'A'isha said, "I used to eat date and butter mixture with the
Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. 'Umar visited and the
Prophet invited him and he ate. 'Umar's hand touched my fingers and he
said, 'Oh! If I were to be obeyed about you, no eye would ever see you!'
Then the veil was revealed."
Tha'laba ibn Abi Malik al-Qurazi reported that he rode to 'Abdullah
ibn Suwayd, one of the Banu Haritha ibn al-Harith, to ask him about the
three times of nakedness. 'Abdullah used to observe these times. Tha'laba
said, "'Abdullah asked, 'What do you want?' I replied, 'I want to observe
them.' He said, 'When I take off my garment at midday, none of my family
who have reached puberty comes to me without my permission unless I call
them. Nor do they do that when it is Fajr until people know that I have
prayed, nor when I have prayed 'Isha' and removed my clothes so that I
can sleep.'"
Umm Habiba bint Qays (Khawla) was heard to say, "My hand and that
of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, mixed
together in the same vessel."
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ صَالِحٍ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنِي اللَّيْثُ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنِي عُقَيْلٌ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنِي أَنَسٌ، أَنَّهُ كَانَ ابْنَ عَشْرِ سِنِينَ مَقْدَمَ رَسُولِ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم الْمَدِينَةَ، فَكُنَّ أُمَّهَاتِي يُوَطِّوَنَّنِي عَلَى خِدْمَتِهِ، فَخَدَمْتُهُ عَشْرَ سِنِينَ، وَتُوُفِّيَ وَأَنَا ابْنُ عِشْرِينَ، فَكُنْتُ أَعْلَمَ النَّاسِ بِشَأْنِ الْحِجَابِ، فَكَانَ أَوَّلُ مَا نَزَلَ مَا ابْتَنَى رَسُولُ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِزَيْنَبَ بِنْتِ جَحْشٍ، أَصْبَحَ بِهَا عَرُوسًا، فَدَعَى الْقَوْمَ فَأَصَابُوا مِنَ الطَّعَامِ، ثُمَّ خَرَجُوا، وَبَقِيَ رَهْطٌ عِنْدَ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم، فَأَطَالُوا الْمُكْثَ، فَقَامَ فَخَرَجَ وَخَرَجْتُ لِكَيْ يَخْرُجُوا، فَمَشَى فَمَشَيْتُ مَعَهُ، حَتَّى جَاءَ عَتَبَةَ حُجْرَةِ عَائِشَةَ، ثُمَّ ظَنَّ أَنَّهُمْ خَرَجُوا، فَرَجَعَ وَرَجَعْتُ مَعَهُ حَتَّى دَخَلَ عَلَى زَيْنَبَ، فَإِذَا هُمْ جُلُوسٌ، فَرَجَعَ وَرَجَعْتُ حَتَّى بَلَغَ عَتَبَةَ حُجْرَةِ عَائِشَةَ، وَظَنَّ أَنَّهُمْ خَرَجُوا، فَرَجَعَ وَرَجَعْتُ مَعَهُ، فَإِذَا هُمْ قَدْ خَرَجُوا، فَضَرَبَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَهُ السِّتْرَ، وَأَنْزَلَ الْحِجَابَ.
Anas said that he was ten years old when the Messenger of Allah,
may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came to Madina. He said, "My mothers
decided that I would serve him and I served him for ten years. He died
when I was twenty. I am the person who knows best about the business of
the veil. The first instance that was revealed occurred when the Messenger
of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, built a room for Zaynab
bint Jahsh. He celebrated the wedding there, invited the people who came,
ate and then left. A group remained with the Prophet, may Allah bless him
and grant him peace. They stayed for a long time and then the Prophet went
out and I went out hoping that they would leave. He walked and I walked
with him until he came to the threshold of 'A'isha's room. Then, thinking
that they would have left, he returned and I returned with him. He went
to Zaynab but they were still sitting there. He left again and I left with
him until he once more reached the threshold of 'A'isha's room. When he
thought that they would have gone, he went back again and I went back with
him. This time they had indeed left. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and
grant him peace, then put up a curtain between me and him, and the veil
was revealed."
