English Translation

Isma'il ibn Ibrahim told us, from Sa'id al-Jurayri, from Abu Nadrah, from a man of Tufawah, who said: I stayed with Abu Hurayrah - he said: I never met among the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, a man more energetic nor more attentive to a guest than him. While I was with him, he was on his couch, and below him was a black slave-girl of his, and he had with him a bag containing pebbles and date-stones, saying "Glory be to Allah, Glory be to Allah" until he had gone through what was in the bag, whereupon he would throw it to her; she would gather it, put it back in the bag, then hand it back to him. He said to me: "Shall I not tell you about myself and about the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him?" I said: "Yes indeed." He said: "While I was suffering from fever in the mosque of Madinah, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, entered the mosque and said: 'Who has seen the young man of Daws? Who has seen the young man of Daws?' Someone said to him: 'He is there, suffering from fever at the side of the mosque, where you can see him, O Messenger of Allah.' So he came and placed his hand upon me and said something kind to me. I got up, and he went on until he stood in his place where he used to pray. With him that day were two rows of men and one row of women, or two rows of women and one row of men. He turned to face them and said: 'If Satan makes me forget anything of my prayer, let the men glorify Allah and let the women clap.' So the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, prayed and did not forget anything of his prayer. When he gave the closing salutation, he turned his face to them and said: 'Stay in your places. Is there any among you who, when he comes to his wife, closes his door and lowers his curtain, and then goes out and talks about it, saying: I did such-and-such with my wife, and I did such-and-such with my wife?' They remained silent. Then he turned to the women and said: 'Is there any among you who talks about it?' A young, full-breasted girl knelt on one of her knees and stretched up so that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, might see her and hear her words, and she said: 'Yes, by Allah, indeed the men do talk, and indeed the women do talk.' He said: 'Do you know what the likeness of one who does that is? The likeness of one who does that is the likeness of a male devil and a female devil who meet each other in the street and he satisfies his need with her while people are watching him.' Then he said: 'Let no man expose himself to another man, nor a woman to another woman, except to a child or a parent.'" He said: "And he mentioned a third thing which I have forgotten. Indeed, the fragrance proper for a man is that whose scent is perceptible but whose color is not apparent, and indeed the fragrance proper for women is that whose color is apparent but whose scent is not perceptible."