Another chain of transmission runs through Ḥaywah ibn Shurayḥ, from Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Abū al-Aswad, from him. In al-Targhīb, al-Mundhirī likewise attributed this ḥadith to Abū Dāwūd, but for the moment I have not located it in his Sunan.

Al-Sanʿānī said:

“This hadith proves the prohibition of asking about a lost animal inside the mosque. Does that ruling extend to inquiring about other misplaced property, even if the loss occurred in the mosque? Some scholars say it does, because of the stated rationale: ‘For the mosques were not built for that.’ Therefore, whoever loses something—whether in the mosque or elsewhere—should sit at the mosque’s door and question those entering and leaving. Scholars have also differed over teaching children the Qur’an in the mosque; those who forbid it do so on account of the raising of voices, which is prohibited in the ḥadith of Wāthilah: ‘Keep your lunatics, your children, and loud voices away from your mosques,’ recorded by ʿAbd al-Razzāq, al-Ṭabarānī in al-Kabīr, and Ibn Mājah.”

I reply: The chain of this ḥadith is weak, as has been clarified earlier in the first section on etiquette. Moreover, Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī contains a report that contradicts it—the ḥadith of Kaʿb ibn Mālik. He demanded repayment from Ibn Abī Ḥadrad for a debt owed to him during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ while they were in the mosque, and their voices rose until the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, who was in his home, heard them. The Prophet ﷺ came out, drew aside the curtain of his room, and called, “O Kaʿb ibn Mālik! O Kaʿb!” He answered, “At your service, O Messenger of Allah.” The Prophet ﷺ gestured with his hand, indicating, “Reduce your debt by half.” Kaʿb said, “I have done so, O Messenger of Allah.” The Prophet ﷺ then said, “Stand up and settle it.”