[Machine] I used to serve the Prophet ﷺ, then the Prophet ﷺ said to me, "O Rabi'ah! Why don't you get married?" I replied, "By Allah, O Messenger of Allah, I don't want to get married. I don't have enough to provide for a wife, and I don't want anything to distract me from you." Then he turned away from me. After that, he asked me again, "O Rabi'ah! Why don't you get married?" I replied, "By Allah, O Messenger of Allah, I don't want to get married. I don't have enough to provide for a wife, and I don't want anything to distract me from you." He turned away from me again. Then I revisited myself and said, "By Allah, O Messenger of Allah, you know what is best for me in this life and the hereafter." He said, "And I say to myself, if he asks me for the third time, I will say yes." Then he asked me for the third time, "O Rabi'ah! Why don't you get married?" I said, "Yes, O Messenger of Allah, do whatever you think is best for me or whatever you like." He said, "Go to the family of so and so in such and such place among the Ansar. Tell them that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ sends his greetings to you and orders you to marry Rabi'ah the daughter of so and so." So I went to them and conveyed the message. They said, "Welcome to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and the Messenger of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. By Allah, the Messenger of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ does not ask us for something without a reason." They honored me, married me to her, treated me kindly, and did not ask for any proof. I returned feeling sad, so the Messenger of Allah ﷺ asked me, "What's wrong?" I said, "O Messenger of Allah, I went to a noble people, they honored and treated me kindly, and did not ask for any proof. But where will I get the dowry?" The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to Buraidah Al-Aslami, "O Buraidah, collect the weight of a date seed in gold for him." So they collected the weight of a date seed in gold for me. Then the Prophet ﷺ said, "Take it to them and say, 'This is her dowry.'" So I took it to them and said, "This is her dowry." They said, "It's a lot, but we accept it." Then I asked, "Where should I stay?" They said, "O Buraidah, give him a sheep." So they gave me a fat sheep. The Prophet ﷺ said, "Go to Aishah and tell her to look at the dough in which the food is baked and send it to us." So I went to Aishah, told her about it, and she said, "Here it is, the dough in which the food is baked. By Allah, we don't have any other food in the morning." So I took it and the sheep to the Prophet ﷺ. They accepted the food and said, "You keep the sheep." Then some Muslims came, slaughtered, skinned, and cooked it. So we had bread and meat in the morning. I felt content and prayed for the blessings of the Muslims.
كُنْتُ أَخْدُمُ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَقَالَ لِيَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ «يَا رَبِيعَةُ أَلَا تَتَزَوَّجُ؟» قَالَ فَقُلْتُ لَا وَاللَّهِ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مَا أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَتَزَوَّجَ مَا عِنْدِي مَا يُقِيمُ الْمَرْأَةَ وَمَا أُحِبُّ أَنْ يَشْغَلَنِي عَنْكَ شَيْءٌ قَالَ فَأَعْرَضَ عَنِّي ثُمَّ قَالَ لِي بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ «يَا رَبِيعَةُ أَلَا تَتَزَوَّجُ؟» قَالَ فَقُلْتُ لَا وَاللَّهِ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مَا أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَتَزَوَّجَ وَمَا عِنْدِي مَا يُقِيمُ الْمَرْأَةَ وَمَا أُحِبُّ أَنْ يَشْغَلَنِي عَنْكَ شَيْءٌ فأعرض عني قَالَ ثم رَاجَعْتُ نَفْسِي فَقُلْتُ وَاللَّهِ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَنْتَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا يُصْلِحُنِي فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ قَالَ وَأَنَا أَقُولُ فِي نَفْسِي لَئِنْ قَالَ لِي الثَّالِثَةَ لَأَقُولَنَّ نَعَمْ قَالَ فَقَالَ لِيَ الثَّالِثَةَ «يَا رَبِيعَةُ أَلَا تَتَزَوَّجُ؟» قَالَ فَقُلْتُ بَلَى يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مُرْنِي بِمَا شِئْتَ أَوْ بِمَا أَحْبَبْتَ قَالَ انْطَلِقْ إِلَى آلِ فُلَانٍ إِلَى حَيٍّ مِنَ الْأَنْصَارِ فِيهِمْ تَرَاخي عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقُلْ لَهُمْ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يُقْرِئُكُمُ السَّلَامَ وَيَأْمُرُكُمْ أَنْ تُزَوِّجُوا رَبِيعَةَ فُلَانَةً امْرَأَةً مِنْهُمْ قَالَ فَأَتَيْتُهُمْ فَقُلْتُ لَهُمْ ذَلِكَ قَالُوا مَرْحَبًا بِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَبِرَسُولِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَاللَّهِ لَا يَرْجِعُ رَسُولُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِلَّا بِحَاجَتِهِ قَالَ فَأَكْرَمُونِي وَزَوَّجُونِي وَأَلْطَفُونِي وَلَمْ يَسْأَلُونِي الْبَيِّنَةَ فَرَجَعْتُ حَزِينًا فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ «مَا بَالُكَ؟» فَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَتَيْتُ قَوْمًا كِرَامًا فَزَوَّجُونِي وَأَكْرَمُونِي وَأَلْطَفُونِي وَلَمْ يَسْأَلُونِي الْبَيِّنَةَ فَمِنْ أَيْنَ لِيَ الصَّدَاقُ؟ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لِبُرَيْدَةَ الْأَسْلَمِيِّ «يَا بُرَيْدَةُ اجْمَعُوا لَهُ وَزْنَ نَوَاةٍ مِنْ ذَهَبٍ» قَالَ فَجَمَعُوا لِهُ وَزْنَ نَوَاةٍ مِنْ ذَهَبٍ قَالَ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ «اذْهَبْ بِهَذَا إِلَيْهِمْ وَقُلْ هَذَا صَدَاقُهَا» فَذَهَبْتُ بِهِ إِلَيْهِمْ فَقُلْتُ هَذَا صَدَاقُهَا قَالَ فَقَالُوا كَثِيرٌ طَيِّبٌ فَقَبِلُوا وَرَضُوا بِهِ قَالَ فَقُلْتُ مِنْ أَيْنَ أُولِمُ؟ قَالَ فَقَالَ «يَا بُرَيْدَةُ اجْمَعُوا لَهُ فِي شَاةٍ» قَالَ فَجَمَعُوا لِهُ فِي كَبْشٍ سَمِينٍ قَالَ وَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ اذْهَبْ إِلَى عَائِشَةَ فَقُلِ انْظُرِي إِلَى الْمِكْتَلَ الَّذِي فِيهِ الطَّعَامُ فَابْعَثِي بِهِ قَالَ فَأَتَيْتُ عَائِشَةَ فَقُلْتُ لَهَا ذَاكَ فَقَالَتْ هَا هُوَ ذَاكَ الْمِكْتَلُ فِيهِ سَبْعَةُ آصُعٍ مِنْ شَعِيرٍ وَاللَّهِ إِنْ أَصْبَحَ لَنَا طَعَامٌ غَيْرُهُ قَالَ فَأَخَذْتُهُ فَجِئْتُ بِهِ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَقَالَ اذْهَبْ بِهَا إِلَيْهِمْ فَقُلْ لِيُصْلَحْ هَذَا عِنْدَكُمْ خُبْزًا قَالَ فَذَهَبْتُ بِهِ وَبِالْكَبْشِ فَقَالَ فَقَبِلُوا الطَّعَامَ وَقَالُوا اكْفُونَا أَنْتُمُ الْكَبْشَ قَالَ وَجَاءَ نَاسٌ مِنْ أَسْلَمَ فَذَبَحُوا وَسَلَخُوا وَطَبَخُوا قَالَ فَأَصْبَحَ عِنْدَنَا خُبْزٌ وَلَحْمٌ فَأَوْلَمْتُ وَدَعَوْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺلم يحتج مسلم بمبارك