ذكرها بعضهم في أزواج النبي ولا يصح من ذلك الشيء بكثرة الاضطراب
[viii] وأقبلَتْ إلى النّبيّ صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم ووهبت نفسها له بغير مهر، فقبلها ودخل عليها، فلما رأى عليها كبرةً طلقها. وقد تقدّمت هذه القصة عن أم شريك بلفظ آخر من وجه آخر في ترجمة بنت أبي العَكَر في كُنَى النِّسَاءِ، وسنَدهُ مرسل، وفيه الواقديّ
[ix] قال محمد بن سعد: وأنبأنا وكيع عن شريك، عن جابر، عن الحكم، عن علي بن الحسين أن رسول الله ﷺ تزوج أم شريك الدوسية
[x] وقال محمد بن سعد: أنبأنا الواقدي، ثنا موسى بن محمد بن إبراهيم التيمي عن أبيه قال: كانت أم شريك امرأة من بني عامر بن لؤي قد وهبت نفسها لرسول الله فلم يقبلها، فلم تتزوج حتى ماتت
[xi] وقال محمد بن سعد: أنبأنا الواقدي، ثنا موسى بن محمد بن إبراهيم التيمي عن أبيه قال: كانت أم شريك امرأة من بني عامر بن لؤي قد وهبت نفسها لرسول الله فلم يقبلها، فلم تتزوج حتى ماتت. قال محمد بن سعد: وأنبأنا وكيع عن شريك، عن جابر، عن الحكم، عن علي بن الحسين أن رسول الله ﷺ تزوج أم شريك الدوسية. قال الواقدي: الثبت عندنا أنها من دوس من الأزد. قال محمد بن سعد: واسمها: غزية بنت جابر بن حكيم. وقال الليث بن سعد عن هشام بن محمد، عن أبيه قال متحدث: أن أم شريك كانت وهبت نفسها للنبي ﷺ وكانت امرأة صالحة.
[xii] 2178 (المجلد : 2 الصفحة : 438) حَدَّثَنَا كَثِيرُ بْنُ عُبَيْدٍ ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ خَالِدٍ ، عَنْ مُعَرِّفِ بْنِ وَاصِلٍ ، عَنْ مُحَارِبِ بْنِ دِثَارٍ ، عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ : ” أَبْغَضُ الْحَلَالِ إِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى الطَّلَاقُ “.
[xiii] This was a political faction that existed during the time of the caliph ‘Uthmān. They contended originally that faith and actions are delinked. Later, they evolved into a theological school.