Sayyida Habibah bint Sahl (may Allah be pleased with her) was married to Sayyiduna Thabit bin Qais (may Allah be pleased with him). One day, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) went out in the darkness for the Fajr prayer and found Sayyida Habibah bint Sahl (may Allah be pleased with her) at the door. He asked, "Who is it?" She replied, "I am Habibah bint Sahl, O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)!" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Why, what is the matter?" She said, "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! It is either me or Thabit bin Qais." When Sayyiduna Thabit bin Qais (may Allah be pleased with him) came, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him, "Habibah bint Sahl has said to me what Allah willed." Sayyida Habibah bint Sahl (may Allah be pleased with her) said, "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! What Thabit bin Qais gave me is still with me." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Sayyiduna Thabit bin Qais (may Allah be pleased with him), "Take back your property." He took it, and Sayyida Habibah bint Sahl (may Allah be pleased with her) remained in her family.

The slave woman of Safiyyah bint Abi Ubayd took khul‘ from her husband in exchange for all her wealth, and Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) did not consider it objectionable.

Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, said: If a woman gives wealth to free herself, and then it becomes known that the husband was entirely unjust and the woman had no fault, rather the husband forcibly took her money by coercion, then the divorce will take effect upon the woman, and her wealth will be returned to her. This is what I have heard and, in my view, this is the ruling.

Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, said: If a woman frees herself by giving more than what her husband gave her, there is nothing objectionable in it.