Hadith #144

Arabic Text

English Translation

Abū al-Naḍr Hāshim ibn al-Qāsim narrated to us, he said: al-Mubārak — meaning Ibn Faḍālah — narrated to us, he said: Abū ʿImrān al-Jawnī narrated to us, from Rabīʿah al-Aslamī, who said: I used to serve the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ, and he said: "O Rabīʿah, will you not marry?" I said: By Allāh, O Messenger of Allāh, I do not wish to marry. I do not have what would support a wife, and I do not want anything to distract me from you. He turned away from me. I served him as I served him, then he said to me a second time: "O Rabīʿah, will you not marry?" I said: I do not wish to marry. I do not have what would support a wife, and I do not want anything to distract me from you. He turned away from me. Then I reflected and said: By Allāh, the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ knows better than I what is good for me in this world and the Hereafter. By Allāh, if he says 'marry' again, I will say: Yes, O Messenger of Allāh, command me as you wish. He said: "O Rabīʿah, will you not marry?" I said: Yes, command me as you wish. He said: "Go to the family of so-and-so, a clan of the Anṣār" — and they had been somewhat distant from the Prophet ﷺ — "and say to them: The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ has sent me to you, commanding you to marry me to so-and-so" — a woman among them. So I went and told them: The Messenger of Allāh sent me to you, commanding you to marry me to so-and-so. They said: Welcome to the Messenger of Allāh and to the messenger of the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ! By Allāh, the messenger of the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ shall not return without his need fulfilled. They married me to her, were gracious to me, and did not ask me for proof [of the Prophet ﷺ's message]. I returned to the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ grieved. He said: "What is the matter, O Rabīʿah?" I said: O Messenger of Allāh, I came to noble people and they married me and honored me and were gracious to me and did not ask me for proof, but I have no dowry. The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said: "O Buraydah al-Aslamī, collect for him the weight of a date-stone in gold." They collected for me the weight of a date-stone in gold. I took what they collected and brought it to the Prophet ﷺ, who said: "Take this to them and say: This is her dowry." I went to them and said: This is her dowry. They accepted it and were pleased, saying: Much and good. Then I returned to the Prophet ﷺ grieved. He said: "O Rabīʿah, why are you grieved?" I said: O Messenger of Allāh, I have never seen a more generous people. They were pleased with what I gave them and treated me well and said 'much and good,' but I have nothing for the wedding feast. He said: "O Buraydah, collect for him a sheep." They collected for me a large, fat ram. The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said to me: "Go to ʿĀʾishah and tell her to send the basket that has the food in it." I went to her and told her what the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ had ordered. She said: Here is the basket with nine ṣāʿ of barley. By Allāh, we have no other food left — take it. I took it and brought it to the Prophet ﷺ and told him what ʿĀʾishah had said. He said: "Take this to them and tell them to have it baked into bread by morning." I went to them and took the ram, and some men from Aslam were with me. He said: Let this be bread by morning and this be cooked. They said: As for the bread, we will take care of it for you. As for the ram, you take care of it. So we — I and some men from Aslam — took the ram, slaughtered it, skinned it, and cooked it. By morning we had bread and meat. I held the wedding feast and invited the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ. Then he said: The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ gave me a piece of land, and Abū Bakr gave me a piece of land. Then worldly matters came and we disputed over a cluster of a date palm. I said: It is within my boundary. Abū Bakr said: It is within my boundary. Words passed between us, and Abū Bakr said a word he regretted. He said to me: O Rabīʿah, say back to me the same, so that it is even. I said: I will not. Abū Bakr said: You will say it, or I will seek the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ against you. I said: I will not do it. He gave up the land. Abū Bakr رضي الله عنه went to the Prophet ﷺ, and I followed him. Some men from Aslam came and said to me: May Allāh have mercy on Abū Bakr — for what would he seek the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ against you when he is the one who said what he said to you? I said: Do you know who this is? This is Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq. This is the second of two. This is the elder of the Muslims. Beware! Do not let him look back and see you supporting me against him, for he would become angry and go to the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ, who would become angry for his anger, and Allāh عز وجل would become angry for both their anger, and Rabīʿah would be destroyed. They said: What do you command us? He said: Go back. Abū Bakr رضي الله عنه went to the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ, and I followed him alone until he reached the Prophet ﷺ and told him the story as it was. He raised his head to me and said: "O Rabīʿah, what happened between you and al-Ṣiddīq?" I said: O Messenger of Allāh, such-and-such happened. He said a word to me he regretted and told me to say the same back to him so it would be even, but I refused. The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said: "Indeed. Do not say it back to him. But say: May Allāh forgive you, O Abū Bakr." So I said: May Allāh forgive you, O Abū Bakr. Al-Ḥasan said: Then Abū Bakr رضي الله عنه turned away weeping.