Allah, the Exalted, said:
رياض الصالحينAbū Zakariyyā Muḥyī al-Dīn Yaḥyā ibn Sharaf al-Nawawī٨٥ - باب حفظ السر
٨٥ - باب حفظ السر
And do not approach the property of an orphan, except in the way that is best,1 until he reaches maturity. And fulfill [every] commitment. Indeed, the commitment is ever [that about which one will be] questioned.
- ﵁ - - ﷺ:
And on the authority of Abu Saʿid al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Indeed, among the worst of people before Allah in rank on the Day of Resurrection is the man who is intimate with his wife and she is intimate with him, then he divulges her secret.” Narrated by Muslim.
وعن عبدِ الله بن عمر ﵄: أنَّ عمرَ - ﵁ - حِيْنَ تأيَّمَتْ بِنْتُهُ حَفْصَةُ، قَالَ: لَقِيتُ عُثْمَانَ بْنَ عَفّانَ - ﵁ - فَعَرَضْتُ عَلَيْهِ حَفْصَةَ، فَقُلْتُ: إنْ شِئْتَ أَنْكَحْتُكَ حَفْصَةَ بِنْتَ عُمَرَ؟ قَالَ: سأَنْظُرُ فِي أمْرِي. فَلَبِثْتُ لَيَالِيَ ثُمَّ لَقِيَنِي، فَقَالَ: قَدْ بَدَا لِي أَنْ لاَ أتَزَوَّجَ يَوْمِي هَذَا. فَلَقِيتُ أَبَا بَكْرٍ - ﵁ - فقلتُ: إنْ شِئْتَ أَنْكَحْتُكَ حَفْصَةَ بنْتَ عُمَرَ، فَصَمتَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ - ﵁ - فَلَمْ يَرْجِعْ إلَيَّ شَيْئًا! فَكُنْتُ عَلَيْهِ أَوْجَدَ مِنِّي عَلَى عُثْمَانَ، فَلَبِثَ لَيَالِيَ ثُمَّ خَطَبَهَا النَّبيُّ - ﷺ - فَأنْكَحْتُهَا إيَّاهُ. فَلَقِيَنِي أَبُو بَكْرٍ، فَقَالَ: لَعَلَّكَ وَجَدْتَ عَلَيَّ حِيْنَ عَرَضْتَ عَلَيَّ حَفْصَةَ فَلَمْ أرْجِعْ إِلَيْكَ شَيْئًا؟ فقلتُ: نَعَمْ، قَالَ: فَإنَّهُ لَمْ يَمْنَعْنِي أَنْ أرْجِعَ إِلَيْك فِيمَا عَرَضْتَ عَلَيَّ إِلاَّ أنِّي كُنْتُ عَلِمْتُ أنَّ النبيَّ - ﷺ - ذَكَرَهَا، فَلَمْ أكُنْ لأُفْشِيَ سِرَّ رسول الله - ﷺ - وَلَوْ تَرَكَهَا النَّبيُّ - ﷺ - لَقَبِلْتُهَا. رواه البخاري. «تَأَيَّمَتْ» أيْ: صَارَتْ بِلاَ زَوْجٍ، وَكَانَ زَوْجُهَا تُوُفِّيَ - ﵁. «وَجَدْتَ»: غَضِبْتَ.
And on the authority of ʿAbdullah ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them both): that ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him), when his daughter Hafsah became widowed, said: I met ʿUthman ibn ʿAffan (may Allah be pleased with him) and offered Hafsah to him, saying: “If you wish, I will give you Hafsah, the daughter of ʿUmar, in marriage.” He said: “I will consider my affair.” So I waited several nights, then he met me and said: “It has occurred to me that I shall not marry at this present time.” Then I met Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: “If you wish, I will give you Hafsah, the daughter of ʿUmar, in marriage.” But Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was silent and gave me no reply at all. So I was more resentful towards him than I had been towards ʿUthman. He waited several nights, then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) proposed to her, and I married her to him. Then Abu Bakr met me and said: “Perhaps you were resentful towards me when you offered Hafsah to me and I gave you no reply?” I said: “Yes.” He said: “Nothing prevented me from replying to you regarding what you offered me except that I knew the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had mentioned her, and I would not divulge the secret of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Had the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) left her, I would have accepted her.” Narrated by al-Bukhari. “Taʾayyamat” means: she became without a husband, for her husband had died (may Allah be pleased with him). “Wajadta” means: you became angry.
وعن عائشة ﵂، قالت: كُنَّ أزْوَاجُ النَّبيِّ - ﷺ - عِنْدَهُ، فَأقْبَلَتْ فَاطِمَةُ ﵂ تَمْشِي، مَا تُخْطِئُ مِشيتُها مِنْ مشْيَةِ رسول الله - ﷺ - شَيْئًا، فَلَمَّا رَآهَا رَحَّبَ بِهَا، وقال: «مَرْحَبًا بِابْنَتِي»، ثُمَّ أجْلَسَهَا عَنْ يَمِينِهِ أَوْ عَنْ شِمَالِهِ، ثُمَّ سَارَّهَا فَبَكتْ بُكَاءً شَديدًا، فَلَمَّا رَأى جَزَعَهَا، سَارَّهَا الثَّانِيَةَ فَضَحِكَتْ، فقلتُ لَهَا: خَصَّكِ رسولُ الله - ﷺ - مِنْ بَيْنِ نِسَائِهِ بالسِّرَارِ، ثُمَّ أنْتِ تَبْكِينَ! فَلَمَّا قَامَ رسولُ الله - ﷺ - سَألْتُهَا: مَا قَالَ لَكِ رسولُ الله - ﷺ -؟ قالت: مَا كُنْتُ لأُفْشِي عَلَى رسول الله - ﷺ - سِرَّهُ، فَلَمَّا تُوُفِّيَ رسول الله - ﷺ - قُلْتُ: عَزَمْتُ عَلَيْكِ بِمَا لِي عَلَيْكِ مِنَ الحَقِّ، لَمَا حَدَّثْتِنِي مَا قَالَ لَكِ رسول الله - ﷺ؟ فقالَتْ: أمَّا الآن فَنَعَمْ، أمَّا حِيْنَ سَارَّنِي في المَرَّةِ الأُولَى فأخْبَرَنِي أنّ جِبْريلَ كَانَ يُعَارِضُهُ القُرآنَ في كُلِّ سَنَةٍ مَرَّةً أَوْ مَرَّتَيْنِ، وَأنَّهُ عَارَضَهُ الآنَ مَرَّتَيْنِ، وَإنِّي لا أُرَى الأجَلَ إِلاَّ قَدِ اقْتَرَبَ، فَاتَّقِي اللهَ وَاصْبِرِي، فَإنَّهُ نِعْمَ السَّلَفُ أنَا لَكِ، فَبَكَيْتُ بُكَائِي الَّذِي رَأيْتِ، فَلَمَّا رَأى جَزَعِي سَارَّنِي الثَّانِيَةَ، فَقَالَ: «يَا فَاطِمَةُ، أمَا تَرْضَيْنَ أَنْ تَكُونِي سَيِّدَةَ نِسَاءِ المُؤُمِنِينَ، أَوْ سَيَّدَةَ نِساءِ هذِهِ الأُمَّةِ؟» فَضَحِكتُ ضَحِكِي الَّذِي رَأيْتِ. متفقٌ عَلَيْهِ، وهذا لفظ مسلم.
And on the authority of ʿAishah (may Allah be pleased with her), who said: The wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) were with him, when Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) came walking, her gait not differing in the least from the gait of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). When he saw her, he welcomed her and said: “Welcome, my daughter,” then he seated her on his right or on his left. Then he confided something to her and she wept bitterly. When he saw her distress, he confided to her a second time and she laughed. So I said to her: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) singled you out from among his wives for a private word, and yet you are weeping!” When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had risen, I asked her: “What did the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say to you?” She said: “I would not divulge the secret of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).” When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had passed away, I said: “I adjure you, by the right I have over you, to tell me what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to you.” So she said: “As for now, then yes. As for when he confided to me the first time, he informed me that Gabriel used to review the Qur'an with him once or twice each year, and that he had reviewed it with him twice this year, and: ‘I do not think but that my appointed time has drawn near, so fear Allah and be patient, for I am the best predecessor for you.’ So I wept the weeping you saw. When he saw my distress, he confided to me the second time and said: ‘O Fatimah, are you not pleased that you should be the mistress of the believing women, or the mistress of the women of this nation?’ So I laughed the laughter you saw.” Agreed upon, and this is the wording of Muslim.
وعن ثَابِتٍ، عن أنس - ﵁ - قَالَ: أتَى عَلَيَّ رسول الله - ﷺ - وَأنَا ألْعَبُ مَعَ الغِلْمَانِ، فَسَلمَ عَلَيْنَا، فَبَعَثَني إِلَى حاجَةٍ، فَأبْطَأتُ عَلَى أُمِّي. فَلَمَّا جِئْتُ، قالت: مَا حَبَسَكَ؟ فقلتُ: بَعَثَني رسولُ الله - ﷺ - لِحَاجَةٍ، قالت: مَا حَاجَتُهُ؟ قُلْتُ: إنَّهاَ سرٌّ. قالت: لا تُخْبِرَنَّ بِسرِّ رسول الله - ﷺ - أحَدًا، قَالَ أنَسٌ: وَاللهِ لَوْ حَدَّثْتُ بِهِ أحَدًا لَحَدَّثْتُكَ بِهِ يَا ثَابِتُ. رواه مسلم وروى البخاري بعضه مختصرًا.
And on the authority of Thabit, from Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came upon me while I was playing with the boys. He greeted us, then sent me on an errand, so I was late returning to my mother. When I came, she said: “What kept you?” I said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sent me on an errand.” She said: “What was his errand?” I said: “It is a secret.” She said: “Do not tell anyone the secret of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).” Anas said: By Allah, had I told it to anyone, I would have told you, O Thabit. Narrated by Muslim, and al-Bukhari narrated part of it in abridged form.