Obtaining Blessings through the Prophet’s (s.a.w.) Hair

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

It is narrated, in Swahih al-Bukhari, in the Book of Clothes, that Shaykh ‘Utsman ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Mawhab (r.a.) said, “My family sent me to Umm Salamah with a cup of water.  And Umm Salamah brought out a silver bottle which contained one of the hairs of the Prophet (s.a.w.), and it used to be that if anyone came under the evil eye or ill health they used to send her a cup of water through she would pass this hair for drinking and we used to look into the silver bottle; I saw some reddish hairs.” 

Imam Shihab ad-Din Abu al-Fadhl Ahmad ibn ‘Ali ibn Hajr al-‘Asqalani (r.a.), in Fath al-Bari, said, “They used to call the silver bottle in which the hair of the Prophet (s.a.w.) was kept ‘jiljalan’ and that bottle was in the home of Umm Salamah (r.a.).” 

Imam Badr ad-Din Abu Muhammad Mahmud ibn Ahmad al-‘Ayni (r.a.) said, “Umm Salamah (r.a.) had some of the hairs of the Prophet (s.a.w.) in a silver bottle, and when some people got ill, they used to go and obtain blessings from these hairs, and they would be healed by means of its blessings.  They used to take the hair of the Prophet (s.a.w.) and they used to pass it through a cup of water, and they would immediately be healed.  And this explanation of the hadits is mentioned in Swahih al-Bukhari.” 

It is written, in ‘Umdat al-Qari Sharh Swahih al-Bukhari, “If a person was struck by the evil eye or by any sickness, he would send his wife to Umm Salamah (r.a.) with a cup of water and she used to pass the hair through that water and then he would drink the water and he would be healed, after which they would return the hair to the ‘jiljal.’” 

It is recorded, in Swahih Muslim, that Sayyidina Anas ibn Malik (r.a.) related, “The Prophet (s.a.w.) came to Mina and threw stones and then he came to his tent in Mina after he made the sacrifice, and he told the barber, ‘Take my hair,’ and he pointed first to his right, then to his left.  Then, he began to distribute the hair to the swahabah.” 

In the same hadits, according to another narration by Sayyidina Hafsw ibn al-Mughirah (r.a.), “When Prophet (s.a.w.) shaved his right side, began to distribute either one hair or two hairs to every swahabi, then he did the same with the hairs from the left side.” 

In his Musnad, Imam Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Hanbal (r.a.) said, transmitted by Sayyidina Anas ibn Malik (r.a.), “When the Prophet (s.a.w.) shaved his head in Mina, he gave me the hair of the right side and he said, ‘O ‘Anas!  Take it to Umm Salim.’  When the swahabah saw what the Prophet (s.a.w.) gave us, they began to compete to take the hair from the left side, and everyone was getting a share from that.” 

Imam Ahmad (r.a.), in his Musnad, also said, “I heard from ibn Sirin that ‘Ubaydah Salmani said, ‘O Allah!  If only I would have a hair of the Prophet (s.a.w.) which I could keep with me: that would be more precious to me than the white and the yellow and everything that is on the earth and what is inside it.’” 

In ‘Umdat al-Qari Sharh Swahih al-Bukhari, “Khalid ibn Walid used to keep in his clothes some hairs of the Prophet (s.a.w.) and for that reason he was always victorious.” 

It is said in the same volume of the same book, “Khalid ibn Walid asked Abu Thalhah to give him from the hair of the Prophet (s.a.w.) when the Prophet (s.a.w.) distributed his hair among the swahabah.  And he asked to give him from the front side of the head.  And Abu Thalhah gave him from the front side.  And that is the reason he was always in the front.” 

Rasulullah (s.a.w.) said, “Whoever held enmity towards one hair from me held enmity to me and whoever held enmity to me, Allah has become an Enemy to him.”  This has been authenticated in Kunz al-‘Ummal, by Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah al-Hakim an-Nishaburi (r.a.), Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Yazid ibn Majah (r.a.), Imam Abu Hatim Muhammad ibn Fayswal at-Tamimi ibn Hibban (r.a.), and Imam Ahmad (r.a.), amongst others. 

سُوۡرَةُ الاٴحزَاب

وَٱلَّذِينَ يُؤۡذُونَ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنَـٰتِ بِغَيۡرِ مَا ٱڪۡتَسَبُواْ فَقَدِ ٱحۡتَمَلُواْ بُهۡتَـٰنً۬ا وَإِثۡمً۬ا مُّبِينً۬ا (٥٨) 

And those who annoy believing men and women undeservedly, bear (on themselves) a calumny and a glaring sin. (Surah al-Ahzab:58)