Muslim

Hadith Commentary: Benefits and Issues:
From this hadith, it is established that the Companions (Sahabah) had a devoted and affectionate relationship with the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), such that they would not even allow his hair to fall to the ground.
They would carefully preserve even his hair with love and affection, and considered it a source of blessing for themselves.
Allamah Ayni has written that Khalid bin Walid (radi Allahu anhu) kept a hair of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) in his cap, and he would wear this cap during jihad, and by means of the blessing of that hair,
he would seek Allah’s help and support.
(‘Umdat al-Qari,
vol. 3, p. 37, Muniriyyah edition)

Explanation:
The purpose of the master of hadith scholars, Imam Bukhari rahimahullah, in citing this hadith is to clarify the purity and cleanliness of human hair. Furthermore, these ahadith also establish that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam distributed his hair among the people for the sake of blessing (tabarruk).

Hadith Commentary:
The aim of the leader of the hadith scholars, Imam Bukhari rahimahullah, in citing this hadith is to clarify the purity and cleanliness of human hair.
Furthermore, these ahadith also establish that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam distributed his hair among the people for the purpose of seeking blessing (tabarruk).

Hadith Commentary:
➊
Imam Bukhari rahimahullah established this chapter heading that a person's hair, after being separated from the body, remains pure; if it falls into water, the water does not become impure.
In this regard, he presented the statement of Ata bin Abi Rabah rahimahullah, who said that there is no harm in making thread and ropes from them.
According to the Hanafi school, hair is indeed pure, but due to its sanctity and reverence, its use is not permitted.
Regarding the purity of hair, Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has now presented a marfu‘ (attributed to the Prophet) narration,
in which the blessed hair of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is mentioned as a source of blessing (tabarruk).
The reasoning is that if hair were impure, why would it be kept as a source of blessing? However, the objection to this reasoning is that to analogize the purity of ordinary human hair with the hair of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is an invalid analogy (qiyas ma‘ al-fariq), because the claim is general while the evidence is specific.
On this basis, this analogy is incomplete.
However, considering Imam Bukhari rahimahullah’s method of reasoning, it is valid, because there are two matters here: one is the purity of hair, and the other is seeking blessing from it.
Now, the claim that the purity of the hair of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is his specific characteristic requires evidence.
The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam did not mention this specificity even at the time of distribution, so this means that the hair of all humans, after being separated from the body, remains pure.
As for the matter of seeking blessing, specific tabarruk will remain exclusive to the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.

➋
Those who claim to be people of reflection (tadabbur) have raised doubts about hadith by asserting:
“The chapter that the Imam established was about the water with which hair is washed or in which a dog has dipped its mouth; there is no such mention in the narrations.” (Tadabbur Hadith: 1/274)
Firstly, the purpose of Imam Bukhari rahimahullah is to state the legal ruling regarding those things which occasionally fall into water: do such things, when falling into water, render it impure or not? Here, the mention of water has come incidentally due to the context of occurrence; the main objective is not to discuss the rulings of water, because the issues related to water will be discussed later.
Since these things generally fall into water, water is mentioned here; otherwise, these things also fall into food, milk, etc., just as they do into water.
Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has discussed the issue of hair in this chapter heading, whether it falls into water or into food.
Secondly, the mention of hair falling or being placed in water is found in other narrations. For example, Abdullah bin Muhaib says that his family sent him with a bowl of water to Umm al-Mu’minin Umm Salamah radi Allahu anha, because she had preserved the blessed hair of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam in a beautiful silver container.
She would place them in water and shake it, then that water would be given to a person afflicted with the evil eye or fever to drink.
At that time, I saw red-colored blessed hair in the container.
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Libas, Hadith: 5896)
As for the matter of a dog dipping its mouth into water, Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has established a separate, independent chapter on this later and has also mentioned narrations regarding it.
Such passionate expressions of devotion regarding the blessed hair of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam were contrary to the so-called rationalism of the “Tadabbur” group, so they labeled Talhah radi Allahu anhu as “emotional and excitable” because he preserved the Prophet’s hair.
And all those narrations in which it is mentioned that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam himself appointed him to distribute the hair and granted him the blessed hair for this purpose are, in their view, questionable.
(Tadabbur Hadith: 1/273)

➌
This beautiful devotion to the hair of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was not exclusive to Abu Talhah radi Allahu anhu; rather, all the noble Companions radi Allahu anhum had similar feelings. Thus, Anas radi Allahu anhu says:
“I saw the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam while the barber was shaving his blessed head, and the Companions radi Allahu anhum were around him, desiring that not a single hair of his would fall to the ground, but rather into someone’s hand.”
(Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Fada’il, Hadith: 6043(2325))
In fact, the statement of ‘Urwah bin Mas‘ud is even more astonishing, because he had not yet embraced Islam. He describes the love and devotion of the Companions radi Allahu anhum in these words:
“When the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam performs ablution (wudu), his Companions radi Allahu anhum rush to collect the water that falls to the ground; when he spits, they hasten to rub it on their hands and faces, and whenever a blessed hair of his falls, they immediately take it in their hands.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Shurut, Hadith: 2731, 2732; Musnad Ahmad: 4/324)
Further details on this issue will come in Kitab al-Libas.

Hadith Commentary: Benefits and Issues: On the days of sacrifice, a pilgrim performing Hajj has to do four things, and the Sunnah method among them is that first, after coming from Muzdalifah, he should perform the stoning (rami) at Jamrah Aqabah, then offer the sacrifice (qurbani), then shave his head or cut his hair, and after that, go to Makkah and perform the Tawaf al-Ifadah. The mutamatti‘ (one performing Hajj al-Tamattu‘) will then perform the sa‘i between Safa and Marwah. If the mufrid (one performing Hajj al-Ifrad) and qarin (one performing Hajj al-Qiran) have already performed sa‘i after the Tawaf al-Qudum, then they do not need to perform sa‘i now. According to the four Imams, the Sunnah is that the shaving of the head should begin from the right side of the head. From Imam Abu Hanifah rahimahullah, it is narrated that the shaving should begin from the left side, but according to the later Hanafi scholars, the Imam retracted from this opinion. The hair of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was held in great esteem and honor, so it was distributed among the people. However, now this status is not possessed by anyone. The hair of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was shaved by ‘Umar ibn ‘Abdullah radi Allahu ta‘ala anhu, and the hair from the right side was given to Abu Talhah for distribution among the people, and the hair from the left side was given by Abu Talhah radi Allahu ta‘ala anhu for Umm Sulaym radi Allahu ta‘ala anha. Therefore, in one narration, there is mention of giving it to Umm Sulaym radi Allahu ta‘ala anha.

1981. Commentary:
➊ In the matter of hair-cutting as well, the Shari’ah guidance is that the hair should be cut starting from the right side.
➋ The blessed hair of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) were such that they remained among the Companions as a source of blessing (tabarruk). Healing was also sought through them. And this quality was possessed solely and exclusively by the hair of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). Nowadays, at various places, blessed hairs are claimed to be present; it is necessary that their reliable chain of transmission be presented. However, in reality, presenting such a chain is impossible.
➌ Seeking blessing (tabarruk) is not a matter of analogy or personal preference; it is related to creed (‘aqidah). Blessed objects, blessed places, and blessed times are only those which have been mentioned in authentic hadiths. Therefore, Muslims should be alert and sensitive in matters of tabarruk. That is, to consider everything belonging to someone regarded as a saint to be blessed is completely wrong. Who among the followers (ummah) can be greater than Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (radi Allahu anhu)? No one. But the Companions considered only the hair and similar things of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) to be blessed, and did not consider anything belonging even to Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (radi Allahu anhu) to be blessed. And the understanding of religion by the Companions is what is reliable, not that of the people nowadays who are afflicted with shirk and innovation.
➍ The importance of the blessed hair of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) can be well understood from the statement of the eminent, noble Tabi‘i, Imam ‘Ubaydah ibn ‘Amr as-Salmani (rahimahullah), which the Imam of the hadith scholars, the Commander of the Faithful in Hadith, Imam al-Bukhari (rahimahullah), has narrated in his Sahih. He says: «لان تكون عندي شعرة منه احب الي من الدنيا ومافيها» (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Ablution, Hadith 170) “If I had a single blessed hair of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), it would be more beloved to me than the world and all that is in it.” Allahu Akbar Kabira! We can neither reach the depths of these pure feelings and emotions, nor can we estimate their value and status. This is a standard of love of the highest degree. O Allah, grant us also such perfect love for the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). Amin. The beautiful commentary that Imam al-Dhahabi (rahimahullah) has written on this beautiful statement is also unique in its own right (for details, see: Siyar A‘lam an-Nubala’, vol. 4, pp. 42–43).

Benefit:
Whether a Muslim is alive or deceased, his hair is pure. The evidences for this are as follows:
Imam Muhammad ibn Sirin said to Ubaidah: “We have with us some of the blessed hair of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), which has reached us from Sayyiduna Anas (radi Allahu anhu) or his family.” Upon hearing this, Ubaidah said:
“Lan takūna ‘indī sha‘ratun minhu aḥabbu ilayya min ad-dunyā wa mā fīhā”
“If I had even a single hair of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), it would be more beloved to me than the world and all that it contains.” [صحيح البخاري : 170]

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (radi Allahu anhu) that when the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) had his hair shaved, Sayyiduna Abu Talhah (radi Allahu anhu) was the first person to take his hair. [صحيح البخاري : 171]

Upon these two hadiths, Imam Bukhari (rahimahullah) established the following chapter: “Chapter: The water with which a person’s hair is washed” (Kitab al-Wudu, Chapter: 33).

Hafiz Ibn Hajar (rahimahullah), explaining this, writes:
“Indeed, the hair is pure, otherwise (the noble Companions, radi Allahu anhum) would not have preserved it, nor would Ubaidah (the Tabi‘i) have wished to possess even a single hair of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). Since the hair is pure, the water in which it is washed is also pure.” [فتـح البـاري :363/1]

Hafiz Ibn Hajar (rahimahullah) further states: The majority of scholars also consider hair to be pure, and this is what is correct according to us. (Fath al-Bari 1/364)

Umm al-Mu’minin Sayyidah Umm Salamah (radi Allahu anha) had some hair of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), which she kept in a small bowl. This hair was reddish due to henna. When someone was afflicted by the evil eye or became ill, they would send their water vessel to Sayyidah Umm Salamah (radi Allahu anha), (and she would dip the hair into that vessel).

From this, it is also understood that seeking blessing (tabarruk) from the hair of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is permissible (provided that the hair of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is actually obtained). [بـخـاري : 5896 وفتح الباري :353/10]

It should be noted that in some cities, certain hairs are attributed to the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), but this is not established.