The Successors 75 a range of topics in the selected compilations, Safiyya is second only to ‘Amra bint ‘Abd al-Rahman in the number of hadltb narrated. Her reputation may partly derive from the fact that she was the daughter of Shayba b. ‘Uthman b. Abl Talha (d. 59/679), whom Muhammad entrusted with the keys to the Ka‘ba. Although she does not transmit traditions from her father, her reliability as a narrator may have been boosted by the honor due to her father’s position. Her residence in Mecca certainly would have contributed to the breadth of her transmission circle, because pilgrims would have been likely to seek out her transmissions. While her son, Mansur b. ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Hajabl (d. ca. 137/754), often appears in her isnads , she also appears to have transmitted to a large circle of non-kin males.44 Ibn Sa‘d, departing from his usual silence on the scale of a woman’s transmission, states that people narrated extensively from her. Muhammad b. ‘Ubayd b. Abl Salih traveled to Mecca with ‘Adi b. ‘Adi al-Kindi, who sent him to Safiyya because she was known as an authority for ‘A’isha’s traditions. During this meeting, Muhammad b. ‘Ubayd learned the ruling that a divorce or the emancipation of a slave was not considered valid when enacted under duress. Safiyya’s biographers, with the exception of al-Dhahabi, do not, however, commemorate her as a faqiba. ’ Rather, she is praised as a trustworthy transmitter who narrated extensively from Muhammad’s wives and from other female Companions/1 The historical memory of Safiyya bint Shayba as a reliable authority affirms that it was indeed possible for women to engage in more than merely incidental transmission of religious knowledge. It is likely that age at the time of Muhammad’s death and the fact that biographers do not commonly classify her as a Companion. 43 For his biography, see Ibn Hajar, Tahdhib, 4:342. Her nisba , “al-Hajabiyya,” is a reference to this occupation. 44 Mansur was also entrusted with the keys to the Ka‘ba. For his biographical notice, see Ibn Hajar, Tahdhib, 10:277. Nineteen different narrators of her traditions are recorded in the selected collections, and al-MizzI adds three names from other collections. Only four of these are men who were related to her. In addition to her son, Mansur, three of her nephews appear in her isnads (al-MizzI, Tahdhib, 35:211-12). 45 One report explicitly states that she had memorized reports on ‘A’isha’s authority; see Abu Dawud, Sunan, 2:258, #2193. 46 al-Dhahabi, Siyar, 3:508. 47 Nineteen of her thirty-two traditions are on the authority of ‘ A’isha. Safiyya narrates from a number of other women, including Umm Salama, Ramla bint Abl Sufyan, Asma’ bint Abl Bakr, and Hablba bint Abl Tajra. She is also said to have transmitted from ‘Abd Allah b. ‘Umar and ‘Uthman b. Talha, though these transmissions are not recorded in the selected collections. Al-MizzI, Tahdhib, 35:211-12.