Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: For a long time, I wished to ask Sayyiduna Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) about those two women from among the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding whom Allah Almighty said: "If you both turn in repentance to Allah (it will be better for you), for your hearts have deviated." (Ibn Abbas says:) Until Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) went for Hajj, and I also went with him for Hajj. He (went aside to relieve himself), and I also went aside with a vessel. He relieved himself, then he came, and I poured water from the vessel over his hands, and he performed ablution. I said: O Commander of the Faithful! Who were those two women from among the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding whom Allah Almighty said: "If you both turn in repentance to Allah (it will be better for you), for your hearts have deviated." Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: O Ibn Abbas, I am surprised at you (that you did not ask about this earlier). They were Hafsa and Aisha. Then Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated the whole incident. He said: I and a neighbor of mine from Banu Umayyah bin Zaid (the narrator says: Banu Umayyah bin Zaid lived in the outskirts of Madinah) used to take turns to visit the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). One day he would go, and one day I would go. When I would visit the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), I would bring back the news of that day, whether it was related to revelation or other matters, and when he would visit the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he would do the same. We, the people of Quraysh, used to have authority over our wives. When we came to the Ansar, we found that their wives had authority over them, so our women began to learn this behavior from the women of the Ansar. One day, I expressed anger at my wife, and she replied back to me. I expressed anger at her for replying, and she said: I replied to you, so why are you angry? By Allah! The wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also reply to him, and among them is one noble wife who remains angry with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) from morning till evening. (Sayyiduna Umar says:) This frightened me, and I said: Whoever among the wives does this will be ruined. Then I wrapped my cloak and (came to Madinah) and went to Hafsa bint Umar. I said to her: O Hafsa, does any one of you (i.e., the noble wives) get angry with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and remain angry with him all day? Lady Hafsa (may Allah be pleased with her) replied: Yes. I said: She will be disgraced and ruined. Do you consider yourselves safe from the wrath of Allah if He becomes angry with you because of the anger of His Messenger and destroys you? Do not object to anything the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) says. Do not reply to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Do not keep away from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Whatever needs you have, ask me for them. And do not be deceived by the fact that your neighbor (i.e., Lady Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her) is more beautiful and more beloved to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) than you. (The narrator says) By neighbor, Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) meant Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her). Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: In those days, we were discussing that the people of the Ghassan tribe were preparing for war against us. On his turn, my Ansari neighbor (came to Madinah). When he returned in the evening, he knocked hard at my door. I was alarmed and went out to him. He said: A great event has occurred. I asked: What happened? Have the Ghassan (tribe) come? He replied: No, something even greater and more significant has happened. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has divorced his wives. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I said: Hafsa is ruined and lost. I had a feeling that this would happen one day. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I wrapped my cloak and performed the Fajr prayer behind the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). (After the prayer) the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) went to his upper room where he was staying in seclusion. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I went to Hafsa, and she was weeping. I asked: Why are you weeping? Did I not try to warn you about this? Has the Messenger of Allah divorced you? Lady Hafsa (may Allah be pleased with her) replied: I do not know. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is in the upper room in seclusion. (Sayyiduna Umar says: I left Lady Hafsa's house and) came near the pulpit. There were some people around the pulpit, and they were weeping. I sat with them for a while, then my anxiety overcame me, so I went to the upper room where the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was. I said to the black boy: Ask permission for Umar to enter. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) says: The boy went in and came out and said: I mentioned you to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), but he remained silent, so I came back. (Sayyiduna Umar says:) I returned and sat with those who were near the pulpit. Then my anxiety overcame me again, so I went and said to the boy: Ask permission for Umar to enter. He went in and came out and said: I mentioned you to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), but he remained silent. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I had just turned away when the boy called me and said: The Messenger of Allah has given you permission. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I entered upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he was lying on a mat made of palm fibers, and its marks were visible on his side. He was reclining on a leather pillow stuffed with palm fibers. I greeted the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), then while standing, I said: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! Have you divorced your wives? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) raised his gaze towards the sky and said: No. I said: Allahu Akbar! O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! You know our situation: we, the people of Quraysh, used to have authority over our wives. When we came to Madinah, we found a people whose wives had authority over them. One day, I expressed anger at my wife, and she replied back to me. I was surprised at her behavior, and she said: Are you surprised that I replied to you? By Allah! The wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also reply to him, and among them is one who remains angry with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) from morning till evening. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I said: Hafsa will be disgraced and ruined. Are those wives safe from the wrath of Allah if He becomes angry with them because of the anger of His Messenger, and the woman upon whom (the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, is angry) will be destroyed? Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) says: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) smiled. Then I said: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! I went to Hafsa and said: Do not be deceived by the fact that your neighbor is more beautiful and more beloved to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) than you. I meant Aisha. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) says: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) smiled a second time. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) says: When I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) smiling, I sat down. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) says: When I looked around the upper room, by Allah! I saw only three dry hides in it. I said: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), pray to Allah to grant your Ummah abundance, for the people of Persia and Rome have been given abundance, and they have been given the blessings of the world, even though they do not worship Allah Almighty. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) says: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sat up straight, though before he had been reclining, and said: O son of Khattab, do you have any doubt? These are the people whose good things have been given to them in this worldly life. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I said: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! I seek forgiveness from Allah. (Sayyiduna Umar narrates:) The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had separated from his wives because of severe anger at them and had said: I will not go to them for a month, until Allah Almighty admonished him about this. When twenty-nine days had passed, he went to Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her). He went to her first. Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! You had sworn that you would not come to us for a month, but only twenty-nine days have passed; I have counted them. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: A month can be twenty-nine days; a month can be twenty-nine days.