forbidden to himself his bondwoman Maria, and Allah has relieved us of her.” She told Aisha what she had seen. The two were close friends and allied against the rest of the Prophet’s wives, peace and blessings be upon him. Aisha became angry and kept pressing the Prophet of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, until he swore that he would not approach her. Thereupon Allah, exalted is He, revealed (1):
“O Prophet, why do you forbid what Allah has made lawful for you, seeking to please your wives? Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
This refers to the honey and Maria. He commanded him to expiate his oath and resume relations with his bondwoman, saying:
“Allah has already prescribed for you the expiation of your oaths. Allah is your Protector, and He is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. (2) And when the Prophet confided a matter to one of his wives, and she disclosed it, and Allah made it known to him, he made known part of it and overlooked part. Then, when he informed her of it, she said, ‘Who informed you of this?’ He said, ‘The All-Knowing, the All-Aware informed me.’” (3)
“Allah has already prescribed for you the expiation of your oaths”: that is, He has clarified and made obligatory that you expiate them if you break them. This is what He mentioned in Surah al-Ma’idah. “Allah is your Protector”: your Guardian and Helper. “And He is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.”
The scholars differed regarding the wording by which something is declared unlawful. One group held that it is not an oath. Thus, if a man says to his wife, “You are unlawful to me,” or, “I have declared you unlawful,” then, if he intends divorce by it, it constitutes a divorce; and if he intends zihar, it constitutes zihar. If he intends thereby to prohibit her person, or makes the statement without specifying an intention, he must offer the expiation for an oath merely by uttering these words. If he says this to his slave woman and intends manumission, she becomes free; but if he intends to prohibit her person, or makes the statement without specifying an intention, he must offer the expiation for an oath. If he says regarding food, “I have declared it unlawful for myself,” then nothing is due from him. This was the view of Ibn Mas‘ud, and al-Shafi‘i adopted it.
Another group held that it is an oath. Thus, if he says this to his wife 168/b or his slave woman, expiation is not due from him unless he has intercourse with her, just as if he had sworn not to have intercourse with her. If he declares food unlawful, it is as though he had sworn not to eat it, so no expiation is due from him unless he eats it. This is narrated from Abu Bakr and Aisha, and was the view of al-Awza‘i and Abu Hanifah, may Allah have mercy on them.
Abd al-Wahid al-Mulayhi informed us; Ahmad ibn Abdullah al-Nu‘aymi informed us; Muhammad ibn Yusuf informed us; Muhammad ibn Isma‘il related to us; Mu‘adh ibn Fadalah related to us; Hisham related from Yahya, from Ibn Hakim—who was Ya‘la ibn Hakim—from Sa‘id ibn Jubayr, from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, who said concerning a declaration of prohibition: “He must offer expiation.” Ibn Abbas said: “There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent example” (2) (al-Ahzab, 21).
“And when the Prophet confided a matter to one of his wives”: this was his declaring his young bondwoman unlawful to himself, and his saying to Hafsah, “Do not tell anyone about this.”