90/12. Chapter:

Sahih Bukhari 6972 — The Honey Incident

The trick by a woman with her husband

وَمَا نَزَلَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي ذَلِكَ.

Hadith About the Honey Incident and Household Honesty

Sahih BukhariHadith Number 6972

حَدَّثَنَا عُبَيْدُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو أُسَامَةَ، عَنْ هِشَامٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، قَالَتْ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يُحِبُّ الْحَلْوَاءَ، وَيُحِبُّ الْعَسَلَ، وَكَانَ إِذَا صَلَّى الْعَصْرَ أَجَازَ عَلَى نِسَائِهِ فَيَدْنُو مِنْهُنَّ، فَدَخَلَ عَلَى حَفْصَةَ، فَاحْتَبَسَ عِنْدَهَا أَكْثَرَ مِمَّا كَانَ يَحْتَبِسُ، فَسَأَلْتُ عَنْ ذَلِكَ فَقِيلَ لِي أَهْدَتِ امْرَأَةٌ مِنْ قَوْمِهَا عُكَّةَ عَسَلٍ، فَسَقَتْ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم مِنْهُ شَرْبَةً‏.‏ فَقُلْتُ أَمَا وَاللَّهِ لَنَحْتَالَنَّ لَهُ‏.‏ فَذَكَرْتُ ذَلِكَ لِسَوْدَةَ قُلْتُ إِذَا دَخَلَ عَلَيْكِ فَإِنَّهُ سَيَدْنُو مِنْكِ فَقُولِي لَهُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَكَلْتَ مَغَافِيرَ فَإِنَّهُ سَيَقُولُ لاَ‏.‏ فَقُولِي لَهُ مَا هَذِهِ الرِّيحُ وَكَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَشْتَدُّ عَلَيْهِ أَنْ تُوجَدُ مِنْهُ الرِّيحُ، فَإِنَّهُ سَيَقُولُ سَقَتْنِي حَفْصَةُ شَرْبَةَ عَسَلٍ‏.‏ فَقُولِي لَهُ جَرَسَتْ نَحْلُهُ الْعُرْفُطَ‏.‏ وَسَأَقُولُ ذَلِكَ، وَقُولِيهِ أَنْتِ يَا صَفِيَّةُ‏.‏ فَلَمَّا دَخَلَ عَلَى سَوْدَةَ، قُلْتُ تَقُولُ سَوْدَةُ وَالَّذِي لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ لَقَدْ كِدْتُ أَنْ أُبَادِرَهُ بِالَّذِي قُلْتِ لِي، وَإِنَّهُ لَعَلَى الْبَابِ فَرَقًا مِنْكِ، فَلَمَّا دَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَكَلْتَ مَغَافِيرَ قَالَ ‏"‏ لاَ ‏"‏‏.‏ قُلْتُ فَمَا هَذِهِ الرِّيحُ قَالَ ‏"‏ سَقَتْنِي حَفْصَةُ شَرْبَةَ عَسَلٍ ‏"‏‏.‏ قُلْتُ جَرَسَتْ نَحْلُهُ الْعُرْفُطَ‏.‏ فَلَمَّا دَخَلَ عَلَىَّ قُلْتُ لَهُ مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ‏.‏ وَدَخَلَ عَلَى صَفِيَّةَ فَقَالَتْ لَهُ مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ‏.‏ فَلَمَّا دَخَلَ عَلَى حَفْصَةَ قَالَتْ لَهُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَلاَ أَسْقِيكَ مِنْهُ قَالَ ‏"‏ لاَ حَاجَةَ لِي بِهِ ‏"‏‏.‏ قَالَتْ تَقُولُ سَوْدَةُ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ لَقَدْ حَرَمْنَاهُ‏.‏ قَالَتْ قُلْتُ لَهَا اسْكُتِي‏.‏

A'isha Narrated from:

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) used to like sweets and also used to like honey, and whenever he finished the `Asr prayer, he used to visit his wives and stay with them. Once he visited Hafsa and remained with her longer than the period he used to stay, so I enquired about it. It was said to me, "A woman from her tribe gave her a leather skin containing honey as a present, and she gave some of it to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) to drink."I said, "By Allah, we will play a trick on him." So I mentioned the story to Sauda (the wife of the Prophet) and said to her, "When he enters upon you, he will come near to you whereupon you should say to him, 'O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Have you eaten Maghafir?' He will say, 'No.' Then you say to him, 'What is this bad smell? ' And it would be very hard on Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) that a bad smell should be found on his body. He will say, 'Hafsa has given me a drink of honey.' Then you should say to him, 'Its bees must have sucked from the Al-`Urfut (a foul smelling flower).' I too, will tell him the same. And you, O Saifya, say the same."So when the Prophet (ﷺ) entered upon Sauda (the following happened). Sauda said, "By Him except Whom none has the right to be worshipped, I was about to say to him what you had told me to say while he was still at the gate because of fear from you. But when Allah 's Apostle came near to me, I said to him, 'O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Have you eaten Maghafir?' He replied, 'No.' I said, 'What about this smell?' He said, 'Hafsa has given me a drink of honey.' I said, 'Its bees must have sucked Al-`Urfut.' "When he entered upon me, I told him the same as that, and when he entered upon Safiya, she too told him the same. So when he visited Hafsa again, she said to him, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Shall I give you a drink of it (honey)?" He said, "I have no desire for it." Sauda said, Subhan Allah! We have deprived him of it (honey)." I said to her, "Be quiet!"

[1] Maghāfir is a bad smelling resin of a tree.Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 6972In-book reference : Book 90, Hadith 19USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 9, Book 86, Hadith 102

Summary of Sahih Bukhari Hadith 6972

This Hadith is often searched as the hadith about honey and Maghafir. Aisha رضي الله عنها narrated that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم liked sweets and honey. After Asr, he would visit his wives. When he stayed longer with Hafsa because she gave him honey, Aisha planned with others to say that they noticed a bad smell and to ask if he had eaten Maghafir. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم disliked that any unpleasant smell be found on him, so when the same statement was repeated, he later said he had no need for the honey. The report ends with Sauda saying that they had deprived him of it. The text teaches how words inside a home can affect someone’s choices.

What we learn from this hadith

  • The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم liked honey and sweets, as stated in the report.
  • Repeated words from trusted people can influence a decision.
  • The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم cared that no bad smell be found on him.
  • Plans made in private can have real effects on others.

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