روي أنه قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: خير نساء ركبن الإبل صالح نساء قريش أحناه على ولد في صغره وأرعاه على زوج في ذات يده.
It is narrated that the Prophet (pbuh) said: The best among women to have ridden a camel1 are the pious women of Qureish2. They are the most caring for a child in his early years and they are the most guarding of a spouse, with regard to his wealth3.
General Notes
1- Implying the Arab women.
2- According to some of the narratives the Prophet (pbuh) made this remark when Umm Haaniy told him that she could not marry him because she wanted to attend to her young children who required her full attention because of their raw age and because she did not want her children to disturb the Prophet (pbuh) all through the day.
3- The Prophet has explained why he considers the women of Qureish to be the best among all women of Arabia. These qualities include being their being the best mothers for their children and the best wives for their husbands. It is clear that from the point of view of a healthy household, the two most important features are a pious and caring mother, who provides the foundation of a pious and a united family unit and a wife that guards against wastage and squandering of the husband’s wealth.
Notes on the Text of the Narrative:
This narrative, with some variations, has been reported in Bukhariy’s narrative no. 3251, 4794 and 5050, Muslim’s narrative no. 2527a, b, c, d, e and f, Ahmad ibn Hanbal’s narrative no. 2926, 7637, 7695, 8227, 9102, 9796, 10061, 10532 and 16971, Ibn Hibban’s narrative no. 6267 and 6268, Nassaiy’s Sunan al-Kubraa’s narrative no. 9134, Bayhaqiy’s narrative no. 14493, Abu Ya`laa’s narrative no. 2686 and 6673, Humaydiy’s narrative no. 1047, Abd al-Razzaq’s narrative no. 20603 and 20604 and Ibn Abi Shaybah’s narrative no. 32401, 32402 and 32403.
In some narratives, as for instance in Muslim’s narrative no. 2527d, it is reported that the Prophet said these words when he proposed to Umm Haaniy and she excused herself on the grounds that she had to look after the infants from her previous husband.
In some narratives, as for instance in Bukhariy’s narrative no. 3251, the sentence "خير نساء ركبن الإبل صالح نساء قريش" (i.e., ‘The best among women to have ridden a camel are the pious women of Qureish’) has been reported as "نساء قريش خير نساء ركبن الإبل" (i.e., ‘The women of Qureish are the best of all women to have ridden a camel’); in Ahmad ibn Hanbal’s narrative no. 2926 this sentence has been reported as "خير نساء ركبن أعجاز الإبل صالح نساء قريش" (i.e., ‘the best among women to have ridden the back of a camel are the pious women of Qureish’); in Ahmad ibn Hanbal’s narrative no. 7637 this sentence has been reported as "خير نساء ركبن نساء قريش" (i.e., ‘the best among women to have ridden [a camel] are the women of Qureish’); in Ahmad ibn Hanbal’s narrative no. 16971, this sentence has been reported as "خير نسوة ركبن الإبل صالح نساء قريش" (i.e., ‘the best of the womankind to have ridden a camel are the pious women of Qureish’); while in Ibn Abi Shaybah’s narrative no. 32403, this sentence has been reported as "خير نساء ركبن الإبل صالحة نساء قريش" (i.e., ‘the best among women to have ridden a camel are the pious women of Qureish’).
In some narratives, as for instance in Bukhariy’s narrative no. 3251, the phrase "أحناه على ولد في صغره" (i.e., ‘They are the most caring for a child in his early years’) have been reported as "أحناه على طفل"(i.e., ‘The are the most caring for an infant’); in Muslim’s narrative no. 2527a, this phrase has been reported as "أحناه على يتيم في صغره" (i.e., ‘They are the most caring for an orphan in his early years’); while in Ahmad ibn Hanbal’s narrative no. 9102, the phrase has been reported as "أحناه على ولد" (i.e., ‘They are the most caring for a child’).
In some narratives, as for instance in Ahmad ibn Hanbal’s narrative no. 8695, the phrase "أرعاه على زوج" (i.e., ‘they are the most guarding of a spouse’) has been reported as "أرعاه لزوج" (i.e., ‘they are the most guarding towards a spouse’) and in Abu Ya`laa’s narrative no. 2686, this phrase has been reported as "أرعاه على بعل" (i.e., ‘they are most guarding for a husband’).
In Ibn Hibban’s narrative no. 6268, there is an addition of the words "ولم تركب مريم بنت عمران بعيرا قط" (i.e., ‘and Maryam bint Imraan never rode a camel’). However, it is clear from many other narratives, including Bukhariy’s narrative no. 3251, that this sentence is not a part of the saying of the Prophet (pbuh), but was actually a clarification given by Abu Hurairah (ra).
In Ahmad ibn Hanbal’s narrative no. 10061, this narrative has been reported as:
روي أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: خير نساء ركين الإبل أحناه على ولده وأرعاه على زوج في ذات يده يعني نساء قريش.
‘It is narrated that the Prophet (pbuh) said: The best among women to have ridden a camel are those who are the most caring for their child and the most guarding of a spouse, with regard to his wealth, he meant the women of Qureish.’
In some narratives, as for instance in Ahmad ibn Hanbal’s narrative no. 2926, the background of the saying of the Prophet is given in some detail. The complete report is reproduced below:
روي أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم خطب امرأة من قومه يقال لها سودة وكانت مصبية كان لها خمسة صبية أو ستة من بعل لها مات. فقال لها رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: ما يمنعك مني؟ قالت والله، يا نبي الله، ما يمنعني منك أن لا تكون أحب البرية الي، ولكني أكرمك أن يضغوا هؤلاء الصبية عند رأسك بكرة وعشية. قال: فهل منعك مني شيء غير ذلك؟ قالت لا، والله. قال لها رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: يرحمك الله ان خير نساء ركبن أعجاز الإبل صالح نساء قريش، أحناه علي ولد في صغر وأرعاه على بعل بذات يد.
‘It is narrated that the Prophet (pbuh) proposed to a woman of his tribe, whose name was Saudah and who had five or six young children from a husband, who had died. So the Prophet (pbuh) asked her: What stops you from marrying me? She replied: By God, Prophet of God, what stops me from marrying you that you may want to do good to me, but I respect you to allow these children to scream around you night and day. The Prophet (pbuh) asked her: Is there anything else that stops you from marrying me? She replied: No, by God. The Prophet (pbuh) said to her: God have mercy on you. Indeed the best among women to have ridden the back of a camel are the pious women of Qureish. They are the most caring for a child in his early years and they are the most guarding of a spouse, with regard to his wealth.’
In Ahmad ibn Hanbal’s narrative no. 7637, the name of the woman to whom the Prophet (pbuh) proposed was not Saudah, as has been reported in Ahmad ibn Hanbal’s narrative no. 2926, but was actually Umm Haaniy. Al-Albaniy has commented that this woman was actually Umm Haaniy and not Saudah (Silsilah al-ahadith al-sahihah, Vol 6, Pg. 63).
(This write-up is prepared by the Hadith Cell of Javed Ahmad Ghamidi)
