Best Kinds of Women

سَمِعْتُ جَابِرَ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ يَقُولُ كُنَّا عِنْدَ النَّبِيِّ ص فَقَالَ: إِنَّ خَيْرَ نِسَائِكُمُ الْوَلُودُ الْوَدُودُ الْعَفِيفَةُ الْعَزِيزَةُ فِي أَهْلِهَا الذَّلِيلَةُ مَعَ بَعْلِهَا الْمُتَبَرِّجَةُ مَعَ زَوْجِهَا الْحَصَانُ عَلَى غَيْرِهِ الَّتِي تَسْمَعُ قَوْلَهُ وَ تُطِيعُ أَمْرَهُ وَ إِذَا خَلَا بِهَا بَذَلَتْ لَهُ مَا يُرِيدُ مِنْهَا وَ لَمْ تَبَذَّلْ كَتَبَذُّلِ الرَّجُلِ.

“The best of your women are the child bearing, loving and chaste who are dear at home, humble with her husband, showing her beauty to her husband, fortressed from strangers, who listens to his words and obeys his orders and in private offers to him what he wants and she does not display vulgar manners as man does.’””

خَيْرُ نِسَائِكُمُ الَّتِي إِذَا خَلَتْ مَعَ زَوْجِهَا خَلَعَتْ لَهُ دِرْعَ الْحَيَاءِ وَ إِذَا لَبِسَتْ لَبِسَتْ مَعَهُ دِرْعَ الْحَيَاءِ.

‘The best of your women are those who in privacy removes the shield of shyness before her husband and when dressed up dresses with him the shield of shyness.’”

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص‌ خَيْرُ نِسَائِكُمُ الْعَفِيفَةُ الْغَلِمَةُ[3].

‘The best of your women is the chaste and full of carnal appetite.’”

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص‌ أَفْضَلُ نِسَاءِ أُمَّتِي أَصْبَحُهُنَّ وَجْهاً وَ أَقَلُّهُنَّ مَهْراً.

‘The best of the women of my followers are those who have a beautiful face and the least amount of Mahr (dowry).’”

قَالَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع‌ خَيْرُ نِسَائِكُمُ الْخَمْسُ‌[1] قِيلَ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَ مَا الْخَمْسُ قَالَ الْهَيِّنَةُ اللَّيِّنَةُ الْمُؤَاتِيَةُ الَّتِي إِذَا غَضِبَ زَوْجُهَا لَمْ تَكْتَحِلْ بِغُمْضٍ حَتَّى يَرْضَى وَ إِذَا غَابَ عَنْهَا زَوْجُهَا حَفِظَتْهُ فِي غَيْبَتِهِ فَتِلْكَ عَامِلٌ مِنْ عُمَّالِ اللَّهِ وَ عَامِلُ اللَّهِ لَا يَخِيبُ.[2]

‘The best of your women are five.’ It was asked, ‘O ’Amir al-Mu’minin what kind of five are they?’ He (the Imam) replied, ‘Simple, nice and suitable, when her husband becomes angry, does not neglect him until he is pleased, and when he is absent she protects him in his absence and that is a worker from Allah and the wo

قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع‌ خَيْرُ نِسَائِكُمُ الطَّيِّبَةُ الرِّيحِ الطَّيِّبَةُ الطَّبِيخِ الَّتِي إِذَا أَنْفَقَتْ أَنْفَقَتْ بِمَعْرُوفٍ وَ إِذَا أَمْسَكَتْ أَمْسَكَتْ بِمَعْرُوفٍ فَتِلْكَ عَامِلٌ مِنْ عُمَّالِ اللَّهِ وَ عَامِلُ اللَّهِ لَا يَخِيبُ وَ لَا يَنْدَمُ.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘The best of your women are those who smell nice, cook nice and when spending she spends what is proper and withholds what is proper. That is a worker from Allah and a worker from Allah does not fail or become regretful.’”

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص‌ خَيْرُ نِسَائِكُمُ الطَّيِّبَةُ الطَّعَامِ الطَّيِّبَةُ الرِّيحِ الَّتِي إِنْ أَنْفَقَتْ أَنْفَقَتْ بِمَعْرُوفٍ وَ إِنْ أَمْسَكَتْ أَمْسَكَتْ بِمَعْرُوفٍ فَتِلْكَ عَامِلٌ مِنْ عُمَّالِ اللَّهِ وَ عَامِلُ اللَّهِ لَا يَخِيبُ.

‘The best of your women are those who cook nice, smell nice, when spending she spends what is proper and withholds what is proper. That is a worker from Allah and a worker from Allah does not fail.’”