And the dowry of a prostitute, and the payment to a soothsayer.¹

4293 — Yunus ibn Abd al-A'la informed us, saying: Ibn Wahb narrated to us, saying: Ma'ruf ibn Suwayd al-Judhami informed us, that Ali ibn Rabah al-Lakhmi narrated to him that he heard Abu Hurayrah say: The Prophet ﷺ said: "The price of a dog is not permissible, nor the payment to a soothsayer, nor the dowry of a prostitute."²

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¹ Its chain of transmission is sound. Al-Layth: he is Ibn Sa'd, and Ibn Shihab: he is Muhammad ibn Muslim al-Zuhri. It is in *Al-Sunan al-Kubra* under numbers (4785) and (6217).

It was also narrated by Muslim (1567), al-Tirmidhi (1133), (1276), and (2071), both from Qutaybah, with this chain.

It was narrated by Ahmad (17070), Muslim (1567), and Ibn Hibban (5157) via various routes from al-Layth ibn Sa'd, with it.

It was narrated by Ahmad (17074) and (17088), al-Bukhari (2337), (2282), (5346), and (5761), Muslim (1567), Abu Dawud (3428) and (3481), al-Tirmidhi (1276), and Ibn Majah (2159) via various routes from al-Zuhri, with it.

It will be repeated with its chain and text under number (4666).

Al-Sindi said: His statement "the price of a dog" — its apparent meaning is the prohibition of selling it, and the majority hold this view. Perhaps one who does not hold this view interprets it as being at the time when the command to kill dogs was in effect, and its abrogation is known. And Allah knows best.

"Dowry of a prostitute": it is what the fornicatress takes for fornication, called a dowry because it is in that form. *Al-Baghiyy* is the fornicatress; its origin is *baghway*, on the pattern of *sabur*, and therefore masculine and feminine are the same in it.

"Payment to the soothsayer" (*hulwan al-kahin*): with a *damma* on the *ha'* and a *sukun* on the *lam*, it is a verbal noun from *halawtuhu*: when you give him something. What is meant is what is given for his soothsaying. Abu Ubayd said: Its origin is from sweetness (*halawah*), likening what is given to the soothsayer to something sweet, because he takes it easily without effort. It is said: *halawtu al-rajul*: when you feed him something sweet. And a bribe is called *hulwan*.

² Sound through other witnesses, and this chain is good because of Ma'ruf ibn Suwayd al-Judhami, and the rest of its narrators are trustworthy. Ibn Wahb: he is Abdullah al-Misri. It is in *Al-Sunan al-Kubra* under number (4786).

It was also narrated by Abu Dawud (3484) from Ahmad ibn Salih, from Ibn Wahb, with this chain.

This hadith has been narrated with wordings other than this wording; see its citations in *Sunan Abi Dawud*.