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.
bukhari:6126ʿAbdullāh b. Maslamah > Mālik > Ibn Shihāb > ʿUrwah > ʿĀʾishah

Whenever Messenger of Allah ﷺ was given the choice of one of two matters he would choose the easier of the two as long as it was not sinful to do so, but if it was sinful, he would not approach it. Allah's Apostle never took revenge over anybody for his own sake but (he did) only when Allah's legal bindings were outraged, in which case he would take revenge for Allah's sake." (See Hadith No. 760. Vol. 4)  

البخاري:٦١٢٦حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مَسْلَمَةَ عَنْ مَالِكٍ عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ عَنْ عُرْوَةَ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ ؓ

أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ مَا خُيِّرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ بَيْنَ أَمْرَيْنِ قَطُّ إِلاَّ أَخَذَ أَيْسَرَهُمَا مَا لَمْ يَكُنْ إِثْمًا فَإِنْ كَانَ إِثْمًا كَانَ أَبْعَدَ النَّاسِ مِنْهُ وَمَا انْتَقَمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لِنَفْسِهِ فِي شَىْءٍ قَطُّ إِلاَّ أَنْ تُنْتَهَكَ حُرْمَةُ اللَّهِ فَيَنْتَقِمَ بِهَا لِلَّهِ  


See similar narrations below:

Collected by Bukhārī, Muslim, Abū Dāwūd, Mālik, Aḥmad, Nasāʾī's Kubrá, Suyūṭī
bukhari:3560ʿAbdullāh b. Yūsuf > Mālik > Ibn Shihāb > ʿUrwah b. al-Zubayr > ʿĀʾishah

Whenever Messenger of Allah ﷺ was given the choice of one of two matters, he would choose the easier of the two, as long as it was not sinful to do so, but if it was sinful to do so, he would not approach it. Messenger of Allah ﷺ never took revenge (over anybody) for his own sake but (he did) only when Allah's Legal Bindings were outraged in which case he would take revenge for Allah's Sake.  

البخاري:٣٥٦٠حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ يُوسُفَ أَخْبَرَنَا مَالِكٌ عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ عَنْ عُرْوَةَ بْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ ؓ

أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ مَا خُيِّرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ بَيْنَ أَمْرَيْنِ إِلاَّ أَخَذَ أَيْسَرَهُمَا مَا لَمْ يَكُنْ إِثْمًا فَإِنْ كَانَ إِثْمًا كَانَ أَبْعَدَ النَّاسِ مِنْهُ وَمَا انْتَقَمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لِنَفْسِهِ إِلاَّ أَنْ تُنْتَهَكَ حُرْمَةُ اللَّهِ فَيَنْتَقِمَ لِلَّهِ بِهَا  

bukhari:6786Yaḥyá b. Bukayr > al-Layth > ʿUqayl > Ibn Shihāb > ʿUrwah > ʿĀʾishah

Whenever the Prophet ﷺ was given an option between two things, he used to select the easier of the tow as long as it was not sinful; but if it was sinful, he would remain far from it. By Allah, he never took revenge for himself concerning any matter that was presented to him, but when Allah's Limits were transgressed, he would take revenge for Allah's Sake.  

البخاري:٦٧٨٦حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ بُكَيْرٍ حَدَّثَنَا اللَّيْثُ عَنْ عُقَيْلٍ عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ عَنْ عُرْوَةَ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ ؓ قَالَتْ

مَا خُيِّرَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ بَيْنَ أَمْرَيْنِ إِلاَّ اخْتَارَ أَيْسَرَهُمَا مَا لَمْ يَأْثَمْ فَإِذَا كَانَ الإِثْمُ كَانَ أَبْعَدَهُمَا مِنْهُ وَاللَّهِ مَا انْتَقَمَ لِنَفْسِهِ فِي شَىْءٍ يُؤْتَى إِلَيْهِ قَطُّ حَتَّى تُنْتَهَكَ حُرُمَاتُ اللَّهِ فَيَنْتَقِمُ لِلَّهِ  

muslim:2327a[Chain 1] Qutaybah b. Saʿīd > Mālik b. Anas Fīmā Quriʾ ʿAlayh [Chain 2] Yaḥyá b. Yaḥyá > Mālik > Ibn Shihāb > ʿUrwah b. al-Zubayr

'A'isha, the wife of Allah's Apostle ﷺ, said that whenever he had to choose between two things he adopted the easier one, provided it was nor sin, but if it was any sin he was the one wio was the farthest from it of the people; and Messenger of Allah ﷺ never took revenge from anyone because of his personal grievance, unless what Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, had made inviolable had been violated.  

مسلم:٢٣٢٧aحَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ عَنْ مَالِكِ بْنِ أَنَسٍ فِيمَا قُرِئَ عَلَيْهِ ح وَحَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ يَحْيَى قَالَ قَرَأْتُ عَلَى مَالِكٍ عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ عَنْ عُرْوَةَ بْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ

عَنْ عَائِشَةَ زَوْجِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ مَا خُيِّرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ بَيْنَ أَمْرَيْنِ إِلاَّ أَخَذَ أَيْسَرَهُمَا مَا لَمْ يَكُنْ إِثْمًا فَإِنْ كَانَ إِثْمًا كَانَ أَبْعَدَ النَّاسِ مِنْهُ وَمَا انْتَقَمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لِنَفْسِهِ إِلاَّ أَنْ تُنْتَهَكَ حُرْمَةُ اللَّهِ ﷻ  

abudawud:4785ʿAbdullāh b. Maslamah > Mālik > Ibn Shihāb > ʿUrwah b. al-Zubayr > ʿĀʾishah

the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was never given his choice between two things without taking the easier(or lesser) of them provided it involved no sin, for if it did, no one kept farther away from it than he. And the Messenger of Allah ﷺ never took revenge on his own behalf for anything unless something Allah had forbidden has been transgressed, in which event he took revenge for it for Allah’s sake.  

أبو داود:٤٧٨٥حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مَسْلَمَةَ عَنْ مَالِكٍ عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ عَنْ عُرْوَةَ بْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ ؓ

أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ مَا خُيِّرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فِي أَمْرَيْنِ إِلاَّ اخْتَارَ أَيْسَرَهُمَا مَا لَمْ يَكُنْ إِثْمًا فَإِنْ كَانَ إِثْمًا كَانَ أَبْعَدَ النَّاسِ مِنْهُ وَمَا انْتَقَمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لِنَفْسِهِ إِلاَّ أَنْ تُنْتَهَكَ حُرْمَةُ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى فَيَنْتَقِمَ لِلَّهِ بِهَا  

malik:47-2Mālik > Ibn Shihāb > ʿUrwah b. al-Zubayr

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Urwa ibn az- Zubayr that A'isha, the wife of the Prophet ﷺ said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not have to choose between two matters, but that he chose the easier of them as long as it was not a wrong action. If it was a wrong action, he was the furthest of people from it. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not take revenge for himself unless the limits of Allah were violated. Then he took revenge for it for Allah."  

مالك:٤٧-٢وَحَدَّثَنِي عَنْ مَالِكٍ عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ عَنْ عُرْوَةَ بْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ

عَنْ عَائِشَةَ زَوْجِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ مَا خُيِّرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فِي أَمْرَيْنِ قَطُّ إِلاَّ أَخَذَ أَيْسَرَهُمَا مَا لَمْ يَكُنْ إِثْمًا فَإِنْ كَانَ إِثْمًا كَانَ أَبْعَدَ النَّاسِ مِنْهُ وَمَا انْتَقَمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لِنَفْسِهِ إِلاَّ أَنْ تُنْتَهَكَ حُرْمَةُ اللَّهِ فَيَنْتَقِمُ لِلَّهِ بِهَا  

ahmad:26262Isḥāq > Mālik > al-Zuhrī > ʿUrwah > ʿĀʾishah

Whenever Messenger of Allah ﷺ was given the choice of one of two matters, he would choose the easier of the two, as long as it was not sinful to do so, but if it was sinful to do so, he would not approach it. Messenger of Allah ﷺ never took revenge (over anybody) for his own sake but (he did) only when Allah's Legal Bindings were outraged in which case he would take revenge for Allah's Sake. (Using translation from Bukhārī 3560)  

أحمد:٢٦٢٦٢حَدَّثَنَا إِسْحَاقُ أَخْبَرَنَا مَالِكٌ عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ عَنْ عُرْوَةَ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ قَالَتْ

مَا خُيِّرَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ بَيْنَ أَمْرَيْنِ إِلَّا أَخَذَ أَيْسَرَهُمَا مَا لَمْ يَكُنْ إِثْمًا فَإِذَا كَانَ إِثْمًا كَانَ أَبْعَدَ النَّاسِ مِنْهُ وَمَا انْتَقَمَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ لِنَفْسِهِ إِلَّا أَنْ يَكُونَ تُنْتَهَكُ حُرْمَةُ اللهِ فَيَنْتَقِمُ لِلَّهِ ﷻ  

ahmad:25871Ḥajjāj > Layth > ʿUqayl > Ibn Shihāb > ʿUrwah b. al-Zubayr

[Machine] Aisha, the wife of the Prophet ﷺ , said: "I swear by Allah, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was never given a choice between two matters except that he would choose the easier of the two, as long as it was not sinful. When it was a sinful matter, he would distance himself from it the most. And I swear by Allah, he never took revenge for himself in any matter that concerned him until the limits of Allah’s prohibitions were violated, then he would take revenge for the sake of Allah."  

أحمد:٢٥٨٧١حَدَّثَنَا حَجَّاجٌ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا لَيْثٌ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي عُقَيْلٌ عَنْ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ عَنْ عُرْوَةَ بْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ

عَنْ عَائِشَةَ زَوْجِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ وَاللهِ مَا خُيِّرَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ بَيْنَ أَمْرَيْنِ قَطُّ إِلَّا أَخَذَ أَيْسَرَهُمَا مَا لَمْ يَأْثَمْ فَإِذَا كَانَ الْإِثْمُ كَانَ أَبْعَدَهُمْ مِنْهُ وَاللهِ مَا انْتَقَمَ لِنَفْسِهِ فِي شَيْءٍ يُؤْتَى إِلَيْهِقَطُّ حَتَّى تُنْتَهَكَ حُرُمَاتُ اللهِ ﷻ فَيَنْتَقِمَ لِلَّهِ ﷻ  

ahmad:24830Ibrāhīm b. Abū al-ʿAbbās > Abū Ūways > al-Zuhrī > ʿUrwah b. al-Zubayr > ʿĀʾishah

the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was never given his choice between two things without taking the easier(or lesser) of them provided it involved no sin, for if it did, no one kept farther away from it than he. And the Messenger of Allah ﷺ never took revenge on his own behalf for anything unless something Allah had forbidden has been transgressed, in which event he took revenge for it for Allah’s sake. (Using translation from Abū Dāʾūd 4785)   

أحمد:٢٤٨٣٠حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ أَبِي الْعَبَّاسِ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو أُوَيْسٍ عَنْ الزُّهْرِيِّ أَنَّ عُرْوَةَ بْنَ الزُّبَيْرِ حَدَّثَهُ أَنَّ عَائِشَةَ حَدَّثَتْهُ قَالَتْ

مَا خُيِّرَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ بَيْنَ أَمْرَيْنِ قَطُّ إِلَّا اخْتَارَ أَيْسَرَهُمَا حَتَّى يَكُونَ إِثْمًا فَإِذَا كَانَ إِثْمًا كَانَ أَبْعَدَ النَّاسِ مِنْهُ وَمَا انْتَقَمَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ لِنَفْسِهِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ انْتُهِكَ مِنْهُ إِلَّا أَنْ تُنْتَهَكَ حُرْمَةٌ هِيَ لِلَّهِ ﷻ فَيَنْتَقِمُ لِلَّهِ ﷻ بِهَا  

ahmad:24846Mūsá b. Dāwud > Mālik > Ibn Shihāb > ʿUrwah > ʿĀʾishah

the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was never given his choice between two things without taking the easier(or lesser) of them provided it involved no sin, for if it did, no one kept farther away from it than he. And the Messenger of Allah ﷺ never took revenge on his own behalf for anything unless something Allah had forbidden has been transgressed, in which event he took revenge for it for Allah’s sake. (Using translation from Abū Dāʾūd 4785)   

أحمد:٢٤٨٤٦حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى بْنُ دَاوُدَ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا مَالِكٌ عَنْ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ عَنْ عُرْوَةَ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ قَالَتْ

مَا خُيِّرَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ بَيْنَ أَمْرَيْنِ إِلَّا اخْتَارَ أَيْسَرَهُمَا مَا لَمْ يَكُنْ إِثْمًا فَإِنْ كَانَ إِثْمًا كَانَ أَبْعَدَ النَّاسِ مِنْهُ وَمَا انْتَقَمَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ لِنَفْسِهِ فِي أَمْرٍ يُنْتَهَكُ مِنْهُ إِلَّا أَنْ تُنْتَهَكَ لِلَّهِ ﷻ حُرْمَةٌ فَيَنْتَقِمُ لِلَّهِ ﷻ  

ahmad:25485ʿAbd al-Raḥman > Mālik > al-Zuhrī > ʿUrwah > ʿĀʾishah

the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was never given his choice between two things without taking the easier(or lesser) of them provided it involved no sin, for if it did, no one kept farther away from it than he. And the Messenger of Allah ﷺ never took revenge on his own behalf for anything unless something Allah had forbidden has been transgressed, in which event he took revenge for it for Allah’s sake. (Using translation from Abū Dāʾūd 4785)   

أحمد:٢٥٤٨٥حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ عَنْ مَالِكٍ عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ عَنْ عُرْوَةَ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ قَالَتْ

مَا خُيِّرَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ بَيْنَ أَمْرَيْنِ إِلَّا اخْتَارَ أَيْسَرَهُمَا مَا لَمْ يَكُنْ فِيهِ إِثْمٌ فَإِذَا كَانَ فِيهِ إِثْمٌ كَانَ أَبْعَدَ النَّاسِمِنْهُ وَمَا انْتَقَمَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ لِنَفْسِهِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ يُؤْتَى إِلَيْهِ إِلَّا أَنْ تُنْتَهَكَ حُرْمَةُ اللهِ فَيَنْتَقِمَ لِلَّهِ ﷻ  

nasai-kubra:9118Muḥammad b. Naṣr > Ayyūb b. Sulaymān > Abū Bakr > Sulaymān > Muḥammad And Mūsá > Ibn Shihāb > ʿUrwah b. al-Zubayr > ʿĀʾishah

[Machine] "By Allah, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ never struck a woman or a servant of his, nor did he ever strike anything with his hand, except when he was striving in the cause of Allah. He never had to choose between two matters except that he would choose the easier of the two, as long as it was not sinful. If it was sinful, he would stay far away from it. And by Allah, he never avenged himself from anything that was done to him, until the sanctities of Allah were violated, then he would take revenge for the sake of Allah."  

الكبرى للنسائي:٩١١٨أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ نَصْرٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا أَيُّوبُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو بَكْرٍ عَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدٍ وَمُوسَى عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ عَنْ عُرْوَةَ بْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ أَنَّ عَائِشَةَ قَالَتْ

«وَاللهِ مَا ضَرَبَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ بِيَدِهِ امْرَأَةً لَهُ قَطُّ وَلَا خَادِمًا لَهُ قَطُّ وَلَا ضَرَبَ بِيَدِهِ شَيْئًا قَطُّ إِلَّا أَنْ يُجَاهِدَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ وَلَا خُيِّرَ بَيْنَ أَمْرَيْنِ قَطُّ إِلَّا اخْتَارَ أَيْسَرَهُمَا مَا لَمْ يَكُنْ مَأْثَمًا فَإِنْ كَانَ إِثْمًا كَانَ أَبَعْدَ النَّاسِ وَوَاللهِ مَا انْتَقَمَ لِنَفْسِهِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ قَطُّ يُؤْتَى إِلَيْهِ حَتَّى يُنْتَهَكَ مِنْ حُرُمَاتِ اللهِ فَيَنْتَقِمُ لِلَّهِ»  

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السيوطي:٦٧٣-٩٣b

"مَا خُيِّرَ رَسُولُ الله ﷺ بَيْنَ أَمْرَيْنِ إِلَّا اخْتَارَ أَيْسَرَهُمَا مَا لَمْ يَكُنْ إِثْمًا، فَإِذَا كَانَ إِثْمًا كَانَ أَبْعَدَ النَّاسِ مِنْهُ، وَمَا انْتَقَمَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ لِنَفْسِهِ فِي شَيءٍ قَطُّ إِلا أَنْ تُنْتَهَكَ حُرْمَةُ اللهِ فَيَنْتَقِم لله بِهَا".  

مالك. [خ] البخاري [م] مسلم [د] أبو داود [ن] النسائي في حديث مالك