Seeking Blessings from the Wudū-Water, Sweat, Hair, Blood and Traces of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the Sharī’ah Prohibition on Seeking Blessings from the Traces and Leftovers of the Scholars and Pious Ones. (Shaikh Ibn Bāz)

Question:

I have seen in some books that are widespread in Somalia that the Sahābah (radiyallāhu ‘anhum) would gather around the wudū water of our Prophet Muhammad (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) to seek blessings (tabarruk) with it. And if he coughed up phlegm or spat saliva, they would wipe themselves with it (masah)―and they would gather around the barber who would shave the head of the Messenger (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) and they would distribute his hair between themselves seeking blessings from it. Also, that Abdullāh Ibn Az-Zubayr drank the blood of the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) after he had been cupped (hijāmah) and that Umm Ayman drank his urine from a vessel, so he said to her: “Health, Umm Ayman.” Is this authentic? Benefit us, may Allah reward you with good. And is it allowed to apply these texts to other people, if indeed these texts are authentic?

Answer:

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy. All praise is due to Allah, and may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon the Messenger, his family, his Companions and whoever follows his guidance.

To proceed: There is no doubt that it is established from Allah’s Messenger (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) that the Sahābah (radiyallāhu ‘anhum) would seek blessings (tabarruk) from his wudū water, his hair, saliva and phlegm―all of this is established from him (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) and his Companions. It is authentically reported from the hadeeth of Abu Juhayfah in the Saheehayn (Bukhāri and Muslim) during the farewell Hajj that when Bilāl (radiyallāhu ‘anhu) came out with the wudū water of Allah’s Messenger (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam), the Sahābah would take from it whatever was easy for them, some would take a little and some would take more.

And it is established that during the treaty of Hudaybiyah that the Prophet’s (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) phlegm and saliva was taken by the Sahābah and they would rub their bodies with it due to what it contained from blessings (barakah). And when he had his head shaved during the farewell Hajj, he divided half his hair between the Sahābah, and the other half he gave to Abu Talhah (radiyallāhu ‘anhu). All of this has been established from the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam). There is no doubt with the people of knowledge concerning the blessings of his body (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam), his hair, whatever touched his body, his wudū water and his perspiration, etc.

However, this cannot be applied to anyone other than him. That is because the Sahābah (radiyallāhu ‘anhum) did do not do the same with Abu Bakr As-Siddeeq, ‘Umar, ‘Uthmān or with ‘Ali, and they are the most excellent of the Companions, the best of them and they are the best of mankind after the Prophets. So if it was legislated or permissible to seek blessings from the traces of anyone other than the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam), then the Muslims would have done so with these virtuous ones.

Additionally, seeking blessings from the traces/leftovers of other than the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) may become a means to polytheism (shirk), exaggeration and extremism. For this reason, the people of knowledge have prohibited it. So what is correct from the sayings of the people of knowledge is that there is no analogy (qiyās) to be made for anyone alongside Allah’s Messenger (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam). Rather, this affair of seeking blessings is specific for him alone (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) due to what has been established and is known concerning the blessings in his body, his perspiration, his hair and the rest of his body (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam)―and because the Sahābah affirmed all of that. And if this was not permitted, they would not have affirmed it. Therefore, there is no analogy to be made with anyone other than him (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) due to many reasons. As for seeking blessings (tabarruk) from the bodies and traces of the scholars and the worshippers that is practised by some people, then that is wrong and not permissible because it opposes the guidance of the Messenger (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) and his Companions (radiyallāhu ‘anhum)―the Muslims did not seek blessings [from the traces and the leftovers] of the best of them and major ones among them such as the Rightly-guided Caliphs and nor from rest of the Sahābah. And if this was something good, they would have preceded us. That is because worship is something that only established by textual proofs (tawqeefiyyah), and because this practice may lead to Shirk and exaggeration. For this reason, the verifiers among the scholars concluded that it is disallowed for anyone other than with the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam).

As for whether Ibn Az-Zubayr drank the [hijāmah] blood of the Messenger (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) and whether Umm Ayman drank his urine, then this requires investigation into the chains of narration regarding these stories.

The origin is that blood and urine are prohibited to consume or drink, that is the origin. Allah prohibited for us urine because it is impure and he also prohibited blood because it is foul and impure. So, if these are authentic, then they are exceptions to the rule because the Messenger (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) has specific qualities. So, if these narrations are authentic, then they are rulings that are specific for the Messenger (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) just as we stated concerning his perspiration, hair and saliva. This would then also apply if the narrations of Ibn Az-Zubayr and Umm Ayman were shown to be authentic. So we will investigate these reports, inshā’-Allāh, and give them attention in another gathering.

Source: فتاوى نور على الدرب (878) للشيخ عبد العزيز بن باز
Fatāwa Nūr ‘alad-Darb (878)

Blood and Urine of the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam):

As for the hadeeth of Umm Ayman (radiyallāhu ‘anhā) wherein it is reported that she said: Allah’s Messenger (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) woke up during the night and urinated in a bowl. I awoke in a state of thirst and I drank from whatever was in the bowl while not realising that it was urine. In the morning, the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) said: “O Umm Ayman, did you spill out whatever was in that bowl.” I said: “By Allah! I drank whatever was in it.” So Allah’s Messenger (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) laughed until his back teeth were visible. Then he said: “Your stomach will never experience hunger again.” Reported by Al-Hākim in his Mustadrak (4/70), At-Tabarāni in Al-Kabeer (25/89-90) and Abu Nu’aym in Al-Hilyah (2/67). This narration is weak: there is in the chain of narration Abu Mālik An-Nakha’ee (whose name is Abdul-Mālik bin Husain). The scholars are agreed that he is a weak narrator. From those who abandoned him and declared him weak is An-Nasā’ee in Ad-Du’afā wal-Matrūkeen, Ibn Abi Hātim in Al-Jarh wat-Ta’deel and Ibn Hajr in Tahdheeb At-Tahdheeb. This Abu Mālik also reports the narration through another chain, which is also weak and Dāruqutnee highlighted his weakness in his Al-‘Ilal (15/415). There is a further weakness in the isnād by way of a break (inqitā’), and that is that Nabaih Al-‘Anazi did not meet Umm Ayman, so its isnād munqati’.

As for the narration reported by Al-Bayhaqi in As-Sunan Al-Kubrā (7/67) and At-Tabarāni in Al-Kabeer (24/189) wherein it states that Barakah Umm Yusuf drank the urine of the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam), then this narration is weak because one of the narrators, Hukaymah bint Umaymah, is unknown as stated by Adh-Dhahabi in Meezān Al-I’tidāl and Ibn Hajr in Taqreeb At-Tahdheeb.

As for the narration of Ibn Zubayr (radiyallāhu ‘anhu) drinking the hijāmah blood of Allah’s Messenger (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) then the scholars have differed over its authenticity. If it is authentic as some of the scholars have stated, then the affair is as Shaikh Ibn Bāz (rahimahullāh) stated: “It is specific for the Messenger (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) just as we stated concerning his perspiration, hair and saliva.”

Furthermore, many of the scholars have said that the blood of the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) is no different in its ruling from any other human, it is impure and forbidden to drink as has been cited by An-Nawawee in his Al-Majmoo’. And Allah knows best.

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