Muhammad narrated to us, saying: Yazīd ibn Hārūn narrated to us, saying: Muhammad—meaning Ibn ‘Amr—narrated to us, from Sa‘īd ibn Abī Sa‘īd, the freedman of al-Mahrī, from Abū Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“One of you may give a single date in charity, provided it is from good earnings—and Allah accepts only what is good—and Allah places it in His palm and nurtures it as one of you raises his colt or his weaned camel calf, until it becomes as large as a mountain in His hand.”

Abū Bakr said: This expression—namely, ta‘ūdu (“becomes”)—is an example of what I mean when I say that “returning” may refer to something happening for the first time. ⦗140⦘ I also say that the Arabs may use ‘āda (“returned”) to mean sāra (“became”). We know with certainty that the date given by the donor was not as large as a mountain before he gave it, only to shrink to the size of a date that fit in his hand, after which Allah restored it to its former state, making it like a mountain. Rather, it was a date that fit in the donor’s hand; then, when he gave it in charity, Allah, the Creator, the Originator, made it as large as a mountain.

Thus, his words, “until it becomes like a mountain,” mean that it comes to be like a mountain. Understand, then, the breadth of the Arabic language. Do not let yourselves be deceived and led into error, imagining that a man who pronounces zihār is not obliged to offer expiation unless he pronounces it twice. This view contradicts the Sunnah of the chosen Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and the position of the scholars. I have explained this issue in its proper place.

Muhammad ibn Yahyā narrated to us, saying: Ya‘lā narrated to us, saying: Muhammad ibn ‘Amr narrated to us, from Sa‘īd ibn Abī Sa‘īd, from Abū Hurayrah, with this same report, but without attributing it to the Prophet.