SECTION ON MARRIAGE · 35 – The duration a newly married person will stay with his wife
Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) related:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) remained with Umm Salamah for three days when he married her. He said, “There is no aspect of your household where you feel diminished; if you wish, I can stay with you for seven days. And if I were to stay with you for seven days, I would also spend seven days with my other wives.” [126]
COMMENTARY
This hadith indicates that when a man marries a virgin woman or a widow, he should spend seven days with the former during their first marital union and three nights with the latter if another widow is taken. Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) may have felt distressed, wondering why the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) stayed with her for only three days, so he said, “My staying with you for three days is not a rule; it is not because you feel diminished.”
Anas ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, remained with Safiyya, may Allah be pleased with her, for three days when he married her. Osman ibn (Abu Shayba) added: Safiyya was a widow.
Anas ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated:
If a virgin is married to a widower, he stays with her for seven days. If a widow is married to a virgin, he stays with her for three days. Abu Qilaba said, "If I had affirmed this narration as marfu', I would have been truthful. But Anas said, 'This is the sunna.'"