1196 – ʿUqbah ibn ʿĀmir (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “My sister vowed to walk to the House of Allah barefoot. She asked me to seek a ruling for her from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, so I consulted him. The Prophet ﷺ replied, ‘Let her walk, and let her ride.’” Agreed upon, and the wording is Muslim’s.

Ahmad and the four Sunan compilers narrate a version that states: “He said, ‘Allah, Exalted is He, gains nothing from your sister’s hardship. Tell her to put on a khimar, to ride, and to fast three days.’” (1)

— Status of the ḥadīth:
Al-Tirmidhī judged the report of Ahmad and the Four to be “ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ (sound and authentic),” although al-Mundhirī noted that its chain contains ʿUbayd Allah ibn Zahr, about whom several scholars voiced reservations. Ibn Ḥajar wrote of him in al-Taqrīb, “Truthful but makes mistakes,” yet Ibn Ḥajar also cited this narration in Fatḥ al-Bārī among the chapter’s additional material, which suggests he deemed it acceptable. Allah knows best.

— Vocabulary:
• ḥāfiyah (barefoot): al-Muḥīṭ says, ḥafiya al-rajul yaḥfā ḥafyan—his foot skin becomes thin from extensive walking, or it refers to walking without footwear. The masculine form is ḥāfin; the feminine, ḥāfiyah.
• shaqāʾ (hardship): shaqiya yashqā shaqāʾan—hardship, severity, difficulty.
• takhtamir (to wear a khimar): ikhtamarat al-marʾah—she put on a khimar, the cloth with which a woman covers her head and face; plural: khumur.