Allah Almighty says: {And fulfill the covenant. Surely, you will be questioned about it.} [Al-Isrā’: 34]
A secret is something that occurs covertly between you and your companion. You may not disclose this secret to anyone, whether your companion literally asks you not to, like saying “do not tell anyone about this;” or if this is deduced from the actual situation, like when he speaks to you while looking around to make sure no one is listening; or it is logically known that what he has told you is a secret, like when it is one of the matters of whose mention a person would feel shy and apprehensive. In such cases, it is not permissible for you to disclose and reveal the secret.
1) It is an obligation to fulfill all the conditions that people stipulate in contracts, except a condition that renders lawful what is unlawful or vice versa.
2) Keeping secrets falls under the covenants a person is commanded to fulfill.
685/1 - Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Among the most wicked people in the sight of Allah on the Day of Judgment is the man who has sexual intercourse with a woman (his wife) and then divulges her secret.” [Narrated by Muslim]
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1) It is an obligation to conceal the internal affairs of households and the intimacy with one’s wife. The Muslim society should be pure and chaste.
2) One of the rules to be observed in marital life is concealing what intimately takes place between husband and wife.
686/2 - ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported that ‘Umar, when his daughter Hafsah became a widow, said: “I met ‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān and offered Hafsah for marriage to him. I said: ‘If you wish, I shall give you Hafsah bint ‘Umar in marriage.’ ‘Uthmān said: ‘I shall think over the matter.’ I waited for a few days and then ‘Uthmān met me and said: ‘It occurred to me that I should not marry at present.’ Then I met Abu Bakr and said to him: ‘If you wish, I shall marry Hafsah bint ‘Umar to you.’ Abu Bakr remained silent and did not give me any reply! I was more upset with him than with ‘Uthmān. A few days later, the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) asked for her hand in marriage and I married her to him. Thereafter, I met Abu Bakr who said: ‘Perhaps you were angry with me when you offered Hafsah to me and I said nothing in reply?’ I said: ‘Yes, that is so.’ He said: ‘Nothing stopped me from responding to your offer except that I knew that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) had mentioned her, and I could not disclose the Prophet’s secret. Had the Prophet not proposed to her, I would have accepted (to marry) her.’” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri]
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Commenting on “Hafsah became a widow”, Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy upon him) said: Her husband, Khunays ibn Hudhāfah al-Sahmi, the brother of ‘Abdullāh ibn Hudhāfah, died in Madīnah of injuries he sustained during the battle of Uhud.
1) A man may offer his daughter or sister in marriage to righteous people, as this brings benefit to everyone.
2) Keeping secrets and being very careful about it is a virtue. If the person to whom the secret belongs divulges it himself, those who have heard it are no longer under any restriction regarding it.
3) Blaming does not spoil love. When a person presents his excuse, it is recommended to accept it.
687/3 - ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: The wives of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) were with him when Fātimah came walking. Her gait was exactly similar to the Prophet’s. When he saw her, he welcomed her saying: “Welcome, my daughter.” He made her sit on his right side or on his left side. Then he said something secretly to her and she wept bitterly. When he found her in grief, he told her something secretly for the second time and she laughed. I said to her: “The Messenger (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) has singled you out with talking to you secretly, excluding all his wives, and you weep!” When the Messenger went away, I said to her: “What did the Messenger say to you?” Thereupon she said: “I am not going to disclose the Messenger’s secret.” When the Messenger died, I said to her: “I adjure you by the right that I have upon you that you should tell me what the Messenger had said to you.” She said: “Yes, now I can do that. When he talked to me secretly for the first time he told me that Jibrīl was in the habit of reciting the whole Qur’an along with him once or twice every year, but this year it had been twice and so he perceived that his death was quite near, ‘so fear Allah and be patient’, and he told me that he would be an excellent predecessor for me, and so I wept as you saw me. Then when he saw me in grief, he talked to me secretly for the second time and said: ‘O Fātimah, would it please you to know that you will be the most honored of the believing women or the most honored of the women of this Ummah?’ So, I laughed and it was that laughter which you saw.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim; this is the wording of Muslim]
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1) It demonstrates Fātimah’s merit, as she is the most honored of the women of this Ummah.
2) It is recommended to keep secrets and not divulge them until the reason for secrecy is no longer there. This kind pure daughter of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) kept his secret throughout his lifetime.
3) It is permissible to weep, without screaming, wailing, or slapping the cheeks, for this stems from mercy which Allah has put into a believer’s heart.
4) It is permissible to say ‘welcome’ and similar phrases of greeting. Yet, it is preferable to say “peace be upon you”.
688/4 - Thābit related that Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) came to me as I was playing with playmates. He greeted us and sent me on an errand and I was late in going to my mother. When I came to her, she said: “What detained you?” I said: “The Prophet sent me on an errand.” She said: “What was the purpose?” I said: “It is something secret.” Thereupon, she said: “Do not divulge the Prophet’s secret to anyone.”
Anas said: “By Allah, if I were to divulge it to anyone, I would divulge it to you, Thābit.” [Narrated by Muslim; partially narrated by Al-Bukhāri]
1) It highlights the Prophet’s fine character and his modesty. Despite his high status in the sight of Allah Almighty and among people, he was so modest that he would greet children while they were playing.
2) Um Sulaym’s good parenting of her child. She exhorted him: “Do not divulge the Prophet’s secret to anyone,” in support of his conduct. How far are mothers from her today!
3) It is not permissible for a person to divulge someone’s secret, even to his mother or father or the closest people to him.