Prophet Muhammad(PBUH) listened to their complaints

“I swear by Allah, the first verses of Chapter Al-Mujaadilah, were revealed about me and my husband, Aws ibn As-Saamit. I was married to him, and he was an old man with bad manners and was hot-tempered. One day he entered upon me and I discussed a matter with him, and he became angry and pronounced the words: ‘You are like my mother (mean- ing, you are as unlawful to have intercourse with as my mother is)’. He left and sat with his friends for a while, and then came back and wanted to have intercourse with me. I said to him, ‘No by The One in Whose Hand the soul of Khawlah is, you will not come near me and will not fulfill your desire after what you had said until Allah and His Messenger give me a ruling on our matter.’ He tried to force himself but I refused and I overcame him, given his old age and weak body, and I was a younger woman, so I pushed him away and left. I went to one of the neighbors and borrowed a garment from her and went to the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and sat in front of him and narrated to him what happened, and I started to complain about my husband’s bad manners and hot temper and how much I was suffering. The Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “He is an old man, so fear Allah about him.” I continued complaining until the Quranic verse was revealed and the Mes- senger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, experienced what he experienced whenever he received revelation. Then he went back to his normal state and said: “O Khawlah, Allah has revealed the Quran about you and your hus- band.” Then he, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, recited the first verses of Chapter Al-Mujaadilah (which mean): «Certainly has Allah heard the speech of the one who argues [i.e. pleads] with you, [O Muhammad] concerning her husband and directs her complaint to Allah. And Allah hears your dialogue; indeed, Allah is Hearing and Seeing. Those who pronounce Thi- haar [i.e. the saying of the husband to his wife, ‘You are like my mother’] among you [to separate] from their wives, they are not [consequently] their mothers. Their mothers are none but those who gave birth to them. And indeed, they are saying an objectionable statement and a falsehood. But indeed, Allah is Pardoning and Forgiving. And those who pronounce Thihaar from their wives and then [wish to] go back on what they said, then [there must be] the freeing of a slave before they touch one anoth- er. That is what you are admonished thereby; and Allah is Acquainted with what you do. And he who does not find [a slave] then a fast for two months consecutively [uninterrupted except for an Islamically valid reason, as in Ramadhaan] before they touch one another; and he who is unable — then the feeding of sixty poor persons. That is for you to believe [completely] in Allah and His Messenger; and those are the limits [set by] Allah. And for the disbelievers is a painful punishment.» [Quran: 58:1-4] He, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, then said: “Tell him that he should set free a slave.” I said: ‘I swear by Allah, O Messenger of Allah, he cannot afford it.’ He, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, then said: “Then he should fast for two consecutive [uninterrupted] months.” I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, I swear by Allah, he is an old man; he cannot keep fasts.’ He, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, then said: “He should feed sixty poor people.” I said: ‘He has nothing which he may give in alms.’ At that moment an araq (i.e. date-basket holding approximately equals to 3.15 kg or 6.94 lbs) was brought to him, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. He, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “I shall help him with a date-bas- ket [‘araq].” I said: “I shall also help him with another date-basket.” He, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “You have done well. Go and feed sixty poor people on his behalf, and return to your cousin [i.e. her hus- band].” Khawlah said: “I implemented the instructions of the Prophet of Allah, sallal- laahu ‘alayhi wa sallam”1