Did Imam Al-Shafi'i seek blessings from the washing water of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal's clothes?
It is not permissible to seek blessings from the wash-water of Ahmad ibn Hanbal's shirt, as Imam Al-Shafi'i is said to have done. Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah considered this to be among the fabricated stories, and Al-Dhahabi denied it. It is not true that Al-Shafi'i sent Al-Rabi' ibn Sulayman to Ahmad ibn Hanbal with a letter. Al-Dhahabi asserts that Al-Rabi' was not known for traveling, and Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi did not include his biography in Tarikh Baghdad (History of Baghdad). Furthermore, one of the chains of narration for this story includes Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami, who fabricated hadiths for the Sufis and was weak. As for the other chains of narration, they are disconnected, and some of their narrators are unknown. Therefore, this story is fabricated and unsound.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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