Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) divorced his wife (Amina bint Ghafar) during the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) while she was in her menstrual period. Sayyiduna Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) about this matter, so he said: Tell him to take his wife back and then keep her in his marriage until her menstruation ends, then her menstruation comes again and ends. Then, if he wishes, he may keep his wife in his marriage, and if he wishes, he may divorce her (but the divorce should be in that period of purity) before having intercourse with her. This is the period of purity in which Allah Almighty has commanded to divorce women.

Yunus bin Jubair (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated that I asked Sayyiduna Ibn Umar about (divorce during menstruation), so he informed that Ibn Umar had divorced his wife while she was in her menstrual period. Then Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) about this, so the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered that Ibn Umar should take his wife back, and then when the correct time for divorce comes, he may divorce her. (Yunus narrated that he asked Ibn Umar:) I asked, "Was that divorce counted?" He replied, "If a person giving divorce is unable to fulfill the requirements of Shariah or is foolish and ignorant (then will the divorce not take place)?"

Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrated that if someone makes something lawful unlawful upon himself, then he must give expiation, and he recited the blessed verse: "Indeed, for you in the life of your Messenger is the best example." (Al-Ahzab 21)

Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) used to stay with Umm al-Mu'mineen Zainab bint Jahsh (may Allah be pleased with her) and would drink honey at her place. So I and Hafsa (may Allah be pleased with her) agreed together that whichever of us the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) visited, she should say, "A smell of Maghafir (a particular kind of foul-smelling gum) comes from your mouth. Have you eaten Maghafir?" After that, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came to one of us, and she said this to him. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) replied, "No, rather I drank honey at the house of Zainab bint Jahsh (may Allah be pleased with her), and now I will not drink it again." Upon this, the verse was revealed: "O Prophet, why do you forbid what Allah has made lawful for you?" (__QUR_66_1__) This was a mistake on the part of Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) and Hafsa (may Allah be pleased with her): "And when the Prophet confided a matter to one of his wives..." (__QUR_66_3__) In the hadith, what is meant by this is his statement, "I have not eaten Maghafir, rather I drank honey."

Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) liked honey and sweet things. When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would return after finishing the Asr prayer, he would visit his wives and sometimes be intimate with some of them. One day, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) went to Hafsa bint Umar (may Allah be pleased with her) and stayed at her house longer than usual. I became jealous about this and inquired about it, and it was found out that Ummul Momineen Hafsa (may Allah be pleased with her) had been given a jar of honey by a woman from her tribe, and she had prepared a drink from it for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). I said to myself, "By Allah, I will devise a trick." Then I said to Ummul Momineen Sawda bint Zam'a (may Allah be pleased with her), "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) will come to you, and when he comes, say, 'It seems you have eaten Maghafir?' Surely, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) will deny it in response. At that time, say, 'Then what is this smell that I am noticing from your mouth?' Upon this, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) will say, 'Hafsa (may Allah be pleased with her) gave me a drink of honey.' You should say, 'Perhaps the bee that made this honey sucked the sap of the Maghafir tree.' I too will say the same to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and Safiyyah, you also say the same." Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that Sawda used to say, "By Allah, as soon as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) stood at the door, out of fear of you, I intended to say to him what you had told me." So when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came near Lady Sawda (may Allah be pleased with her), she said to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), "O Messenger of Allah, have you eaten Maghafir?" He replied, "No." She said, "Then what is this smell that I am noticing from your mouth?" The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Hafsa gave me a drink of honey." Upon this, Sawda said, "Perhaps the bee that made this honey sucked the sap of the Maghafir tree." Then when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came to me, I also said the same thing. After that, he went to Lady Safiyyah (may Allah be pleased with her), and she also repeated the same. After that, when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) went again to Lady Hafsa (may Allah be pleased with her), she said, "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), will you drink that honey again?" The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "I do not need it." Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that upon this, Sawda said, "By Allah, we have succeeded in stopping the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)." I said to her, "Now keep quiet."

The purified wife of the Noble Prophet, Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), narrated that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was commanded to give his wives the choice, he came to me and said, "I have come to speak to you about a matter. There is no need for you to hurry; you may consult your parents as well." She narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) already knew that my parents would never advise me to separate from him. Lady Aisha narrated that then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, has said: O Prophet, say to your wives: If you desire the life of this world and its adornment, then come, I will provide for you and release you with kindness. But if you desire Allah, His Messenger, and the home of the Hereafter, then surely Allah has prepared a great reward for those of you who do good." Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that I said, "Why would I need to consult my parents about this? Clearly, I desire Allah, His Messenger, and the home of the Hereafter." She narrated that then the other purified wives also said the same as I had said.

Mu'adhah (may Allah have mercy on her) narrates that Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) stated that even after the revelation of this verse: "You may put off whom you please of them, and you may take to yourself whom you please, and whomsoever you desire of those whom you had set aside, there is no blame on you" (Al-Ahzab 51), if the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) wished to go to another wife on the night of one of the (other) wives, he would seek permission from the one whose turn it was. (Mu'adhah narrates that) I asked Sayyidah Aisha, "What would you say to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in such a situation?" She replied, "I would say: O Messenger of Allah, if you are seeking this permission from me, then I cannot give my turn to anyone else."

Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) gave us the option, and we chose Allah and His Messenger, but this was not counted as anything (divorce) against us.

Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: I remained hesitant for a whole year to ask Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) about a certain verse. His awe was so overwhelming that I could not muster the courage to ask him. Finally, when he went for Hajj, I accompanied him. On the return journey, when we were on the way, he went among the trees of the Pilu (Salvadora) for relieving himself. I stood waiting for him. When he finished and came back, I walked with him. At that moment, I said,“O Commander of the Faithful, who were those two women among the Mothers of the Believers who had agreed upon a plan against the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)?”He replied,“They were Hafsa and Aisha.”I said,“By Allah, I have intended to ask you this question for a year, but due to your awe, I could not dare to ask.”Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said,“Do not do so. If you think I have any knowledge about a matter, then ask me about it. If I have any knowledge, I will surely inform you.”He narrated that Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said,“By Allah, in the days of ignorance, we did not consider women to be anything until Allah revealed about them what He revealed and assigned for them the rights He assigned.”(Sayyiduna Umar) narrated: One day I was thinking, and my wife said to me, ‘It would be better if you did such and such in this matter.’ I said, ‘What concern do you have with this? This matter relates to me. Who are you to interfere in it?’ My wife said, ‘Son of Khattab, I am amazed at your behavior. You cannot tolerate being answered back, yet your daughter (Sayyida Hafsa) even answers the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). One day, she even made the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) upset.’ Hearing this, Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up, put on his cloak, and went to the house of Sayyida Hafsa (may Allah be pleased with her) and said, ‘Daughter, do you answer the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) back, to the extent that one day you kept the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) upset for the whole day?’ Sayyida Hafsa (may Allah be pleased with her) replied, ‘Yes, by Allah, sometimes we do answer the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) back.’ Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said, ‘Know that I warn you of Allah’s punishment and the anger of His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Daughter, do not be deceived by that woman who has gained the love of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).’ He was referring to Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her). He said, ‘Then I left there and went to Sayyida Umm Salama (may Allah be pleased with her), because she was also my relative. I spoke to her as well. She said, ‘Son of Khattab, it is surprising that you interfere in every matter, and now you want to interfere in the matters between the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and his wives as well?’ By Allah, she rebuked me so much that my anger cooled down, and I left her house.

I had an Ansari friend. When I was not present in the gathering of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), he would come and inform me of all that had happened, and when he was not present, I would inform him. At that time, we were afraid of the king of Ghassan, as we had received news that he intended to attack Madinah. Thus, we were always in fear. One day, suddenly, my Ansari friend knocked at the door and said, ‘Open up!’ I said, ‘It seems the Ghassanids have come.’ He said, ‘Rather, an even more important matter has occurred: the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has separated himself from his wives.’ I said, ‘May the noses of Hafsa and Aisha (may Allah be pleased with them both) be dusted!’ So I put on my garment and went out. When I arrived, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was in his upper room, which was reached by a ladder. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had an Abyssinian slave (Bilal bin Rabah) at the foot of the ladder. I said, ‘Ask the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to grant permission for Umar bin Khattab to enter.’ Then I reached the service of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and narrated my entire story. When I reached the part about Umm Salama’s conversation, he smiled.

At that time, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was sitting on a mat made of date-palm leaves. There was nothing between his blessed body and the mat. Under his head was a leather pillow stuffed with palm fibers. At his feet was a heap of acacia leaves, and at his head hung a water-skin. I saw the marks of the mat on his side and began to weep. He said, ‘Why are you weeping?’ I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, Caesar and Chosroes enjoy every comfort of the world, and you are the Messenger of Allah (yet live in such straitened circumstances).’ The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, ‘Are you not pleased that for them is the world and for us is the Hereafter?’

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrated that for many days I had a desire in my heart to ask Sayyiduna Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) about those two wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding whom Allah revealed this verse: "If you both turn in repentance to Allah, then indeed your hearts have deviated..." (At-Tahrim: 4). Once, Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) performed Hajj and I also performed Hajj with him. At one place, when he went aside from the road (to relieve himself), I also went aside with a vessel of water. After he relieved himself and returned, I poured water on his hands and he performed ablution. Then I asked him, "O Commander of the Faithful, who are those two wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about whom Allah said: 'If you both turn in repentance to Allah, then indeed your hearts have deviated...'?" Sayyiduna Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) replied, "O Ibn Abbas, I am surprised at you (that you do not know)! They are Aisha and Hafsa (may Allah be pleased with them both)." Then Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) began to narrate the hadith in detail. He said: I and my Ansari neighbor, who was from Banu Umayyah bin Zaid and lived in the highlands of Madinah, had arranged turns to visit the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) from the highlands. One day he would go, and one day I would go. When I went, I would bring all the news of that day, including what was revealed, and narrate it to my neighbor. And when he went, he would do the same. We used to have authority over our women among the Quraysh, but when we came to the Ansar, we found that their women had authority over them. Our women also began to learn the ways of the Ansari women. One day I scolded my wife, and she replied back to me. I expressed displeasure at her replying in this way, so she said, "Why do you dislike my replying to you? By Allah, the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also reply to him, and some of them even remain apart from him for a whole day." I was alarmed at this and said, "Whoever among them has done this has certainly failed!" Then I put on my clothes and set out (for Madinah). I went to (my daughter) Hafsa's house and said to her, "O Hafsa, does any one of you remain angry with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) for a whole day and night?" She said, "Yes, sometimes it happens." I said, "Then you have put yourself in loss and failed! Do you not fear that because of the Prophet's anger, Allah may become angry with you, and then you will be ruined? Beware! Do not demand anything from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), do not reply to him in any matter, and do not leave him. Do not be deceived because of your co-wife who is more beautiful than you and more beloved to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) than you." He was referring to Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her).

Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: We had heard that the king of Ghassan was preparing his army to attack us. My Ansari companion had gone to Madinah on his turn. He returned late at night and knocked loudly at my door, saying, "Is Umar at home?" I was alarmed and went outside. He said, "Today a great incident has occurred." I asked, "What happened? Has the Ghassani king attacked?" He said, "No, something even greater and more frightening has happened. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has divorced his wives." I said, "Hafsa has failed and lost! I always feared that something like this would happen soon." Then I put on all my clothes and set out (for Madinah). I performed the Fajr prayer with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). After the prayer, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) went to his upper room and secluded himself there. I went to Hafsa (may Allah be pleased with her), and she was crying. I said, "Why are you crying now? I had already warned you. Has the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) divorced you?" She said, "I do not know. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is alone in the upper room." I left there and came to the pulpit, where some Companions were present, some of whom were crying. I sat with them for a while, then my grief overcame me, and I went to the upper room where the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was. I said to the Abyssinian servant of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), "Ask permission for Umar to enter." The servant went inside, spoke to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and returned, saying, "I mentioned you to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), but he remained silent." So I returned and sat with those at the pulpit. Again, my grief overcame me, and I went back and said to the servant, "Ask permission for Umar." The servant returned and said, "I mentioned you to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), but he remained silent." I returned and sat with those at the pulpit, but again my grief overcame me, and I went back and said to the servant, "Ask permission for Umar." The servant went inside and returned, saying, "I mentioned you to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and he remained silent." As I was returning, the servant called me and said, "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) has given you permission." I entered upon the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and he was lying on a mat made of palm fibers, with no bedding on it. The marks of the mat were visible on his blessed side. The pillow he was reclining on was filled with bark. I greeted the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and, standing, asked, "O Messenger of Allah, have you divorced your wives?" He raised his gaze towards me and said, "No." I exclaimed (out of joy), "Allahu Akbar!" Then, still standing, I said to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to please him, "O Messenger of Allah, you know that we, the people of Quraysh, used to have authority over our women, but when we came to Madinah, we found that the women here had authority over their men." The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) smiled at this. Then I said, "O Messenger of Allah, you know that I once went to Hafsa (may Allah be pleased with her) and told her not to be deceived because of her co-wife who is more beautiful and more beloved to you than her." He was referring to Sayyida Aisha. At this, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) smiled again. When I saw him smiling, I sat down. Then I looked around the house of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). By Allah, I did not see anything worth looking at except three hides (that were there). I said, "O Messenger of Allah, pray to Allah to grant abundance to your Ummah. The Persians and Romans have abundance and prosperity, and they have been given the world, even though they do not worship Allah." The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was still reclining, but then he sat up straight and said, "O Ibn Khattab, do you also think these things are important? These are people who have been given all their good in this world." I said, "O Messenger of Allah, pray to Allah to forgive me (for having such worldly thoughts)." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) separated himself from his wives for twenty-nine days because Hafsa (may Allah be pleased with her) had disclosed his secret to Aisha. He had said that he would not go to his wives for a month. When Allah reproached the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), it grieved him greatly, and he decided to stay away from his wives. When the twenty-ninth night had passed, he went to the house of Sayyida Aisha and began with her. Sayyida Aisha said, "O Messenger of Allah, you had sworn that you would not come to us for a month, and only twenty-nine days have passed. I was counting each day." The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "This month is of twenty-nine days." That month was indeed of twenty-nine days. Sayyida Aisha narrated that then Allah revealed the verse of choice (in which the wives of the Prophet were given the option to stay with him or separate), and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came to me first among all his wives (and informed me of Allah's revelation). I chose him. After that, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave the same choice to all his other wives, and all of them said what Sayyida Aisha had said.