19/1. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 1500c — Lineage Suspicion
Chapter
Hadith on Lineage Suspicion and Child Resemblance
Sahih Muslim : 1500c
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 1500c
وَحَدَّثَنِي أَبُو الطَّاهِرِ، وَحَرْمَلَةُ بْنُ يَحْيَى، - وَاللَّفْظُ لِحَرْمَلَةَ - قَالاَ أَخْبَرَنَا ابْنُ، وَهْبٍ أَخْبَرَنِي يُونُسُ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّصلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّ امْرَأَتِي وَلَدَتْ غُلاَمًا أَسْوَدَ وَإِنِّي أَنْكَرْتُهُ . فَقَالَ لَهُ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم " هَلْ لَكَ مِنْ إِبِلٍ " . قَالَ نَعَمْ . قَالَ " مَا أَلْوَانُهَا " . قَالَ حُمْرٌ . قَالَ " فَهَلْ فِيهَا مِنْ أَوْرَقَ " . قَالَ نَعَمْ . قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " فَأَنَّى هُوَ " . قَالَ لَعَلَّهُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ يَكُونُ نَزَعَهُ عِرْقٌ لَهُ . فَقَالَ لَهُ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم " وَهَذَا لَعَلَّهُ يَكُونُ نَزَعَهُ عِرْقٌ لَهُ " .
Abu Hurairah Narrated from:
A desert Arab came to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and said: My wife has given birth to a dark-complexioned child and I have disowned him. Thereupon Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) said: Have you any camels? He said: Yes. He said: What is their colour? He said? They are red. He said: Is there anyone dusky among them? He said: Yes. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: How has it come about? He said: Messenger of Allah, it is perhaps due to the strain to which it has reverted, whereupon the Prophet (ﷺ) said: It (the birth) of the black child may be due to the strain to which he (the child) might have reverted.
Reference : Sahih Muslim 1500cIn-book reference : Book 19, Hadith 26USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 9, Hadith 3576
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 1500c
This Hadith about child resemblance in Islam tells of a desert Arab who said that his wife gave birth to a dark-complexioned child and that he had rejected him. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم responded by asking about the man’s camels. The man said they were red, yet he admitted that some dusky camels existed among them. When the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم asked how that came about, the man said it may be due to a strain in the camel’s line. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم then said that the child may also have reverted to a strain in his family line. The Hadith teaches caution before denying lineage, and it shows how the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم used a familiar example to correct a serious mistake.
What we learn from this hadith
- A person should not deny lineage based only on a child’s appearance.
- The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم answered the man with a clear and relatable comparison.
- Reasoned questioning can help a person see the weakness in his own claim.
