Sahih Bukhari 5255 May 2026

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "A woman is married for four things, i.e., her wealth, her family status, her beauty, and her religion. So you should marry the religious woman (otherwise) you will be a loser."

(In some translations, the final phrase is rendered as: "...so marry the one who is religious, may your hands be rubbed with dust [i.e., may you prosper/otherwise you will lose out].")

To understand the power of this hadith, we must first present the precise wording as found in the Book of Legal Punishments (Kitab al-Hudud) and the Book of Retaliation (Kitab al-Diyat).

Arabic Text: عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا، قَالَتْ: مَا ضَرَبَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ شَيْئًا قَطُّ بِيَدِهِ، وَلاَ امْرَأَةً، وَلاَ خَادِمًا، إِلاَّ أَنْ يُجَاهِدَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ sahih bukhari 5255

Transliteration: ‘An ‘Aishah (radhiAllahu ‘anha), qalat: Ma daraba Rasulullahi sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam shay’an qattu bi yadihi, wa la imra’atan, wa la khadiman, illa an yujahida fi sabeelillahi.

Translation: Narrated by Aisha (May Allah be pleased with her): “Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) never struck anything with his hand, neither a woman nor a servant, except when he was fighting in the cause of Allah.”

This is the problematic type: jealousy without any evidence, suspicion, or rational cause. It includes: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "A woman is married

This jealousy is rooted in insecurity, distrust, and often a lack of self-esteem. The Prophet explicitly says Allah hates this. Why? Because it leads to oppression (zulm), destroys relationships, and contradicts the Qur’anic command: “O you who believe, avoid much suspicion. Indeed, some suspicion is sin.” (Qur’an 49:12)

The litmus test is simple: Do you have objective, external evidence? If not, your jealousy is a sin, not a virtue.

As the keyword suggests, this hadith is recorded by Imam Bukhari (d. 256 AH). The full chain goes from Bukhari to his teacher, then to the famous narrator Hammad ibn Zayd, from Thabit al-Bunani, from Anas ibn Malik (or directly from Aisha in some narrations). (In some translations, the final phrase is rendered as: "

Quranic verse 4:34 permits "light striking" (daraba) as a last resort in marital discord. However, Sahih Bukhari 5255 shows that the Prophet never exercised this permission. Thus, many modern scholars argue that the permission is conditional and the Sunnah (prophetic practice) abrogates its application. The Prophet is quoted elsewhere: "The best of you are those who are best to their wives" (Tirmidhi).

To understand the weight of Hadith 5255, one must recall the famous incident of the three men who came to the Prophet’s wives asking about his private worship. One said, "I will pray all night, never sleeping." Another said, "I will fast continuously, never breaking my fast." A third said, "I will never marry women." The Prophet reacted with anger, declaring, "I am the most God-fearing among you, yet I pray and sleep, fast and break my fast, and marry women. Whoever turns away from my Sunnah is not of me."

Hadith 5255 is a practical application of that same corrective. The man driving the badīʿ (a camel designated for sacrifice at Mecca) believed that because the animal was consecrated to Allah, he could not derive any personal benefit from it—not even to ride it when exhausted. He confused sanctification with prohibition. The Prophet’s triple command—"Ride it, woe to you!"—is a forceful legal and moral clarification: Do not turn what Allah has made permissible into a source of harm.