Hadith 3166

Zaynab said, "I heard my mother, Umm Salama, the wife of theProphet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say that a womancame to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant himpeace, and said, 'Messenger of Allah! My daughter's husband died, andher eyes are troubling her, can she put kohl on them?' The Messengerof Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'No' two orthree times. Then he said, 'It is only four months and ten days. Inthe Jahiliyya, none of you threw away the piece of dung until a yearhad passed.' "Humayd ibn Nafi said, "I asked Zaynab toexplain what 'throwing away the piece of dung at the end of a year'meant. Zaynab said, 'In the Jahiliyya when a woman's husband died, shewent into a small tent and dressed in the worst of clothes. She didnot touch perfume or anything until a year had passed. Then she wasbrought an animal - a donkey, a sheep, or a bird, and she would breakher idda with it, by rubbing her body against it (taftaddu). Rarelydid she break her idda with anything (by rubbing herself against it)but that it died. Then she would come out and would be given a pieceof dung. She would throw it away and then return to whatever shewished of perfumes or whatever.' "Malik explained,'Taftaddu' means to wipe her skin with it in the same way as with ahealing charm."