and eminent. There is some criticism of Ibn Shihāb’s nephew on account of his retention; al-Taqrīb says: “Truthful, but prone to errors.”

I say: Yet he has been corroborated, as I mentioned under: “Indeed, the believer strives ...” It will appear, Allah willing, at (1631).

803 — “None of you should say, ‘My slave,’ for all of you are Allah’s slaves. Rather, let him say, ‘My young man.’ Nor should the slave say, ‘My lord’; rather, let him say, ‘My master.’”

Muslim (7/46–47) transmitted it through Jarīr, and Aḥmad (2/496) reported: Ibn Numayr related to us; al-Aʿmash and Yaʿlā— all three narrating from al-Aʿmash, from Abū Ṣāliḥ, from Abū Hurayrah, from the Prophet—with this wording.

Muslim then cited the hadith through Abū Muʿāwiyah. He also reported: Abū Saʿīd al-Ashajj related to us; Wakīʿ related to us—both from al-Aʿmash with this chain. Their report includes the addition: “Nor should the slave say to his master, ‘My mawlā (master).’” Abū Muʿāwiyah added to Wakīʿ’s report: “For your mawlā (Lord) is Allah, exalted is He.”

There is room for consideration regarding the soundness of this addition and the one preceding it. Al-Ḥāfiẓ explained this in al-Fatḥ, saying:

“Muslim has shown the variation in the reports from al-Aʿmash on this point: some of them mentioned this addition, while others omitted it. ʿIyāḍ said: ‘Its omission is more correct.’ Al-Qurṭubī said: ‘The well-known version omits it.’ He said: ‘We resorted to preferring one report over the other because of their conflict, the impossibility of reconciling them, and the lack of knowledge of their chronology.’ End quote.

“The apparent meaning of this addition is that using the term ‘master’ is more permissible than using the term mawlā, whereas the customary understanding is the reverse. For mawlā is used in a variety of senses, including one who is inferior and one who is superior, while ‘master’ is used only of one who is superior. Thus, using mawlā is more permissible and further removed from disapproval. And Allah knows best.”

I say: There is no basis for impugning the narrators of this addition from al-Aʿmash, namely Abū Muʿāwiyah