Sunan Abi Dawud

My people married me to a Roman slave-girl of theirs. I had intercourse with her, and she gave birth to a black (male) child like me. I named it Abdullah. I again had intercourse with her, and she gave birth to a black (male) child like me. I named it Ubaydullah. Then a Roman slave of my people, called Yuhannah, incited her, and spoke to her in his own unintelligible language. She gave birth to a son like a chameleon (red). I asked her: What is this? She replied: This belongs to Yuhannah. We then brought the case to Uthman (for a decision). I think Mahdi said these words. He inquired from both of them, and they acknowledged (the facts). He then said to them: Do you agree that I take the decision about you, which the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had taken? The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) decided that the child was to attributed to the one on whose bed it was born. And I think he said: He flogged her and flogged him, for they were slaves.

A woman said: Messenger of Allah, my womb is a vessel to this son of mine, my breasts, a water-skin for him, and my lap a guard for him, yet his father has divorced me, and wants to take him away from me. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: You have more right to him as long as you do not marry.

While I was sitting with AbuHurayrah, a Persian woman came to him along with a son of hers. She had been divorced by her husband and they both claimed him. She said: AbuHurayrah, speaking to him in Persian, my husband wishes to take my son away. AbuHurayrah said: Cast lots for him, saying it to her in a foreign language. Then her husband came and asked: Who is disputing with me about my son? AbuHurayrah said: O Allah, I do not say this, except that I heard a woman who came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) while I was sitting with him, and she said: My husband wishes to take away my son, Messenger of Allah, and he draws water for me from the well of AbuInabah, and he has been good to me. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Cast lots for him. Her husband said: Who is disputing with me about my son? The Prophet (ﷺ) said: This is your father and this your mother, so take whichever of them you wish by the hand. So he took his mother's hand and she went away with him.

Zayd ibn Harithah went out to Mecca and brought the daughter of Hamzah with him. Then Ja'far said: I shall take her; I have more right to her; she is my uncle's daughter and her maternal aunt is my wife; the maternal aunt is like mother. Ali said: I am more entitled to take her. She is my uncle's daughter. The daughter of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) is my wife, and she has more right to her. Zayd said: I have more right to her. I went out and journeyed to her, and brought her with me. The Prophet (ﷺ) came out. The narrator mentioned the rest of the tradition. He (i.e. the Prophet) said: As for the girl, I decided in favour of Ja'far. She will live with her maternal aunt. The maternal aunt is like mother.

This tradition has been narrated by ‘Abd Al Rahman bin Abi Laila through a different chain of narrators. This version has “He decided that she would be given to Ja’far and said “Her maternal aunt is with him(i.e., his wife).

When we came out from Mecca, Hamzah's daughter pursued us crying: My uncle. Ali lifted her and took her by the hand. (Addressing Fatimah he said:) Take your uncle's daughter. She then lifted her. The narrator then transmitted the rest of the tradition. Ja'far said: She is my uncle's daughter. Her maternal aunt is my wife. The Prophet (ﷺ) decided in favour of her maternal aunt, and said: The maternal aunt is like mother.

Asma', daughter of Yazid ibn as-Sakan al-Ansariyyah, was divorced in the time of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). No waiting period was prescribed for a divorced woman (at that time). When Asma' was divorced, Allah, the Exalted, sent down the injunction of waiting period for divorce. She is the first of the divorced women about whom the verse relating to waiting period was sent down.

Women who are divorced shall wait, keeping themselves apart, three monthly courses; and then said: And for such of your women as despair of menstruation, if ye doubt, their period (of waiting) shall be three months. This was abrogated from the former verse. Again he said: (O ye who believe, if ye wed believing women) and divorce them before ye have touched them, then there is no period that ye should reckon."

The Prophet (ﷺ) divorced Hafsah, but he took her back in marriage.

Abu Salamah bin ‘Abd Al Rahman reported on the authority of Fatimah daughter of Qais Abu ‘Amr bin Hafs divorced her (Fatimah daughter of Qais) absolutely when he was away from home and his agent sent her home barley. She was displeased with it. He said “I swear by Allah, you have no claim on us. She then came to Apostle of Allah (ﷺ) and mentioned that to him. He said to her “No maintenance is due to you from him. He ordered her to spend the waiting period in the house of Umm Sharik but he said afterwards “that is a woman whom my Companions visit. Spend the waiting period in the house of Ibn Umm Maktum for he is blind and you can undress. Then when you are in a position of being remarried, tell me.” She said “When I was in a position to remarry, I mentioned to him that Mu’awiyah bin Abi Sufyan and Abu Jahm had asked me in marriage. The Apostle of Allah (ﷺ)said “As for Abu Jahm, he does not put down his stick from his shoulder, and as for Mu’awiyah he is a poor man who has no property; marry Usamah bin Zaid. I disliked him but he said “Marry Usamah bin Zaid. So, I married him. And Allah prospered him very much and I was envied.”

Abu Salamah bin ‘Abd Al Rahman said that Fatimah daughter of Qais told him that Abu Hafs Al Mughirah divorced her three times. He then narrated the rest of the tradition. The version has Khalid bin Walid and some people of Banu Makhzum came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said Prophet of Allaah (ﷺ) Abu Hafs Al Mughirah divorced his wife three times and he has left a little for her. He said “No maintenance is necessary for her. He then transmitted the rest of the tradition. The tradition narrated by Malik is more perfect.

Abu Salamah reported on the authority of Fatimah daughter of Qais that Abu ‘Amr bin Hafs Al Makhzumi divorced her three times. He then narrated the rest of the tradition. He then mentioned about Khalid bin Walid and said that the Prophet (ﷺ) said “There are no maintenance and dwelling for her.” This version has “The Apostle of Allaah(ﷺ) sent a message to her “Do not give her consent for marriage without my permission.””

Fatimah daughter of Qais said “I was married to a man of Banu Makhzum. He divorced me absolutely. The narrator then transmitted the rest of the tradition like that of Malik. This version has “Do not marry yourself without my permission.” Abu Dawud said Al Sha’bi, Al Bahiyy and ata from abd Al Rahman bin asim and Abu Bakr bin Abi Al Jahm all narrated on the authority of Fatimah daughter of Qais that her husband had divorced her three times.

The tradition mentioned above has also been transmitted by Al Sha’bi through a different chain of narrators. This version has “The husband of Fathima daughter of Qais pronounced her triple divorce. The Prophet (ﷺ) did not allow her to have maintenance and dwelling.”

Aisha objected to Fatimah daughter of Qays. Abu Dawud said: Salih b. Kaisan, Ibn Juraij, and Shu'aib b. Abi Hamzah -- all of them narrated on the authority of al-Zuhru in a similar way. Abu Dawud said: Shu'aibn b. Abi Hamzah the name of Abu Hamzah is Dinar. He is a client of Ziyad.

‘Ubaid Allah said “Marwan sent someone (Qabisah) to Fatimah and asked her (about the case). She said that she was the wife of Abu Hafs. The Prophet (ﷺ) appointed ‘Ali as governor in a certain part of Yemen. Her husband also proceeded with him. From there he sent a message to her pronouncing one divorce that had yet remained. He commanded ‘Ayyash bin Abi Rabi’ah and Al Harith bin Hisham to provide maintenance to her. They said “By Allah there is no sustenance for her except in case she is pregnant.” She came to the Prophet(ﷺ) who said “There is no sustenance for you except in case you are pregnant. She then asked permission to shift (from her house) and he gave her permission.” She asked “Where should I shift. Apostle of Allaah(ﷺ)? The Apostle of Allaah(ﷺ) said to Ibn Umm Maktum . He was blind. She would undress herself and he could not see her. She lived there till her waiting period passed. The Prophet (ﷺ) married her to Usamah. Qabisah then returned to Marwan and narrated that to him. Marwan said “We did not hear this tradition except from a woman, so we shall follow the reliable practice on which we found the people”. When this reached Fatimah she said “between me and you is the Book of Allah”. Allaah the exalted said “Divorce them for their waiting period...” Thou knowest not it may be that Allaah will afterward bring some new thing to pass. She said “What a new thing will emerge after triple divorce.” Abu Dawud said “A similar tradition has been narrated by Yunus on the authority of Al Zuhri. As for Al Zubaidi he narrated both traditions, the tradition of ‘Ubaid Allah in the version of Ma’mar and the tradition of Abu Salamah in the version of ‘Aqil.” Abu Dawud said “Muhammad bin Ishaq narrated on the authority of Al Zuhri that Qabisah bin Dhuwaib transmitted to him the version which was narrated by ‘Ubaid Allah bin ‘Abd Allaah which has Qabisah then returned to Marwan and informed him about that.”

Abu Ishaq said “I was with Al Aswad in the congregational mosque. He said “Fathimah daughter of Qais came to ‘Umar bin Al Khattab(may Allaah be pleased with him). (When she narrated the tradition about her divorce) he said “We are not to leave the Book of our Lord and the Sunnah of our Prophet (ﷺ) for the statement of a woman, we do not know whether she remembered it or not.”

Aisha (Allah be pleased with her) severely objected to the tradition of Fatimah daughter of Qays. She said: Fatimah lived in a desolate house and she feared for her loneliness there. Hence the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) accorded permission to her (to leave the place).

Aisha was asked: Did you not see (i.e. known) the statement of Fatimah? She replied: It is not good for her to mention it (to others).

Sulaimah bin Yasar said about leaving the house by Fathimah “That was due to her bad manners.”