27/10. Chapter:
Sunan an-Nasai 3409 — Irrevocable Divorce and Return
The Irrevocable Divorce
Irrevocable Divorce and Return: The Case of Rifa'ah’s Former Wife
Sunan an-Nasai : 3409
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 3409
أَخْبَرَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ عَلِيٍّ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا يَزِيدُ بْنُ زُرَيْعٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا مَعْمَرٌ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، عَنْ عُرْوَةَ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، قَالَتْ جَاءَتِ امْرَأَةُ رِفَاعَةَ الْقُرَظِيِّ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَأَبُو بَكْرٍ عِنْدَهُ فَقَالَتْ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنِّي كُنْتُ تَحْتَ رِفَاعَةَ الْقُرَظِيِّ فَطَلَّقَنِي الْبَتَّةَ فَتَزَوَّجْتُ عَبْدَ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنَ الزَّبِيرِ وَأَنَّهُ وَاللَّهِ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مَا مَعَهُ إِلاَّ مِثْلَ هَذِهِ الْهُدْبَةِ وَأَخَذَتْ هُدْبَةً مِنْ جِلْبَابِهَا وَخَالِدُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ بِالْبَابِ فَلَمْ يُأْذَنْ لَهُ فَقَالَ يَا أَبَا بَكْرٍ أَلاَ تَسْمَعُ هَذِهِ تَجْهَرُ بِمَا تَجْهَرُ بِهِ عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم . فَقَالَ " تُرِيدِينَ أَنْ تَرْجِعِي إِلَى رِفَاعَةَ لاَ حَتَّى تَذُوقِي عُسَيْلَتَهُ وَيَذُوقَ عُسَيْلَتَكِ " .
A'isha Narrated from:
The wife of Rifa'ah Al-Qurazi came to the Prophet when Abu Bakr was with him, and she said: 'O Messenger of Allah! I was married to Rifa'ah Al-Qurazi and he divorced me, and made it irrevocable. Then I married 'Abdur-Rahman bin Az-Zabir, and by Allah, O Messenger of Allah, what he has is like this fringe;' and she held up a fringe of her Jilbab.Khalid bin Sa'eed was at the door and he did not let him in. He said: 'O Abu Bakr? Do you not hear this woman speaking in such an audacious manner in the presence of the Messenger of Allah?' He said: 'Do you want to go back to Rifa'ah? No, not until you taste his sweetness and he tastes your sweetness.'
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 3409In-book reference : Book 27, Hadith 21English translation : Vol. 4, Book 27, Hadith 3438
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 3409
This Hadith gives more detail about the wife of Rifa'ah Al-Qurazi. She came to the Prophet while Abu Bakr was with him. She said Rifa'ah had divorced her and made the divorce final. Then she married 'Abdur-Rahman bin Az-Zabir, but described his condition by holding a fringe of her Jilbab. Khalid bin Sa'eed, who was at the door, reacted to how openly she spoke. The Prophet’s answer focused on the legal point: did she want to return to Rifa'ah? She could not do so until she tasted the sweetness of the second husband and he tasted hers. The Hadith shows that the ruling did not change because the matter was emotional or openly stated.
What we learn from this hadith
- A final divorce changes the path back to the first husband.
- The Prophet answered the legal issue despite the sensitive wording.
- The stated condition involved real marital consummation.
- Feelings alone do not remove the limits mentioned in the Hadith.
