Written by: Ash-Sheikh Mubashir Ahmad Rabbani (may Allah preserve him)
One narration is from Abu Rafi' (may Allah be pleased with him), who says:
"I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say the Adhan in the ear of Al-Hasan bin Ali when Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) gave birth to him." [Tirmidhi, Chapters on Sacrifice: Chapter on Saying the Adhan in the Ear of the Newborn, 1514; Abu Dawud 5105; Ahmad 9/6; Shu’ab al-Iman 8617; Hakim 3/179; Bayhaqi 9/305]
However, the chain of this narration contains Asim bin Ubaydullah, who is weak according to almost all Hadith scholars.
Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) writes:
"The chain of this narration revolves around Asim bin Ubaydullah, and he is weak." [Talkhis al-Habir 1985, 4/367]
For further criticism on this narrator, refer to: [Tahdhib al-Tahdhib 3/35-36].
Some scholars have attempted to strengthen this narration by citing another narration from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him):
"The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said the Adhan in the ear of Al-Hasan bin Ali on the day of his birth and said the Iqamah in his left ear." [Al-Silsilah al-Da'ifah 1/331, Irwa' al-Ghalil 4/401]
They suggested that this narration serves as a supporting witness (Shahid) for the narration of Abu Rafi'. (Note: In Al-Silsilah al-Da'ifah, the words "he said the Adhan in his right ear" were not printed. Imam Bayhaqi, though, declared the narration weak, but it is not just weak; it is fabricated. This is because it contains the narrator Muhammad bin Yunus al-Kadimi.)
Regarding this narrator, Imam Ibn Adi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
"Al-Kadimi has been accused of fabricating Hadith."
Imam Ibn Hibban (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
"He fabricated over a thousand narrations." Similarly, Musa bin Harun and Qasim al-Muttariz also declared him a liar. [Mizan al-I'tidal 4/74]
Imam Darqutni (may Allah have mercy on him) also accused him of fabricating Hadith. Therefore, this narration is fabricated and cannot serve as supporting evidence. Additionally, the teacher and the teacher's teacher of Al-Kadimi are also weak.
Furthermore, there is a Mursal narration attributed to Husayn bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with him):
"When a child is born, if the Adhan is said in his right ear and the Iqamah in his left ear, he will not be harmed by Umm al-Sibyan (a disease)." [Shu’ab al-Iman 8619]
This narration includes Yahya bin al-Ala al-Razi, who is a known fabricator of Hadith. Therefore, the narrations about saying the Adhan and Iqamah in the newborn's ear are not authentically proven from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
And Allah knows best.
Question:
Muslims say the Adhan in the right ear and the Iqamah in the left ear of their newborn. Is this act proven from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)?Answer:
To the best of our knowledge, there is no authentic and elevated (Marfu') Hadith regarding this matter. The three narrations presented in support of this practice are not reliable.One narration is from Abu Rafi' (may Allah be pleased with him), who says:
"I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say the Adhan in the ear of Al-Hasan bin Ali when Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) gave birth to him." [Tirmidhi, Chapters on Sacrifice: Chapter on Saying the Adhan in the Ear of the Newborn, 1514; Abu Dawud 5105; Ahmad 9/6; Shu’ab al-Iman 8617; Hakim 3/179; Bayhaqi 9/305]
However, the chain of this narration contains Asim bin Ubaydullah, who is weak according to almost all Hadith scholars.
Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) writes:
"The chain of this narration revolves around Asim bin Ubaydullah, and he is weak." [Talkhis al-Habir 1985, 4/367]
For further criticism on this narrator, refer to: [Tahdhib al-Tahdhib 3/35-36].
Some scholars have attempted to strengthen this narration by citing another narration from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him):
"The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said the Adhan in the ear of Al-Hasan bin Ali on the day of his birth and said the Iqamah in his left ear." [Al-Silsilah al-Da'ifah 1/331, Irwa' al-Ghalil 4/401]
They suggested that this narration serves as a supporting witness (Shahid) for the narration of Abu Rafi'. (Note: In Al-Silsilah al-Da'ifah, the words "he said the Adhan in his right ear" were not printed. Imam Bayhaqi, though, declared the narration weak, but it is not just weak; it is fabricated. This is because it contains the narrator Muhammad bin Yunus al-Kadimi.)
Regarding this narrator, Imam Ibn Adi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
"Al-Kadimi has been accused of fabricating Hadith."
Imam Ibn Hibban (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
"He fabricated over a thousand narrations." Similarly, Musa bin Harun and Qasim al-Muttariz also declared him a liar. [Mizan al-I'tidal 4/74]
Imam Darqutni (may Allah have mercy on him) also accused him of fabricating Hadith. Therefore, this narration is fabricated and cannot serve as supporting evidence. Additionally, the teacher and the teacher's teacher of Al-Kadimi are also weak.
Furthermore, there is a Mursal narration attributed to Husayn bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with him):
"When a child is born, if the Adhan is said in his right ear and the Iqamah in his left ear, he will not be harmed by Umm al-Sibyan (a disease)." [Shu’ab al-Iman 8619]
This narration includes Yahya bin al-Ala al-Razi, who is a known fabricator of Hadith. Therefore, the narrations about saying the Adhan and Iqamah in the newborn's ear are not authentically proven from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
And Allah knows best.