Page:Selections from Muhammadan Traditions - tr. William Goldsack (1923).djvu/191

 Rh It is related from Jábir that he said, 'Abú Bakr came and asked permission of the Apostle of God to enter; and he found other people sitting by his door, not one of whom was given permission.' Jábir said, 'Then Abú Bakr was given permission, and he entered. After that ʿOmar drew near and asked permission, and it was given him. And he found the Prophet sitting, sad and silent, with his wives around him. He said, "I shall certainly say something to make the Prophet laugh." So he said, " O Apostle of God, if thou couldst have seen Bint Khárijah asking me for money to spend, and I stood up to her and squeezed her neck!" Then the Apostle of God laughed and said, "These women are around me, as thou seest, asking me for money to spend." Then Abú Bakr rose up to ʿÁyesha (his daughter) and squeezed her neck; and ʿOmar rose up to Hafṣa (his daughter) and squeezed her neck. They both said, "Dost thou ask of the Apostle of God what he has not got!" They replied, "By God! we never ask the Apostle of God for anything which he has not got." After that the Prophet separated himself from them for a month or twenty-nine days. After that the verse came down, "O Prophet, say unto thy wives, 'If ye seek this present life and the pomp thereof, come, and I will make a handsome provision for you, and I will dismiss you with an honourable dismissal; but if ye seek God and His Apostle and the life to come, verily God hath prepared for such of you as work righteousness a great reward.'" Jábir said, "He said this first to ʿÁyesha, and said, 'O ʿÁyesha, I wish to bring a matter to thy notice, and I wish thee not to hurry in answering it until thou consult thy parents.' She replied, 'And what is that, O Apostle of God?' Then he recited to her the revelation. She said, 'In regard to thee, O Apostle of God, must I consult my parents? Rather I choose God and His Apostle and the last home (in paradise). I ask thee not to inform any of thy wives of what thou hast said.' He replied, 'None of my wives will ask me, but I will tell her of it. Verily God did not send me to cause people distress, but he sent me as a teacher and preacher of good tidings.'"'—Muslim.

It is related from ʿÁyesha that she said, 'I was reflecting on the women who had given themselves to the Apostle of God,