Abu Salama and Yahya reported,

When Khadijah passed away, Khawla bint Hakeem, the wife of Uthman bin Mazun, came and said, "Messenger of Allah, will you not marry?"He asked, "Whom?"She replied, "If you wish, a virgin, and if you wish, a previously married woman."He asked, "Who is the virgin?"She said, "The daughter of the dearest of Allah's creation to you, Ayesha Bint Abu Bakr."He asked, "And who is the previously married woman?"She said, "Sawda bint Zama. She has believed in you and follows what you say."He said, "Then go and mention them to me."So she entered the house of Abu Bakr and said, "Umm Ruman, what good and blessing has Allah brought into your home!"She asked, "What is that?"Khawla said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ has sent me to ask for Ayesha's hand on his behalf."She said, "Wait for Abu Bakr until he comes."When Abu Bakr arrived, she said, "Abu Bakr, what good and blessing has Allah brought into your home!"He asked, "What is that?"She said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ has sent me to ask for Ayesha's hand on his behalf."He said, "But would she be lawful for him? She is the daughter of his brother."So she returned to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and mentioned that to him.He said, "Go back to him and say, 'I am your brother and you are my brother in Islam, and your daughter is lawful for me.'"She returned and told him this.He said, "Wait," and went out.Umm Ruman said, "Mutim bin Adi had previously mentioned her for his son, and by Allah, Abu Bakr never made a promise and then broke it."So Abu Bakr went in to see Mutim bin Adi, whose wife, the mother of the young man, was with him. She said, "Son of Abu Quhafa, perhaps you would lead our companion astray and bring him into the religion you follow if he were to marry into your family."Abu Bakr said to Mutim bin Adi, "Are you saying what she is saying?"He replied, "She is indeed saying that."So Abu Bakr left him, and Allah had removed from his heart whatever obligation he had felt regarding the promise he had made. He returned and said to Khawla, "Call the Messenger of Allah ﷺ for me."She called him, and Abu Bakr married her to him. Ayesha was six years old at the time.Then she went out and entered upon Sawda bint Zama and said, "What good and blessing has Allah brought into your home!"She asked, "What is that?"Khawla said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ has sent me to ask for your hand on his behalf."Sawda said, "I would like that. Go in to my father and mention it to him."He was a very old man who had grown so aged that he had stopped going to Hajj. So she entered upon him and greeted him with the greeting of the pre-Islamic era.He asked, "Who is this?"She said, "Khawla bint Hakeem."He asked, "What brings you?"She said, "Muhammad bin Abdullah has sent me to ask for Sawda's hand on his behalf."He said, "A noble match. What does your companion say?"She said, "She would like that."He said, "Call her for me."So she was called, and he said, "My daughter, this woman claims that Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Abdul-Muttalib has sent to ask for your hand, and he is a noble match. Would you like me to marry you to him?"She said, "Yes."He said, "Call him for me."The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came to him, and he married her to him.Then her brother Abd bin Zama came back from Hajj and began throwing dust upon his head. After he had embraced Islam, he said, "By your life, I was foolish indeed the day I threw dust on my head because the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had married Sawda bint Zama."Ayesha said, "We came to Medina and stayed among Banu Harith bin Khazraj at as-Sunh. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came and entered our house, and some men and women of the Ansar gathered around him. My mother came to me while I was on a swing between two date-palm branches that was swinging me to and fro. She brought me down from the swing. I had locks of hair, and she parted them and wiped my face with a little water. Then she came forward leading me until she stood me at the door, and I was panting until my breath calmed down. Then she brought me in, and there was the Messenger of Allah ﷺ sitting on a couch in our house, with men and women of the Ansar around him. She seated me on his lap, then said, 'These are your family. May Allah bless you in them and bless them in you.' The men and women jumped up and went out, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ consummated the marriage with me in our house. No camel was slaughtered for me, nor was any sheep, until Saad bin Ubada sent us a large bowl of food that he used to send to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ whenever he made his rounds among his wives. I was nine years old at that time."

حدثنا محمد بن بشر قال حدثنا محمد بن عمرو قال

حدثنا أبو سلمة ويحيى قالا

لما هلكت خديجة جاءت خولة بنت حكيم امرأة عثمان بن مظعون قالت يا رسول الله ألا تزوج قال من قالت إن شئت بكرا وإن شئت ثيبا قال فمن البكر قالت ابنة أحب خلق الله عز وجل إليك عائشة بنت أبي بكر قال ومن الثيب قالت سودة ابنة زمعة قد آمنت بك واتبعتك على ما تقول قال فاذهبي فاذكريهما علي فدخلت بيت أبي بكر فقالت يا أم رومان ماذا أدخل الله عز وجل عليكم من الخير والبركة قالت وما ذاك قالت أرسلني رسول الله ﷺ أخطب عليه عائشة قالت انتظري أبا بكر حتى يأتي فجاء أبو بكر فقالت يا أبا بكر ماذا أدخل الله عليكم من الخير والبركة قال وما ذاك قالت أرسلني رسول الله ﷺ أخطب عليه عائشة قال وهل تصلح له إنما هي ابنة أخيه فرجعت إلى رسول الله ﷺ فذكرت له ذلك قال ارجعي إليه فقولي له أنا أخوك وأنت أخي في الإسلام وابنتك تصلح لي فرجعت فذكرت ذلك له قال انتظري وخرج قالت أم رومان إن مطعم بن عدي قد كان ذكرها على ابنه فوالله ما وعد موعدا قط فأخلفه لأبي بكر فدخل أبو بكر على مطعم بن عدي وعنده امرأته أم الفتى فقالت يا ابن أبي قحافة لعلك مصب صاحبنا مدخله في دينك الذي أنت عليه إن تزوج إليك قال أبو بكر للمطعم بن عدي آقول هذه تقول قال إنها تقول ذلك فخرج من عنده وقد أذهب الله عز وجل ما كان في نفسه من عدته التي وعده فرجع فقال لخولة ادعي لي رسول الله ﷺ فدعته فزوجها إياه وعائشة يومئذ بنت ست سنين ثم خرجت فدخلت على سودة بنت زمعة فقالت ماذا أدخل الله عز وجل عليك من الخير والبركة قالت ما ذاك قالت أرسلني رسول الله ﷺ أخطبك عليه قالت وددت ادخلي إلى أبي فاذكري ذاك له وكان شيخا كبيرا قد أدركه السن قد تخلف عن الحج فدخلت عليه فحيته بتحية الجاهلية فقال من هذه فقالت خولة بنت حكيم قال فما شأنك قالت أرسلني محمد بن عبد الله أخطب عليه سودة قال كفء كريم ماذا تقول صاحبتك قالت تحب ذاك قال ادعها لي فدعيتها قال أي بنية إن هذه تزعم أن محمد بن عبد الله بن عبد المطلب قد أرسل يخطبك وهو كفء كريم أتحبين أن أزوجك به قالت نعم قال ادعيه لي فجاء رسول الله ﷺ إليه فزوجها إياه فجاءها أخوها عبد بن زمعة من الحج فجعل يحثي في رأسه التراب فقال بعد أن أسلم لعمرك إني لسفيه يوم أحثي في رأسي التراب أن تزوج رسول الله ﷺ سودة بنت زمعة قالت عائشة فقدمنا المدينة فنزلنا في بني الحارث بن الخزرج في السنح قالت فجاء رسول الله ﷺ فدخل بيتنا واجتمع إليه رجال من الأنصار ونساء فجاءتني أمي وإني لفي أرجوحة بين عذقين ترجح بي فأنزلتني من الأرجوحة ولي جميمة ففرقتها ومسحت وجهي بشيء من ماء ثم أقبلت تقودني حتى وقفت بي عند الباب وإني لأنهج حتى سكن من نفسي ثم دخلت بي فإذا رسول الله ﷺ جالس على سرير في بيتنا وعنده رجال ونساء من الأنصار فأجلستني في حجره ثم قالت هؤلاء أهلك فبارك الله لك فيهم وبارك لهم فيك فوثب الرجال والنساء فخرجوا وبنى بي رسول الله ﷺ في بيتنا ما نحرت علي جزور ولا ذبحت علي شاة حتى أرسل إلينا سعد بن عبادة بجفنة كان يرسل بها إلى رسول الله ﷺ إذا دار إلى نسائه وأنا يومئذ بنت تسع سنين