67/93. Chapter:
Sahih Bukhari 5203 — The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم Did Not Divorce His Wives
The decision of the Prophet (saws) not to share the beds with his wives and to stay away
وَيُذْكَرُ عَنْ مُعَاوِيَةَ بْنِ حَيْدَةَ رَفْعُهُ: «غَيْرَ أَنْ لاَ تُهْجَرَ إِلاَّ فِي الْبَيْتِ». وَالأَوَّلُ أَصَحُّ.
Hadith About the Prophet’s Oath and the Rumor of Divorce
Sahih Bukhari : 5203
Sahih BukhariHadith Number 5203
حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، حَدَّثَنَا مَرْوَانُ بْنُ مُعَاوِيَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو يَعْفُورٍ، قَالَ تَذَاكَرْنَا عِنْدَ أَبِي الضُّحَى فَقَالَ حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ، قَالَ أَصْبَحْنَا يَوْمًا وَنِسَاءُ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَبْكِينَ، عِنْدَ كُلِّ امْرَأَةٍ مِنْهُنَّ أَهْلُهَا، فَخَرَجْتُ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ، فَإِذَا هُوَ مَلآنُ مِنَ النَّاسِ فَجَاءَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ فَصَعِدَ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَهْوَ فِي غُرْفَةٍ لَهُ، فَسَلَّمَ فَلَمْ يُجِبْهُ أَحَدٌ، ثُمَّ سَلَّمَ فَلَمْ يُجِبْهُ أَحَدٌ، ثُمَّ سَلَّمَ فَلَمْ يُجِبْهُ أَحَدٌ، فَنَادَاهُ فَدَخَلَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ أَطَلَّقْتَ نِسَاءَكَ فَقَالَ " لاَ وَلَكِنْ آلَيْتُ مِنْهُنَّ شَهْرًا ". فَمَكَثَ تِسْعًا وَعِشْرِينَ، ثُمَّ دَخَلَ عَلَى نِسَائِهِ.
Ibn 'Abbas Narrated from:
One morning we saw the wives of the Prophet (ﷺ) weeping, and everyone of them had her family with her, I went to the mosque and found that it was crowded with people. Then `Umar bin Al-Khattab came and went up to the Prophet (ﷺ) who was in his upper room. He greeted him but nobody answered. He greeted again, but nobody answered. Then the gatekeeper called him and he entered upon the Prophet, and asked, "Have you divorced your wives?" The Prophet, said, "No, but I have taken an oath not to go to them for one month." So the Prophet (ﷺ) stayed away (from his wives) for twenty nine days and then entered upon them.
Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 5203In-book reference : Book 67, Hadith 137USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 7, Book 62, Hadith 131
Summary of Sahih Bukhari Hadith 5203
This hadith about the Prophet’s oath shows how a serious rumor was corrected. Ibn Abbas describes a morning when the wives of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) were weeping and the mosque was full of people. Umar went to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم), who was in his upper room, and asked the main question: “Have you divorced your wives?” The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) answered, “No,” and explained that he had taken an oath not to go to them for one month. The report then says he stayed away for twenty-nine days and entered upon them. The core message is clarity. People were worried, but the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) clearly separated an oath of staying away from divorce.
What we learn from this hadith
- A serious rumor should be checked with clarity.
- The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم clearly said he had not divorced his wives.
- An oath to stay away is not the same wording as divorce in this report.
- The narration again links the month with twenty-nine days.
