Arabic (Original)
حَدَّثَنَا عَفَّانُ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَوَانَةَ عَنْ فِرَاسٍ عَنْ عَامِرٍ عَنْ مَسْرُوقٍ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ قَالَتْ اجْتَمَعَ أَزْوَاجُ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عِنْدَهُ ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ فَقُلْنَ يَا نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ أَيَّتُنَا أَسْرَعُ بِكَ لُحُوقًا فَقَالَ أَطْوَلُكُنَّ يَدًا فَأَخَذْنَا قَصَبًا فَذَرَعْنَاهَا فَكَانَتْ سَوْدَةُ بِنْتُ زَمْعَةَ أَطْوَلَنَا ذِرَاعًا فَقَالَتْ تُوُفِّيَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَكَانَتْ سَوْدَةُ أَسْرَعَنَا بِهِ لُحُوقًا فَعَرَفْنَا بَعْدُ إِنَّمَا كَانَ طُولُ يَدِهَا مِنْ الصَّدَقَةِ وَكَانَتْ امْرَأَةً تُحِبُّ الصَّدَقَةَ وَقَالَ عَفَّانُ مَرَّةً قَصَبَةً نَذْرَعُهَا.
English Translation
Affan told us: Abu Awana told us, from Firas, from Amir, from Masruq, from Aisha, who said: The wives of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, gathered with him one day and said: 'O Prophet of Allah, which of us will be quickest to join you after your death?' He said: 'The one among you with the longest hand.' So we took a reed and measured our arms with it, and Sawda bint Zam'a turned out to have the longest arm among us. She said: When the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, died, Sawda was the quickest of us to join him, and we later realized that the length of her arm referred to her generosity in giving charity, for she was a woman who loved to give in charity - Affan said once: 'a reed which we measured with.'