7/279 — Iyas ibn ʿAbd Allah ibn Abi Dhubab (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Do not strike the female servants of Allah.” Later ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him) came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and said, “Women have become bold toward their husbands,” so he granted permission to strike them. Consequently, many women gathered around the household of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ complaining about their husbands. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then said, “Many women have surrounded the family of Muhammad complaining about their husbands; those men are not the best among you.” Related by Abu Dawud with a sound chain of transmission.

The word “dhiʾrna” is spelled with a dotted dhal (ذ) with fatḥah, followed by a hamzah with kasrah, then a rāʾ in sukūn, and finally a nūn; it means “they became audacious.” The verb “aṭāfa” means “surrounded” or “encircled.”

8/280 — ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ (may Allah be pleased with them both) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “This world is but an enjoyment, and the best enjoyment in it is a righteous wife.” Related by Muslim.

[Commentary]
The author, may Allah have mercy on him, cites here—concerning matters that pertain to women—that the Prophet ﷺ said, “Do not strike the female servants of Allah,” meaning women. Just as one says ʿabd Allah (servant of Allah) for a man, so one says amat Allah for a woman; likewise, imāʾ Allah parallels ʿibād Allah. An example is the authentic hadith, “Do not prevent Allah’s female servants from the mosques of Allah.”

He forbade them from striking women, and so they refrained, for the Companions (may Allah