Imam Ali’s (a) judgment regarding the dispute over a male child (hadith)
Is the hadith about Imam Ali’s (a) judgment regarding the dispute over a male child authentic?
The hadith about Imam Ali’s (a) judgment in the dispute over a male child is considered authentic and reliable in terms of its chain of transmission (isnād). According to the narration, two female slaves (concubines) disputed over which of them was the mother of a newborn son and which of them had given birth to a daughter. Imam Ali (a) ruled that the son belonged to the woman whose milk weighed more.
Scientific research shows that the milk of a mother who has given birth to a boy contains more fat compared to the milk of a mother who has given birth to a girl; therefore, it also weighs more.
Hadith and Translation
| “ | In the time of [Imam] Ali (a), a man had two concubines who both gave birth on the same night—one to a boy and the other to a girl. The one who had given birth to the girl switched her child with the other and placed her daughter in the cradle where the boy lay, taking the boy as her own. The woman who had given birth to the boy claimed the boy was hers, while the other also insisted the boy belonged to her. They took the matter to Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (a), who ruled that the milk of each should be weighed, and said: “Whichever woman has the heavier milk, the boy is hers.” | ” |
Chain of Transmission
Shaykh al-Ṣadūq narrated this hadith in his book Man Lā Yaḥḍuruhu al-Faqīh from ‘Āṣim ibn Ḥumayd, from Muḥammad ibn Qays, from Imam Bāqir (a).[2] Shaykh Ṭūsī also transmitted this narration in his book Tahdhīb al-Aḥkām with the same chain.[3]
‘Āṣim ibn Ḥumayd Ḥannāṭ, one of the narrators, is regarded by Shi’a scholars of biographical evaluation (rijāl) as trustworthy (thiqa), Shi’a, and of sound belief.[4] Muḥammad ibn Qays al-Bajalī, another narrator, is also considered reliable[5] and of sound faith[6]; thus, the chain of transmission is musnad and ṣaḥīḥ (authenticated and uninterrupted).
Content
The hadith of Imam Ali’s (a) judgment about the dispute over the male child indicates that the milk of the woman who gave birth to a son is heavier than that of the one who gave birth to a daughter.
Naser Makarem Shirazi, a Shi’a jurist, in his commentary on this narration, explained that daughters, being more delicate, require lighter and more refined nourishment; thus, the milk they consume should have lower fat content, and lighter milk has less fat than heavier milk.[7]
A study conducted by researchers at Harvard University in the United States also demonstrated that a mother's body naturally produces different milk depending on the gender of the baby. According to this study, the milk produced for a baby boy contains higher levels of fat and protein.[8]
Another study by researchers at Michigan State University also found that the milk consumed by boys contains 2.8% fat, while the milk consumed by girls contains only 0.6% fat.[9]
References
- ↑ Ibn Babawayh, Muhammad, Man Lā Yaḥḍuruhu al-Faqīh, Qom, Society of Seminary Teachers, 2nd edition, 1404 AH, vol. 3, p. 19.
- ↑ Ibn Babawayh, Muhammad, Man Lā Yaḥḍuruhu al-Faqīh, Qom, Society of Seminary Teachers, 2nd edition, 1404 AH, vol. 3, p. 19.
- ↑ Ṭūsī, Muhammad ibn Ḥasan, Tahdhīb al-Aḥkām, Tehran, Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 1365 SH, vol. 6, p. 315.
- ↑ Najāshī, Rijāl al-Najāshī, p. 302; Ḥillī, al-Khulāṣa, p. 125.
- ↑ Najāshī, Rijāl al-Najāshī, p. 323; Ḥillī, al-Khulāṣa, p. 150.
- ↑ Najāshī, Rijāl al-Najāshī, p. 323; Ḥillī, al-Khulāṣa, p. 150.
- ↑ Makarem Shirazi, Naser, Buḥūth Fiqhiyyah Muhimmah, Qom, Nasl-e Javan, 1st edition, 1422 AH, p. 179.
- ↑ "A glimpse of the greatness of creation: Differences in mother's milk for boys and girls", IRINN, published: 26 Bahman 1392 SH, accessed: 19 Farvardin 1399 SH, archived version.
- ↑ "Mother's milk composition differs for boys and girls, and between rich and poor families", Khabar Online, published: 26 Azar 1391 SH, accessed: 19 Farvardin 1399 SH, archived version.