The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) liked sweets and honey, and whenever he finished the ‘Asr prayer, he would visit his wives and stay closely with them, one after another. He once visited Hafsah and remained with her for longer than usual

In this Hadīth, ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) mentioned that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) liked all sweet foods and honey, and that when he finished the ‘Asr prayer, he would visit his wives, one after another, and approach each of them, kissing and caressing her. She goes on to relate that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) once visited Hafsah (may Allah be pleased with her) and stayed with her for longer than usual.

‘Ā’ishah asked about the reason and learned that one of Hafsah’s female relatives had given her a small vessel of honey as a gift and that she gave the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) a drink of it. ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) felt jealous and planned, together with Sawdah and Safiyyah, that when the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) visited any of them, she would ask him whether he had eaten Maghāfīr, which is a foul-smelling gum.

The noble Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) hated that any unpleasant odor should ever emit from him. So when he visited Hafsah (may Allah be pleased with her) again and she offered honey to him, he declined it. In another version: “He swore that he would never drink it again.” Different versions of this Hadīth differ over who gave the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) the drink of honey.

It has been mentioned that he had drunk it in the apartment of Zaynab or Sawdah. Some scholars deemed it more likely that Zaynab was the one who gave him the drink of honey and that Hasfah was ‘Ā’ishah’s partner in the plan. Some scholars proposed that the different versions might refer to more than one story.