وَرَوَتْ عَائِشَةُ أَيْضًا أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ لَمَّا سُئِلَ: «أَيُّ نِسَائِكَ تَلْحَقُكَ أَوَّلًا [فِي الْآخِرَةِ]؟» قَالَ ﷺ: «أَسْرَعُكُنَّ لُحُوقًا بِي أَطْوَلُكُنَّ يَدًا». وَلِهَذَا الْقَوْلِ، تُخْبِرُ عَائِشَةُ أَنَّ أَزْوَاجَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ كُنَّ يَتَحَدَّثْنَ وَيَتَقَايَسْنَ بِأَيْدِيهِنَّ عَلَى الْجِدَارِ لِمَعْرِفَةِ أَيُّهُنَّ أَطْوَلُ يَدًا. وَكَانَتْ سَوْدَةُ بِنْتُ زَمْعَةَ أَطْوَلَهُنَّ قَامَةً، لَكِنَّهُمْ عَلِمْنَ، حِينَ تُوُفِّيَتْ زَيْنَبُ بِنْتُ جَحْشٍ أَوَّلًا، أَنَّ الْمُرَادَ بِ«طُولِ الْيَدِ» كَثْرَةُ الصَّدَقَةِ. وَتَقُولُ عَائِشَةُ: «كَانَتْ زَيْنَبُ أَطْوَلَنَا يَدًا، لِأَنَّهَا كَانَتْ تَعْمَلُ بِيَدِهَا وَتَتَصَدَّقُ مِنْ كَسْبِهَا».289

‘Āishah  also narrates that when the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم was presented with the question, “Which of your wives will be reunited with you first [in the hereafter]?” he صلى الله عليه وسلم responded, “The fastest of you in catching up with me will be the one with the longest arm among you.” Due to that statement, ‘Āishah  reports that his wives used to speculate, and even measure against the wall, which wife had the longest arm. Sawadah bint Zam‘ah  was the tallest of them, but when Zaynab bint Jaḥsh  died first, they realized “longest arm” meant most charitable. ‘Āishah  says, “Zaynab had the longest arm among us, because she used to work with her hands and donate from her earnings.”289