Abū Qilābah said, “Had I wished, I could have asserted that Anas traced it back to the Prophet ﷺ.” The two Shaykhs narrated the report.

If a previously married woman (thayyib) asks her husband to remain with her for seven nights, he may do so and must afterward grant an equal number of nights to the rest of his co-wives. Once that is fulfilled, he resumes the regular rotation—one night for each wife. This is supported by the ḥadith of Umm Salamah—may Allah be pleased with her—that when the Prophet ﷺ married her he stayed with her for three days and said: “It is not because you are insignificant to your family. If you wish, I will stay with you for seven nights; but if I do that for you, I must do the same for my other wives.” Reported by Aḥmad, Muslim, and others.

Related to this subject is the issue of nushūz (defiance): a wife’s disobedience toward her husband in matters that are his due. The term comes from nashz, a raised part of the ground, as though she has elevated herself above the good conduct she owes him.

It is forbidden for a wife to act in such a manner without justification. If a husband notices signs of defiance—such as her refusing him marital intimacy or responding with palpable reluctance—he should admonish her, instill in her fear of Allah, and remind her of his rights and the sin she incurs by opposing him. If she persists after the admonition, he is to forsake her in bed: he stops sharing her bed and refrains from speaking to her for up to three days. Should she continue even after this separation, he may strike her with a light, non-injurious blow, in accordance with the verse: “And those [wives] from whom you fear arrogance—admonish them, forsake them in bed, and strike them” (Q 4:34).