13.

Divorce

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كتاب الطلاق

Humaid ibn Nafi' reported the following three traditions on the authority of Zainab, daughter of Abu Salamah (رضي الله تعالى عنها). Zainab (رضئ ُهللا تعالی عنہا) said ‘I visited Ummul Momineen Umm Habibah (رضئ هللا ُتعالی عنہا) when her father Abu Sufyan (رضئ هللا ُتعالی عنہ), died. She asked for some yellow perfume containing saffron (khaluq) or something else. Then she applied it to a girl and touched her cheeks.’ She said ‘I have no need to have perfume, but I heard the Apostle of Allah (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) say, ‘it is not lawful for a woman who believes in Allah (جَلَّ ذُو) and the Last Day to observe mourning for one who has died, more than three nights, except for four months and ten days in the case of a husband.’ Zainab (رضي الله تعالى عنها) said ‘I also visited Ummul Momineen Zainab bint Jahsh (ُرضي الله تعالى عنها), when her brother died. She asked for some perfume and used it upon herself.’ She then said ‘I have no need of perfume, but I heard the Apostle of Allah ( صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) say when he was on the pulpit ‘it is not lawful for a woman who believes in Allah (جَلَّ ذُو) and the Last Day to observe mourning for one who has died, more than three nights, except for four months and ten days in the case of a husband.’ Zainab (رضئ ُهللا تعالی عنہا) said ‘I heard my mother, Ummul Momineen Umm Salamah (رضي الله تعالى عنها), say ‘a woman came to the Apostle of Allah (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) and said ‘Apostle of Allah (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم), the husband of my daughter has died, and she is suffering from sore eyes; may we put antimony in her eyes?’ The Apostle of Allah ( صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) said ‘no.’ He said this twice or thrice. Each time he said ‘no.’ The Apostle of Allah (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) said ‘the waiting period is now four months and ten days. In pre-Islamic days one of you used to throw away a piece of dung at the end of a year.’ Humayd said ‘I asked Zainab (رضي الله تعالى عنها), what do you mean by throwing away a piece of dung at the end of a year.’ She replied ‘when the husband of a woman died, she entered a small cell (ُ ِ فْشالْح) and put on shabby clothes, not touching perfume or any other thing until a year passed. Then an animal such as donkey or sheep or bird was provided for her. She rubbed herself with it. The animal with which she rubbed herself rarely survived. She then came out and was given a piece of dung which she threw away. She then used perfume or something else which she desired. Imam Abu Dawood said ‘the Arabic word hifsh (ُ ِ فْشالْح) means a small cell (room).