The Book of Suckling — Hadith 3480

Arabic Text

وَحَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ حُمَيْدِ بْنِ نَافِعٍ، عَنْ زَيْنَبَ بِنْتِ أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ، قَالَتْ قَالَتْ أُمُّ سَلَمَةَ لِعَائِشَةَ إِنَّهُ يَدْخُلُ عَلَيْكِ الْغُلاَمُ الأَيْفَعُ الَّذِي مَا أُحِبُّ أَنْ يَدْخُلَ عَلَىَّ ‏.‏ قَالَ فَقَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ أَمَا لَكِ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أُسْوَةٌ قَالَتْ إِنَّ امْرَأَةَ أَبِي حُذَيْفَةَ قَالَتْ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّ سَالِمًا يَدْخُلُ عَلَىَّ وَهُوَ رَجُلٌ وَفِي نَفْسِ أَبِي حُذَيْفَةَ مِنْهُ شَىْءٌ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ أَرْضِعِيهِ حَتَّى يَدْخُلَ عَلَيْكِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

English Translation

Umm Salama said to 'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her): A young boy who is at the threshold of puberty comes to you. I, however, do not like that he should come to me, whereupon 'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) said: Don't you see in Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) a model for you? She also said: The wife of Abu Hudhaifa said: Messenger of Allah, Salim comes to me and now he is a (grown-up) person, and there is something that (rankles) in the mind of Abu Hudhaifa about him, whereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: Suckle him (so that he may become your foster-child), and thus he may be able to come to you (freely).