'A woman can hide her love for forty years…'

15-12-2014 | IslamWeb

Question:

Please do tell me is this an authentic quote from Hazrat Imam Ali (AS): "A woman can hide her love for 40 years, but she can't hide her hatred for more than an hour. And if the eyes of a woman cry over a man that oppressed her, then the Angels will curse him with every step he walks"

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

As for the first part (“a woman can hide her love for forty years, but she cannot hide her hatred for more than an hour”), we have not come across any source in which it is attributed to ‘Ali but it was mentioned in some literary works with the same meaning without it being attributing to anyone.

The book Nathr Ad-Durr fil-Muhaadharaat by Abu Sa‘d Al-Aabi (d. 421 AH) reads: “A woman can hide her love for forty years, but she cannot hide her hatred for one hour, and the man is the opposite.” At-Tamtheel wal Muhaadharah by Ath-Tha’aalibi (d. 429 AH) reads: “A man can hide his hatred of a woman for forty years, but he cannot hide his love for her for one day, and a woman can  hide her love for a man for forty years, but she cannot  hide her hatred of him for one day.”

As regards the second part of the statement, “If the eyes of a woman cry over a man that oppressed her, then the Angels will curse him with every step he walks”, we have not come across this statement except on internet websites, and it is clear that this is false and a fabrication due its an exaggeration and randomness.

Professor of the Sunnah and its sciences Dr. Ahmad Al-Baatili said: “There is a Hadeeth that is circulating among women: ‘If a woman sheds tears because of the injustice of a man, the angels curse him every step he makes’; it has no foundation and it is not permissible to spread it.”

Allaah Knows best.