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The Prophet ﷺ and Depilatory Cream — Hadith Analysis & Refutation

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The Prophet ﷺ and Depilatory Cream — Hadith Analysis & Refutation

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The Claimed Hadith

The Narration Being Cited Ali ibn Muhammad told us, Abd al-Rahman ibn Abdullah told us, Hammad ibn Salamah told us, on the authority of Abu Hashim al-Rumani, on the authority of Habib ibn Abi Thabit, on the authority of Umm Salamah:

“That when the Prophet ﷺ applied ointment, he would start with his private parts and apply ointment to them, and then he would apply ointment to the rest of his body.”

The Response in One Line Every version of this narration — across all chains — is either fabricated, weak, mursal (disconnected), or interrupted. Not a single authentic version exists. And even if one were authentic, there is absolutely nothing problematic about it.

Part One — The Hadiths About the Prophet Applying Cream Are Weak or Fabricated

Group A — Fabricated or Invalid Narrations

Narration 1 — Wathilah ibn al-Asqa’ “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: on the day of Khaybar, a banquet was prepared for him, and he ate while reclining, and smeared himself with depilatory cream, and the sun hit him and he put on a burtula.”
  • Narrator: Wathilah ibn al-Asqa’
  • Source: Al-‘Ilal by Ibn Abi Hatim — page or number: 3/380
  • Ruling: INVALID
Narration 2 — Aisha (via Husayn ibn Alwan) “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ applied the depilatory cream, and when he finished, he said: O Muslims, use the depilatory cream, for it is good and pure, and Allah removes your filth and misery with it.”
  • Narrator: Aisha
  • Source: Al-Kamil fi al-Du’afa by Ibn Adi — 3/231
  • Ruling: FABRICATED — contains Husayn ibn Alwan, of whom it is said: “Most of his hadiths are fabricated, and he is among those who fabricate hadiths.”
Narration 3 — Aisha (via Husayn ibn Alwan — second chain) Same text as above.
  • Source: Dhakhirat al-Huffaz by Ibn al-Qaysarani — 1/413
  • Ruling: FABRICATED — Ibn al-Qaysarani states: Husayn ibn Alwan is a liar.

Group B — Weak and Mursal Narrations About Covering the Pubic Area

Narration 4 — Umm Salamah (via Ibn Muflih) “When the Prophet ﷺ applied hair removal cream, he would start with his private parts and apply hair oil to them, then apply hair oil to the rest of his body.”
  • Source: Al-Adab al-Shari’ah by Ibn Muflih — 3/53
  • Ruling: Chain appears trustworthy, but Habib ibn Abi Thabit did not hear from Umm Salamah — making it interrupted (munqati’)
Narration 5 — Umm Salamah (via al-San’ani) “When he applied hair removal cream, he would cover his pubis and private parts with his hand.”
  • Source: Al-‘Iddah ‘ala al-Ahkam by al-San’ani — 1/273
  • Ruling: Narrators are trustworthy, but declared weak due to being mursal (disconnected chain)
Narration 6 — Umm Salamah (via al-Albani) “When the Prophet ﷺ applied hair oil, he would start with his private parts.”
  • Source: Da’if Ibn Majah by al-Albani — no. 757
  • Ruling: WEAK
Narration 7 — Ibrahim and Habib ibn Abi Thabit (via al-Albani) “When he applied the hair removal cream, he would clean his pubic area and private parts with his hand.”
  • Source: Da’if al-Jami’ by al-Albani — no. 4345
  • Ruling: WEAK
Narration 8 — Umm Salamah (via al-Albani) “When he applied ointment, he would start with his private parts and apply the ointment, then apply the ointment to the rest of his body.”
  • Source: Da’if al-Jami’ by al-Albani — no. 4346
  • Ruling: WEAK
Narration 9 — Umm Salamah (via al-Wada’i) “When the Prophet ﷺ applied ointment, he would start with his private parts and apply ointment to them, then apply ointment to the rest of his body.”
  • Source: Mu’alla Hadiths by al-Wada’i — no. 480
  • Ruling: Chain appears sound on the surface, but it is interrupted

Additional Weak Narrations on the Same Theme

Narration A — Abdullah ibn Mubarak “That the Prophet ﷺ used to clean his pubic area.”
  • Source: Al-Sunan al-Kubra by al-Bayhaqi — 1/152
  • Ruling: WEAK
Narration B — Ibrahim (via Imam Ahmad) “That the Prophet ﷺ used to clean his pubic area with his hand.”
  • Source: Al-‘Ilal wa Ma’rifat al-Rijal by Imam Ahmad — 2/276
  • Ruling: Hisham did not hear it from Layth Abi al-Mashrafi — chain is broken
Narration C — Al-Daraqutni “That when he performed ablution, he used to clean his pubic area.”
  • Source: Lisan al-Mizan — 3/24
  • Ruling: INVALID and not authentic
Narration D — Umm Salamah (via al-Bayhaqi) “That the Prophet ﷺ used to apply depilatory cream and clean his pubic area with his hand.”
  • Source: Al-Sunan al-Kubra by al-Bayhaqi — 1/152
  • Ruling: Narrated in full by Abu al-‘Ala’ but he sent it (mursal)
Narration E — Umm Salamah (via Ibn Muflih — second chain) “That the Prophet ﷺ applied cream and covered his pubic hair with his hand.”
  • Source: Al-Adab al-Shari’ah by Ibn Muflih — 3/53
  • Ruling: Chain is trustworthy, but Habib did not hear from Umm Salamah — interrupted
Narration F — Umm Salamah (via Ibn Hajar) “That the Prophet ﷺ applied cream and covered his pubic hair with his hand.”
  • Source: Fath al-Bari by Ibn Hajar — 10/356
  • Ruling: Narrators are trustworthy. However: al-Bayhaqi declared it weak due to being mursal, and Ahmad denied its authenticity

Part Two — The Authentic Narration Has Nothing to Do With the Doubt

What the Authentic Narrations Actually Say The authentic narrations on this topic deal with the removal of pubic hair as a matter of personal cleanliness and Islamic fitrah — not with any obscene act. The authentic narration has nothing to do with the framing of the doubt at all.

Part Three — Even If Authentic, There Is No Problem

Depilation Is an Act of Cleanliness

What Is Depilatory Cream? Depilatory cream (nūrah) is used for grooming — specifically for removing pubic hair. In Lisan al-Arab:

“It is said that a man was waxed and that he was waxed with wax.”

This is a means of cleanliness and hygiene — something practiced across all civilisations. Plucking armpit hair and shaving pubic hair are among the natural practices of human beings with a sound nature.

Removing Pubic Hair Is an Act of Fitrah in Islam

Sahih al-Bukhari — Ibn Umar ؓ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“Among the fitrah are: shaving the pubic hair, clipping the nails, and trimming the moustache.”

Agreed Upon (Bukhari & Muslim) — The Five Acts of Fitrah “The fitrah is five things: circumcision, shaving the pubic hair, plucking the armpit hair, trimming the moustache, and clipping the nails.”
Imam al-Nawawi — Commentary on Sahih Muslim “As for shaving the pubic hair, it is shaving the pubic hair. It is called shaving because of the use of iron, which is a razor, and it is a Sunnah.

What is meant by it is the cleanliness of that area, and shaving is best — but cutting, plucking, and depilation are all permissible.

What is meant by pubic hair is the hair above and around a man’s penis, and likewise the hair around a woman’s vagina.”

Summary

  1. Every narration that forms the basis of this doubt is either fabricated, weak, mursal, or has a broken chain — as confirmed by al-Albani, al-Bayhaqi, Imam Ahmad, Ibn Hajar, Ibn Muflih, al-Wada’i, and others.

  2. The authentic narration on the subject simply confirms that the Prophet ﷺ removed pubic hair — which is an established act of Islamic fitrah confirmed in both Bukhari and Muslim.

  3. Even if the doubted narrations were authentic, they describe nothing more than the proper application of depilatory cream — a hygienic practice confirmed as a Sunnah, praised by scholars, and practiced across all human civilisations.

The doubt evaporates entirely on both the chain level and the content level.