He heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, "Allah, forgive those who shave their heads."A man from the people said, "And those who shorten their hair?"The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, on the third or fourth time, "And those who shorten their hair."He then said, "I had my head shaved that day, and I would not exchange the shaving of my head for red camels or a great reward."
أنه سمع رسول الله ﷺ يقول: اللهم اغفر للمحلقين. قال: يقول رجل من القوم: والمقصرين؟ فقال: يا رسول الله في الثالثة أو في الرابعة: والمقصرين. ثم قال: وأنا يومئذ محلوق الرأس، فما يسرني بحلق رأسي حمر النعم أو فطرا عظيما.
Imam Ahmad (17598) narrated it from the hadith of Aws bin Ubaydullah Abu Muqatil Saluli, who said, Burayd bin Abu Maryam narrated to me, from his father Malik bin Rabia, and he mentioned it. In it is Aws bin Ubaydullah Saluli, from the people of Basra, whom Ibn Hibban mentioned in Thiqat (6/73), and he is among the men of "Tajil". A group of narrators reported from him, and Ibn Abu Hatim also mentioned him in Jarh wal-Tadil. So he is acceptable, and this is confirmed because Habban bin Yasar Kullabi corroborated him, reporting from Yazid bin Abu Maryam, that he heard his father Abu Maryam relating from the Prophet ﷺ that in a sermon of his (he mentioned the hadith). Tabarani narrated it through this route in "Kabir" (9/275), and in Awsat as mentioned in Majma Bahrayn (1777). Haythami also graded it hasan in "Majma" (3/262) and attributed it to Awsat and Ahmad, without attributing it to "Kabir". Habban bin Yasar Kullabi is among the men of "Taqrib", and the Hafiz said of him, "Truthful, but his memory became confused." Abu Maryam is the kunya of Malik bin Rabia, who had companionship with the Prophet as Ibn Main and others stated. He had come to the Prophet, and the Prophet prayed for him that his children be blessed, and he was given eighty sons, as mentioned in Isaba (3/344).On this subject there is also what was narrated from Abu Saeed Khudri, that the Prophet and his companions entered the state of ihram in the year of Hudaybiya, except for Uthman and Abu Qatada, and he sought forgiveness for those who shaved their heads three times and for those who trimmed their hair once. Imam Ahmad (11149), Abu Yaala (1263), Bayhaqi in Dalail (4/51), and Tayalisi (2224) all narrated it from the hadith of Hisham, from Yahya (that is, Ibn Abu Kathir), from Abu Ibrahim Ansari, who said, Abu Saeed Khudri narrated to us, and he mentioned it. Abu Ibrahim is Ashhali Madani, about whom Abu Hatim said, "It is not known who he is." Jarh wal-Tadil (9/332), and Haythami criticized it on this basis in "Majma" (3/262). No one narrates from him except Yahya bin Abu Kathir, and Ibn Hibban did not mention him in "Thiqat" nor in "Majruhin", so he is "unknown". However, the Hafiz said of him, "Acceptable."Tahawi narrated it in Sharh Mushkil (1368) through the route of Harun bin Ismail Khazzaz, from Ali bin Mubarak, who said, Yahya bin Abu Kathir narrated to us, that Abu Ibrahim narrated to him from Abu Saeed Khudri, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, in the year of Hudaybiya, shaved his head, and his companions shaved their heads, except for two men, a man from the Ansar and a man from Quraysh. Tahawi said, "We have not found this clarification in the hadith of anyone who narrated this hadith from Yahya bin Abu Kathir other than Ali bin Mubarak. As for Uzai, he did not mention that in his narration of this hadith from Yahya." Then he said, "Ali bin Mubarak is not lesser than Uzai." End of quote.Ali bin Mubarak is Hinai, trustworthy, whom Abu Dawud and others among the men of the Jamaah declared trustworthy. However, his statement, "not lesser than Uzai," is questionable, because Uzai is a great imam and a major jurist. Moreover, Ali bin Mubarak had two books from Yahya bin Abu Kathir, one from direct hearing and the other from indirect transmission. So the hadith of the Kufans from him has some issue, and the narrator from him, Harun bin Ismail Khazzaz, is from Basra. So Ali bin Mubarak's statement, "except two men, a man from the Ansar and a man from Quraysh," has not come in any other sahih report. As for what is mentioned in Musnad Imam Ahmad regarding Uthman and Abu Qatada, they were not in the state of ihram at all, and they are not among those who were in doubt and therefore trimmed their hair, so take note.On this subject there is also what was narrated from Jabir bin Abdullah, who said, the Messenger of Allah shaved his head on the day of Hudaybiya, and many people among his companions shaved their heads when they saw him shave his, while others held back. They said, "By Allah, we have not yet circled the House," so they trimmed their hair instead. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "May Allah have mercy on those who shave their heads." A man said, "And those who trim their hair, O Messenger of Allah?" He said, "May Allah have mercy on those who shave their heads." A man said, "And those who trim their hair, O Messenger of Allah?" "May Allah have mercy on those who shave their heads." A man said, "And those who trim their hair, O Messenger of Allah?" He said, "And those who trim their hair."Tahawi narrated it in "Sharh Mushkil" (1367) through the route of Zama bin Salih, from Ziyad bin Saad, from Abu Zubayr, that he heard Jabir bin Abdullah say it, and he mentioned it. Zama bin Salih Jundi Yamani, Abu Wahb, is daif according to the majority of the scholars. Ibn Hibban said of him, "He was a righteous man who erred without realizing and made mistakes without understanding, until wrong narrations that he related from famous narrators came to dominate his hadith." From "Majruhin". In this there is an explanation of the meaning of the doubt.On this subject there is also what was narrated from Hubshi bin Junada, who was among those who witnessed the Farewell Pilgrimage, who said, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "O Allah, forgive those who shave their heads." They said, "O Messenger of Allah, and those who trim their hair?" He said, "O Allah, forgive those who shave their heads." They said, "O Messenger of Allah, and those who trim their hair?" He said, "O Allah, forgive those who shave their heads." They said, "O Messenger of Allah, and those who trim their hair?" He said, the third time, "And those who trim their hair."Imam Ahmad (17507) and Tabarani in Kabir (4/18) both narrated it from the hadith of Israil, from Abu Ishaq, from Hubshi bin Junada, who said it, and he mentioned it. Abu Ishaq engaged in concealment of sources and his memory became confused, and it is said that he did not hear directly from Hubshi bin Junada, so there is a break in the chain.On this subject there is also what was narrated from Qarib, who said, I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, "O Allah, forgive those who shave their heads." A man said, "And those who trim their hair." He said, the fourth time, "And those who trim their hair."Imam Ahmad (27202) narrated it from Sufyan, from Ibrahim bin Maysara, from Ibn Qarib, from his father, who said it, and he mentioned it. Sufyan used to make a small gesture with his hand, and Sufyan said, and in that other instance he made as if he were widening his hand. Ibn Qarib is Abdullah, who performed the pilgrimage with his father, and he and his father both had companionship with the Prophet, but there is a break in the chain, for Ibrahim bin Maysara did not hear directly from him, but rather heard it from his son Wahb, as in the following narration.In Musnad Bazzar, Kashf Astar (1135), and Ahad wal-Mathani of Ibn Abu Asim (3/233), and through his route Ibn Qani in Mujam (2/85), from Sufyan, from Ibrahim bin Maysara, from Wahb bin Abdullah bin Qarib, from his father, from the Prophet ﷺ, and he mentioned it. There is disagreement about whether Wahb bin Abdullah bin Qarib had companionship with the Prophet, and the correct view is that he is a successor generation narrator. Bukhari mentioned him in Tarikh al-Kabir (8/165), and Ibn Abu Hatim in Jarh wal-Tadil (9/22), and Ibrahim bin Maysara alone narrated from him, and no one confirmed his trustworthiness except Ibn Hibban (3/427), so he is counted among the unknown narrators. He has other chains of transmission, all of which revolve around him, and in some of them there is indirect transmission.And with Allah lies all success.