I spent a year wanting to ask 'Umar ibn Al-Khattab about a verse, but I could not bring myself to ask him out of awe for him until he went out for Hajj. So I went out with him. When we returned, and we were part way on the road, he went aside to an Arak tree for some need of his. I stood waiting for him until he finished. Then I walked with him and said: O Commander of the Believers, who were the two women who sided against the Prophet (PBUH) among his wives? He said: They were Hafsah and 'Aishah. I said: By Allah, I wanted to ask you about this for a year, but I could not out of awe for you. He said: Do not. Ask me about what you think I have a knowledge of, and if I have knowledge of it, I will tell you about it. Then 'Umar continued: By Allah, during the pre-Islamic times of ignorance, we did not consider women as anything until Allah revealed what he revealed concerning them and assigned to them what He assigned. While I was occupied with something, my wife said: If you did such and such... I replied: What do you have to do with this? Why do you concern yourself with something I want to decide? She said to me: How strange of you, son of Al-Khattab! You do not want to be argued with, but your daughter argues with the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) until he remains angry for the whole day! 'Umar then stood, took his cloak, and went in to Hafsah and said to her: O my daughter! Do you argue with the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) until he remains angry for the whole day? Hafsah replied: By Allah, we argue with him. I said: You know that I warn you of Allah's punishment and the anger of his Messenger? O my daughter, do not be deceived by the one who is proud of her beauty because the love of the Messenger of Allah for her - meaning 'Aishah. Then I went out to and came in to Um Salamah because of my kinship with her and spoke to her. Um Salamah said: How strange of you, son of Al-Khattab! You interfere in everything until you even wish to interfere between the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and his wives?! So by Allah, her reply stopped me in my tracks and diffused my anger, so I left her. I had a friend from the Ansar who used to bring me the news in case of my absence, and I used to bring him the news if he was absent. In those days we were afraid of one of the kings of Ghassanid. It was mentioned to us that he was intending to march against us, so our hearts were filled with dread. Then [one day] my Ansari friend knocked on my door, saying: Open, open! I said: Has the Ghassanid come? He said: Rather, it is something worse than that! The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) has separated himself from his wives! So I said: Let the nose of 'Aishah and Hafsah be stuck to dust [humiliated]. I took my garment and went out until I came to the Prophet’s attic, which he had ascended by a ladder. A black slave of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) was sitting on the top step. I said: Say that it is 'Umar ibn Al-Khattab. So, he allowed me in. Umar said: I narrated this entire story to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH). When I came to the story of Um Salamah, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) smiled. He was on a mat that left marks on his side. Under his head was a leather cushion stuffed with palm fibers. At his feet was some tannin bark, and near his head were hanging rawhides. I wept, so he asked, What makes you weep? I said: O Messenger of Allah, Kisra (Chosroes) and Caesar live in luxury, while you are the Messenger of Allah! He replied: Are you not pleased that they have this world and we have the Hereafter?