15. Closing benefit:

After listening attentively to what Fatimah had to say, the Prophet ﷺ addressed her problems and gave her a solution. This part of the hadeeth serves as a perfect counselling session for anyone seeking marriage. What did he ﷺ advise her with? And more importantly, why? The answers to these two questions are the key to benefitting from this counselling session Q1. What was the Prophet's advice? A1. He directed her to marry Usamah Ibn Zaid radhiyallahu anhu rather than the other two suitors Q2. WHY? A2. An-Nawawi rahimahullah said: “As for his (ﷺ)'s indicating to her to marry Usamah, then that was due to what he knew of him with regards his religiosity, virtue, mannerism, good conduct and noble traits, which is why he advised her with that, but she disliked him because he was a freed-slave and was very black. The Prophet ﷺ repeatedly urged her to marry him due to what he knew of good which would come out as a result of that, and that was the case. That is why she (later) said: (فجعل الله لي فيه خيرا واغتبطت) ”So Allah placed goodness therein for me, and I was envied by others.” And in another wording the Prophet ﷺ said: ((طاعة الله وطاعة رسوله خير لك)) “Obeying Allah and obeying His Messenger is better for you.” [End of Quote; Sharh Muslim] Likewise, we counsel our brothers with the same thing: “A woman is married for four things: her wealth, her lineage, her beauty and her piety; so get the one who is religious and prosper!". [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].