"I was a man who had a lot of desire for women, and I do not think there was any man who had as great a share of that as me. When Ramadan began, I declared Zihar upon my wife (to last) until Ramadan ended. While she was talking to me one night, part of her body became uncovered. I jumped on her and had intercourse with her. The next morning I went to my people and told them, and said to them: 'Ask the Messenger of Allah ﷺ for me.' They said: 'We will not do that, lest Allah reveal Quran concerning us or the Messenger of Allah ﷺ says, something about us, and it will be a lasting source of disgrace for us. Rather we will leave you to deal with it yourself. Go yourself and tell the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about your problem.' So I went out and when I came to him, I told him what happened. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: 'Did you really do that?' I said: 'I really did that, and here I am, O Messenger of Allah. ﷺ I will bear Allah’s ruling on me with patience.' He said: 'Free a slave.' I said: 'By the One Who sent you with the truth, I do not own anything but myself.' He said: 'Fast for two consecutive months.' I said: 'O Messenger of Allah, the thing that happened to me was only because of fasting.' He said: 'Then give charity, or feed sixty poor persons.' I said: 'By the One Who sent you with the truttu we spent last night with no dinner.' He said: 'Then go to the collector of charity of Banu Zuraiq, and tell him to give you something, then feed sixty poor persons, and benefit from the rest.'"  

كُنْتُ امْرَأً أَسْتَكْثِرُ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ لاَ أُرَى رَجُلاً كَانَ يُصِيبُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ مَا أُصِيبُ فَلَمَّا دَخَلَ رَمَضَانُ ظَاهَرْتُ مِنِ امْرَأَتِي حَتَّى يَنْسَلِخَ رَمَضَانُ فَبَيْنَمَا هِيَ تُحَدِّثُنِي ذَاتَ لَيْلَةٍ انْكَشَفَ لِي مِنْهَا شَىْءٌ فَوَثَبْتُ عَلَيْهَا فَوَاقَعْتُهَا فَلَمَّا أَصْبَحْتُ غَدَوْتُ عَلَى قَوْمِي فَأَخْبَرْتُهُمْ خَبَرِي وَقُلْتُ لَهُمْ سَلُوا لِي رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالُوا مَا كُنَّا لِنَفْعَلَ إِذًا يُنْزِلَ اللَّهُ فِينَا كِتَابًا أَوْ يَكُونَ فِينَا مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَوْلٌ فَيَبْقَى عَلَيْنَا عَارُهُ وَلَكِنْ سَوْفَ نُسَلِّمُكَ لِجَرِيرَتِكَ اذْهَبْ أَنْتَ فَاذْكُرْ شَأْنَكَ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ فَخَرَجْتُ حَتَّى جِئْتُهُ فَأَخْبَرْتُهُ الْخَبَرَ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَنْتَ بِذَاكَ فَقُلْتُ أَنَا بِذَاكَ وَهَا أَنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَابِرٌ لِحُكْمِ اللَّهِ عَلَىَّ قَالَ فَأَعْتِقْ رَقَبَةً قَالَ قُلْتُ وَالَّذِي بَعَثَكَ بِالْحَقِّ مَا أَصْبَحْتُ أَمْلِكُ إِلاَّ رَقَبَتِي هَذِهِ قَالَ فَصُمْ شَهْرَيْنِ مُتَتَابِعَيْنِ قَالَ قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَهَلْ دَخَلَ عَلَىَّ مَا دَخَلَ مِنَ الْبَلاَءِ إِلاَّ بِالصَّوْمِ قَالَ فَتَصَدَّقْ وَأَطْعِمْ سِتِّينَ مِسْكِينًا قَالَ قُلْتُ وَالَّذِي بَعَثَكَ بِالْحَقِّ لَقَدْ بِتْنَا لَيْلَتَنَا هَذِهِ مَا لَنَا عَشَاءٌ قَالَ فَاذْهَبْ إِلَى صَاحِبِ صَدَقَةِ بَنِي زُرَيْقٍ فَقُلْ لَهُ فَلْيَدْفَعْهَا إِلَيْكَ وَأَطْعِمْ سِتِّينَ مِسْكِينًا وَانْتَفِعْ بِبَقِيَّتِهَا  

"Blessed is the One Whose hearing encompasses all things. I heard some of the words of Khawlah bint Tha'labah, but some of her words were not clear to me, when she complained to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about her husband, and said: 'O Messenger of Allah, ﷺ he has consumed my youth and I split my belly for him (i.e., bore him many children), but when I grew old and could no longer bear children he declared Zihar upon me; O Allah, I complain to You.' She continued to complain until Jibra'il brought down these Verses: 'Indeed Allah has heard the statement of she who pleads with you (O Muhammad) concerning her husband, and complains to Allah" (58:1)  

عَائِشَةُ تَبَارَكَ الَّذِي وَسِعَ سَمْعُهُ كُلَّ شَىْءٍ إِنِّي لأَسْمَعُ كَلاَمَ خَوْلَةَ بِنْتِ ثَعْلَبَةَ وَيَخْفَى عَلَىَّ بَعْضُهُ وَهِيَ تَشْتَكِي زَوْجَهَا إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَهِيَ تَقُولُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَكَلَ شَبَابِي وَنَثَرْتُ لَهُ بَطْنِي حَتَّى إِذَا كَبِرَتْ سِنِّي وَانْقَطَعَ وَلَدِي ظَاهَرَ مِنِّي اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَشْكُو إِلَيْكَ فَمَا بَرِحَتْ حَتَّى نَزَلَ جِبْرَائِيلُ بِهَؤُلاَءِ الآيَاتِ {قَدْ سَمِعَ اللَّهُ قَوْلَ الَّتِي تُجَادِلُكَ فِي زَوْجِهَا وَتَشْتَكِي إِلَى اللَّهِ}