As for the report: was she Jamīlah bint Ubayy, Sahlah bint Suhayl, or another woman? The reports differ on this point. Either there were two or three separate incidents, or one of the two narrators mistook her name. This does not undermine the established account, for the ruling does not depend on his wife’s name. The account of his separation from his wife through khul' is established by mass transmission and is agreed upon by the scholars. Mālik, al-Shāfi'ī, Ahmad, Abū Dāwūd and al-Nasā'ī narrated:

“Habībah bint Sahl al-Ansāriyyah reported that she was married to Thābit ibn Qays ibn Shammās. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, went out for the dawn prayer and found Habībah bint Sahl at his door while it was still dark. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, asked, ‘Who is this?’

“She replied, ‘I am Habībah bint Sahl, O Messenger of Allah.’

“He asked, ‘What is the matter with you?’

“She replied, ‘Thābit ibn Qays and I cannot remain together,’ referring to her husband.

“When Thābit arrived, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, ‘Habībah bint Sahl has said what Allah willed her to say.’

“Habībah said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, everything he gave me is still with me.’

“The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said to Thābit, ‘Take it from her.’ He took it from her, and she stayed with her family.”

Ibn Hazm cited this hadith, along with the hadith prescribing a waiting period of one menstrual period, among the arguments of those who hold that khul' is an annulment. He wrote:

“They said: ‘This makes clear that khul' is not a divorce, but an annulment.’”

He mentioned Ibn 'Abbās’s hadith only through the disconnected chain of 'Abd al-Razzāq. He said:

“As for the report of 'Abd al-Razzāq, it is to be rejected because its chain is disconnected;