A man came to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and said: My wife does not object if anyone touches her. He said: Divorce her. The man said: I am afraid that I will miss her. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: Then enjoy her

Explanation

The Hadīth indicates that a Companion came to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) seeking advice concerning his wife. The man told the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) that his wife did not object if anyone touched her. The scholars had a great difference of opinion over the meaning of this statement. The preponderant opinion is that the woman did not avoid men and did not object to a person who touched her seeking thereby to enjoy her, or that she did not keep away from men and was not reserved in speech to them and did not screen herself from them such that they would touch her body, or they would shake hands with her and she would not avoid that. This does not mean that she would consent to adultery, because the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would not approve the man’s marriage to an adulteress. Therefore, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) firstly advised the man to part with her, out of sympathy for him to stay with such a woman. However, the man informed the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) about his deep love for his wife and his fear that he would miss her if he were to leave her. Then the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) felt that it was beneficial in this situation for the man to remain with his wife, for fear of the harm that would be caused by separation. Therefore, averting greater harm by engaging in an issue with lesser harm is a necessity. Moreover, the woman could probably reform in the future. Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

Categories