Sunan ad-Darimi

Sayyiduna Samurah bin Jundub (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Every boy is pledged for his ‘aqiqah; sacrifice should be offered for him on the seventh day, his head should be shaved, and blood should be applied (to his head)." The narrator of the hadith, Imam Qatadah (may Allah have mercy on him), described the method of applying blood as follows: When the animal is slaughtered, a piece of its hair (wool) should be taken and placed on the veins of the animal, then that piece should be placed on the newborn child's crown until blood flows from the child's head like threads, then his head should be washed, and after that, the child's hair should be shaved. ‘Affan said: Aban also narrated this hadith to us, but instead of «دمي», he said «يسمي», meaning instead of saying to apply blood, he said to name the child. (This means the narrator made a mistake or was confused about this word.) Imam Darimi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: I do not consider applying blood to the head as obligatory.