Abu Bakr came seeking permission to enter upon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and he found people sitting at his door, none of whom had been granted permission to enter. Abu Bakr was given permission, so he went in. Then Umar came and asked permission, and he too was admitted. He found the Prophet ﷺ sitting with his wives around him, grim faced and silent.Umar thought to himself, "I will surely say something to make the Prophet ﷺ laugh."So he said, "Messenger of Allah, if only you had seen the daughter of Kharijah! She asked me for household money, so I got up and struck her on the neck."The Messenger of Allah ﷺ laughed and said, "They are around me as you see, asking me for household money."At that Abu Bakr got up and went for Ayesha, striking her on the neck, and Umar got up and went for Hafsah, striking her on the neck, both of them saying, "You ask the Messenger of Allah ﷺ for what he does not have!"The wives said, "By Allah, we will never again ask the Messenger of Allah ﷺ for anything he does not have."Then he withdrew from them for a month, or for twenty nine days. Then this verse was revealed to him, "Prophet, say to your wives" until it reached "a great reward for those of you who do good" [Ahzab 33:28–29].He began with Ayesha, saying, "Ayesha, I want to put a matter before you, and I would like you not to be hasty about it until you have consulted your parents."She asked, "What is it, Messenger of Allah?"So he recited the verse to her.She said, "Is it about you, Messenger of Allah, that I should consult my parents? No, I choose Allah and His Messenger and the abode of the Hereafter. But I ask you not to tell any of your other wives what I have said."He replied, "Not one of them will ask me without my telling her. Allah did not send me to be harsh or to make things difficult, but He sent me as a teacher who makes things easy."
دخل أبو بكر يستأذن على رسول الله ﷺ، فوجد الناس جلوسا ببابه، لم يؤذن لأحد منهم، قال: فأذن لأبي بكر. فدخل، ثم أقبل عمر فاستأذن فأذن له، فوجد النبي ﷺ جالسا حوله نساؤه واجما ساكتا. قال: لأقولن شيئا أضحك النبي ﷺ، فقال: يا رسول الله! لو رأيت بنت خارجة! سألتني النفقة، فقمت إليها فوجأت عنقها. فضحك رسول الله ﷺ وقال: هن حولي كما ترى. يسألنني النفقة فقام أبوبكر إلى عائشة يجأ عنقها، فقام عمر إلى حفصة يجأ عنقها. كلاهما يقول: تسألن رسول الله ﷺ ما ليس عنده. فقلن: والله! لا نسأل رسول الله ﷺ شيئا أبدا ليس عنده. ثم اعتزلهن شهرا أو تسعا وعشرين. ثم نزلت عليه هذه الآية: {يأيها النبي قل لأزواجك} حتى بلغ {للمحسنت منكن أجرا}[الأحزاب: ٢٨-٢٩] قال: فبدأ بعائشة. فقال: يا عائشة! إني أريد أن أعرض عليك أمرا أحب أن لا تعجلي فيه حتى تستشيري أبويك قالت: وما هو؟ يا رسول الله! فتلا عليها الآية. قالت: أفيك، يا رسول الله، أستشير أبوي؟ بل أختار الله ورسوله والدار الآخرة. وأسألك أن لا تخبر امرأة من نسائك بالذي قلت. قال: لاتسألني امرأة منهن إلا أخبرتها. إن الله لم يبعثني معنا ولا متعنتا ولكن بعثني معلما ميسرا.