Note: Ibn Abd al-Barr’s statement, “He then cited the hadith,” strongly indicates that it has a continuation which he abridged because it was unrelated to the chapter. I therefore considered it beneficial to cite it in full, while drawing attention to a problematic expression in it which I had previously noted in my commentary on Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah. The complete hadith—as recorded by him and by those mentioned after him in its documentation—is as follows:

Among the women was the wife of Abdullah ibn Masud. She returned to Abdullah ibn Masud and told him what she had heard from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. Taking her jewelry, she said that she wished to give it away. Ibn Masud said, “Where are you going with this jewelry?” She replied, “I seek to draw nearer through it to Allah and His Messenger!” He said, “Come now, give it in charity to me and my children, for I am entitled to it.” She said, “No—not until I go to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him.”

So she went to seek permission to enter upon the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. They said, “O Messenger of Allah, Zaynab is seeking permission to enter.” He asked, “Which Zaynab is she?” They said, “The wife of Ibn Masud.” He said, “Permit her to enter.”

She entered upon the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and said, “O Messenger of Allah, I heard something you said, so I returned to Ibn Masud and told him about it. I took some of my jewelry, seeking to draw nearer through it to Allah and to you, in the hope that Allah would not make me among the people of the Fire. But Ibn Masud said to me, ‘Give it in charity to me and my children, for I am entitled to it.’ So I said, ‘I shall seek the Messenger of Allah’s permission first.’” The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

“Give it in charity to him and his children, for they are entitled to it.”

I say: Her statement before Ibn Masud, “I seek to draw nearer through it to Allah and His Messenger,” and then before the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, “I seek to draw nearer through it to Allah and to you,” is problematic, because seeking nearness through an act of worship may be directed only to Allah, as I explained there. I would add here that perhaps she intended by her words the meaning of obedience, as though she had said, “I obey Allah and His Messenger.” Or perhaps she said this before expressions such as, “Whatever Allah wills and whatever you will,” were prohibited. For they used to say this, and the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, would hear them without forbidding them, until Allah Most High commanded him to prohibit it; for it has authentically been reported