Humaid ibn Nafi' reported the following three traditions on the authority of Zaynab, daughter of Abu Salamah:

Zainab said: I visited Umm Habibah when her father AbuSufyan, died. She asked for some yellow perfume containing saffron (khaluq) or something else. Then she applied it to a girl and touched her cheeks.

She said: I have no need of perfume, but I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: It is not lawful for a woman who believes in Allah and the Last Day to observe mourning for one who has died, more than three nights, except for four months and ten days in the case of a husband.

Zaynab said: I also visited Zaynab, daughter of Jahsh, when her brother died. She asked for some perfume and used it upon herself.

She then said: I have no need of perfume, but I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say when he was on the pulpit: It is not lawful for a woman who believes in Allah and the Last Day to observe mourning for one who has died, more than three nights, except for four months and ten days in the case of a husband.

Zaynab said: I heard my mother, Umm Salamah, say: A woman came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and said: Messenger of Allah, the husband of my daughter has died, and she is suffering from sore eyes; may we put antimony in her eyes?

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: No. He said this twice or thrice. Each time he said: No. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: The waiting period is now four months and ten days. In pre-Islamic days one of you used to throw away a piece of dung at the end of a year.

Humayd said: I asked Zaynab: What do you mean by throwing away a piece of dung at the end of a year.

Zaynab replied: When the husband of a woman died, she entered a small cell and put on shabby clothes, not touching perfume or any other thing until a year passed. Then an animal such as donkey or sheep or bird was provided for her. She rubbed herself with it. The animal with which she rubbed herself rarely survived. She then came out and was given a piece of dung which she threw away. She then used perfume or something else which she desired.

Abu Dawud said: The Arabic word "hafsh" means a small cell.

حَدَّثَنَا الْقَعْنَبِيُّ، عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ، عَنْ حُمَيْدِ بْنِ نَافِعٍ، عَنْ زَيْنَبَ بِنْتِ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ، أَنَّهَا أَخْبَرَتْهُ بِهَذِهِ الأَحَادِيثِ الثَّلاَثَةِ، قَالَتْ زَيْنَبُ دَخَلْتُ عَلَى أُمِّ حَبِيبَةَ حِينَ تُوُفِّيَ أَبُوهَا أَبُو سُفْيَانَ فَدَعَتْ بِطِيبٍ فِيهِ صُفْرَةٌ خَلُوقٌ أَوْ غَيْرُهُ فَدَهَنَتْ مِنْهُ جَارِيَةً ثُمَّ مَسَّتْ بِعَارِضَيْهَا ثُمَّ قَالَتْ وَاللَّهِ مَا لِي بِالطِّيبِ مِنْ حَاجَةٍ غَيْرَ أَنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ " لاَ يَحِلُّ لاِمْرَأَةٍ تُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ أَنْ تُحِدَّ عَلَى مَيِّتٍ فَوْقَ ثَلاَثِ لَيَالٍ إِلاَّ عَلَى زَوْجٍ أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍ وَعَشْرًا " . قَالَتْ زَيْنَبُ وَدَخَلْتُ عَلَى زَيْنَبَ بِنْتِ جَحْشٍ حِينَ تُوُفِّيَ أَخُوهَا فَدَعَتْ بِطِيبٍ فَمَسَّتْ مِنْهُ ثُمَّ قَالَتْ وَاللَّهِ مَا لِي بِالطِّيبِ مِنْ حَاجَةٍ غَيْرَ أَنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ وَهُوَ عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ " لاَ يَحِلُّ لاِمْرَأَةٍ تُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ أَنْ تُحِدَّ عَلَى مَيِّتٍ فَوْقَ ثَلاَثِ لَيَالٍ إِلاَّ عَلَى زَوْجٍ أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍ وَعَشْرًا " . قَالَتْ زَيْنَبُ وَسَمِعْتُ أُمِّي أُمَّ سَلَمَةَ تَقُولُ جَاءَتِ امْرَأَةٌ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالَتْ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّ ابْنَتِي تُوُفِّيَ عَنْهَا زَوْجُهَا وَقَدِ اشْتَكَتْ عَيْنَهَا أَفَنَكْحُلُهَا فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ " لاَ " . مَرَّتَيْنِ أَوْ ثَلاَثًا كُلُّ ذَلِكَ يَقُولُ " لاَ " . ثُمَّ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ " إِنَّمَا هِيَ أَرْبَعَةُ أَشْهُرٍ وَعَشْرٌ وَقَدْ كَانَتْ إِحْدَاكُنَّ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ تَرْمِي بِالْبَعْرَةِ عَلَى رَأْسِ الْحَوْلِ " . قَالَ حُمَيْدٌ فَقُلْتُ لِزَيْنَبَ وَمَا تَرْمِي بِالْبَعْرَةِ عَلَى رَأْسِ الْحَوْلِ فَقَالَتْ زَيْنَبُ كَانَتِ الْمَرْأَةُ إِذَا تُوُفِّيَ عَنْهَا زَوْجُهَا دَخَلَتْ حِفْشًا وَلَبِسَتْ شَرَّ ثِيَابِهَا وَلَمْ تَمَسَّ طِيبًا وَلاَ شَيْئًا حَتَّى تَمُرَّ بِهَا سَنَةٌ ثُمَّ تُؤْتَى بِدَابَّةٍ حِمَارٍ أَوْ شَاةٍ أَوْ طَائِرٍ فَتَفْتَضُّ بِهِ فَقَلَّمَا تَفْتَضُّ بِشَىْءٍ إِلاَّ مَاتَ ثُمَّ تَخْرُجُ فَتُعْطَى بَعْرَةً فَتَرْمِي بِهَا ثُمَّ تُرَاجِعُ بَعْدُ مَا شَاءَتْ مِنْ طِيبٍ أَوْ غَيْرِهِ . قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ الْحِفْشُ بَيْتٌ صَغِيرٌ .