Tabarruk through the Hair of the Prophet (s.a.w.)

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

The following are some narrations on blessing through the hair of the Prophet (s.a.w.). 

It was recorded, in Swahih al-Bukhari, that Imam Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Sirin al-Baswri (q.s.) narrated, “I said to ‘Abidah, ‘I have some of the hair of the Prophet, which I got from Anas or from his family.’ 

‘Abidah replied, ‘No doubt if I had a single hair of that, it would have been dearer to me than the whole world and whatever is in it.’” 

It was recorded, in Swahih Muslim., that Sayyidina Anas ibn Malik (r.a.) reported, “I saw when the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) got his hair cut by the barber, his companions came around him, and they eagerly wanted that no hair should fall but in the hand of a person.” 

In another tradition attributed to Sayyidina Anas (r.a.), he said, “I saw that a barber was shaving the Prophet’s (s.a.w.) head, and the companions stood around him in the shape of a circle.  They wished that each strand of hair falling off the Prophet’s (s.a.w.) head should fall into the hand of one of them,” meaning, they did not wish it to fall on the ground.  This was recorded by Imam ‘Asakir ad-Din Abu al-Husayn Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj (r.a.), in his Swahih, in the section on fadha’il.  Imam Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Hanbal (r.a.) recorded it, in his Musnad; Shaykh Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Sa’d (r.a.), in his ath-Thabaqat al-Kubra’; Imam Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn Husayn al-Bayhaqi (r.a.), in his Sunan al-Kubra’; and Hafizh ‘Imad ad-Din Abu al-Fida’ Isma’il ibn ‘Umar ibn Katsir (r.a.), in his al-Bidayah wa an-Nihayah. 

It was recorded, in Swahih al-Bukhari, that Shaykh ‘Utsman ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Mawhab (r.a.) said, “My people sent me with a bowl of water to Umm Salamah.  If any person suffered from evil eye or some other disease, he would send a vessel to Umm Salamah.  I looked into the container and saw a few red hairs in it.”  The people sent small vessels of water and the hair of the Prophet (s.a.w.) would be dipped in it. 

Imam Shihab ad-Din Abu al-Fadhl Ahmad ibn ‘Ali ibn Hajr al-‘Asqalani (r.a.) wrote, in his Fath al-Bari, “This tradition furnishes the proof that it is valid to draw Divine Blessings from the Prophet’s (s.a.w.) hair and confirms the permissibility of its acquisition.”

Qadhi Abu al-Fadhl ‘Iyadh ibn ‘Amr al-Yahsubi (r.a.) wrote, in his ash-Shifa’, that Sayyidatina Swafiyyah bint Huyay (r.a.) narrated that the cap of Sayyidina Abu Sulayman Khalid ibn al-Walid (r.a.) contained some strands of the Prophet’s (s.a.w.) hair.  When that cap was knocked off in a battlefield, he started to search for it.  When many swahabah were martyred in that battle, people strongly condemned his actions.  He replied, “I did not try so to find just the cap.  It contained the hair of the Prophet (s.a.w.), and I feared it might get into the hands of polytheists, and we might lose the barakah of it.” 

Shaykh ‘Abd ar-Rahman bin Abu ‘Amrah (r.a.) attributed this narration to his grandmother, who heard it from Sayyidatina Kabshah bint Ka’b al-Answariyyah (r.a.).  It is said that the Prophet (s.a.w.) the went over to see her and there was a small, leather, water bag hanging there.  He drank water from it while standing.  Then, she cut off the mouth of the water bag on account of its blessing because the Prophet’s (s.a.w.) mouth had touched it.  Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Yazid ibn Majah (r.a.) narrated it with a sound chain of transmission, in his Sunan.  Imam Abu ‘Isa Muhammad ibn ‘Isa as-Sulami at-Tirmidzi (r.a.) graded it hasan swahih gharib, in his al-Jami’ asw-Swahih, and ash-Shama’il al-Muhammadiyyah.  Imam Ahmad (r.a.) recorded it, in his Musnad; Imam Abu al-Qasim Sulayman ibn Ayyub ath-Thabarani (r.a.) recorded, it in his al-Mu’jam al-Kabir; and Imam Abu Muhammad al-Husayn ibn Mas’ud al-Baghawi (r.a.), in his Sharh as-Sunnah. 

In another version, Sayyidina Anas (r.a.) narrated that the Prophet (s.a.w.) came over to see Sayyidatina Umm Sulaym Rumayswah bint Milhan (r.a.) and there was a small leather bag of water hanging in the house.  He drank from this leather bag while standing.  Sayyidina Anas (r.a.) said that Umm Sulaym (r.a.) “cut off the mouth of the leather bag so it is with us.”  Imam at-Tirmidzi (r.a.) recorded this in his ash-Shama’il al-Muhammadiyyah, Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (r.a.) in his Musnad; Imam Abu Dawud Sulayman ibn Dawud ath-Thayalisi (r.a.) in his Musnad; and Imam ath-Thabarani (r.a.) in his al-Mu’jam al-Kabir and al-Mu’jam al-Awsath. 

There is a long hadits, from Swahih Muslim, as narrated by Sayyidina ‘Abdullah mawla Asma’ (r.a.), where in the latter part, it is recorded, that Sayyidina ‘Abdullah (r.a.) said, “I went back to Asma’ and informed her.  Whereupon, she said, ‘Here is the cloak of Allah’s Messenger (s.a.w.)’, and she brought out to me that cloak made of Persian cloth with a hem of brocade, and its sleeves bordered with brocade.  She said, ‘This was Allah’s Messenger’s (s.a.w.) cloak with ‘Aishah until she died, and when she died, I got possession of it.  The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) used to wear it, and we washed it for the sick, and sought a cure.’” 

It is recorded, in Swahih Muslim, that Sayyidina Anas ibn Malik (r.a.) reported that the Prophet (s.a.w.) came to the house of Sayyidatina Umm Sulaym (r.a.) and slept in her bed while she was away from her house.  On another day as well, he slept in her bed.  She came, and it was said to her, “It is Allah’s Messenger (s.a.w.) who is having siesta in your house, lying in your bed.” 

She came and found him sweating and his sweat falling on the leather cloth spread on her bed.  She opened her scent-bag and began to fill the bottles with it.  The Prophet (s.a.w.) was startled awake and asked, “Umm Sulaym, what are you doing?” 

She replied, “Allah’s Messenger, we seek blessings for our children through it.” 

Thereupon, he said, “You have done something right.” 

In another version, also from Swahih Muslim, Sayyidatina Umm Sulaym (r.a.) reported that the Prophet (s.a.w.) visited her house and rested.  She spread a piece of cloth for him, and he had a siesta on it.  He perspired profusely, and she collected his sweat and put it in a perfume and in bottles.  The Prophet (s.a.w.) asked, “Umm Sulaym, what is this?” 

She replied, “It is your sweat, which I put in my perfume.” 

The Prophet (s.a.w.) perspired in cold weather when Revelation Descended upon him. 

In another similar hadits, this time from Swahih al-Bukhari, it is narrated by Sayyidatina Tsumamah (r.a.), through Sayyidina Anas (r.a.), that Sayyidatina Umm Sulaym (r.a.) used to spread a leather mattress for the Prophet (s.a.w.) where he enjoyed his midday nap.  Sayyidina Anas (r.a.) related that when the Prophet (s.a.w.) woke up, he collected his perspiration and his hair, put these into a bottle and blended them with perfume.  Sayyidatina Tsumamah (s.a.w.) related that when Sayyidina Anas (s.a.w.) was on the brink of death, he willed that the scent be applied to his coffin, which it was.


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