ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu) sought permission to enter upon the Messenger of Allāh (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam), and with him were women from Quraysh, asking him questions and speaking loudly, their voices raised above his. When ʿUmar sought permission to enter, they hurried behind the veil. The Prophet (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) granted him permission, and he entered while the Prophet (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) was laughing. ʿUmar said, "May Allāh make you laugh, O Messenger of Allāh! May my father and mother be sacrificed for you!" He said, "I am amazed at these women who were with me; when they heard your voice, they hurried behind the veil!" ʿUmar said, "You are more deserving that they should be in awe of you, O Messenger of Allāh!" Then he turned to them and said, "O enemies of yourselves! Do you fear me and not fear the Messenger of Allāh (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam)?" They said, "Indeed, you are harsher and more severe than the Messenger of Allāh (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam)!" The Messenger of Allāh (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) said: ... and he mentioned it. There is another chain of narration for this ḥadīth with Ibn Abī ʿĀṣim (1260) from the route of Sahl ibn Abī Ṣāliḥ from his father from Abū Hurayrah, raised [to the Prophet], with the wording: "By the One in whose hand is my soul! The devil does not take a path that ʿUmar passes through." Its isnād is good; its men are those of the two Shaykhs [al-Bukhārī and Muslim], except for the teacher of Ibn Abī ʿĀṣim in it: Ibn Kāsib—whose name is Yaʿqūb—for his ḥadīth does not reach the level of authenticity. (Benefit): The statement of the women: "Indeed, you are harsher and more severe than the Messenger of Allāh (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam)" is not to be taken literally, as the linguists say; for harshness and severity are negated from the Prophet (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) explicitly by the Qurʾān. And Allāh knows best. *