- Abu Hurayrah radhiyallahu anhu reported that Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam said, ‘Treat women well. Women were created from a rib. The most crooked part of the rib is the top part. If you try to straighten it, you will break it. If you leave it, it remains crooked. So treat women well.’ (Bukhari & Muslim) In another variant of Bukhari & Muslim, ‘A woman is like a rib. If you straighten it, you break it. If you wish to benefit from her, you can benefit from her in spite of her crookedness.’ In a variant in Muslim, ‘Women were created from a rib, and you will never find any means to straighten her. If you wish to benefit from her, you can benefit from her in spite of her crookedness. If you try to straighten her, you will break her, and breaking her means divorcing her.’
- ‘Abdullah ibn Zam’a radhiyallahu anhu reported that he heard Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam giving a speech in which he mentioned women and gave an admonishment regarding them saying, ‘Some of you go and flog their wives as a slave is flogged and then sleep with them at the end of the day.’ Then he admonished them about their laughing at people breaking wind and said, ‘Why does any of you laugh at something which he himself does?’ (Bukhari and Muslim)
- Abu Hurayrah radhiyallahu anhu reported that he heard Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam say, ‘A believing man should not dislike a believing woman. If he dislikes something in her character, he should be pleased with some other or another trait of hers.’ (Muslim)
- ‘Amr ibn al-Ahwas al-Jushami radhiyallahu anhu reported that he heard Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam say during the Farewell Hajj after praising and glorifying Allah, reminding and admonishing, ‘Treat your women well. They are as captives in your possession. You have no rights over them except that (i.e. physical enjoyment and that they protect their husband’s interest in respect of themselves and his property). If they act recklessly in an open way, then leave them alone in their beds and hit them but not severely. If they obey you, you have no way against them. You have rights over your women and your women have rights over you. Your right over them is that they do not allow into your bed those you dislike and do not permit those you dislike entering your house. Their right over you is that you are good to them in respect of their clothes and food.’ (Tirmidhi)
