English Translation

It is narrated from the Mother of the Believers, Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), that Abu Hudhayfa ibn Utba ibn Rabia ibn Abd Shams, who was present at the Battle of Badr, adopted Salim as his son and married him to his niece Hind, the daughter of al-Walid ibn Utba ibn Rabia. Salim was the freed slave of an Ansari woman, just as the Prophet (peace be upon him) had adopted Zayd as his son. It was the custom of the Age of Ignorance that if someone adopted a person, people would attribute him to (the adopter) and call him by his name, and after his death (the adopted one) would also inherit from him. When Allah the Exalted revealed this verse, "Call the adopted sons by (the names of) their real fathers..." (al-Ahzab: 5), they all began to be called by the names of their true fathers, and if a person's father was unknown, then he would be called a client (mawla) and a brother in religion. Later, Sahla bint Suhayl ibn Amr al-Qurashi al-Amiri, who was the wife of Abu Hudhayfa, came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said, "O Messenger of Allah! We used to regard Salim as our son, but now Allah has revealed the command you know of (so what should I do?)" Then she related the entire hadith.