Shama-il Tirmidhi Chapter 46, Hadith Number 2 (314).

Anas Radiyallahu ‘Anhu reports: A woman came to Rasulullah Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wasallam and said: I would like to speak to you in private’. Rasulullah Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wasallam replied: ‘Sit on any street of Madinah and I will come there and listen to you'”.

Commentary
In some narrations it is stated that this woman was a bit mentally retarded. Despite this, Sayyidina Rasulullah Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wasallam gave her a hearing. Some ‘ulama say the reason for saying ‘Sit in any street’, is because he will not be alone with a strange woman. Some have written, because she was a bit mentally retarded, it is apparent that she may be walking around in the alleys, therefore Sayyidina Rasulullah Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wasallam said, he would go into the street and listen to her. According to this humble servant, it is possible that if he had called her at the women’s quarters of his house, the womenfolk would have been inconvenienced, as is witnessed many a time. For this reason, Sayyidina Rasulullah Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wasallam listened to her request on the street.