“We used to study a surah of the Quran with a woman, learning it together. I once went with an elderly woman from Banu Asad to Ibn Masud in his house, accompanied by three other men. He noticed that her forehead was glistening and asked, ‘Do you shave it?’ She grew angry and replied, ‘The woman who shaves her forehead is your own wife!’ He said, ‘Go in to her; if she really does that, I disavow her.’ She went inside, then returned and said, ‘No, by Allah, I have never seen her do it.’ Abdullah ibn Masud then said, ‘I heard the Messenger of Allah—’ and he narrated the hadith.” Its chain is hasan (reliable). This version shows that nathf (plucking) is not limited to the eyebrows; shaving is treated in the same way. Take note. As for Ibn Saʿd’s report (8/86–87) in the story of the Prophet’s wedding night with Safiyyah, where he told Umm Sulaym: “Take care of your companion and comb her hair,” and it also states, “We did not realize it until it was said, ‘The Messenger of Allah has entered upon his family and we had namasnaha,’” the apparent meaning is “we combed her hair,” as suggested by the context. She used the verb namasa because hairs customarily come out while combing. In any case, the authenticity of this sentence cannot be established, for the story is transmitted through several intertwined chains, and one of its routes relies on al-Waqidi, who is a known fabricator.‎