Question:

An innovator made the claim that the wearing of earrings by young boys was in accordance with the 6th volume of Al-Kafi on page 36 Hadith No. 5 Sunnah. What is the truth of this report?

Answer:

Abdullah Ibn Sinan reported that Imam As-Sadiq (a.) said: “The pricking of the boy’s ear is of the Sunnah and the circumcision of the boy is of the Sunnah.” [Al-Kafi of Al-Kulaini, Volume 6 Page 36 Hadith 5]

وعنه، عن أحمد بن محمد بن عيسى، عن محمد بن عيسى، عن عبد الله بن سنان، عن أبي عبد الله عليه السلام قال: ثقب اذن الغلام من السنة وختان الغلام من السنة

As-Sakuni reported that the Prophet Muhammad (s.) said: “O Fatimah, prick the ears of Al-Hasan and Al-Husain (a.) in opposition to what the followers of Judaism are accustomed to do.” [Wasa’il-ush-Shi’ah of Al-Hurr Al-Amili, Volume 21 Page 433 Hadith 4]

محمد بن علي بن الحسين بإسناده، عن السكوني قال: قال النبي صلى الله عليه وآله يا فاطمة، اثقبي أذني الحسن والحسين عليهما السلام خلافا لليهود

Some innovators seem to consider it not as forbidden (حرام), but frowned upon (مكروه) and therefore allowed.

Muhammad Ibn Muflih Ibn Muhammad Al-Maqdisi writes: “Piercing the ear of a girl is allowed as decoration and piercing the ear of a boy is frowned upon. In texts about it, one tradition says that it is frowned upon for boys. But it is allowed to the girls according to the statement in another of them. Jarir Ibn Uthman declared it frowned upon. Ibn Al-Jawzi and others clearly stated in Minhaj-ul-Qasidin that “Piercing the ear of the girl is not allowed, since it is a painful wound.” [Al-Adab-ush-Shar’iyyah, Volume 3 page 341]

قال محمد بن مفلح بن محمد المقدسي: ويجوز ثقب أذن البنت للزينة ويكره ثقب أذن الصبي نص عليهما قال في رواية مهنا أكره ذلك للغلام إنما هو للبنات قال مهنا قلت من كرهه قال جرير بن عثمان وقطع ابن الجوزي في منهاج القاصدين وغيره بأنه لا يجوز ثقب أذن البنت لأنه جرح مؤلم