the reports of Alī ibn al-Husayn and al-Miswar ibn Makhramah. This hadith appeared earlier in this volume, p. 145.

The report of Alī ibn al-Husayn is from al-Miswar ibn Makhramah in Muslim, 4/1903 (The Book of the Merits of the Companions, Chapter on the Merits of Fātimah). It states that Alī ibn al-Husayn related that, when they returned to Medina from Yazīd ibn Muāwiyah following the killing of al-Husayn ibn Alī—may Allah be pleased with them both—al-Miswar ibn Makhramah met him... The hadith continues and includes the following:

“Alī ibn Abī Tālib sought the hand of Abū Jahl’s daughter while married to Fātimah. I heard Allah’s Messenger—peace and blessings be upon him—addressing the people about this from this very pulpit; I had reached puberty by then. He said:

‘Fātimah is part of me, and I fear that she may be put to trial in her religion.’

He said: He then mentioned a son-in-law of his from Banū Abd Shams and praised his conduct as a son-in-law in the finest terms. He said:

‘He spoke to me and told me the truth; he made me a promise and fulfilled it. I do not forbid what is lawful, nor do I declare lawful what is forbidden. But, by Allah, the daughter of Allah’s Messenger—peace and blessings be upon him—and the daughter of Allah’s enemy shall never be together in one place.’”

Al-Nawawī said in his commentary on Muslim, 16/24:

“The scholars said: This hadith establishes that it is forbidden to cause the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—any harm under any circumstances or in any manner, even if that harm arose during his lifetime from something originally permissible. In this respect, he differs from everyone else.

“They said: The Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—made it known that Alī was permitted to marry Abū Jahl’s daughter by saying, ‘I do not forbid what is lawful.’ Nevertheless, he prohibited having them both as wives for two explicitly stated reasons.

“The first is that this would cause harm to Fātimah, whereupon the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—would also be harmed, and whoever harmed him would perish. He therefore prohibited it out of his perfect compassion for Alī and Fātimah.

“The second is his fear that she would be put to trial because of jealousy...

“It is also possible that the intended meaning is that having them both as wives was itself forbidden. His statement, ‘I do not forbid what is lawful,’ would then mean: I say nothing that conflicts with Allah’s judgment. If He permits something, I do not forbid it; and if He forbids something, I neither declare it lawful nor remain silent about its prohibition, for my silence would amount to declaring it lawful. Thus, among the prohibited marital combinations would be bringing together the daughter of Allah’s Prophet and the daughter of Allah’s enemy.”

Thus, the occasion for the hadith was Alī’s proposal—may Allah be pleased with him—to Abū Jahl’s daughter, and that occasion is unquestionably included within the wording. Wording occasioned by a particular circumstance (1) may not be interpreted so as to exclude that circumstance (2); rather, its inclusion is required by consensus.

He said in the hadith:

“Whatever troubles her troubles me, and whatever harms her harms me.”

It is known with certainty that Alī’s proposal to Abū Jahl’s daughter while married to Fātimah troubled and harmed her, and that the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—