Mothers and the Companions

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عَنْ عَائِشَةِ قَالَتْ

Aisha said.

كَانَ رَجُلَانِ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ

There were two men among the companions of the Messenger of God.

أَبَرُّ مَنْ كَانَا فِي هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ بِأُمِّهِمَا

More dutiful to their mother than anyone in this community.

عُثْمَانُ بْنُ عَفَّانَ

Uthman ibn Affan,

وَحَارِثَةُ بْنُ النُّعْمَانِ

And Haritha, son of al-Nu'man.

فَأَمَّا عُثْمَانُ فَإِنَّهُ قَالَ

As for Uthman, he said:

مَا قَدَرْتُ أَنْ أَتَأَمَّلَ أُمِّي مُنْذُ أَسْلَمَتْ

I could not look after my mother since she embraced Islam.

وأما حَارِثَةِ فأنه كَانَ يَفْلِي رَأْسَ أُمِّهِ

As for Haritha, he used to stroke his mother's head.

وَيُطْعِمُهَا بِيَدِهِ

and he feeds her with his hand,

وَلَمْ يَسْتَفْهِمْهَا كَلَامًا قِطًّا

He never asked her anything verbally.

تَأْمُرُ بِهِ حَتَّى يَسْأَلَ مِنْ عِنْدَهَا

She instructs him about it until he asks from her.

بَعْدَ أَنْ يَخْرُجَ مَا أَرَادَتْ أُمِّي

Has what my mother wanted happened?

وَعَنْ هِشَامِ قَالَ

And Hisham said,

كَانَتْ حَفْصَةُ تَتَرَحَّمُ عَلَى هُذَيْلِ

Hafsa was praying for mercy for Hudhayl.

وَتَقَوُّلٌ كَانَ يَعْمُدُ إِلَى الْقَصَبِ

And she said that he used to go to the reeds.

فَيُقَشِّرُهُ وَيُجَفِّفُهُ فِي الصَّيْفِ

He then peels it and dries it in the summer.

لِئَلا يَكُونَ لَهُ دُخَانٌ

so that there would be no smoke from it,

فَإِذَا كَانَ الشِّتَاءُ جَاءَ حَتَّى قعد خِلْفَيْ وَأَنَا أُصَلِّي

When winter came, he would come until he sat behind me while I prayed.

فَيُوقَدُ وقودًا رفيقًا

Then he lights some thin kindling.

يَنَالُنِي حَرُّهُ وَلَا يُؤْذِينِي دُخَانُهُ

Its heat reaches me, and its smoke does not harm me.

وَكُنْتُ أَقُولُ لَهُ يَا بُنَيَّ

And I would say to him, "My son,"

اللَّيْلَةَ اِذْهَبْ إِلَى أَهْلِكَ

Tonight, go to your family,

فَيَقُولُ يَا أُمَّهُ أَنَا أَعْلَمُ مَا يُرِيدُونَ،

Then he says, "O my mother, I know what they want,"

فَأَدْعُهُ فَرُبَّمَا كَانَ ذَلِكَ حَتَّى يُصْبِحَ

So I leave him; perhaps that was until morning.

وَكَانَ يَبْعَثُ إِلَيَّ بِحَلْبَةِ الْغَدَاةِ

And he used to send me fenugreek in the morning.

فَأَقُولُ يَا بُنْيَّ تَعَلَّمْ أَنَّي لَا أَشْرَبُ نهارًا

So I say, my son, know that I do not drink during the day.

فَيَقُولُ أَطْيَبُ اللَّبَنَاتِ مَا بَاتَ فِي الضَّرْعِ

So he says, 'The best portions of milk are that which stayed overnight in the udder.'

فَلَا أُحِبُّ أَنْ أُؤَثِّرَ عَلَيْكِ

So I do not like to favor you over others,

فابعثي بِهِ إِلَى مَنْ أَحْبَبْتِ

Then send it to whomever you love.'

فَمَاتَ هُذَيْلُ،

Then Hudhayl died.

فَوَجَدْتُ عَلَيْهِ وَجَدًّا شَدِيدًا

I felt an intense yearning for him,

وَكُنْتُ أَجِدُ مَعَ ذُلِّكِ حَرَارَةً فِي صَدْرِي لَا تَكَادُ تَسْكُنُ

And I used to feel a burning in my chest that scarcely subsided.

قَالَتْ فَقُمْتُ لَيْلَةً أُصَلِّي

She said, "I rose one night to pray,"

فَاسْتَفْتَحْتُ النَّحْلَ

So I began with the chapter The Bee.

فَأَتَيْتُ إِلَى قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى

Then I came to the words of the Most High.

مَا عِنْدَكُمْ يَنْفَدُ

What you have will come to an end.

وَمَا عِندَ اللَّهِ بَاقٍ

But what is with Allah endures.

وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّ الَّذِينَ صَبَرُوا أَجْرَهُمْ

And We will surely reward those who were patient with their reward.

بِأَحْسَنِ مَا كَانُوا يَعمَلُون

with the best of what they used to do

فَذَهَبَ عَنْ مَا كُنْتُ أَجِدُ

So what I used to feel has gone.