Compiled by Imam Muhammad al-Bukhari
حَدَّثَنَا مُسَدَّدٌ، حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ زَيْدٍ، عَنْ عَمْرٍو، عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ قَالَ هَلَكَ أَبِي وَتَرَكَ سَبْعَ بَنَاتٍ أَوْ تِسْعَ بَنَاتٍ فَتَزَوَّجْتُ امْرَأَةً ثَيِّبًا فَقَالَ لِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " تَزَوَّجْتَ يَا جَابِرُ ". فَقُلْتُ نَعَمْ. فَقَالَ " بِكْرًا أَمْ ثَيِّبًا ". قُلْتُ بَلْ ثَيِّبًا. قَالَ " فَهَلاَّ جَارِيَةً تُلاَعِبُهَا وَتُلاَعِبُكَ، وَتُضَاحِكُهَا وَتُضَاحِكُكَ ". قَالَ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ إِنَّ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ هَلَكَ وَتَرَكَ بَنَاتٍ، وَإِنِّي كَرِهْتُ أَنْ أَجِيئَهُنَّ بِمِثْلِهِنَّ، فَتَزَوَّجْتُ امْرَأَةً تَقُومُ عَلَيْهِنَّ وَتُصْلِحُهُنَّ. فَقَالَ " بَارَكَ اللَّهُ لَكَ ". أَوْ قَالَ خَيْرًا.
My father died and left seven or nine girls and I married a matron. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said to me, "O Jabir! Have you married?" I said, "Yes." He said, "A virgin or a matron?" I replied, "A matron." he said, "Why not a virgin, so that you might play with her and she with you, and you might amuse her and she amuse you." I said, " `Abdullah (my father) died and left girls, and I dislike to marry a girl like them, so I married a lady (matron) so that she may look after them." On that he said, "May Allah bless you," or "That is good."