that he heard Ibn ʿAbbas saying, "If a man makes his wife unlawful for him, it does not mean that she is divorced." He added, "Indeed in the Messenger of Allah , you have a good example to follow."  

وَقَالَ {لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ}  

I heard ʿAisha saying, "The Prophet ﷺ used to stay for a long while with Zanab bint Jahsh and drink honey at her house. So Hafsa and I decided that if the Prophet ﷺ came to anyone of us, she should say him, "I detect the smell of Maghafir (a nasty smelling gum) in you. Have you eaten Maghafir?' " So the Prophet ﷺ visited one of them and she said to him similarly. The Prophet ﷺ said, "Never mind, I have taken some honey at the house of Zainab bint Jahsh, but I shall never drink of it anymore." So there was revealed: 'O Prophet ! Why do you ban (for you) that which Allah has made lawful for you . . . If you two (wives of Prophet) turn in repentance to Allah,' (66.1-4) addressing Aisha and Hafsa. 'When the Prophet ﷺ disclosed a matter in confidence to some of his wives.' (66.3) namely his saying: But I have taken some honey."  

أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ كَانَ يَمْكُثُ عِنْدَ زَيْنَبَ ابْنَةِ جَحْشٍ وَيَشْرَبُ عِنْدَهَا عَسَلاً فَتَوَاصَيْتُ أَنَا وَحَفْصَةُ أَنَّ أَيَّتَنَا دَخَلَ عَلَيْهَا النَّبِيُّ ﷺ فَلْتَقُلْ إِنِّي أَجِدُ مِنْكَ رِيحَ مَغَافِيرَ أَكَلْتَ مَغَافِيرَ فَدَخَلَ عَلَى إِحْدَاهُمَا فَقَالَتْ لَهُ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ لاَ بَلْ شَرِبْتُ عَسَلاً عِنْدَ زَيْنَبَ ابْنَةِ جَحْشٍ وَلَنْ أَعُودَ لَهُ فَنَزَلَتْ {يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ لِمَ تُحَرِّمُ مَا أَحَلَّ اللَّهُ لَكَ} إِلَى {إِنْ تَتُوبَا إِلَى اللَّهِ} لِعَائِشَةَ وَحَفْصَةَ {وَإِذْ أَسَرَّ النَّبِيُّ إِلَى بَعْضِ أَزْوَاجِهِ} لِقَوْلِهِ بَلْ شَرِبْتُ عَسَلاً  

Messenger of Allah ﷺ was fond of honey and sweet edible things and (it was his habit) that after finishing the ʿAsr prayer he would visit his wives and stay with one of them at that time. Once he went to Hafsa, the daughter of ʿUmar and stayed with her more than usual. I got jealous and asked the reason for that. I was told that a lady of her folk had given her a skin filled with honey as a present, and that she made a syrup from it and gave it to the Prophet ﷺ to drink (and that was the reason for the delay). I said, "By Allah we will play a trick on him (to prevent him from doing so)." So I said to Saʿda bint Zamʿa "The Prophet ﷺ will approach you, and when he comes near you, say: 'Have you taken Maghafir (a bad-smelling gum)?' He will say, 'No.' Then say to him: 'Then what is this bad smell which i smell from you?' He will say to you, 'Hafsa made me drink honey syrup.' Then say: Perhaps the bees of that honey had sucked the juice of the tree of Al-ʿUrfut.' I shall also say the same. O you, Safiyya, say the same." Later Saʿda said, "By Allah, as soon as he (the Prophet ﷺ ) stood at the door, I was about to say to him what you had ordered me to say because I was afraid of you." So when the Prophet ﷺ came near Saʿda, she said to him, "O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! Have you taken Maghafir?" He said, "No." She said. "Then what is this bad smell which I detect on you?" He said, "Hafsa made me drink honey syrup." She said, "Perhaps its bees had sucked the juice of Al-ʿUrfut tree." When he came to me, I also said the same, and when he went to Safiyya, she also said the same. And when the Prophet ﷺ again went to Hafsa, she said, 'O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! Shall I give you more of that drink?" He said, "I am not in need of it." Saʿda said, "By Allah, we deprived him (of it)." I said to her, "Keep quiet." '  

كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يُحِبُّ الْعَسَلَ وَالْحَلْوَاءَ وَكَانَ إِذَا انْصَرَفَ مِنَ الْعَصْرِ دَخَلَ عَلَى نِسَائِهِ فَيَدْنُو مِنْ إِحْدَاهُنَّ فَدَخَلَ عَلَى حَفْصَةَ بِنْتِ عُمَرَ فَاحْتَبَسَ أَكْثَرَ مَا كَانَ يَحْتَبِسُ فَغِرْتُ فَسَأَلْتُ عَنْ ذَلِكَ فَقِيلَ لِي أَهْدَتْ لَهَا امْرَأَةٌ مِنْ قَوْمِهَا عُكَّةً مِنْ عَسَلٍ فَسَقَتِ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ مِنْهُ شَرْبَةً فَقُلْتُ أَمَا وَاللَّهِ لَنَحْتَالَنَّ لَهُ فَقُلْتُ لِسَوْدَةَ بِنْتِ زَمْعَةَ إِنَّهُ سَيَدْنُو مِنْكِ فَإِذَا دَنَا مِنْكِ فَقُولِي أَكَلْتَ مَغَافِيرَ فَإِنَّهُ سَيَقُولُ لَكِ لاَ فَقُولِي لَهُ مَا هَذِهِ الرِّيحُ الَّتِي أَجِدُ مِنْكَ فَإِنَّهُ سَيَقُولُ لَكِ سَقَتْنِي حَفْصَةُ شَرْبَةَ عَسَلٍ فَقُولِي لَهُ جَرَسَتْ نَحْلُهُ الْعُرْفُطَ وَسَأَقُولُ ذَلِكَ وَقُولِي أَنْتِ يَا صَفِيَّةُ ذَاكِ قَالَتْ تَقُولُ سَوْدَةُ فَوَاللَّهِ مَا هُوَ إِلاَّ أَنْ قَامَ عَلَى الْبَابِ فَأَرَدْتُ أَنْ أُبَادِيَهُ بِمَا أَمَرْتِنِي بِهِ فَرَقًا مِنْكِ فَلَمَّا دَنَا مِنْهَا قَالَتْ لَهُ سَوْدَةُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَكَلْتَ مَغَافِيرَ قَالَ لاَ قَالَتْ فَمَا هَذِهِ الرِّيحُ الَّتِي أَجِدُ مِنْكَ قَالَ سَقَتْنِي حَفْصَةُ شَرْبَةَ عَسَلٍ فَقَالَتْ جَرَسَتْ نَحْلُهُ الْعُرْفُطَ فَلَمَّا دَارَ إِلَىَّ قُلْتُ لَهُ نَحْوَ ذَلِكَ فَلَمَّا دَارَ إِلَى صَفِيَّةَ قَالَتْ لَهُ مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ فَلَمَّا دَارَ إِلَى حَفْصَةَ قَالَتْ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَلاَ أَسْقِيكَ مِنْهُ قَالَ لاَ حَاجَةَ لِي فِيهِ قَالَتْ تَقُولُ سَوْدَةُ وَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ حَرَمْنَاهُ قُلْتُ لَهَا اسْكُتِي