Sahih Bukhari 5124

وَقَالَ لِي طَلْقٌ : حَدَّثَنَا زَائِدَةُ ، عَنْ مَنْصُورٍ ، عَنْ مُجَاهِدٍ ، عَنْ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ فِيمَا عَرَّضْتُمْ بِهِ مِنْ خِطْبَةِ النِّسَاءِ سورة البقرة آية 235 ، يَقُولُ : إِنِّي أُرِيدُ التَّزْوِيجَ وَلَوَدِدْتُ أَنَّهُ تَيَسَّرَ لِي امْرَأَةٌ صَالِحَةٌ ، وَقَالَ الْقَاسِمُ : يَقُولُ : إِنَّكِ عَلَيَّ كَرِيمَةٌ وَإِنِّي فِيكِ لَرَاغِبٌ وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَسَائِقٌ إِلَيْكِ خَيْرًا أَوْ نَحْوَ هَذَا ، وَقَالَ عَطَاءٌ : يُعَرِّضُ وَلَا يَبُوحُ ، يَقُولُ : إِنَّ لِي حَاجَةً وَأَبْشِرِي وَأَنْتِ بِحَمْدِ اللَّهِ نَافِقَةٌ ، وَتَقُولُ هِيَ : قَدْ أَسْمَعُ مَا تَقُولُ وَلَا تَعِدُ شَيْئًا وَلَا يُوَاعِدُ وَلِيُّهَا بِغَيْرِ عِلْمِهَا ، وَإِنْ وَاعَدَتْ رَجُلًا فِي عِدَّتِهَا ، ثُمَّ نَكَحَهَا بَعْدُ لَمْ يُفَرَّقْ بَيْنَهُمَا ، وَقَالَ الْحَسَنُ : لَا تُوَاعِدُوهُنَّ سِرًّا الزِّنَا ، وَيُذْكَرُ عَنْ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ : حَتَّى يَبْلُغَ الْكِتَابُ أَجَلَهُ تَنْقَضِيَ الْعِدَّةُ .

Ibn `Abbas said: Hint your intention of marrying' is made by saying (to the widow) for example: I want to marry, and I wish that Allah will make a righteous lady available for me.' Al-Qasim said: One may say to the widow: 'I hold all respect for you, and I am interested in you; Allah will bring you much good, or something similar 'Ata said: One should hint his intention, and should not declare it openly. One may say: 'I have some need. Have good tidings. Praise be to Allah; you are fit to remarry.' She (the widow) may say in reply: I am listening to what you say,' but she should not make a promise. Her guardian should not make a promise (to somebody to get her married to him) without her knowledge. But if, while still in the Iddat period, she makes a promise to marry somebody, and he ultimately marries her, they are not to be separated by divorce (i.e., the marriage is valid).