Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah (Tawḍīḥ al-Aḥkām), Vol. 2, p. 508
Is it necessary or recommended for a man to cover his head with a cap or cloth?
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
The details of this issue in the light of narrations and statements of the muḥaddithīn are as follows:
In books such as Sharḥ al-Sunnah, it is narrated that the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ would always have a cap or cloth on His head. Some scholars, such as Shaykh al-Albānī and Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar رحمهما الله, have considered this narration authentic.
In Fatḥ al-Bārī (Vol. 10, p. 274, Ḥadīth 5807), this narration is mentioned:
"كان صلى الله عليه وسلم يكثر القناع"
However, Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar did not declare this narration to be ṣaḥīḥ.
Masʿūd Aḥmad B.Sc. (Takfīrī Khārijī), in his book Minhāj al-Muslimīn (Pub. 1416H, p. 479, Footnote No. 1), quoted this narration from Sharḥ al-Sunnah of al-Baghawī and concluded:
“A man should also keep his head covered most of the time, especially when going somewhere.”
This narration is found in Sharḥ al-Sunnah by al-Baghawī (Vol. 12, p. 82, Ḥadīth 3164), narrated through the chain of Imām al-Tirmidhī.
It is also mentioned in Imām al-Tirmidhī’s al-Shamā’il (Ḥadīth 33, 125 – verified edition) with the same chain.
However, one narrator in the chain is Yazīd ibn Abān al-Raqāshī, about whom the muḥaddithīn have declared weakness.
✿ Imām al-Bukhārī رحمه الله – in Kitāb al-Ḍuʿafā’ (p. 102, No. 413 – verified edition):
"كان شعبة يتكلم فيه"
(Meaning: Shuʿbah used to criticize him.)
✿ Imām al-Nasā’ī رحمه الله – in Kitāb al-Ḍuʿafā’ (No. 642):
"متروك بصري"
(Meaning: A Basran narrator who is matrūk.)
✿ Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar رحمه الله – in Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb (p. 381):
"زاهد ضعيف"
(Meaning: A devout worshipper but weak in narration.)
Therefore, the chain of this narration is weak.
Al-Bayhaqī has recorded another shāhid (supporting narration) in Shuʿab al-Īmān (Vol. 5, p. 226, Ḥadīth 6465 – another edition Vol. 8, p. 429, Ḥadīth 6046).
However, its chain also contains the following unreliable narrators:
◈ Bishr ibn Mubashshir (in Shuʿab al-Īmān written as “Mubashshir ibn Maksar”)
◈ Muḥammad ibn Hārūn ibn ʿĪsā al-Azawī
Due to these narrators, this narration is also weak.
Shaykh al-Albānī declared both of the above narrations weak in terms of chain authenticity.
(See: al-Ḍaʿīfah, Vol. 5, p. 380, Ḥadīth 2356)
It is not correct to deduce a legal ruling or extract a fiqh issue based on weak narrations. Doing so is the approach of the registered group “Jamāʿat al-Muslimīn” and its “Amīr”, whose followers imitate them blindly.
ھذا ما عندي، والله أعلم بالصواب
Question:
Is it necessary or recommended for a man to cover his head with a cap or cloth?
Answer:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
The details of this issue in the light of narrations and statements of the muḥaddithīn are as follows:
The Prophet ﷺ and Covering the Head
In books such as Sharḥ al-Sunnah, it is narrated that the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ would always have a cap or cloth on His head. Some scholars, such as Shaykh al-Albānī and Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar رحمهما الله, have considered this narration authentic.
Clarification and Analysis of the Ḥadīth’s Chain
In Fatḥ al-Bārī (Vol. 10, p. 274, Ḥadīth 5807), this narration is mentioned:
"كان صلى الله عليه وسلم يكثر القناع"
However, Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar did not declare this narration to be ṣaḥīḥ.
Narration in Minhāj al-Muslimīn and Commentary
Masʿūd Aḥmad B.Sc. (Takfīrī Khārijī), in his book Minhāj al-Muslimīn (Pub. 1416H, p. 479, Footnote No. 1), quoted this narration from Sharḥ al-Sunnah of al-Baghawī and concluded:
“A man should also keep his head covered most of the time, especially when going somewhere.”
Original Sources and the Chain of Transmission
This narration is found in Sharḥ al-Sunnah by al-Baghawī (Vol. 12, p. 82, Ḥadīth 3164), narrated through the chain of Imām al-Tirmidhī.
It is also mentioned in Imām al-Tirmidhī’s al-Shamā’il (Ḥadīth 33, 125 – verified edition) with the same chain.
However, one narrator in the chain is Yazīd ibn Abān al-Raqāshī, about whom the muḥaddithīn have declared weakness.
Statements of the Muḥaddithīn on Yazīd ibn Abān al-Raqāshī
✿ Imām al-Bukhārī رحمه الله – in Kitāb al-Ḍuʿafā’ (p. 102, No. 413 – verified edition):
"كان شعبة يتكلم فيه"
(Meaning: Shuʿbah used to criticize him.)
✿ Imām al-Nasā’ī رحمه الله – in Kitāb al-Ḍuʿafā’ (No. 642):
"متروك بصري"
(Meaning: A Basran narrator who is matrūk.)
✿ Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar رحمه الله – in Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb (p. 381):
"زاهد ضعيف"
(Meaning: A devout worshipper but weak in narration.)
Therefore, the chain of this narration is weak.
The Bayhaqī Narration and Its Status
Al-Bayhaqī has recorded another shāhid (supporting narration) in Shuʿab al-Īmān (Vol. 5, p. 226, Ḥadīth 6465 – another edition Vol. 8, p. 429, Ḥadīth 6046).
However, its chain also contains the following unreliable narrators:
◈ Bishr ibn Mubashshir (in Shuʿab al-Īmān written as “Mubashshir ibn Maksar”)
◈ Muḥammad ibn Hārūn ibn ʿĪsā al-Azawī
Due to these narrators, this narration is also weak.
Research of Shaykh al-Albānī رحمه الله
Shaykh al-Albānī declared both of the above narrations weak in terms of chain authenticity.
(See: al-Ḍaʿīfah, Vol. 5, p. 380, Ḥadīth 2356)
Conclusion
It is not correct to deduce a legal ruling or extract a fiqh issue based on weak narrations. Doing so is the approach of the registered group “Jamāʿat al-Muslimīn” and its “Amīr”, whose followers imitate them blindly.
ھذا ما عندي، والله أعلم بالصواب
