Riyad al-Salihin - Al-Nawawi - (1/157)

Riyad al-SalihinAl-Nawawi

saying, “Seek me among your weak, for it is only through your weak that you are granted victory and provided for.” Abu Dawud narrated it with a good chain of transmission.

34 – Chapter: The Prophet’s Counsel Regarding Women

Allah the Exalted says, “And live with them in kindness.” (al-Nisaʾ 4:18)

He also says, “You will never be able to deal equally between women, even if you are keen to do so. So do not incline completely and leave one of them suspended. But if you make amends and fear Allah, then Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful.” (al-Nisaʾ 4:129) (1)

278 – Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Advise one another to treat women well, for woman was created from a rib, and the most crooked part of the rib is its uppermost. If you try to straighten it you will break it, and if you leave it, it will remain crooked. Therefore, treat women well.” Agreed upon.

In another wording in the two Ṣaḥīḥs: “Woman is like a rib; if you straighten her you will break her, and if you benefit from her you will benefit while crookedness remains.”

Muslim also relates: “Indeed, woman was created from a rib; she will never conform perfectly to your way. If you benefit from her, you will benefit while crookedness remains, and if you attempt to straighten her you will break her—and breaking her is divorcing her.” The word ʿawaj (crookedness) is pronounced with a fatḥa on both the ʿayn and the wāw. (2)

279 – ʿAbd Allah ibn Zamʿah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that he heard the Prophet ﷺ delivering a sermon and, in it, he mentioned

(1) In other words, do not perform an act meant to show preference when you are able to avoid it. The verb fatazarooha refers to the wife, and the expression kal-muallaqah means she is left “suspended,” neither a wife in the full sense nor an unmarried woman. (2) The author says this here, and in Tahdhib al-Asma wa-l-Lughat he notes that the word awaj (crookedness) in this hadith is vocalised in two ways: many read it with a fatha on the ‘ayn (awaj), while al-Hafiz Abu al-Qasim and other precise scholars read it with a kasra (iwaj). The latter accords with the usage reported by the linguists.

يقول : « ابْغُونِي فِي الضُّعَفَاءِ فَإِنَّمَا تُنْصَرُونَ وَتُرْزَقُونَ بِضُعَفَائِكُمْ » رواه أبو داود بإسناد جيد . ٣٤ - باب الوصية بالنساء قال اللَّه تعالى : ﴿ وَعَاشِرُوهُنَّ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ ﴾ [ النساء : ١٨ ] وقال تعالى : ﴿ وَلَنْ تَسْتَطِيعُوا أَنْ تَعْدِلُوا بَيْنَ النِّسَاءِ وَلَوْ حَرَصْتُمْ فَلَا تَمِيلُوا كُلَّ الْمَيْلِ ﴾ (١) فَتَذَرُوهَا كَالْمُعَلَّقَةِ وَإِنْ تُصْلِحُوا وَتَتَّقُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ غَفُورًا رَحِيمًا ﴾ [ النساء : [ ١٢٩ ٢٧٨ - وعن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه قال : قال رسول الله ﷺ : « اسْتَوْصُوا بِالنِّسَاءِ خَيْرًا ، فَإِنَّ الْمَرْأَةَ خُلِقَتْ مِنْ ضِلَعٍ ، وَإِنَّ أَعْوَجَ مَا فِي الضِّلَعِ أَعْلَاهُ : فَإِنْ ذَهَبْتَ تُقِيمُهُ كَسَرْتَهُ ، وَإِنْ تَرَكْتَهُ لَمْ يَزَلْ أَعْوَجَ فَاسْتَوْصُوا بِالنِّسَاءِ » متفق عليه . وفي رواية في الصحيحين : « الْمَرْأَةُ كَالضِّلَعِ إِنْ أَقَمْتَهَا كَسَرْتَهَا وَإِنْ اسْتَمْتَعْتَ بِهَا اسْتَمْتَعْتَ بِهَا وَفِيهَا عَوْجٌ » . وفي رواية لمسلم : « إِنَّ الْمَرْأَةَ خُلِقَتْ مِنْ ضِلَعٍ ، لَنْ تَسْتَقِيمَ لَكَ عَلَى طَرِيقَةٍ ، فَإِنْ اسْتَمْتَعْتَ بِهَا وَفِيهَا عَوْجٌ . وَإِنْ ذَهَبْتَ تُقِيمُهَا كَسَرْتَهَا ، وَكَسْرُهَا طَلَاقُهَا » . قوله « عَوْجٌ » هو بفتح العين والواو(٢) . ٢٧٩ - وعن عبد الله بن زَمْعَةَ رضي الله عنه ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ يَخْطُبُ ، وَذَكَرَ

(١) أي : لا تفعلوا فعلاً تقصدون به التفضيل وأنتم تقدرون على تركه . ( فتذروها ) أي : الزوجة ( كالمعلقة ) فلا هي ذات زوج ، ولا هي أيم . (٢) كذا قال المؤلف هنا ، وقال في « تهذيب الأسماء واللغات » : اختلف في ضبط « عوج » في هذا الحديث ، فضبطه كثيرون بفتح العين ، وضبطه الحافظ أبو القاسم وآخرون من المحققين بالكسر ، وهو الصواب الجاري على ما ذكر أهل اللغة .