Skip to content
Assabile

Sunan an-Nasa'iThe Book of Divorce

Sunan an-Nasa'i 3538

Chapter: Prohibition Of Kohl For A Woman In Mourning

Differing grades 3 scholars’ grades Sunan an-Nasa'i 3538

Narrator:Umm Salamah

أَخْبَرَنَا الرَّبِيعُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا شُعَيْبُ بْنُ اللَّيْثِ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا أَيُّوبُ، - وَهُوَ ابْنُ مُوسَى - قَالَ حُمَيْدٌ وَحَدَّثَتْنِي زَيْنَبُ بِنْتُ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ، عَنْ أُمِّهَا أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ، قَالَتْ جَاءَتِ امْرَأَةٌ مِنْ قُرَيْشٍ فَقَالَتْ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّ ابْنَتِي رَمِدَتْ أَفَأَكْحُلُهَا ‏.‏ وَكَانَتْ مُتَوَفًّى عَنْهَا ‏.‏ فَقَالَ ‏

"‏ أَلاَ أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍ وَعَشْرًا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ ثُمَّ قَالَتْ إِنِّي أَخَافُ عَلَى بَصَرِهَا فَقَالَ ‏"‏ لاَ إِلاَّ أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍ وَعَشْرًا قَدْ كَانَتْ إِحْدَاكُنَّ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ تَحِدُّ عَلَى زَوْجِهَا سَنَةً ثُمَّ تَرْمِي عَلَى رَأْسِ السَّنَةِ بِالْبَعْرَةِ ‏"

Zainab bint Abi Salamah narrated that her mother Umm Salamah said:

"A woman from the Quraish came and said: 'O Messenger of Allah, my daughter's eyes are inflamed; shall I apply kohl to her?' (The daughter's) husband had died so (the Prophet) said: 'Not until four months and ten days (have passed).' Then she said: 'I fear for her sight.' He said: 'No, not until four months and ten days (have passed). During the Jahiliyyah one of you would mourn for her husband for a year, then when one year had passed she would throw a piece of dung.'"

Reported by An-Nasa’i (No. 3538).

Copy
Copy:
Report an error

Scholars’ grades

The 3 scholars cited do not give the same grade: each one is shown below.

ScholarGradeApplies toWork
Al-Albanid. 1420 AH AuthenticSahih The hadith No. 3538
Zubair Ali Zaid. 1435 AH Good (hasan)Hasan The hadith No. 3538
Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghuddahd. 1417 AH AuthenticSahih The hadith No. 3538

Other versions

Also reported by… (1)
  • السنن الكبرى للنسائي (5534)لا ، إِلا أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍ وَعَشْرًا ، قَدْ كَانَتْ إِحْدَاكُنَّ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ تُحِدُّ عَلَى زَوْجِهَا سَنَةً ثُمَّ تَرْمِي عَلَى رَأْسِ السَّنَةِ بِالْبَعْرَةِ

On the same subject

Not graded Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Bulugh al-Maram 1106

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: "A woman must not observe her mourning for more than three nights for the one who has died, except for the four months and ten days in the case of her husband; and she must not wear a dyed garment except one of the type made of 'Ash (dyed yarn) or apply Kuhl (antimony)…

وَعَنْ أُمِّ عَطِيَّةَ; أَنَّ رَسُولَ اَللَّهِ ‏- صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏-قَالَ: { لَا تَحِدَّ اِمْرَأَةٌ عَلَى مَيِّتٍ فَوْقَ ثَلَاثٍ إِلَّا عَلَى زَوْجٍ أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍ وَعَشْرًا, وَلَا تَلْبَسْ ثَوْبًا مَصْبُوغًا…

+ 14 other versions

Not graded Sahih al-Bukhari 5337

I (Humaid) said to Zainab, "What does 'throwing a globe of dung when one year had elapsed' mean?" Zainab said, "When a lady was bereaved of her husband, she would live in a wretched small room and put on the worst clothes she had and would not touch any scent till one year had elapsed. Then she…

قَالَ حُمَيْدٌ فَقُلْتُ لِزَيْنَبَ وَمَا تَرْمِي بِالْبَعَرَةِ عَلَى رَأْسِ الْحَوْلِ فَقَالَتْ زَيْنَبُ كَانَتِ الْمَرْأَةُ إِذَا تُوُفِّيَ عَنْهَا زَوْجُهَا دَخَلَتْ حِفْشًا، وَلَبِسَتْ شَرَّ ثِيَابِهَا، وَلَمْ…

Narrated by Umm Salamah + 7 other versions

Not graded Sunan an-Nasa'i 3533b

"Then I went into Zainab bint Jahsh when her brother died, and she called for some perfume and put some on. Then she said: 'By Allah, I do not have any need for perfume but I heard the Messenger of Allah say on the Minbar: It is not permissible for any woman who believes in Allah and the Last Day…

"‏ لاَ يَحِلُّ لاِمْرَأَةٍ تُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ تَحِدُّ عَلَى مَيِّتٍ فَوْقَ ثَلاَثِ لَيَالٍ إِلاَّ عَلَى زَوْجٍ أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍ وَعَشْرًا ‏"

Narrated by Zaynab bint Jahsh + 5 other versions

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sahih al-Bukhari 1280

When the news of the death of Abu Sufyan reached from Sham, Um Habiba on the third day, asked for a yellow perfume and scented her cheeks and forearms and said, "No doubt, I would not have been in need of this, had I not heard the Prophet (ﷺ) saying: "It is not legal for a woman who believes in…

لاَ يَحِلُّ لاِمْرَأَةٍ تُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ أَنْ تُحِدَّ عَلَى مَيِّتٍ فَوْقَ ثَلاَثٍ، إِلاَّ عَلَى زَوْجٍ، فَإِنَّهَا تُحِدُّ عَلَيْهِ أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍ وَعَشْرًا ‏"

Narrated by Umm Habība + 13 other versions

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sahih al-Bukhari 5338

A woman was bereaved of her husband and her relatives worried about her eyes (which were diseased). They came to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), and asked him to allow them to treat her eyes with kohl, but he said, "She should not apply kohl to her eyes. (In the Pre-Islamic period of Ignorance) a widowed…

لاَ تَكَحَّلْ قَدْ كَانَتْ إِحْدَاكُنَّ تَمْكُثُ فِي شَرِّ أَحْلاَسِهَا أَوْ شَرِّ بَيْتِهَا، فَإِذَا كَانَ حَوْلٌ فَمَرَّ كَلْبٌ رَمَتْ بِبَعَرَةٍ، فَلاَ حَتَّى تَمْضِيَ أَرْبَعَةُ أَشْهُرٍ وَعَشْرٌ ‏"‏‏.‏

Narrated by Umm Salamah + 5 other versions

Sunday, October 11, 2026 30 ربيع الآخر 1448 هـ