what is the meaning of the hadith and what is the respond to it
Volume 7, Book 72, Number 799:
Narrated Ibn 'Abbas:
The Prophet used to copy the people of the Scriptures in matters in which there was no order from Allah. The people of the Scripture used to let their hair hang down while the pagans used to part their hair. So the Prophet let his hair hang down first, but later on he parted it.
As'salamu Alaikum dear brother,
I am not sure about these types of Hadiths. While the Hadith that you mentioned has no harm, because it only talks about
a personal preference of style and mood of the Prophet, peace be upon him, at certain times (we all have our different and ever-changing moods and styles), but I don't believe it is authentic. I believe it could be
one of those gossips that were attributed to the Prophet, and have found their way into our so-called "Sahih" collections.
I mean seriously? The Prophet's hair?? How relevant is that to Islam and the Divine Message of Allah Almighty to Mankind? This type of silliness is dangerous when putting
the Prophet's life under a microscope. People could end up idolizing him. It is also not fair for Islam; Allah Almighty's Divine Religion to the lost mankind. It also opens a lot of door and room for colorful lies and gossips to spread about the Prophet. And even if the information was true, it still allows for very unnecessary information to be told about him. It has more harm than good in it, because:
1- It will end up distracting both the Muslims and non-Muslims from studying Islam the right way.
2- It will allow for a lot of misunderstandings and misconceptions about Islam to be born (trying to force
every bit of a 7th century lifestyle into our modern world today). Yes it's great to be like the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. But it's not right to try to copy every detail about him like that. This is a form of idolatry. It's more than just mere reverence and respect for the Prophet.
3- It will open the door for a lot of lies to be told on the Prophet, whether by good intentions or bad. They still remain lies and/or inaccurate accounts. Bukhari and other "Sahih" collections do contain dangerous lies on the Prophet. I've covered this in details before at:
http://www.answering-christianity.com/blog/index.php/topic,1166.msg4047.html#msg40474- And like I said,
it is not fair for Islam!Read the Holy Quran and you'll see that we are instructed to not become brainless robots. On the contrary, Allah Almighty Commanded the Muslims to:
1- Ponder upon the Miracles of Allah Almighty.
2- To talk about the Favours of Allah Almighty upon us to mankind.
3- To spread the Divine Religion of Islam to mankind.
Not to talk about the Prophet's hair. May I suggest the following links to research for you:
www.answering-christianity.com/ac20.htm#linkswww.answering-christianity.com/islam.htmwww.answering-christianity.com/convert_christians.htmThese stories distract the person from studying Islam the right way. I say it's either silly people spreading unnecessary information and gossips about the Prophet, or it is false gossips and innovations about the Prophet's private life.
Either way, it is wrong.
I hope this helps, Insha'Allah.
Take care,
Osama Abdallah