Qutaybah ibn Sa'id narrated to us from Malik ibn Anas, from what was read to him—and Yahya ibn Yahya narrated to us, he said: I read to Malik—from Ibn Shihab, from 'Urwah ibn al-Zubayr, from 'A'ishah, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him, that she said: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him, was never given the choice between two matters except that he chose the easier of the two, as long as it was not a sin. If it was a sin, he was the furthest of people from it. And the Messenger of Allah, may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him, never took revenge for himself, except when the sanctity of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, was violated.