Original article by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Ameenpuri (ḥafiẓahullāh), enhanced with headings and structured for clarity.
He stated that his family sent him to Sayyidah Umm Salamah (رضي الله عنها) with a bowl of water in which the blessed hair of the Prophet ﷺ was placed. Whenever someone was afflicted with the evil eye or any hardship, they would send water to Umm Salamah (رضي الله عنها). She would stir the Prophet's ﷺ blessed hair in it and give the water to the ill, who would then recover. The narrator mentioned that upon looking into the container, he saw red hairs of the Prophet ﷺ.
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 5896)
Explanation by Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar (رحمه الله):
He wrote that when someone fell ill, they would send a container to Umm Salamah (رضي الله عنها), who would stir the blessed hair of the Prophet ﷺ into it. They would then drink or bathe with that water and receive healing through this blessing.
(Fatḥ al-Bārī: 10/353)
He reported that they possessed some blessed hairs of the Prophet ﷺ, obtained from Anas ibn Mālik (رضي الله عنه) or his family. When he told ʿUbaydah ibn ʿAmr al-Salmānī (رحمه الله), the latter replied, “If I had even one hair of the Prophet ﷺ, it would be more beloved to me than the world and all it contains.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 170)
Comment of Ḥāfiẓ al-Dhahabī (رحمه الله):
He considered this the epitome of love, stating that giving precedence to a hair of the Prophet ﷺ over all the world’s gold and silver reflects true love. If today, a relic such as his blessed hair or sandal strap is found with an authentic chain of transmission, spending a large amount to acquire it would not be considered wasteful or foolish.
(Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ: 4/42)
He reported that Anas ibn Mālik (رضي الله عنه) gave him a hair of the Prophet ﷺ and instructed him to place it under his tongue upon burial. Thābit complied, and Anas (رضي الله عنه) was buried in that state.
(al-Iṣābah by Ibn Ḥajar: 1/127)
Comment: This narration is not authentic due to a lack of verification for the narrator Hubayrah al-ʿĪshī and a missing chain below Ṣafwān.
❖ Khalid ibn al-Walīd’s (رضي الله عنه) Cap:
During the Battle of Yarmūk, his cap was lost and later found. He said it contained the Prophet’s ﷺ hair which he had acquired during ʿUmrah. He believed that every battle in which he had the cap with him ended in victory.
(al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr by al-Ṭabarānī: 4/104)
Comment: Weak due to a break in the chain (munqaṭiʿ), as confirmed by Ḥāfiẓ al-Dhahabī.
❖ Wasiyyah of ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz (رحمه الله):
He reportedly instructed that the Prophet’s ﷺ hair and nails be placed in his shroud.
(al-Ṭabaqāt al-Kubrā by Ibn Saʿd: 5/406)
Comment: This narration is fabricated; its narrator Muḥammad ibn ʿUmar al-Wāqidī is deemed weak and discarded.
❖ Narration Attributed to Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal (رحمه الله):
It is also weak due to the unreliable narrator ʿUṣmah ibn ʿIṣām.
❖ Modern Claims of Possessing Hair of the Prophet ﷺ:
Some people today showcase hair allegedly belonging to the Prophet ﷺ without any credible, verifiable chain of transmission. Such unsubstantiated claims for fame or financial gain are misleading and condemnable.
She presented a cloak and waist wrapper saying that the Prophet ﷺ passed away wearing them.
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 3108, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 2080)
❖ Sayyidah Asmāʾ bint Abī Bakr (رضي الله عنها):
Her servant ʿAbdullāh narrated that she used to wash the Prophet’s ﷺ cloak and use the water to treat the sick.
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 2069)
He offered to serve water in a vessel the Prophet ﷺ had used, which he had preserved.
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 7341)
He once invited Abū Burdah (رضي الله عنه) to his house to drink from that same vessel.
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 7341)
Narrated that he once served the Prophet ﷺ and later shared that cup with others. Caliph ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz requested it, and Sahl (رضي الله عنه) gifted it to him.
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 5637, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 2007)
❖ Ḥajjāj ibn Ḥassān al-Baṣrī (رحمه الله):
He narrated that they drank water from a black-covered vessel with three iron pieces, used by Anas ibn Mālik (رضي الله عنه). They poured water over themselves and sent salāms upon the Prophet ﷺ.
(Musnad Aḥmad: 3/187, ḥasan chain)
Said that Umm Sulaym (رضي الله عنها) would collect the Prophet’s ﷺ sweat and hair after his midday rest and preserve them. At his death, Anas (رضي الله عنه) instructed that this be mixed with the scent for his shroud.
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 6281)
❖ Imām Muḥammad ibn Sīrīn (رحمه الله):
He requested this scented compound from Umm Sulaym (رضي الله عنها) and applied it at his death, desiring to be perfumed with the Prophet’s ﷺ sweat.
(al-Ṭabaqāt al-Kubrā: 8/428, al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr: 25/19)
❖ Ḥumayd al-Ṭawīl (رحمه الله):
Narrated that Anas (رضي الله عنه) was shrouded with fragrance that contained the Prophet’s ﷺ sweat.
(al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr: 1/249, al-Sunan al-Kubrā: 3/406, ḥasan chain)
ʿĪsā ibn Ṭuhmān (رحمه الله) narrated that Anas ibn Mālik (رضي الله عنه) showed him the Prophet’s ﷺ sandals, made of leather without hair and with two straps. Ṯābit al-Bunānī (رحمه الله) confirmed their authenticity.
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 3107)
❖ Staff:
Anas ibn Mālik (رضي الله عنه) narrated that ʿAbdullāh ibn Unays (رضي الله عنه) possessed a small staff of the Prophet ﷺ. Upon his death, it was buried with him between his side and shirt.
(Musnad al-Bazzār, ḥasan chain)
Even today, if such relics are proven with authentic, traceable transmission linking them directly to the Prophet ﷺ, it is permissible to seek blessings from them. However, falsely attributing objects to the Prophet ﷺ for fame or profit is a condemned and misleading act.
✦ Seeking Blessings from the Blessed Hair of the Prophet ﷺ
Narration of ʿUthmān ibn ʿAbdullāh ibn Mawhab (رحمه الله):He stated that his family sent him to Sayyidah Umm Salamah (رضي الله عنها) with a bowl of water in which the blessed hair of the Prophet ﷺ was placed. Whenever someone was afflicted with the evil eye or any hardship, they would send water to Umm Salamah (رضي الله عنها). She would stir the Prophet's ﷺ blessed hair in it and give the water to the ill, who would then recover. The narrator mentioned that upon looking into the container, he saw red hairs of the Prophet ﷺ.
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 5896)
Explanation by Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar (رحمه الله):
He wrote that when someone fell ill, they would send a container to Umm Salamah (رضي الله عنها), who would stir the blessed hair of the Prophet ﷺ into it. They would then drink or bathe with that water and receive healing through this blessing.
(Fatḥ al-Bārī: 10/353)
✦ Love for the Prophet’s ﷺ Hair
Narration of Imām Muḥammad ibn Sīrīn (رحمه الله):He reported that they possessed some blessed hairs of the Prophet ﷺ, obtained from Anas ibn Mālik (رضي الله عنه) or his family. When he told ʿUbaydah ibn ʿAmr al-Salmānī (رحمه الله), the latter replied, “If I had even one hair of the Prophet ﷺ, it would be more beloved to me than the world and all it contains.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 170)
Comment of Ḥāfiẓ al-Dhahabī (رحمه الله):
He considered this the epitome of love, stating that giving precedence to a hair of the Prophet ﷺ over all the world’s gold and silver reflects true love. If today, a relic such as his blessed hair or sandal strap is found with an authentic chain of transmission, spending a large amount to acquire it would not be considered wasteful or foolish.
(Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ: 4/42)
✦ Cautionary Narrations
❖ Thābit al-Bunānī (رحمه الله):He reported that Anas ibn Mālik (رضي الله عنه) gave him a hair of the Prophet ﷺ and instructed him to place it under his tongue upon burial. Thābit complied, and Anas (رضي الله عنه) was buried in that state.
(al-Iṣābah by Ibn Ḥajar: 1/127)
Comment: This narration is not authentic due to a lack of verification for the narrator Hubayrah al-ʿĪshī and a missing chain below Ṣafwān.
❖ Khalid ibn al-Walīd’s (رضي الله عنه) Cap:
During the Battle of Yarmūk, his cap was lost and later found. He said it contained the Prophet’s ﷺ hair which he had acquired during ʿUmrah. He believed that every battle in which he had the cap with him ended in victory.
(al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr by al-Ṭabarānī: 4/104)
Comment: Weak due to a break in the chain (munqaṭiʿ), as confirmed by Ḥāfiẓ al-Dhahabī.
❖ Wasiyyah of ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz (رحمه الله):
He reportedly instructed that the Prophet’s ﷺ hair and nails be placed in his shroud.
(al-Ṭabaqāt al-Kubrā by Ibn Saʿd: 5/406)
Comment: This narration is fabricated; its narrator Muḥammad ibn ʿUmar al-Wāqidī is deemed weak and discarded.
❖ Narration Attributed to Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal (رحمه الله):
It is also weak due to the unreliable narrator ʿUṣmah ibn ʿIṣām.
❖ Modern Claims of Possessing Hair of the Prophet ﷺ:
Some people today showcase hair allegedly belonging to the Prophet ﷺ without any credible, verifiable chain of transmission. Such unsubstantiated claims for fame or financial gain are misleading and condemnable.
✦ Seeking Blessings from the Prophet’s ﷺ Garments
❖ Sayyidah ʿĀʾishah (رضي الله عنها):She presented a cloak and waist wrapper saying that the Prophet ﷺ passed away wearing them.
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 3108, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 2080)
❖ Sayyidah Asmāʾ bint Abī Bakr (رضي الله عنها):
Her servant ʿAbdullāh narrated that she used to wash the Prophet’s ﷺ cloak and use the water to treat the sick.
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 2069)
✦ Seeking Blessings from the Prophet’s ﷺ Utensils
❖ ʿAbdullāh ibn Salām (رضي الله عنه):He offered to serve water in a vessel the Prophet ﷺ had used, which he had preserved.
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 7341)
He once invited Abū Burdah (رضي الله عنه) to his house to drink from that same vessel.
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 7341)
✦ Further Narrations
❖ Sahl ibn Saʿd (رضي الله عنه):Narrated that he once served the Prophet ﷺ and later shared that cup with others. Caliph ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz requested it, and Sahl (رضي الله عنه) gifted it to him.
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 5637, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 2007)
❖ Ḥajjāj ibn Ḥassān al-Baṣrī (رحمه الله):
He narrated that they drank water from a black-covered vessel with three iron pieces, used by Anas ibn Mālik (رضي الله عنه). They poured water over themselves and sent salāms upon the Prophet ﷺ.
(Musnad Aḥmad: 3/187, ḥasan chain)
✦ The Prophet’s ﷺ Sweat
❖ Anas ibn Mālik (رضي الله عنه):Said that Umm Sulaym (رضي الله عنها) would collect the Prophet’s ﷺ sweat and hair after his midday rest and preserve them. At his death, Anas (رضي الله عنه) instructed that this be mixed with the scent for his shroud.
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 6281)
❖ Imām Muḥammad ibn Sīrīn (رحمه الله):
He requested this scented compound from Umm Sulaym (رضي الله عنها) and applied it at his death, desiring to be perfumed with the Prophet’s ﷺ sweat.
(al-Ṭabaqāt al-Kubrā: 8/428, al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr: 25/19)
❖ Ḥumayd al-Ṭawīl (رحمه الله):
Narrated that Anas (رضي الله عنه) was shrouded with fragrance that contained the Prophet’s ﷺ sweat.
(al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr: 1/249, al-Sunan al-Kubrā: 3/406, ḥasan chain)
✦ Blessings from the Prophet’s ﷺ Sandals and Staff
❖ Sandals:ʿĪsā ibn Ṭuhmān (رحمه الله) narrated that Anas ibn Mālik (رضي الله عنه) showed him the Prophet’s ﷺ sandals, made of leather without hair and with two straps. Ṯābit al-Bunānī (رحمه الله) confirmed their authenticity.
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 3107)
❖ Staff:
Anas ibn Mālik (رضي الله عنه) narrated that ʿAbdullāh ibn Unays (رضي الله عنه) possessed a small staff of the Prophet ﷺ. Upon his death, it was buried with him between his side and shirt.
(Musnad al-Bazzār, ḥasan chain)
✦ Conclusion
This article outlines various authentic and historical reports regarding the seeking of blessings from the physical relics of the Prophet ﷺ, including his hair, sweat, cloak, utensils, sandals, and staff. The Companions, Tābiʿīn, and their successors preserved these relics with immense reverence, using them as a source of healing and spiritual benefit.Even today, if such relics are proven with authentic, traceable transmission linking them directly to the Prophet ﷺ, it is permissible to seek blessings from them. However, falsely attributing objects to the Prophet ﷺ for fame or profit is a condemned and misleading act.
