´It was narrated that Abu Wa'il said:` "Ibn Mas'ud addressed us and said: 'How do you want me to recite? According to the recitation of Zaid bin Thabit, when I learned seventy-odd Surahs from the mouth of the Messenger of Allah [SAW] while Zaid was with the other boys with two braids?'"
Explanation & Benefits
Hafiz Muhammad Ameen
Urdu footnote:
Children’s hair would be braided to keep it manageable so that it would not become disheveled during play. When the child became sensible, there was no longer any need for braids. The point is that they were children. The hadith also indicates the permissibility of braiding hair.
Source: Sunan Nasa'i: Translation and Benefits by Shaykh Hafiz Muhammad Amin Hafizullah, Page: 5067