It is narrated from Hazrat 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 (peace and blessings be upon him). I sat before him and narrated the entire incident that I had faced, and began to complain to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about the bitterness of his temperament. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) 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 (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: "Khawlah! Allah has revealed a decision regarding you and your husband." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) 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 (peace and blessings be upon him) 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 (peace and blessings be upon him) 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 (peace and blessings be upon him) 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 (peace and blessings be upon him) 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 (peace and blessings be upon him) 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.