Did the Prophet ﷺ Command the Burial of a Child’s Hair on the Day of ʿAqīqah? – Authentication and Ruling
Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah, Vol. 1 – Principles, Takhrīj, and Authentication of Narrations – p. 594
❖ Question
In al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah (trans. Nafīs Academy, Karachi, vol. 5, p. 522), the following narration is mentioned:
"Māriyah رضي الله عنها gave birth to a son, Ibrāhīm, for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. On the seventh day, he performed the ʿaqīqah, shaved his head, gave charity in silver equal to the weight of his hair, and then ordered that the hair be buried in the ground. The child was named Ibrāhīm."
Is this narration authentic? Did the Prophet ﷺ instruct that a child’s hair be buried on the day of ʿaqīqah?
❖ Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, wa al-ṣalātu wa al-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd:
Source of the Report
This incident is recorded in al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah (Arabic ed., vol. 5, p. 264, under Dhikr Sarāriyyah ʿalayhim al-salām).
The chain is as follows:
al-Wāqidī → Yaʿqūb ibn Muḥammad ibn Abī Ṣaʿṣaʿah → ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Ṣaʿṣaʿah
Narrators’ Evaluation
➊ al-Wāqidī
– Famous narrator, declared kadhdhāb (liar, fabricator) by the muḥaddithīn.
– al-Jarḥ wa al-Taʿdīl (8/21).
➋ ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Ṣaʿṣaʿah
– A tābiʿī.
– Mentioned in Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb (no. 3431).
❖ Conclusion
Because the chain contains al-Wāqidī, who is a known liar and fabricator, this narration is mawḍūʿ (fabricated).
Hence, it is not authentic to attribute to the Prophet ﷺ that he ordered the burial of a child’s hair on the day of ʿaqīqah.
ھذا ما عندي، واللہ أعلم بالصواب