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Imam Ahmad recorded that Khuwaylah bint Tha'labah said, "By Allah! Allah sent down the beginning of Surah al-Mujadilah in connection with me and `Aws bin as-Samit. He was my husband and had grown old and difficult. One day, he came to me and I argued with him about something and he said, out of anger, 'You are like my mother's back to me.' He went out and sat with some of his people. Then he came back and wanted to have sexual intercourse with me. I said, 'No, by the One in Whose Hand is the soul of Khuwaylah! You will not have your way with me after you said what you said, until Allah and His Messenger issue judgement about your case.' He wanted to have his way regardless of my choice and I pushed him away from me; he was an old man.

"I next went one of my neighbours and borrowed a garment from her and went to the Messenger of Allah sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam. I told him what happened and kept complaining to him of the ill treatment I received from `Aws. He said, 'O Khuwaylah! Your cousin is an old man, so have taqwa of Allah regarding him.' By Allah! Before I departed, parts of the Qur'an were revealed about me. Allah's messenger sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam felt the hardship of receiving the revelation as he usually did and then became relieved. He said to me, 'O Khuwaylah! Allah has revealed something about you and your spouse.'

"He recited to me, 'Indeed Allah has heard the statement of her that disputes with you concerning her husband, and complains to Allah. And Allah hears the argument between you both. Verily Allah is All-Hearer and All-Seer.' until 'And for the disbelievers, there is a painful torment.' [58:1-4]

"He, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam them said to me, 'Command him to free a slave.' I said, 'O Allah's Messenger! He does not have any to free!' He said, 'Let him fast for 2 consecutive months.' I said, 'By Allah! He is an old man and cannot fast.' He said, 'Let him feed 60 poor people a wasq of dates.' I said, 'O Allah's Messenger! He does not have any of that.' He sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam said, 'We will help him with a basket of dates.' I said, 'And I, O Allah's Messenger! I will help him with another. He said, 'You have done a righteously good thing. So go and give away the dates on his behalf and take care of your cousin.' I did that." [Ahmad]

She was highly respected - she met `Umar al-Khattab radhiallahu `anhu one day outside the mosque, when al-Jarud al-`Abdi was with him. `Umar, who was the khalifah at that time, greeted her, and she said to him, "O `Umar, I remember you when you were called `Umayr in the marketplace of `Ukaz, taking care of the sheep with your stick. So fear Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala in your role as khalifah taking care of the people, and know that the one who fears the threat of punishment in the Hereafter realises that it is not far away, and the one who fears death fears missing some opportunity in this life." Al-Jarud said, "You have spoken too harshly to Amir al-Mu'minin, woman!" `Umar said, "Let her be. Do you not know that this is Khawlah, to whose words Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala listened from above the seven heavens? By Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala, `Umar should by rights listen to her."

Ibn Kathir mentions in his Tafsir that a man said to `Umar, when he saw him welcoming her warmly and listening to her, "You left a man of Quraysh to come to this old woman?" `Umar said, "Woe to you! Do you not know who this is?" The man said, "No." `Umar said, "This is a woman whose complaint Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala listened to from above the seven heavens: this is Khawlah bint Tha`labah. By Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala, if she did not leave me until night fell, I would not tell her to leave until she had got what she came for, unless the time for prayer came, in which case I would pray, and then come back to her until she had got what she came for."