Sahih Muslim Book - 43, Hadith - 6045

حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ ، عَنْ مَالِكِ بْنِ أَنَسٍ ، فِيمَا قُرِئَ عَلَيْهِ (ح) وَحَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ يَحْيَى ، قَالَ : قَرَأْتُ عَلَى مَالِكٍ ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ ، عَنْ عُرْوَةَ بْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ ، زَوْجِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ , أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ : مَا خُيِّرَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بَيْنَ أَمْرَيْنِ , إِلاَّ أَخَذَ أَيْسَرَهُمَا , مَا لَمْ يَكُنْ إِثْمًا ، فَإِنْ كَانَ إِثْمًا , كَانَ أَبْعَدَ النَّاسِ مِنْهُ ، وَمَا انْتَقَمَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لِنَفْسِهِ ، إِلاَّ أَنْ تُنْتَهَكَ حُرْمَةُ اللهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.

It was narrated that ‘Aishah, the wife of the Prophet (s.a.w), said: “The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) was never given the choice between two things but he would choose the easier of the two, so long as it was not a sin; if it was a sin he would be the furthest of the people from it. And the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) never took revenge for his own sake, unless the sacred limits of Allah were transgressed.”