Compiled by Imam Abu Dawud as-Sijistani
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مَسْلَمَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ، - يَعْنِي ابْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ - عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ أَبِي عَمْرٍو، عَنْ عِكْرِمَةَ، أَنَّ نَفَرًا، مِنْ أَهْلِ الْعِرَاقِ قَالُوا يَا ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ كَيْفَ تَرَى فِي هَذِهِ الآيَةِ الَّتِي أُمِرْنَا فِيهَا بِمَا أُمِرْنَا وَلاَ يَعْمَلُ بِهَا أَحَدٌ قَوْلُ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ { يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لِيَسْتَأْذِنْكُمُ الَّذِينَ مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُكُمْ وَالَّذِينَ لَمْ يَبْلُغُوا الْحُلُمَ مِنْكُمْ ثَلاَثَ مَرَّاتٍ مِنْ قَبْلِ صَلاَةِ الْفَجْرِ وَحِينَ تَضَعُونَ ثِيَابَكُمْ مِنَ الظَّهِيرَةِ وَمِنْ بَعْدِ صَلاَةِ الْعِشَاءِ ثَلاَثُ عَوْرَاتٍ لَكُمْ لَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَلاَ عَلَيْهِمْ جُنَاحٌ بَعْدَهُنَّ طَوَّافُونَ عَلَيْكُمْ } قَرَأَ الْقَعْنَبِيُّ إِلَى { عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ } قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ إِنَّ اللَّهَ حَلِيمٌ رَحِيمٌ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ يُحِبُّ السَّتْرَ وَكَانَ النَّاسُ لَيْسَ لِبُيُوتِهِمْ سُتُورٌ وَلاَ حِجَالٌ فَرُبَّمَا دَخَلَ الْخَادِمُ أَوِ الْوَلَدُ أَوْ يَتِيمَةُ الرَّجُلِ وَالرَّجُلُ عَلَى أَهْلِهِ فَأَمَرَهُمُ اللَّهُ بِالاِسْتِئْذَانِ فِي تِلْكَ الْعَوْرَاتِ فَجَاءَهُمُ اللَّهُ بِالسُّتُورِ وَالْخَيْرِ فَلَمْ أَرَ أَحَدًا يَعْمَلُ بِذَلِكَ بَعْدُ . قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ حَدِيثُ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ وَعَطَاءٍ يُفْسِدُ هَذَا .
Ikrimah said: A group of people from Iraq said: Ibn Abbas, what is your opinion about the verse in which we have been commanded whatever we have been commanded, but no one acts upon it? The word of Allah, Most High, reads: "O ye who believe! Let those whom your right hands possess, and the (children) among you, who have not come of age, ask your permission (before) they enter your presence on three occasions: before morning prayer, while you are undressing for the noonday heat, and after late-night prayer. These are your three times of undress; outside those times it is not wrong for you or for them to move about." Al-Qa'nabi recited the verse up to "full of knowledge and wisdom". Ibn Abbas said: Allah is Most Clement and Most Merciful to the believers. He loves concealment. The people had neither curtains nor curtained canopies in their houses. Sometimes a servant, a child or a female orphan of a man entered while the man was having sexual intercourse with his wife. So Allah commanded them to ask permission in those times of undress. Then Allah brought them curtains and all good things. But I did not see anyone following it after that. Abu Dawud said: The tradition of 'Ubaid Allah and of 'Ata, weakens this tradition.