Sunan an-Nasa’i: Book 26, Hadith 53

It was narrated that ‘Umar said: “Hafsah bint ‘Umar became single when (her husband) Khunais -meaning bin Hudhafah- (died). He was one of the Companions of the Prophet who had been present at Badr, and he died in Al-Madinah. I met ‘Uthman bin ‘Affan and offered Hafsah in marriage to him. I said: ‘If you wish, I will marry you to Hafsah.’ He said: ‘I will think about it.’ A few days passed, then I met him and he said: ‘I do not want to get married at the moment.'” ‘Umar said: “Then I met Abu Bakr As-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, and said: ‘If you wish, I will marry Hafsah to you.’ He did not give me any answer, and I felt more upset with him than I had with ‘Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him. Several days passed, then the Messenger of Allah proposed marriage to her, and I married her to him. Abu Bakr met me and said: ‘Perhaps you felt upset with me when you offered Hafsah in marriage to me and I did not give you an answer?’ I said: ‘Yes.’ He said: ‘Nothing prevented me from giving you an answer when you made the offer to me except the fact that I had heard the Messenger of Allah speak of her, and I did not want to disclose the secret of the Messenger of Allah; if he had left her, then I would have married her.'”

أَخْبَرَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، قَالَ أَنْبَأَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ، قَالَ أَنْبَأَنَا مَعْمَرٌ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، عَنْ سَالِمٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ، عَنْ عُمَرَ، قَالَ تَأَيَّمَتْ حَفْصَةُ بِنْتُ عُمَرَ مِنْ خُنَيْسٍ – يَعْنِي ابْنَ حُذَافَةَ – وَكَانَ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم مِمَّنْ شَهِدَ بَدْرًا فَتُوُفِّيَ بِالْمَدِينَةِ فَلَقِيتُ عُثْمَانَ بْنَ عَفَّانَ فَعَرَضْتُ عَلَيْهِ حَفْصَةَ فَقُلْتُ إِنْ شِئْتَ أَنْكَحْتُكَ حَفْصَةَ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ سَأَنْظُرُ فِي ذَلِكَ ‏.‏ فَلَبِثْتُ لَيَالِيَ فَلَقِيتُهُ فَقَالَ مَا أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَتَزَوَّجَ يَوْمِي هَذَا ‏.‏ قَالَ عُمَرُ فَلَقِيتُ أَبَا بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقَ رضى الله عنه فَقُلْتُ إِنْ شِئْتَ أَنْكَحْتُكَ حَفْصَةَ فَلَمْ يَرْجِعْ إِلَىَّ شَيْئًا فَكُنْتُ عَلَيْهِ أَوْجَدَ مِنِّي عَلَى عُثْمَانَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَلَبِثْتُ لَيَالِيَ فَخَطَبَهَا إِلَىَّ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَأَنْكَحْتُهَا إِيَّاهُ فَلَقِيَنِي أَبُو بَكْرٍ فَقَالَ لَعَلَّكَ وَجَدْتَ عَلَىَّ حِينَ عَرَضْتَ عَلَىَّ حَفْصَةَ فَلَمْ أَرْجِعْ إِلَيْكَ شَيْئًا ‏.‏ قُلْتُ نَعَمْ ‏.‏ قَالَ فَإِنَّهُ لَمْ يَمْنَعْنِي حِينَ عَرَضْتَ عَلَىَّ أَنْ أَرْجِعَ إِلَيْكَ شَيْئًا إِلاَّ أَنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَذْكُرُهَا وَلَمْ أَكُنْ لأُفْشِيَ سِرَّ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَلَوْ تَرَكَهَا نَكَحْتُهَا ‏.‏

Sunan an-Nasa’i: Book 26, Hadith 53

 
The above hadith is from the Sunan an-Nasa’i collection of hadiths. The Sunan an-Nasa’i is a foundational text, compiled by the expert traditionist Ahmad ibn Shu’ayb al-Nasa’i during the 9th century. It is consistently listed as one of the six most vital collections of hadith in Sunni Islamic scholarship. Within its pages are found over 5,700 individual narrations that provide deep insight into the life and rulings of the Prophet Muhammad. The defining characteristic of al-Nasa’i’s work is his application of an exceptionally rigorous and critical methodology for verifying each report. By consciously omitting hadiths he considered weak or fabricated, he produced a volume celebrated for its emphasis on authenticity and its status as a highly reliable source.

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For more Hadith in Book 26: The Book of Marriage
 

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