The Prophet ﷺ used to stay with Zaynab bint Jahsh and drink honey at her place. So Hafsa and I agreed that whichever of us the Prophet ﷺ came to would say, "I smell a foul gum on you. Have you been eating gum resin?"He went in to one of us, and she said that to him.He replied, "No, I drank honey at Zaynab bint Jahsh's place, and I will never do it again."Then came the revelation, "Prophet, why do you forbid yourself what Allah has made lawful for you" [Tahrim 66:1] up to "If you two turn in repentance to Allah" [Tahrim 66:4], this last part addressed to Ayesha and Hafsa.In another narration, he added, "But you had sworn not to tell anyone about that."
أن النبي ﷺ كان يمكث عند زينب ابنة جحش ويشرب عندها عسلا، فتواصيت أنا وحفصة أن أيتنا دخل عليهاالنبي ﷺ فلتقل: إني أجد فيك ريح مغافير، أكلت مغافير؟ فدخل على إحداهما، فقالت له ذلك، فقال: بل شربت عسلا عند زينب بنت جحش، ولن أعود له فنزلت: {يأيها النبي لم تحرم ما أحل الله لك} إلى {إن تتوبا إلى الله} لعائشة وحفصة. وفي رواية: وقد حلفت لا تخبري بذلك أحدا.
Narrated by Bukhari in the Book of Divorce (5267), and Muslim in the Book of Divorce (1474), both from the hadith of Hajjaj bin Muhammad, from Ibn Jurayj, "Ataa told me that he heard Ubayd bin Umayr report that he heard Ayesha," and then he mentioned it. The wording is Bukhari's, and Muslim's wording is similar.This account is more sahih than the account that follows it. It is Ayesha's statement, "The Messenger of Allah loved honey and sweets, and whenever he returned from Asr, he would go in to his wives and draw near to one of them. He went in to Hafsa bint Umar and stayed longer than usual, so I became jealous and asked about it. I was told that a woman from her people had given her a small container of honey as a gift, and she had given the Prophet a drink of it.I said, 'By Allah, we will find a way to deal with him.' So I said to Sawda bint Zama, 'He will come near you. When he comes near you, say, "Did you eat maghafeer?" He will say to you, "No." Then say to him, "What is this smell I detect on you?" He will say to you, "Hafsa gave me a drink of honey." Then say to him, "The bee must have fed on urfut." I will say the same thing, and you, Safiya, say that too.'"She said, "Sawda said, 'By Allah, no sooner had he stood at the door than I wanted to confront him with what you had told me to say, out of fear of you.' When he came near her, Sawda said to him, 'Messenger of Allah, did you eat maghafeer?' He said, 'No.' She said, 'Then what is this smell I detect on you?' He said, 'Hafsa gave me a drink of honey.' She said, 'The bee must have fed on urfut.' When he turned to me I said the same thing to him, and when he turned to Safiya she said the same thing to him. When he turned to Hafsa, she said, 'Messenger of Allah, shall I not give you a drink of it?' He said, 'I have no need of it.'"She said, "Sawda would say, 'By Allah, we have deprived him of it.' I said to her, 'Be quiet.'"Narrated by Bukhari in the Book of Divorce (5268) from the hadith of Ali bin Mushir, and Muslim in the Book of Divorce (1474:21) from the hadith of Abu Usama, then he followed it with the mention of Ali bin Mushir, both from Hisham bin Urwa, from his father, from Ayesha, who said, and then he mentioned it. The wording is Bukhari's, and Muslim's wording is similar.This version is anomalous, contradicting the Book of Allah, for it comes with wording addressing two people, whereas if it were as described it should have come with wording addressing a group of women.Qurazi said in Mufhim (4/251), "Abu Muhammad Asili said, 'The hadith of Hajjaj (bin Muhammad) has the most sahih chains and is more consistent with the apparent meaning of the Book.' Others said, 'The names were switched in the hadith of Abu Usama.'"As for His saying, "And when the Prophet confided a matter to one of his wives" [Tahrim 66:3], this refers to the drinking of honey, and His saying, "and I will not do it again".It has also been said regarding the reason for its revelation, that it was the Prophet's forbidding to himself his slave woman Mariya the Copt, whom Allah had made lawful for him.