anything.” Hind raised her head and said, “By Allah, you are imposing upon us a condition that we have not seen you impose upon the men.” On that day, he had taken the men’s pledge only upon Islam and jihad.

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, then said, “And that they will not steal.” Hind said, “Abu Sufyan is a miserly man, and I have taken certain things from his wealth, but I do not know whether that is lawful for me or not.” Abu Sufyan said, “Whatever you have taken, in the past or in the future, is lawful for you.” The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, laughed and recognized her. He said to her, “Are you indeed Hind, daughter of Utbah?” She said, “Yes. So pardon what has passed; may Allah pardon you.”

He said, “And that they will not commit adultery.” Hind said, “Would a free woman commit adultery?” He said, “And that they will not kill their children.” Hind said, “We raised them when they were little, and you killed them when they were grown; so you and they know best.” Her son Hanzalah ibn Abi Sufyan had been killed on the Day of Badr. Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, laughed until he fell onto his back, and the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, smiled.

He then said, “And that they will not bring forth a slander that they fabricate between their hands and feet”—meaning, that she ascribes to her husband a child who is not his. Hind said, “By Allah, slander is indeed vile. You only command us to what is right and to noble character.” He said, “And that they will not disobey you in what is right.” Hind said, “We have not sat in this gathering while harbouring within ourselves any intention to disobey you in anything.” Thus, the women affirmed the conditions that had been taken from them. (1)

Allah, exalted is He, says: “And that they will not kill their children.” This refers to the burying alive of daughters, which the people of the pre-Islamic period used to practice. 162/b

His saying: “And that they will not bring forth a slander that they fabricate between their hands and feet” does not mean the prohibition of adultery, for the prohibition of adultery has already been mentioned. Rather, it means that a woman finds an abandoned infant and says to her husband, “This is my child by you.” This is the fabricated slander occurring between their hands and feet, because when a mother gives birth, the child falls between her hands and feet.

His saying: “And that they will not disobey you in what is right” means: in every matter that accords with obedience to Allah. Bakr ibn Abd Allah al-Muzani said: “In every matter that brings about their rectitude.” Mujahid said: “A woman must not be alone in seclusion with men.” Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib, al-Kalbi, and Abd al-Rahman ibn Zayd said: It refers to the prohibition of wailing, invoking ruin upon oneself, tearing one’s garments, shaving or plucking out one’s hair, and scratching one’s face. A woman must not speak with men except a mahram, must not be alone with a man who is not a mahram, and must not travel except with a mahram.

Abd al-Wahid al-Mulayhi informed us; Ahmad ibn Abd Allah al-Nu'aymi informed us; Muhammad ibn Yusuf informed us; he narrated to us: