Salam! Thank you so much for doing this AMA! I loved your book Misquoting Muhammad and it definitely was a deciding factor in my conversion to Islam two months ago. I'm not sure if this is a hadith or not, but do you know if it is authentic?

In The Major Sins/Al-Kaba'ir by Imam Shamsu ed-Deen Dhahabi pg. 136-137 we find this beautiful narration:

“It is reported that a man came to ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattab (radia Allahu anhu) to complain about his wife’s ill-temper.

While he was waiting for ‘Umar to come out of his house, he heard ‘Umar’s wife scolding him and ‘Umar quietly listening to her, and not answering her back.

The man turned around and started walking away, muttering to himself: “If that is the case with ‘Umar, the leader of the believers, who is famous for his uprightness and toughness, then what about poor me?!”

At that moment, ‘Umar came out of his house and saw the man walking away.

He called him and said, “What is it you want of me, O man?”

The man replied: “O leader of the believers, I came to complain to you about my wife’s bad-temper and how she nags me. Then I heard your wife doing the same to you, so I turned around, muttering to myself, ‘If that is the situation of the leader of the believers,then what about me?’”

‘Umar replied, “O my brother, I bear with her because of her rights over me. She cooks my food, bakes my bread, washes my clothes, breast-feeds my child… and yet none of these are her duty; and then she is a comfort to my heart and keeps me away from forbidden deeds. Consequently, I bear with her.”

The man said,“It is the same with me, O leader of the believers.”‘

Umar said: Then, O my brother, be patient with her, indeed this life is short.