Back to search

Is there a connected and sound chain of transmission (Isnad) to Abu Hanifa for the circulating story about him and the barber, and is its text (matn) authentic and plausible in his regard?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Ibn al-Jawzi mentioned that Abu Hanifa erred in five aspects of the rituals of Hajj and Umrah, and that a barber taught them to him. The barber had learned these rulings from Ata. These were: not stipulating conditions for the ritual, facing the Qiblah when shaving, starting with the right side, saying "Allahu Akbar" during shaving, and performing two rak'ahs after shaving. Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar stated that the story is famous, while the author of Al-Arf al-Shadhi doubted its authenticity.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

Read the full answer on Ftawy