What is your opinion regarding Imam Ahmad’s distinction between the case where the bath is taken by him with his wife and the case where she bathed in it alone?

The questioner : Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal holds a detailed view: that the hadiths of prohibition are to be understood as applying when she is alone, whereas the hadiths of permissibility apply when she is with her husband. Do you see it this way?

The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah.

The questioner : May Allah have mercy on you.

The Shaykh : May Allah guide you and rectify your affairs. No, after the hadith I mentioned to you, there is no need for this. This is one of the ways of reconciling the texts, and there is nothing wrong with it, were it not for his saying: .