Question 268: State the narrations that encourage patience with a wife's harm and bad temper.

317 13 Feb 2021
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✅Answer: In addition to the many general narrations calling for patience in the face of calamities, please pay attention to the following specific narrations:

قال رسول الله صلی الله علیه و آله في حدیث :.. و مَنْ صَبَرَ عَلَى سُوءِ خُلُقِ امْرَأَتِهِ وَ احْتَسَبَهُ أَعْطَاهُ اللَّهُ بِكُلِّ یومٍ و لَيْلَةٍ يَصْبِرُ عَلَيْهَا مِنَ الثَّوَابِ مِثْلَ مَا أَعْطَى أَيُّوبَ عَلَى بَلَائِهِ

📚 'Uqab Al-A'mal, p. 335

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his family, said in a narration: Whoever is patient with his wife's bad temper and considers it for the sake of Allah, Allah will give him, for every day and night he is patient with it, a reward equal to what He gave to Ayyub, peace be upon him, for his calamity.

الصَّادِقِ عَنْ آبَائِهِ فِي حَدِيثِ الْمَنَاهِي عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ قَالَ: وَ مَنْ صَبَرَ عَلَى خُلُقِ امْرَأَةٍ سَيِّئَةِ الْخُلُقِ وَ احْتَسَبَ فِي ذَلِكَ الْأَجْرَ أَعْطَاهُ اللَّهُ ثَوَابَ الشَّاكِرِين

📚 Man La Yahduruhu Al-Faqih, vol. 4, p. 16

Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him, said: The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his family, said in a narration of prohibitions: Whoever is patient with the bad temper of a bad-tempered woman and seeks a reward for this, Allah will give him the reward of the grateful.

قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ شَكَا إِلَى اللَّهِ مَا يَلْقَى مِنْ سُوءِ خُلُقِ سَارَةَ فَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ أَنَّمَا مَثَلُ الْمَرْأَةِ مَثَلُ الضِّلْعِ الْمُعْوَجِّ إِنْ أَقَمْتَهُ كَسَرْتَهُ وَ إِنْ تَرَكْتَهُ اسْتَمْتَعْتَ بِهِ اصْبِرْ عَلَيْهَا

📚 Al-Kafi, vol. 5, p. 513

Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him, said: The Prophet Abraham, peace be upon him, complained to Allah about what he received from Sarah's bad temper; so Allah revealed to him: Indeed, the example of a woman is like a crooked rib; if you try to straighten it, you will break it, and if you leave her, you will benefit from her, (so) be patient with her.

إِسْحَاقَ بْنِ عَمَّارٍ قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ مَا حَقُّ الْمَرْأَةِ عَلَى زَوْجِهَا الَّذِي إِذَا فَعَلَهُ كَانَ مُحْسِناً قَالَ يُشْبِعُهَا وَ يَكْسُوهَا وَ إِنْ جَهِلَتْ غَفَرَ لَهَا وَ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ كَانَتِ امْرَأَةٌ عِنْدَ أَبِي تُؤْذِيهِ فَيَغْفِرُ لَهَا

📚 Al-Kafi, vol. 5, p. 510

Ishaq said: I said to Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him: What is the wife's right on the husband, so that if he performs it, he is a good-doer and an excellent one? He said: He feeds her and he clothes her, and if she acts foolishly, he forgives her. And Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him, said: My father had a wife who used to harm him, and my father would forgive her.

عَنْ أَبِي بَصِيرٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ يَقُولُ إِنِّي لَأَصْبِرُ مِنْ غُلَامِي هَذَا وَ مِنْ أَهْلِي عَلَى مَا هُوَ أَمَرُّ مِنَ الْحَنْظَلِ إِنَّهُ مَنْ صَبَرَ نَالَ بِصَبْرِهِ دَرَجَةَ الصَّائِمِ الْقَائِمِ وَ دَرَجَةَ الشَّهِيدِ الَّذِي قَدْ ضَرَبَ بِسَيْفِهِ قُدَّامَ مُحَمَّدٍ

📚 Thawab Al-A'mal, p. 235

Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him, said: I heard Imam Baqir, peace be upon him, saying: Indeed, I am patient with my servant and my family regarding something that is more bitter than colocynth for me. Indeed, whoever is patient with his patience reaches the rank of the fasting person who stands (in prayer) and the rank of the one who wields a sword in front of Muhammad, peace be upon him and his family.

قال امیرالمؤمنین :... فَدَارُوهُنَّ عَلَى كُلِّ حَالٍ وَ أَحْسِنُوا لَهُنَّ الْمَقَالَ لَعَلَّهُنَّ يُحْسِنَّ الْفِعَالَ

📚 Man La Yahduruhu Al-Faqih, vol. 3, p. 554

Amir al-Mu'minin, peace be upon him, said to a man who complained to him about his women, among other things: So, be gentle with women in all situations and make the quality of your words and speech with them good and beautiful, so that (in this case) it is hoped that they might make their actions good.

عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ: اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ فِي الضَّعِيفَيْنِ يَعْنِي بِذَلِكَ الْيَتِيمَ وَ النِّسَاءَ

📚 Khisal, vol. 1, p. 37

Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him, said: Fear Allah regarding the two weak ones, who are the orphan and women.

✅Other narrations have also been received in Shia hadith collections regarding the encouragement of patience with a wife's harm and bad temper, and in return, we saw that by speaking well to them and having good companionship, they can be guided towards reforming their actions. So, instead of uttering the most disliked permissible act of Allah, which is divorce, on our tongues, let's work on reforming our own behavior and having good companionship with them, forgiving their foolishness, and other instructions of the Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them, in this regard. And if they are not reformed, we can reach the great promised rewards by being patient with the wife's harm and bad temper, and we should not break the foundation of the family with flimsy excuses through divorce. Inshallah.