He, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was considerate of his wives’ feelings:

The Prophet of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, would notice when one of his wives was happy with him or upset. For example, he, sallallaahu‘alayhi wa sallam, said to ‘Aa’ishah: “ I can well discern when you are pleased with me and when you are annoyed with me.” She asked, “How do you discern it?” Thereupon he, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, replied: “When you are happy with me you take an oath saying, ‘I swear by the Lord of Muhammad. However, when you are upset you would say, ‘I swear by the Lord of Abraham.” ‘Aa’ishah said: “Yes (you are right)O Messenger of Allah, but by Allah, I leave nothing but your name.”

The Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was not the type who never cared whether his wife was happy or upset. The Prophet of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, had to take care of the responsibility of the state, battles, preparing armies, propagating his message to the universe, sending messengers to heads of state and following up on all other related affairs. Despite the heavy load he had to shoulder, he, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, did not allow these responsibilities to prevent him from following up with his wives and being considerate towards their feelings.

Compare this to husbands who could not care less if their wives are upset or not, are negligent regarding their affairs, show no consideration for their feelings and are indifferent if their wives are not happy. Indeed, there is a massive difference between them and the Messenger of Allah,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, who was a leading example to humanity in all aspects.

One example exemplifying his care and consideration for his wives’ feelings is in the story of the dispute between two of his wives. Hafsah said something that hurt the feelings of Safiyyah and saddened her by calling her the daughter of a Jew (which she was).  Safiyyah cried and complained to the Prophet of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. The Prophet of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, defended her and comforted her heart with words that calmed her down and made her happy.

Another example that embodied the great consideration the Prophet of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, had towards his wives is the story of the Safiyyah’s camel.

Safiyyah narrates: “The Prophet of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, took his wives along on a journey to perform Hajj (pilgrimage). After travelling for some time, a man took hold of the camel and started spurring them to go fast. The Prophet of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said to him, “Be careful with the fragile vessels [women]!” While we were travelling, my camel knelt  down (due to illness) and it was the best of all camels to ride. I started to cry and the news reached the Prophet of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, who came to me and started wiping my tears with his hands.”

Wiping the wife’s tears with one’s hands is a great way of comforting her and expressing one’s emotions and feelings towards her. Though the reason of her crying was not something major (the kneeling of her sick camel), yet the Prophet of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, did not undermine this and comforted her and showed her love and concern.