during his illness and that he was now in good health. She therefore set supper before him, and he ate, convinced that the boy had recovered and was fine. After that he had marital relations with her. When they were finished she said, “Lay the child to rest,” that is, “bury him, for he has died.”

When morning came Abu Talhah buried the boy, and news reached the Prophet ﷺ. He asked, “Did the two of you spend the night as newlyweds?” In due course she conceived and bore a son whom the Prophet ﷺ named ʿAbd Allāh. That son later had nine sons of his own, every one of whom recited the Qurʾān—through the blessing of the Prophet’s supplication.

This ḥadīth demonstrates the remarkable patience of Umm Sulaym: although her son had died, she spoke to her husband in this veiled way, served him dinner, allowed him to approach her, and only then said, “Bury the child.”

It also establishes the permissibility of tawriyah (deliberate equivocation), meaning that a person may utter words whose outward sense differs from the intention held in the speaker’s heart. The statement has an obvious meaning that spontaneously occurs to the listener, and another, less obvious meaning that the speaker actually intends. Outwardly it appears one thing, while inwardly something else is meant.

Such equivocation is permissible, but it should not be employed except when there is a need—either to secure a benefit or to ward off harm. If a person resorts to it without necessity, and the listener later discovers the real intent, the speaker may be regarded as a liar and ill-thought of. When a genuine need arises, however, there is no harm in using it.

One useful example of tawriyah that a person might need is as follows: suppose an oppressive individual habitually seizes people’s wealth unjustly, and someone has entrusted you with money, saying, “This is my property with you