While we were sitting with Ayesha, the women of Quraysh and their merits were mentioned.Ayesha said, "The women of Quraysh certainly have their merits, but by Allah, I have never seen any women better than the women of the Ansar, none more firm in their acceptance of the Book of Allah, nor more believing in what was revealed. When Surah Nur was revealed with the words 'and let them draw their head coverings over their bosoms' [Nur 24:31], their men went home to them and recited to them what Allah had sent down concerning them. A man would recite it to his wife, his daughter, his sister, and to every one of his relatives. There was not a single woman among them who did not get up and take her patterned woolen shawl and wrap her head with it, out of acceptance and belief in what Allah had revealed in His Book. The next morning they were praying the dawn prayer behind the Messenger of Allah ﷺ with their heads covered, as though crows were perched upon them."
بينما نحن عند، عائشة قالت: وذكرت نساء قريش وفضلهن، فقالت عائشة: إن لنساء قريش لفضلا، وإني والله ما رأيت أفضل من نساء الأنصار أشد تصديقا بكتاب الله، ولا إيمانا بالتنزيل. لقد أنزلت سورة النور: {وليضربن بخمرهن على جيوبهن} انقلب رجالهن إليهن يتلون عليهن ما أنزل إليهن فيها، ويتلو الرجل على امرأته وابنته وأخته، وعلى كل ذي قرابته، ما منهن امرأة إلا قامت إلى مرطها المرحل، فاعتجرت به تصديقا وإيمانا بما أنزل الله من كتابه، فأصبحن يصلين وراء رسول الله ﷺ الصبح معتجرات كأن على رؤوسهن الغربان.
Ibn Abu Hatim narrated it in his Tafsir (8/2575) from his father, who said, Ahmad bin Abdullah bin Yunus told us, Zinji bin Khalid told me, Abdullah bin Uthman bin Khuthaym told me, from Safiya bint Shayba, who said, then she related it.Its isnad is hasan because of Zinji bin Khalid, who is Muslim bin Khalid al-Makhzumi, their client from Makkah, known as Zinji, and because of his teacher Abdullah bin Uthman bin Khuthaym, for both of them are hasan narrators.Ibn Abu Hatim also narrated it through another route from Dawud bin Abdul-Rahman, from Abdullah bin Uthman, with the same account in brief.Abu Dawud (4101) narrated it through another route from Mamar, from Ibn Khuthaym, with a similar account, except that it has Umm Salama instead of Ayesha. Perhaps Safiya bint Shayba heard it from both of them, Ayesha and Umm Salama.As for His saying, "or those whom their right hands possess" [Nur 24:31], that is on account of necessity and the frequency of their going in and out to their mistress.