"there is nothing in any of these ḥadīths that indicates the Prophet (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) knew about it and approved of it, and we have narrated what indicates the prohibition." al-Ḥāfiẓ said afterward: "Indeed, Ibn Abī Shaybah narrated in his 'Muṣannaf' through the route of Abū Salamah from Jābir what indicates this, and al-Khaṭṭābī said: It is possible that selling the mothers was permissible, then the Prophet (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) prohibited it at the end of his life, and this prohibition did not become widely known, so when it reached ʿUmar, he prohibited it." And I say: What appears to me is that ʿUmar's prohibition was based on his own ijtihād, not on a prohibition he received from the Prophet (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam), because ʿAlī (raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu) explicitly stated that it was based on ʿUmar's opinion and his own. ʿAbd al-Razzāq narrated (13224) with his authentic isnād from ʿUbaydah al-Salmānī who said: I heard ʿAlī say: "My opinion and ʿUmar's opinion agreed on the mothers of the children that they should not be sold. He said: Then I later saw that they should be sold. ʿUbaydah said: So I said to him: Your opinion and ʿUmar's opinion in agreement is more beloved to me than your opinion alone in disagreement. He said: ʿAlī laughed." al-Ḥāfiẓ said: "And this isnād is considered among the most authentic isnāds." And al-Bayhaqī also reported it. What I mentioned is supported by the fact that if ʿUmar had a specific text, ʿAlī (raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu) would not have retracted it. This is clearly evident. This, of course, does not negate that there might have been a prohibition issued by the Prophet (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) afterward, even if ʿUmar was not aware of it. Rather, this is apparent from the collection of ḥadīths on the subject, for although their individual chains are not free from weakness, their collective strength supports the prohibition. Among them is the route of Abū Salamah, which al-Ḥāfiẓ previously referred to, as it is a strong witness for it, despite al-Ḥāfiẓ remaining silent about it, as did al-Būṣīrī in 'Zawāʾid Ibn Mājah' (folio 156/2), and he mentioned this, that its wording..
" ليس في شيء من هذه الأحاديث أن النبي ﷺ علم بذلك، فأقرهم عليه، وقد روينا ما يدل على النهي ". قال الحافظ عقبه: " نعم قد روى ابن أبي شيبة في " مصنفه " من طريق أبي سلمة عن جابر ما يدل على ذلك، وقال الخطابي: يحتمل أن يكون بيع الأمهات كان مباحا، ثم نهى عنه النبي ﷺ في آخر حياته ولم يشتهر ذلك النهي، فلما بلغ عمر نهاهم ". وأقول: الذي يظهر لي أن نهي عمر إنما كان عن اجتهاد منه، وليس عن نهي ورده عن النبي ﷺ، وذلك لتصريح علي رضي الله عنه بأنه كان عن رأي من عمر ومنه، فروى عبد الرزاق (١٣٢٢٤) بسنده الصحيح عن عبيدة السلماني قال: سمعت عليا يقول: " اجتمع رأيي ورأي عمر في أمهات الأولاد أن لا يبعن. قال: ثم رأيت بعد أن يبعن. قال عبيدة: فقلت له: فرأيك ورأي عمر في الجماعة أحب إلي من رأيك وحدك في الفرقة. قال: فضحك علي ". قال الحافظ: " وهذا الإسناد معدود في أصح الأسانيد ". وأخرجه البيهقي أيضا. ويؤيد ما ذكرته أن عمر لو كان ذلك عن نص لديه لما رجع عنه علي ﵁. وهذا ظاهر بين. وهذا بالطبع لا ينفي أن يكون هناك نهي صدر من النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم فيما بعد، وإن لم يقف عليه عمر، بل هذا هو الظاهر من مجموع الأحاديث الواردة في الباب، فإنها وإن كانت مفرداتها لا تخلو من ضعف، فمجموعها مما يقوي النهي ومن ذلك طريق أبي سلمة التي أشار إليها الحافظ فيما سبق، فإنها شاهد قوي له، على الرغم من أن الحافظ سكت عنه، وكذلك البوصيري في " زوائد ابن ماجة " (ق ١٥٦ / ٢) وذكر هذا أن لفظه