Takhrij Hadith 1292: "‘Umar ibn al-Khattab said: When…"

‘Umar ibn al-Khattab said: When the Prophet of Allah ﷺ withdrew from his wives, I entered the mosque and found the people tapping pebbles with their fingers and saying: "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ has divorced his wives" and this was before they were commanded to observe the veil. ‘Umar said: "I said: 'I will certainly find out about this today.'" He said: "So I entered upon ‘Aisha and said: 'O daughter of Abu Bakr, has it really come to the point that you would hurt the Messenger of Allah ﷺ?' She replied: 'What have I to do with you, O son of al-Khattab? Attend to your own affairs.' Then I entered upon Hafsa bint ‘Umar and said to her: 'O Hafsa, has it really come to the point that you would hurt the Messenger of Allah ﷺ? By Allah, you know that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ does not love you, and had it not been for me, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would have divorced you.' She wept bitterly. I asked her: 'Where is the Messenger of Allah ﷺ?' She said: 'He is in his private chamber in the upper room.' So I entered and found Rabah, the servant of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, sitting on the threshold of the upper room, with his feet hanging down onto a wooden step. It was a tree trunk by which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would climb up and descend. I called out: 'O Rabah, ask the Messenger of Allah ﷺ for permission for me to enter.' Rabah looked toward the room, then looked at me, but said nothing. I repeated: 'O Rabah, ask the Messenger of Allah ﷺ for permission for me to enter.' Rabah looked toward the room, then looked at me, but said nothing. Then I raised my voice and said: 'O Rabah, ask the Messenger of Allah ﷺ for permission for me to enter. I think the Messenger of Allah ﷺ believes that I have come because of Hafsa. By Allah, if the Messenger of Allah ﷺ were to order me to kill her by striking her neck, I would do so.' I raised my voice, and he gestured to me to climb up. So I entered upon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ while he was lying on a mat. I sat down, and he drew his lower garment around himself, for he was wearing nothing else. The mat had left marks on his side. I looked around the private chamber of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and saw a handful of barley, about a sa’, and an equal amount of acacia pods in one corner of the room, and a hanging water skin. My eyes began to shed tears. He asked: 'Why are you crying, O son of al-Khattab?' I replied: 'O Prophet of Allah, why should I not cry? This mat has left marks on your side, and this is all that I can see in your private chamber, while Caesar and Chosroes have fruits and rivers, and you are the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and His chosen one, and this is your private chamber.' He said: 'O son of al-Khattab, would you not be content that we have the Hereafter and they have the worldly life?' I replied: 'Indeed.' I entered upon him while I could see anger on his face, and I said: 'O Messenger of Allah, what is troubling you concerning your wives? If you have divorced them, then indeed Allah is with you, as are His angels, Gabriel, Michael, I, Abu Bakr, and the believers.' Whenever I spoke, and whenever I praised Allah with words, I hoped that Allah would confirm what I was saying. Then the following verse was revealed, the verse granting the Prophet's wives a choice: {Perhaps his Lord, if he divorced you [all], would substitute for him wives better than you }, and {And if you support one another against him, then indeed Allah is his Protector, and Gabriel and the righteous believers, and thereafter the angels are his supporters}. ‘Aisha bint Abi Bakr and Hafsa used to join together against the other wives of the Prophet ﷺ. I said: “O Messenger of Allah, have you divorced them?” He said: “No.” I said: “O Messenger of Allah, I entered the mosque and found the Muslims tapping pebbles with their fingers, saying: "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ has divorced his wives." Shall I go down and tell them that you have not divorced them?” He said: “Yes, if you wish.” I continued speaking with him until the anger left his face, until he smiled and laughed, and he had one of the most beautiful smiles among people. Then the Prophet of Allah ﷺ descended, and I descended with him. I went down holding onto the tree trunk, while the Messenger of Allah ﷺ descended as though he were walking on the ground, not touching it with his hands. I said: “O Messenger of Allah, you stayed in the upper room for only twenty-nine days?” He said: 'Indeed, a month may be twenty-nine days.” I then stood at the door of the mosque and called out at the top of my voice: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ has not divorced his wives.” Then this verse was revealed: {And when there comes to them information concerning security or fear, they spread it. But if they had referred it to the Messenger and to those in authority among them, those who are able to draw the correct conclusion from it would have known it}. Thus, I was the one who drew the correct conclusion regarding that matter. And Allah, Mighty and Majestic, revealed the verse granting the Prophet's wives a choice.