Sahih al-Bukhari 5337

Hadith text

I (Humaid) said to Zainab, "What does 'throwing a globe of dung when one year had elapsed' mean?" Zainab said, "When a lady was bereaved of her husband, she would live in a wretched small room and put on the worst clothes she had and would not touch any scent till one year had elapsed. Then she would bring an animal, e.g. a donkey, a sheep or a bird and rub her body against it. The animal against which she would rub her body would scarcely survive. Only then she would come out of her room, whereupon she would be given a globe of dung which she would throw away and then she would use the scent she liked or the like

Main (Humaid) ne Zainab se pucha, 'Ek saal guzarne par gobar ka golaa phenkne ka kya matlab hai?' Zainab ne kaha, 'Jab koi aurat apne shohar ki maut se dukhi hoti, to wo ek chhoti aur kharaab kamre mein rehti, apne sabse bure kapde pehanti, aur ek saal guzarne tak koi khushbu na chhoo-ti. Phir wo koi jaanwar, jaise gadha, bakri ya panchi laati aur usse apna jism ragadti. Jis jaanwar se wo apna jism ragadti, wo shaayad hi zinda bachta. Tab jaakar wo apne kamre se baahar aati, aur usse gobar ka golaa diya jaata jise wo phenk deti, phir wo apni pasand ki khushbu istemaal kar sakti thi.'

Sahih al-Bukhari 5337 · Book 68, Hadith 82