A woman said: Messenger of Allah, my womb is a vessel to this son of mine, my breasts, a water-skin for him, and my lap a guard for him, yet his father has divorced me, and wants to take him away from me. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: You have more right to him as long as you do not marry.  

يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّ ابْنِي هَذَا كَانَ بَطْنِي لَهُ وِعَاءً وَثَدْيِي لَهُ سِقَاءً وَحِجْرِي لَهُ حِوَاءً وَإِنَّ أَبَاهُ طَلَّقَنِي وَأَرَادَ أَنْ يَنْتَزِعَهُ مِنِّي فَقَالَ لَهَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَنْتِ أَحَقُّ بِهِ مَا لَمْ تَنْكِحِي  

While I was sitting with AbuHurayrah, a Persian woman came to him along with a son of hers. She had been divorced by her husband and they both claimed him. She said: AbuHurayrah, speaking to him in Persian, my husband wishes to take my son away. AbuHurayrah said: Cast lots for him, saying it to her in a foreign language. Then her husband came and asked: Who is disputing with me about my son? AbuHurayrah said: O Allah, I do not say this, except that I heard a woman who came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ while I was sitting with him, and she said: My husband wishes to take away my son, Messenger of Allah, and he draws water for me from the well of AbuInabah, and he has been good to me. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: Cast lots for him. Her husband said: Who is disputing with me about my son? The Prophet ﷺ said: This is your father and this your mother, so take whichever of them you wish by the hand. So he took his mother's hand and she went away with him.  

أَنَّ أَبَا مَيْمُونَةَ سَلْمَى مَوْلًى مِنْ أَهْلِ الْمَدِينَةِ رَجُلَ صِدْقٍ قَالَ بَيْنَمَا أَنَا جَالِسٌ مَعَ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ جَاءَتْهُ امْرَأَةٌ فَارِسِيَّةٌ مَعَهَا ابْنٌ لَهَا فَادَّعَيَاهُ وَقَدْ طَلَّقَهَا زَوْجُهَا فَقَالَتْ يَا أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ وَرَطَنَتْ لَهُ بِالْفَارِسِيَّةِ زَوْجِي يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَذْهَبَ بِابْنِي فَقَالَ أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ اسْتَهِمَا عَلَيْهِ وَرَطَنَ لَهَا بِذَلِكَ فَجَاءَ زَوْجُهَا فَقَالَ مَنْ يُحَاقُّنِي فِي وَلَدِي فَقَالَ أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي لاَ أَقُولُ هَذَا إِلاَّ أَنِّي سَمِعْتُ امْرَأَةً جَاءَتْ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَأَنَا قَاعِدٌ عِنْدَهُ فَقَالَتْ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّ زَوْجِي يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَذْهَبَ بِابْنِي وَقَدْ سَقَانِي مِنْ بِئْرِ أَبِي عِنَبَةَ وَقَدْ نَفَعَنِي فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ اسْتَهِمَا عَلَيْهِ فَقَالَ زَوْجُهَا مَنْ يُحَاقُّنِي فِي وَلَدِي فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ هَذَا أَبُوكَ وَهَذِهِ أُمُّكَ فَخُذْ بِيَدِ أَيِّهِمَا شِئْتَ فَأَخَذَ بِيَدِ أُمِّهِ فَانْطَلَقَتْ بِهِ  

Zayd ibn Harithah went out to Mecca and brought the daughter of Hamzah with him. Then Ja'far said: I shall take her; I have more right to her; she is my uncle's daughter and her maternal aunt is my wife; the maternal aunt is like mother. Ali said: I am more entitled to take her. She is my uncle's daughter. The daughter of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is my wife, and she has more right to her. Zayd said: I have more right to her. I went out and journeyed to her, and brought her with me. The Prophet ﷺ came out. The narrator mentioned the rest of the tradition. He (i.e. the Prophet) said: As for the girl, I decided in favour of Ja'far. She will live with her maternal aunt. The maternal aunt is like mother.  

جَعْفَرٌ أَنَا آخُذُهَا أَنَا أَحَقُّ بِهَا ابْنَةُ عَمِّي وَعِنْدِي خَالَتُهَا وَإِنَّمَا الْخَالَةُ أُمٌّ فَقَالَ عَلِيٌّ أَنَا أَحَقُّ بِهَا ابْنَةُ عَمِّي وَعِنْدِي ابْنَةُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَهِيَ أَحَقُّ بِهَا فَقَالَ زَيْدٌ أَنَا أَحَقُّ بِهَا أَنَا خَرَجْتُ إِلَيْهَا وَسَافَرْتُ وَقَدِمْتُ بِهَا فَخَرَجَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ فَذَكَرَ حَدِيثًا قَالَ وَأَمَّا الْجَارِيَةُ فَأَقْضِي بِهَا لِجَعْفَرٍ تَكُونُ مَعَ خَالَتِهَا وَإِنَّمَا الْخَالَةُ أُمٌّ  

This tradition has been narrated by ‘Abd Al Rahman bin Abi Laila through a different chain of narrators. This version has “He decided that she would be given to Ja’far and said “Her maternal aunt is with him(i.e., his wife).  

وَقَالَ إِنَّ خَالَتَهَا عِنْدَهُ  

When we came out from Mecca, Hamzah's daughter pursued us crying: My uncle. Ali lifted her and took her by the hand. (Addressing Fatimah he said:) Take your uncle's daughter. She then lifted her. The narrator then transmitted the rest of the tradition. Ja'far said: She is my uncle's daughter. Her maternal aunt is my wife. The Prophet ﷺ decided in favour of her maternal aunt, and said: The maternal aunt is like mother.  

لَمَّا خَرَجْنَا مِنْ مَكَّةَ تَبِعَتْنَا بِنْتُ حَمْزَةَ تُنَادِي يَا عَمِّ يَا عَمِّ فَتَنَاوَلَهَا عَلِيٌّ فَأَخَذَ بِيَدِهَا وَقَالَ دُونَكِ بِنْتَ عَمِّكِ فَحَمَلَتْهَا فَقَصَّ الْخَبَرَ قَالَ وَقَالَ جَعْفَرٌ ابْنَةُ عَمِّي وَخَالَتُهَا تَحْتِي فَقَضَى بِهَا النَّبِيُّ ﷺ لِخَالَتِهَا وَقَالَ الْخَالَةُ بِمَنْزِلَةِ الأُمِّ