Question:
She refers to a hadith in which the Prophet ﷺ said that just as an animal gives birth to a fully formed offspring, all children are born upon the natural religion (fitrah). The Prophet ﷺ then asked: “Do you see animals being born with mutilated ears?”
Her doubt is this: Do not animals actually get born with defects? When we say “defect,” does it not mean that the body is disabled or imperfect?
Answer:
In other words, the hadith being discussed says that every child is born upon the natural religion. Later, the parents are the ones who turn them into Jews, Christians, or fire-worshippers (Magians). After saying this, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ gave an example. He said that there are livestock — animals such as goats and cattle. When those animals give birth to their offspring, do you see the offspring being born with their ears already cut? The animals are born normally, and only afterwards people cut their ears.
That is what the Prophet ﷺ said.
But those who translated this hadith into Tamil did not convey this meaning correctly. Instead of translating the wording accurately, they used the phrase “defect” or “physical deficiency.” So, they translated the hadith to mean that just as animals give birth to offspring without defects, human parents also give birth to children without defects, and only afterwards people change them.
But this is not what the wording of the hadith actually indicates.
In the original wording of the hadith there is no general word that means “defect” or “disability.” Instead, the specific word used refers to animals whose ears have been cut.
The Arabic phrase used is “hal tarā fīhā jad‘ā’”, meaning animals whose ears have been cut or mutilated.
You may have seen livestock whose ears have been cut. Why do people cut their ears? Because sometimes they dedicate the animal to a deity as a form of vow or offering, and they cut its ears as a mark. This practice is mentioned in the Qur’an as well. Allah says that they cut the ears of livestock in the name of their false deities.
That is the context of what the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was referring to.
He was saying: when you see animals whose ears have been cut, were they born with their ears already cut? No. They were born normally, and later people cut them.
Similarly, all children are born in a good state — upon the natural religion — and afterwards their parents, through the teachings they give them, turn them into Jews, Christians, or Magians.
If the hadith is translated correctly according to its wording, there will be no confusion.
But the translators inserted the idea that animals are born without physical defects, and that is not what the hadith is saying. The hadith is speaking specifically about mutilation of ears, not about physical disability.
Because of this mistranslation, people get confused and think the hadith claims that animals are never born with defects.
But in reality, animals can indeed be born with defects. Among newborn animals you may see one with a missing eye, one without a leg, or calves born with different abnormalities. Just as humans can be born with various deficiencies, animals can also be born with such conditions.
Therefore, the hadith is not speaking about congenital defects at all. It is only referring to ears being cut afterwards by humans, not something that occurs at birth.
The hadith is referring to religious influence, not physical defects.