نَهَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص النِّسَاءَ أَنْ يَتَبَتَّلْنَ[1] وَ يُعَطِّلْنَ أَنْفُسَهُنَّ مِنَ الْأَزْوَاجِ.
“Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has said that the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, prohibited women from ignoring themselves due to laziness and turning themselves of no benefit for their husbands.’”
لَا يَنْبَغِي لِلْمَرْأَةِ أَنْ تُعَطِّلَ نَفْسَهَا وَ لَوْ تُعَلِّقُ فِي عُنُقِهَا قِلَادَةً وَ لَا يَنْبَغِي أَنْ تَدَعَ يَدَهَا مِنَ الْخِضَابِ وَ لَوْ تَمْسَحُهَا مَسْحاً بِالْحِنَّاءِ وَ إِنْ كَانَتْ مُسِنَّةً.
‘It is not proper for women to neglect themselves even from hanging a necklace from their necks. It is not proper for women to leave their hands without dye even if they are old.’”
دَخَلَتِ امْرَأَةٌ عَلَى أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع فَقَالَتْ أَصْلَحَكَ اللَّهُ إِنِّي امْرَأَةٌ مُتَبَتِّلَةٌ فَقَالَ وَ مَا التَّبَتُّلُ عِنْدَكِ قَالَتْ لَا أَتَزَوَّجُ قَالَ وَ لِمَ قَالَتْ أَلْتَمِسُ بِذَلِكَ الْفَضْلَ فَقَالَ انْصَرِفِي فَلَوْ كَانَ ذَلِكِ فَضْلًا لَكَانَتْ فَاطِمَةُ ع أَحَقَّ بِهِ مِنْكِ إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ أَحَدٌ يَسْبِقُهَا إِلَى الْفَضْلِ.
I am a celibate woman.’ He (the Imam) asked, ‘What does that mean to you?’ She replied, ‘I do not marry.’ He (the Imam) asked, ‘Why do you not marry?’ She replied, ‘I seek thereby excellence.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘You must change your mind. Had that been anything of excellence, Fatimah, ‘Alayha al-Salam, would have bee