925 – ʿĀʾishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: “Whenever the Messenger of Allah ﷺ intended to travel, he would draw lots among his wives; the one whose lot was drawn would accompany him.” Agreed upon. (1)
Vocabulary of the ḥadīth
• aqraʿa bayna nisāʾih (“he drew lots among his wives”): from qurʿah (drawing lots), pronounced with a ḍamma followed by a sukūn. People say taqāraʿū and iqtarʿū; whoever’s lot appears gains the matter in question.
• fa-ayyatuhunna (“whichever of them”): whichever woman’s lot, bearing her name, came out would set off with him and accompany him on the journey.
• sahmuha (“her lot”): plural saham. These are the tokens placed over the respective shares; the person whose token is drawn receives the share.
The lot may be cast with rings: one wife’s ring and another’s are placed together and given to a man, who draws out one of them.
Al-Shāfiʿī said: slips of paper may be used instead—small pieces on each of which the claimant’s name is written; they are covered with a cloth, a man reaches in, draws one, sees whose name it bears, and hands it to her. Other methods also exist.
Points derived from the ḥadīth
- The narration establishes the obligation of maintaining justice among co-wives; even when a husband wishes to travel and take one of them with him, he must be fair by casting lots.