that she does not crave it (1), would that be counted as a lie?’
He answered, ‘Every lie is written down, so much so that even a small fib is recorded as a lie (2).’
This ḥadith is munkar (irregular); we know it only through the route of Abū Shaddād and it is not widely circulated. Ibn Jurayj also transmitted it from him.
Moreover, it is erroneous, for Asmāʾ was in Abyssinia with Jaʿfar ibn Abī Ṭālib at the time of ʿĀʾishah’s wedding, and we are unaware of Mujāhid ever hearing from Asmāʾ. Perhaps the narrator meant Asmāʾ bint Yazīd, for she related the latter part of this report (3).
Zakariyyā ibn Abī Zāʾidah—through Khālid ibn Salamah, from al-Bahī, from ʿUrwah—reported:
ʿĀʾishah said, ‘I was unaware until Zaynab entered upon me without permission, furious. She then said to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, “I suppose that when the little daughter of Abū Bakr rolls up her two sleeves for you (4) …”
After that she turned on me, and I turned away from her. Then the Prophet ﷺ said, “Go ahead…’’
(1) The printed edition of the Musnad reads: “I have no desire for it.”
(2) Musnad, vol. 6, p. 438.
(3) See Musnad, vol. 6, pp. 452-453; Ibn Majah, no. 3298, which contains the transmitter Shahr ibn Hawshab. Ahmad also records it at length (Musnad, 6/458) through the chain: Abu al-Yaman – Shuayb – Abd Allah ibn Abi Husayn – Shahr ibn Hawshab, who related:
“Asma bint Yazid ibn al-Sakan, one of the women of Banu Abd al-Ashhal, once received the Prophet ﷺ. She set food before him, but he said, ‘I have no desire for it.’ She said: ‘I prepared Aishah for the Messenger of Allah, and when I later invited him to her unveiling he came and sat beside her. A bowl of milk was brought; he drank from it, then handed it to her. She lowered her head out of modesty. I scolded her, saying, “Take it from the hand of the Messenger of Allah.” She did so and drank a little. Then the Prophet ﷺ said to her, “Give it to your companion.” I said, “O Messenger of Allah, rather take it, drink from it, then hand it to me yourself.” He did so, then passed it to me. I sat down, placed it on my knee, and moved it around, following the spot with my lips so that I might touch the place where the Prophet had drunk. He then said to the women present, “Pass it to them.” They replied, “We have no desire for it.” The Prophet ﷺ said, “Do not combine hunger with falsehood.”’
(4) Ibn al-Athir explains that al-dhariʿa is the diminutive of dhiraʿ (forearm); the feminine h-ending is retained because the word is feminine, then it is put in the dual diminutive form, referring to her two forearms.