Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.
ahmad:9524Yaḥyá > Ibn ʿAjlān > Abū > Abū Hurayrah

[Machine] The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "A woman is like a rib. If you try to straighten it, you will break it, and if you leave it alone, it will remain crooked."  

أحمد:٩٥٢٤حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى عَنِ ابْنِ عَجْلَانَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبِي يُحَدِّثُ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ الْمَرْأَةُ كَالضِّلَعِ فَإِنْ تَحْرِصْ عَلَى إِقَامَتِهِ تَكْسِرْهُ وَإِنْ تَتْرُكْهُ تَسْتَمْتِعْ بِهِ وَفِيهِ عِوَجٌ  


See similar narrations below:

Collected by Muslim, Aḥmad, Dārimī
muslim:715lḤarmalah b. Yaḥyá > Ibn Wahb > Yūnus > Ibn Shihāb > Ibn al-Musayyab > Abū Hurayrah

Woman is like a rib. When you attempt to straighten it, you would break it. And if you leave her alone you would benefit by her, and crookedness will remain in her.  

مسلم:٧١٥lوَحَدَّثَنِي حَرْمَلَةُ بْنُ يَحْيَى أَخْبَرَنَا ابْنُ وَهْبٍ أَخْبَرَنِي يُونُسُ عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ حَدَّثَنِي ابْنُ الْمُسَيَّبِ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِنَّ الْمَرْأَةَ كَالضِّلَعِ إِذَا ذَهَبْتَ تُقِيمُهَا كَسَرْتَهَا وَإِنْ تَرَكْتَهَا اسْتَمْتَعْتَ بِهَا وَفِيهَا عِوَجٌ  

ahmad:9795Yazīd > Muḥammad b. Isḥāq > Abū al-Zinād > al-Aʿraj > Abū Hurayrah

[Machine] The Prophet ﷺ said, "A woman cannot be straightened according to one nature, for she is like a rib. If you try to straighten her, you will break her. And if you leave her, she will remain crooked."  

أحمد:٩٧٩٥حَدَّثَنَا يَزِيدُ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْحَاقَ عَنْ أَبِي الزِّنَادِ عَنِ الْأَعْرَجِ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ لَا تَسْتَقِيمُ لَكَ الْمَرْأَةُ عَلَى خَلِيقَةٍ وَاحِدَةٍ إِنَّمَا هِيَ كَالضِّلَعِ إِنْ تُقِمْهَا تَكْسِرْهَا وَإِنْ تَتْرُكْهَا تَسْتَمْتِعْ بِهَا وَفِيهَا عِوَجٌ  

ahmad:10856ʿAlī b. Ḥafṣ > And Rqāʾ > Abū al-Zinād > al-Aʿraj > Abū Hurayrah

[Machine] The Messenger of Allah, ﷺ , said: "A woman will never be straight and upright in character, she is like a rib. If you try to straighten her, you will break her. And if you leave her alone, she will continue to be crooked."  

أحمد:١٠٨٥٦حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ حَفْصٍ حَدَّثَنَا وَرْقَاءُ عَنْ أَبِي الزِّنَادِ عَنِ الْأَعْرَجِ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ لَا تَسْتَقِيمُ لَكَ الْمَرْأَةُ عَلَى خَلِيقَةٍ وَاحِدَةٍ وَإِنَّمَا هِيَ كَالضِّلَعِ إِنْ تُقِمْهَا تَكْسِرْهَا وَإِنْ تَتْرُكْهَا تَسْتَمْتِعْ بِهَا وَفِيهَا عِوَجٌ  

ahmad:10448ʿAbd al-Malik b. ʿAbd al-Raḥman al-Dhimārī > Sufyān > Abū al-Zinād > al-Aʿraj > Abū Hurayrah

[Machine] "The Prophet ﷺ said, 'Indeed, women were created from a crooked rib. If you try to straighten it, it will break, and if you leave it, it will remain crooked.'"  

أحمد:١٠٤٤٨حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْمَلِكِ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ الذِّمَارِيُّ أَخْبَرَنَا سُفْيَانُ عَنْ أَبِي الزِّنَادِ عَنِ الْأَعْرَجِ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ

أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قَالَ إِنَّ النِّسَاءَ خُلِقْنَ مِنْ ضِلَعٍ لَا يَسْتَقِمْنَ عَلَى خَلِيقَةٍ إِنْ تُقِمْهَا تَكْسِرْهَا وَإِنْ تَتْرُكْهَاتَسْتَمْتِعْ بِهَا وَفِيهَا عِوَجٌ  

ahmad:26384ʿĀmir b. Ṣāliḥ > Hishām b. ʿUrwah from his father > ʿĀʾishah

[Machine] The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "A woman is like a rib. If you try to straighten her, you will break her, and if you enjoy her, you will do so while she is bent."  

أحمد:٢٦٣٨٤حَدَّثَنَا عَامِرُ بْنُ صَالِحٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي هِشَامُ بْنُ عُرْوَةَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ الْمَرْأَةُ كَالضِّلَعِ إِنْ أَقَمْتَهَاكَسَرْتَهَا وَهِيَ يُسْتَمْتَعُ بِهَا عَلَى عِوَجٍ فِيهَا  

darimi:2268Khālid b. Makhlad > Mālik > Abū al-Zinād > al-Aʿraj > Abū Hurayrah

[Machine] The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Indeed, a woman is like a rib: if you straighten her, she will break; and if you enjoy her, you enjoy her with her flaw."  

الدارمي:٢٢٦٨أَخْبَرَنَا خَالِدُ بْنُ مَخْلَدٍ حَدَّثَنَا مَالِكٌ عَنْ أَبِي الزِّنَادِ عَنْ الْأَعْرَجِ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ «إِنَّمَا الْمَرْأَةُ كَالضِّلَعِ إِنْ تُقِمْهَا تَكْسِرْهَا وَإِنْ تَسْتَمْتِعْ بها تَسْتَمْتِعْ وَفِيهَا عِوَجٌ»