whatever you wish. And do not let it deceive you that your neighbor is more beautiful than you and dearer to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him”—meaning Aisha.

Umar said: “We had been speaking of Ghassan preparing their horses with shoes in order to raid us. Then, on the day of his turn, my Ansari neighbor went down and returned to us in the evening. He knocked forcefully on my door and said, ‘Is he there?’

“I was alarmed and went out to him. He said, ‘Something momentous has happened today!’ I said, ‘What is it? Have Ghassan come?’ He replied, ‘No; something even greater and more dreadful: the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, has divorced his wives.’ I said, ‘Hafsah has failed and lost! I had expected that this was about to happen.’

“I gathered my clothes around myself and prayed the dawn prayer with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, then entered an upper chamber and withdrew there. I went in to Hafsah and found her weeping. I said, ‘Why are you weeping? Did I not warn you? Has the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, divorced you?’

“She said, ‘I do not know. There he is, withdrawn in the upper chamber.’ I came to the pulpit and found a group gathered around it, some of them weeping. I sat with them for a while ⦗169/a⦘, but what I felt overcame me, so I went to the upper chamber in which the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was staying. I said to a black servant of his, ‘Ask permission for Umar to enter.’ He went in, spoke to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, then returned and said, ‘I spoke to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and mentioned you to him, but he remained silent.’ So I went away and sat with the group by the pulpit. Then what I felt overcame me, and I came back and said to the servant, ‘Ask permission.’ He asked permission, then returned to me and said, ‘I mentioned you to him, but he remained silent.’ [So I returned and sat with the group by the pulpit. Then what I felt overcame me, so I came to the servant and said, ‘Ask permission for Umar to enter.’ He asked permission, then returned to me and said, ‘I mentioned you to him, but he remained silent.’]

“As I turned to leave, the servant called me and said, ‘The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, has granted you permission.’ I entered upon the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and found him lying on the woven cords of a mat, with no bedding between him and it; the cords had left marks on his side. He was reclining on a leather pillow stuffed with palm fibre. I greeted him with peace, then, while still standing, asked, ‘Messenger of Allah, have you divorced your wives?’ He raised his gaze toward me and said, ‘No.’ I said, ‘Allah is Most Great!’

“Then, seeking to put him at ease, I said while standing, ‘Messenger of Allah, if only you could have seen me! We, the people of Quraysh, used to prevail over our women; but when we came to Medina, we found a people whose women prevailed over them.’ The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, smiled.

“Then I said, ‘Messenger of Allah, if only you could have seen me when I entered upon Hafsah and said to her: “Do not let it deceive you that your neighbor is more beautiful than you and dearer to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him”—meaning Aisha.’ The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, smiled again. When I saw him smiling, I sat down. Then I looked around his room, and by Allah, I saw nothing in it to catch the eye except some tanned hides.