Our beloved religion of Islam is centred on the human being. The whole of Islam is for the reform of humankind, but alas! The Muslim who was to turn the entire world into a haven of peace through Islamic teachings has not been able to reform himself. Human reform is not possible until a person brings all the organs of his body under Islamic commands, and this is not possible until he becomes acquainted with (the rulings and issues concerning human organs). On this subject we have written a separate book, and we have the honour of presenting one chapter of it to the readers. والحمدلله عليٰ ذلك One of the many issues among these is the issue of “human hair”. The different parts of the human body have different kinds of hair growing on them. In the interest of brevity, we have explained separately the rulings on the hair of each organ, which are as follows:
➊ Rulings on head hair
➋ Rulings on eyebrow hair
➌ Rulings on cheek hair
➍ Rulings on beard
➎ Rulings on moustache
➏ Rulings on underarm hair
➐ Rulings on pubic hair
➑ Rulings on hair growing on (inside the ears), chest, back, arms, legs, thighs, hands and feet
➒ Rulings on hair growing in the nose
➓ Rulings on temple hair.
➊ Rulings on head hair:
This is divided into four types:
◈ Rulings on the hair of a Muslim man
◈ The hair of a new Muslim
◈ The hair of children
◈ The hair of a Muslim woman
① Rulings on the hair of a Muslim man
The hair of a Muslim man is pure, whether he is alive or dead. The evidences for this are as follows:
❀ When Muhammad bin Sirin said to Ubaidah: “We have hairs of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ which have reached us from Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) or from the family of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him),” Ubaidah (on hearing this) said: لأن تكون عندي شعرة منه أحب إلى من الدنيا و مافيها “If I had a single hair of the Prophet ﷺ, it would be dearer to me than the world and all that is in it.”
❀ It is narrated from Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had his hair shaved, and Abu Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) was the first person who took the hair of the Prophet ﷺ.
✔ Imam al-Bukhari has placed the following chapter heading on these two hadiths:
باب الماء الذى يغسل به شعر الإنسان
Chapter: On the water with which human hair is washed.
✔ Explaining the rationale of the chapter heading, Hafiz Ibn Hajar writes:
أن الشعر طاهر و إلا لما حفظوه ولا تمني عبيدة أن يكون عنده شعرة واحدةمنه، وإذا كان طاهرا فالماء الذى يغسل به طاهر
That is, the hairs are pure; otherwise the Companions would not have preserved them, and Ubaidah (a Tabi’i) would not have wished that he had a single hair of the Prophet ﷺ. When the hairs are pure, the water in which the hairs have been washed is also pure.”
✔ Hafiz Ibn Hajar further says:
The majority of scholars also consider hair to be pure, and this is the correct view according to us.”
❀ Umm al-Mu’minin Sayyidah Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) had some hairs of the Prophet ﷺ, which she kept in a small bowl. These hairs were red due to henna. Whenever a person was afflicted by the evil eye or someone fell ill, he would send his water vessel to Sayyidah Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her). (She would dip those hairs in the water of that vessel.)
① It is understood that seeking blessing (tabarruk) from the hair of the Prophet ﷺ is permissible.
② The buying and selling of human hair is impermissible, because it is contrary to the saying of Allah, the Exalted: ﴿ولقد كرمنا بني اٰدم﴾ “And We have honoured the children of Adam.”
③ In the buying and selling of human hair, the dignity of the human being is not preserved; rather, it is humiliation.
④ It is obligatory to honour hair
; Ibn Hajar has called it hasan in Fath al-Bari 368/10.
The honouring of hair includes the following:
① Firstly, combing from the right side, and this is highly recommended.
② Combing should be done every other day.
Etiquettes of combing
❀ Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) says:
كان النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم يعجبه التيمن فى تنعله و ترجله
The Prophet ﷺ liked to start with the right side when putting on his sandals and when combing his hair.
❀ A hadith states that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade combing the hair daily.
Benefit: A menstruating woman may comb her husband’s hair. Imam al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) set up a chapter: باب ترجيل الحائض زوجها “
③ The hair should be parted, and this is recommended.
❀ Sayyidna Abdullah ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to leave his hair (unparted), and the polytheists used to part their hair, while the People of the Book used to leave their hair. In matters about which he was not given any command, he preferred to agree with the People of the Book. Then the Prophet ﷺ later parted his hair.
① The parting should be made from the crown of the head.
❀ Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that “when I parted the hair of the head of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ” صدعت الفرق من يافوخه و أرسل ناصيته بين عينيه I would split the parting from the crown (by dividing the hair into two portions), and leave the hair of his forehead between his two eyes.
Warning: It is necessary to avoid a crooked parting and the English haircut in every case, because it results in resemblance to the disbelievers.
And the Prophet ﷺ said:
من تشبه بقوم فهو منهم “Whoever imitates a people is one of them.”
② Applying oil to the hair
When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ applied oil to his hair, the few white hairs he had would not be visible, and when he did not apply oil, these hairs would be visible.
◈ From this hadith it is established that one should sometimes apply oil and sometimes not apply it.
◈ If there is a need, oil may be applied to the hair twice a day.
❀ Sayyidna Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) would sometimes apply oil twice a day.
③ Applying perfume to the hair
Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates:
كنت أطيب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم بأطيب مايجد….
“I would apply the best perfume that was available to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ (to his hair).”
◈ On this hadith Imam al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) set the chapter: باب الطيب فى الرأس و اللحية meaning “the chapter on applying perfume to the head and beard.”
Benefit: If someone gives perfume to a person, he should not return it but should accept it.
④ One should not pray with braided hair or hair tied up in a knot
❀ Sayyidna Abdullah ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) saw Abdullah ibn Harith (may Allah be pleased with him) praying while his head was tied up from behind. He stood up and untied it. When Abdullah ibn Harith (may Allah be pleased with him) completed the prayer, he turned to him and said: What is the matter with you regarding my head (hair)? Then Abdullah ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: Indeed I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ (concerning a man who ties up his hair) say: إنما مثل هٰذا مثل الذى يصلي وهو مكتوف “It looks like the man who has been bound.”
Benefit: Considering this narration, some scholars have derived from the hadith prohibiting “wrapping up clothes”
that one should not pray with the sleeves rolled up, because it entails كف الشوب “wrapping up clothes”.
⑤ Keeping the hair in the following ways is permissible
◈ Up to half of the ears.
❀ Sayyidna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) says:
كان شعر رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إلى نصف أذنيه “The hair of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ reached up to half of his ears.”
◈ Above the shoulders and below the earlobes.
❀ Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that I and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to bathe from one vessel.
وكان له شعر فوق الجمة و دون الوفرة
The hair of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was above the shoulders and below the earlobes.
◈ Regarding this hadith, Imam al-Tirmidhi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: hasan sahih gharib.
◈ Equal to the earlobes.
❀ Sayyidna al-Bara ibn Azib (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was of medium height, and there was a distance between his two shoulders. عظيم الجمة إليٰ شحمة أذنيه “The hair of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was very long, reaching down to his earlobes.”
⑥ Sticking the hair to something is also permissible
❀ Sayyidna Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that رأيت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ملبدا “I saw the hair of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stuck together with a sticky substance or gum.”
and this was at the time of Hajj.
⑦ Shaving the whole head is permissible in the following cases
➊ When a non-Muslim embraces Islam (details will follow later, Allah willing)
➋ When a child is born, on the seventh day after birth (details will follow later, Allah willing)
➌ As a matter of necessity
❀ Sayyidna Abdullah bin Ja’far (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ gave the children of Sayyidna Ja’far three days’ respite (after their father’s martyrdom). Then the Prophet ﷺ came to them and said: “From today onward, do not weep over my brother (Ja’far, may Allah be pleased with him).” Then he said: “Bring my nephews to me.” So we were brought to him, and at that time we were like chicks (very young). Then the Prophet ﷺ said: “Call the barber and bring him to me.” (When he came) the Prophet ﷺ ordered him to shave (our heads), and it was he who shaved our heads.
❀ Sayyidna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saw a child whose head was half shaved and half not shaved. The Prophet ﷺ said: احلقوه كله أو اتركوه كله “Either shave all of the hair of his head or leave all of it.”
◈ From these hadiths it is known that shaving all of the hair of the head as a matter of necessity is valid.
❀ Sayyidna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) sacrificed at Mina and had his head shaved, meaning he had it shaved (by another).
◈ It is better not to shave the head on ordinary days other than Hajj and Umrah, but if there is an illness or an excuse, shaving the head at any time is permissible. Whatever is permissible for children is also permissible for adults, unless a clear and specific proof excludes men from it. The claim that the similarity with the Kharijites in khushu’ in prayer, recitation of the Quran and shaving the head means these acts are impermissible is incorrect.
➍ At the time of Hajj and Umrah
✿ The Quran says: ﴿لتدۡخلن الۡمسۡجد الۡحرام انۡ شآء اللٰه اٰمنيۡن ۙ محلقيۡن رءوۡسكمۡ و مقصريۡن ۙ لا تخافوۡن ؕ﴾ “You will certainly enter the Sacred Mosque, if Allah wills, in security, with your heads shaved and your hair trimmed, and you will have no fear.”
❀ In a hadith, Sayyidna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) used to say: حلق رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فى حجته “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ had the hair of his head shaved during Hajj.”
◈ For details, see Sahih al-Bukhari
◈ It is valid to shave the head before slaughtering the animal
◈ Shaving the hair of the head after Umrah is valid.
◈ Cutting the hair during Hajj or Umrah is also valid.
Benefit ① Shaving the hair in the above cases is established, but it should also be remembered that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not prohibit shaving the whole head. Whatever is silent is permissible to do, so shaving all the hair of the head is permissible; however, the better and Sunnah practice is that the hair be وفره، جمه، لمه kept, because apart from leaving ihram, this is the state in which the hair of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is described.
Benefit ② It is also permissible to have the hair of the head cut with scissors.
✿ The Quran says: ﴿لتدۡخلن الۡمسۡجد الۡحرام انۡ شآء اللٰہ اٰمنیۡن ۙ محلقیۡن رءوۡسکمۡ و مقصریۡن ۙ لا تخافوۡن ؕ﴾ “You will certainly enter the Sacred Mosque, if Allah wills, in security, with your heads shaved and your hair trimmed, and you will have no fear.”
❀ Sayyidna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “O Allah, have mercy on those who shave their heads.” The Companions said: “And on those who trim their hair, O Messenger of Allah!” He ﷺ said: “O Allah, have mercy on those who shave their heads.” The Companions said: “And on those who trim their hair.” He ﷺ said: “And on those who trim their hair.”
❀ Sayyidna Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and a group of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) shaved their heads, and some of the Companions trimmed their hair.
Benefit ③ It is not necessary to bury cut hair. Hafiz Ibn Hajar derived this from the hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari
.
It is established from Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that he used to bury hair [and nails] (in the earth).
◈ Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) also held the view of burying them.
◈ Qasim bin Muhammad bin Abi Bakr used to bury his hair at Mina.
◈ It is known that burying the hair is permissible or better, and if it is not done, it is also better and permissible.
Objection and its answer: Some say that shaving the head is prohibited, because a hadith states that shaving the head is a sign of the Khawarij. However, its meaning is that whoever is a Khariji shaves his head; it is not meant that whoever shaves his head is a Khariji.
Point ④ On the right side first, have the hair cut. For a detailed discussion, see Fath al-Bari
⑨ Rulings on white hair: It has the following forms:
◄ Plucking white hair ◄ Dyeing white hair.
◄ Plucking white hair is haram
❀ It is narrated from Amr bin Shu’ayb, from his father, from his grandfather, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: لا تنتفوا الشيب فإنه نور المسلم etc. Do not pluck white hairs, for old age (the whitening of hair) is a light for the Muslim. Whoever advances in age while in a state of Islam (when a single hair of a Muslim turns white), Allah writes for him one good deed because of it, erases one sin of his, and raises him one rank.”
◈ Imam al-Tirmidhi
graded this hadith as hasan.
◄ Dyeing white hair
Dyeing the hair is called khidab, and it has the following forms and types:
① The Messenger of Allah ﷺ ordered that the hair be dyed.
Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: غير و الشيب ولا تشبهوا باليهود Change the old age (the whiteness of hair) (by means of dye) and do not imitate the Jews (in not dyeing).”
❀ In another narration, the Prophet ﷺ said: The Jews and Christians do not dye, so you should do the opposite (you should dye).
② Applying henna dye, or mixing something with henna to colour white hair, is also permissible.
③ Applying yellow dye is also fine.
❀ It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ wore tanned leather shoes without hair and applied a yellow colour to his blessed beard with wars (a grass that grew in the Yemen region) and saffron.
◈ The hadiths show that the Prophet ﷺ sometimes applied red and yellow dye and sometimes did not. See also Fath al-Bari
◈ Sheikh Nurpuri ḥafiẓahu Allah writes:
“The hadiths mention that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ dyed his hair and also mention that he did not dye it, which shows that his dyeing is to be taken as recommended (amr nadb). However, if all the hair becomes white, with not a single black hair remaining, then there is further emphasis on dyeing.”
④ Applying black dye to white hair is haram in light of the following evidences:
❀ It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) that on the day of the Conquest of Makkah, Abu Quhafah (may Allah be pleased with him), the father of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), was brought, and the hair of his head and beard was completely white. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: غير واهذا بشيئ و اجتنبوا السواد Change its colour, and avoid black.
❀ It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “In the last age there will come people who will dye with black like the crops of pigeons; they will not even smell the fragrance of Paradise.”
◈ Its narrator is Abd al-Karim al-Jazari (well-known as thiqah). See
◈ The following scholars also declared black dye haram in light of the evidences:
➊ Imam al-Nawawi
➋ Hafiz Ibn Hajar
➌ Abu al-Hasan al-Sindhi
➍ Abd al-Rahman Mubarakpuri
For details see
⑩ Wearing artificial hair (wig) is haram
❀ It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said لعن الله الواصلة والمستوصلة…. May Allah’s curse be upon the woman who joins hair and the one who has it joined.
◈ Imam al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) has brought many hadiths on this issue; for details see
⑪ Wiping the head in wudu:
❀ Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) demonstrated the Sunnah method of wudu by performing it himself. In it he wiped his head in this way: “He brought both hands from the front of the head to the nape and then back again to the same place from which he had started wiping.”
❀ The entire head should be wiped. In the Holy Quran it is said: ﴿وامسحوا برء وسكم﴾ “And wipe your heads.”
❀ Hamran, the freed slave of Uthman (may Allah have mercy on him), saw Sayyiduna Uthman bin Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) performing wudu. Hamran reports that ثم مسح برأسه “Then he wiped his head.”
❀ And the hadith of Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) also contains the same.
❀ Imam al-Bukhari established the chapter: باب مسح الراس كله “Wiping the entire head.”
❀ The head should be wiped only once.
❀ In Sahih al-Bukhari: 192 there is mention of wiping the head once, and he has set a chapter on this hadith: باب المسح الرأس مرة “Wiping the head once.”
◈ Imam Ibn al-Qayyim writes:
والصحیح أنہ لم یکرر مسح رأسہ
“The correct position is that the Prophet ﷺ did not repeat the wiping of the head.”
◈ He further writes that “Among the narrations about repeated wiping, if one is authentic then it is not explicit, and if it is explicit then it is not authentic.”
◈ For a detailed discussion see ‘Awn al-Ma’bud
and Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi
◈ Sahih Muslim
also mentions wiping the head once. Imam Abu Dawud also preferred wiping the head once.
See also Sunan al-Tirmidhi
⟐ Some people say that only a quarter of the head is obligatory to wipe; this is completely incorrect.
⟐ Wiping over the turban is correct.
❀ Ja’far bin Amr narrates from his father that he said: I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ wiping over his blessed turban.
⟐ Wiping both the forehead and the turban is also correct.
❀ Sayyiduna Mughirah bin Shu’bah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that indeed the Messenger of Allah ﷺ performed wudu, and he wiped his forehead, his turban and his socks.
⟐ For wiping the head, new water should be taken.
❀ Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that مسح برأسه بماء غير فضل يده “The Prophet ﷺ wiped his blessed head with fresh water.”
⟐ Not taking new water for wiping the head, and wiping only with the moisture remaining on the hands, is also correct.
❀ The well-known Tabi’i ‘Urwah bin al-Zubayr (may Allah have mercy on him) used to wipe with the water remaining on his hands (during wudu).
Note: It is better to take fresh water for wiping the head and the ears.
⟐ In the wudu of ghusl of janabah, instead of wiping the head, water should be poured over the head.
❀ Sayyidah Maymunah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ intended to perform ghusl… ثم أفاض عليٰ رأسه الماء “Then the Prophet ﷺ poured water over his head.”
❀ Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that indeed Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about ghusl of janabah… حتيٰ إذا بلغ رأسه لم يمسح وأفرغ عليه الماء “When he reached his head while performing wudu, he did not wipe his head but poured water over it.”
◈ On this hadith Imam al-Nasa’i (may Allah have mercy on him) set this chapter: باب ترك مسح الرأس فى الوضوء من الجنابة “Omitting the wiping of the head in wudu for janabah.”
① Water should be poured over the head three times.
❀ In the hadith of Sayyidah Maymunah (may Allah be pleased with her) there are also these words: وغسل رأسه ثلاثا “The Prophet ﷺ washed his head three times.”
❀ Sayyiduna Jubayr bin Mut’im (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “I pour water over my head three times.”
◈ Imam al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) set the chapter: “The person who poured water over his head three times,” and under it he brought other hadiths as well.
◈ Pour water over the head first on the right side, then on the left.
◈ Wiping the head in the wudu of ghusl of janabah is also correct.
❀ Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that “Indeed the Prophet ﷺ, when he performed ghusl of janabah, would first wash his hands” ثم توضأ كما يتوضأ للصلوٰة “Then he performed wudu as he performs wudu for the prayer.”
◈ When we perform the wudu for prayer, we wipe the head in it.
② Hair of a new Muslim
◈ The rulings on the hair of a new Muslim are the same as the rulings for any Muslim.
Note: From the narrations in Sunan Abi Dawud
, Mustadrak al-Hakim
and al-Mu’jam al-Kabir of al-Tabarani
it appears that a disbeliever who becomes Muslim must shave the hair of his head. All these narrations are weak and rejected, and calling them hasan is incorrect.
③ Rulings on the hair of children
➊ When a child becomes seven days old, the child’s head should be shaved on the seventh day.
➋ The hair that is removed on the seventh day should be weighed, and silver of equal weight should be given in charity.
➌ Shaving the head while leaving some hair in patches is prohibited.
❀ Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that نهي رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم عن القزع “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade qaza’.”
Qaza’ has four types:
① Not shaving the whole head, but shaving it in patches, like torn clouds scattered in pieces.
② Shaving the middle of the head and leaving the hair at the sides.
③ Shaving the sides and leaving the hair in the middle of the head.
④ Shaving the front and leaving the back.
◈ Allamah Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
“The perfect love and compassion of Allah and His Messenger is in establishing justice. Even in the human body, they took care of justice, so that the head is not treated unjustly by shaving one part and leaving another part. Leaving part of the head bare from the hair and covering another part is a form of oppression.”
❀ Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ saw a child whose head was partly shaved and partly left unshaved. The Prophet ﷺ forbade them from doing so and said: احلقوه كله أو اتركوه كله “Either shave all of it or leave all of it.”
◈ This ruling includes young and adult men as well, and there is no evidence restricting it only to children.
➍ The hair of a Muslim woman’s head
① A woman may not have her head hair cut, because it entails resembling men. Therefore it is prohibited.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: لعن الله المشتبهين من الرجال بالنساء و المشتبهات من النساء بالرجال “Allah curses the men who imitate women and (Allah curses) the women who imitate men.”
◈ Today’s modern woman, in every matter, considers men inferior to herself. The status Allah has given to women is something beyond which they aspire, and that is why they are becoming degraded. Remember that a woman’s honor and status lie in not imitating men at all.
◈ The woman who cuts her hair in order to imitate men deserves the curse of Allah.
② At the time of Hajj and Umrah, when that woman exits the state of ihram, she should have her hair trimmed (about one inch from the end).
❀ Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ليس على النساء الحلق إنما على النساء التقصير (after exiting ihram from Hajj or Umrah) “For women, there is no shaving of the head, rather only trimming.”
③ For a woman to have her head hair shaved is prohibited. For evidence, see the previous point: 2
④ A woman, in a state of necessity (severe illness), may have her head hair shaved.
⑤ For a deceased woman, her hair should be divided into three parts, braided, and placed behind her.
❀ Sayyida Umm Atiyyah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that one of the daughters of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ passed away….. “We braided her hair into three parts (after washing her) and placed it behind her.”
⑥ When a woman in a state of janabah performs ghusl, it is not necessary for her to unloosen her hair; rather she should pour three handfuls of water over her head.
⑦ If a woman is to perform ghusl upon the end of menstruation (monthly blood) or postnatal bleeding (the blood that continues for forty days after childbirth), then it is necessary to unloosen the hair of her head.
Benefit: Postnatal bleeding and menstruation have the same ruling. See Sahih al-Bukhari
⑧ When bathing from menstruation (or postnatal bleeding), one should comb the hair.
⑨ When praying, an adult woman should cover her head hair with a sheet while praying; otherwise, her prayer is not valid.
❀ Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: لا يقبل الله صلاة حائض إلابخمار “Allah does not accept the prayer of a woman who has reached menstruation (i.e., one who has reached puberty) without a headscarf.”
Note: If the head covering is so thin that the hair can be seen through it, the prayer is still not valid, because a woman is commanded to pray with her head covered.
⑩ It is forbidden for a woman to leave her hair uncovered before non-mahram men, because it is obligatory for a woman to observe purdah before non-mahrams.
✿ Allah the Exalted says: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ قُلْ لِأَزْوَاجِكَ وَبَنَاتِكَ وَنِسَاءِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ يُدْنِينَ عَلَيْهِنَّ مِنْ جَلَابِيبِهِنَّ ذَلِكَ أَدْنَى أَنْ يُعْرَفْنَ فَلَا يُؤْذَيْنَ وَكَانَ اللَّـهُ غَفُورًا رَحِيمًا﴾ “O Prophet! Tell your wives, your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their outer garments close around themselves. That is more suitable, so that they may be recognised and not be harmed. And Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful.”
Imam Ibn Sirin (may Allah have mercy on him) asked Ubaidah al-Salmani about the explanation of ﴿يُدْنِينَ عَلَيْهِنَّ مِنْ جَلَابِيبِهِنَّ﴾, and he covered his face and head and revealed his left eye.
◈ Never forget that if a Muslim woman also abandons purdah, following the example of the kafir English women, then on the Day of Judgement she will stand in the same row as those kafir women.
⑪ In the following matters, the rulings on a woman’s head hair are the same as for a man, for example:
➊ Hair is pure.
➋ Buying and selling hair is impermissible.
➌ Combing the hair.
➍ Beginning the combing from the right.
➎ Parting the hair from the crown.
➏ Applying oil to the hair.
➐ Not praying with the hair tied in a knot or plaited.
➑ Fixing anything to the hair (sticking something onto it).
➒ Plucking white hairs is forbidden.
➓ Dyeing white hairs with henna, yellow, or any other colour besides black.
⓫ Attaching artificial hair (wig) is forbidden.
⓬ Wiping the head in wudu.
⓭ In ghusl of janabah, instead of wiping the head in the wudu, pouring three handfuls of water, or wiping.
The details of all the above rulings (for a Muslim man’s hair) have already been given earlier.
② Rulings on the hair of the eyebrows (these rulings are specific to women)
Removing or thinning the eyebrow hair is forbidden.
❀ Sayyidna Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “May Allah curse the woman who tattoos and the woman who removes (or thins) the hair of the eyebrows for beauty, and those women who file the teeth apart, who alter the creation of Allah.” This hadith reached a woman of Banu Asad, whose kunya was Umm Ya’qub. She came to Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: “I have heard that you have cursed such-and-such a woman?” He said: “Indeed, I will curse the one whom the Prophet ﷺ cursed, and who is cursed in the Book of Allah.” She said: “I have read the whole Qur’an between the two covers, and I have not found any curse on these women in it.” Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “If you had read the Qur’an (with reflection and understanding), you would certainly have found it. Have you not read in the Qur’an: ‘Whatever the Messenger gives you, take it, and whatever he forbids you, refrain from it’?” She said: “Yes, this verse is in the Qur’an.” Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Prophet ﷺ has forbidden these things.” She said: “Your wife also does this.” He said: “Go and see.” When she went, she found nothing. Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “If my wife did such things, she could not have remained with me.”
◈ May Allah protect our Muslim mothers and sisters from acts that deserve this curse.
Benefit ①: Plucking facial hair for beauty is forbidden.
This is specific to women. Evidence: it has already been mentioned in the rulings on eyebrow hair.
Benefit ②: It is permissible for a woman to remove unusual facial hair (beard or moustache).
◈ Hafiz Ibn Hajar quoted the statement of Imam al-Nawawi: “The beard, moustache, or the hair below the lower lip are excepted from (the prohibition of) plucking facial hair; it is not forbidden for a woman to remove them, rather it is recommended.” Then Hafiz Ibn Hajar said: “This statement should be qualified to mean that the woman should seek permission from her husband, saying that I will remove my beard, moustache, or the hair below my lower lip, or he should know about it, otherwise the husband remains deceived.”
◈ Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymin writes: “Hair that grows in parts of the body where hair does not normally grow, such as a woman’s moustache or hair growing on the cheeks, there is no harm in removing such hair, because it is contrary to the usual pattern and is a cause of disfigurement for the face.”
③ Rulings on the hair of the cheeks (these are specific to men)
اللحية (beard), according to the lexical definition, is “the hair of both cheeks and the chin.”
Benefit: The hair below the lower lip is also included in the beard.
عنفقه (the hair between the lower lip and the chin) is also included in the beard. Those who consider it excluded are mistaken, because there is no doubt that the hair on the lower jaw is included in the beard.
Benefit: The hair of the throat (Adam’s apple) and neck is not included in the beard, and it is permissible to remove it.
④ Rulings on the beard
➊ Keeping the beard is obligatory upon every Muslim.
❀ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: عشر من الفطرة قص الشارب و اعفاء اللحية “Ten things are part of the fitrah, among which are trimming the moustache and letting the beard grow.”
❀ It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: خالفوا المشركين وفروا اللحي واعفو الشوارب “Oppose the polytheists: let the beards grow and cut the moustaches short.”
❀ Sahih al-Bukhari
also contains these words: انهكوا الشوارب و اعفوا اللحي “Let the beards grow and trim the moustaches well.”
❀ It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him) that we said: “O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, the People of the Book trim their beards and leave their moustaches.” He ﷺ said: “Trim your moustaches, let your beards grow, and oppose the People of the Book.”
◈ It is clear that keeping the beard is obligatory upon every Muslim; may Allah grant us the ability to act upon it.
◈ Hafiz Abdul Mannan Noorpuri (may Allah preserve him) says: “Some people have made it an issue that keeping the beard is a sunnah, not obligatory. Common people hold this view and consider it a sunnah. This view is also wrong. Letting the beard grow is not a sunnah but obligatory (fard), it is wajib, and cutting the beard is a violation of what is obligatory, disobedience, forbidden (haram), and a sin.”
Caution: Among the narrators of the hadiths that command leaving the beards, pardoning them and letting them grow, one narrator is Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). See Sahih al-Bukhari
and Sahih Muslim
.
❀ It is established from Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that at the time of Hajj and Umrah he would cut some of his beard (more than a fist’s length). See
◈ No Companion is recorded as objecting to Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) in this matter. It is inconceivable that Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him), a Companion so devoted to the Sunnah, would hear a hadith from the Prophet ﷺ and then himself oppose it.
❀ Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), in explaining a verse, said: والأخذ من الشارب و الأظفار و اللحية “[cutting] from the moustaches, the nails and the beards.”
◈ Muhammad ibn Ka’b al-Qurazi (a Tabi’i, a trustworthy scholar) also held that some of the beard may be cut during Hajj.
◈ Ibn Jurayj also held this view.
◈ Ibrahim [al-Nakha’i] used to cut the hair of the cheeks.
◈ Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, when he shaved his head, would also cut the hair of his moustache and beard.
❀ It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that he would cut more than a fist’s length of his beard.
◈ Its narrator Amr ibn Ayyub is mentioned by Ibn Hibban in Kitab al-Thiqat
, and Shu’bah ibn al-Hajjaj narrated from him. Concerning Shu’bah there is the general rule that he (generally) narrated only from those he regarded as trustworthy. See Tahdhib al-Tahdhib
. This general rule is excepted only for a narrator concerning whom an explicit statement is established, or whom the majority of muhaddithun declared da’if.
Because of these two endorsements, Amr ibn Ayyub is regarded as a narrator of hasan level.
Tawus (a Tabi’i) also held that some of the beard may be cut.
Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal also held this permissibility.
◈ From these narrations it is understood that cutting more than a fist’s length of the beard and taking the hair of the cheeks is permissible; however, it is better not to use scissors on the beard at all. And Allah knows best.
◈ The issue is not whether the action of a Companion is evidence or not, but rather which understanding of the Qur’an and hadith is authoritative: the understanding presented by a scholar of the fourteenth or fifteenth century Hijri, or the understanding established from the Companions, the Tabi’un, the Tabi’ al-Tabi’in and the muhaddithun?!
◈ We accept only that understanding which is established from the Companions, the Tabi’un, the Tabi’ al-Tabi’in, the muhaddithun and the trusted scholars of the Ummah. To our knowledge, not a single Companion, Tabi’i, Tabi’ al-Tabi’i, muhaddith or reliable scholar has declared cutting more than a fist’s length of the beard to be haram or impermissible. Hafiz Abdullah Ruporhi (may Allah have mercy on him) says: “The summary is that we know only one thing: that opposing the salaf is not permissible, because they were not unaware of the language and the technical terms….”
③ Dyeing the white beard is also recommended.
❀ It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Rimthah (may Allah be pleased with him) that “I came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and he had applied henna to his head hair.”
④ Rulings on the moustache
➊ Moustaches should be trimmed.
❀ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: عشر من الفطرة قص الشارب…. “Ten things are part of fitrah (among them) trimming the moustache.”
➋ One should not delay trimming the moustache beyond forty days.
❀ Sayyidina Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: وقت لنا فى قص الشارب و تقليم الأظفار و نتف الإبط و حلق العانة أن لا نترك أكثر من أربعين ليلة “We were given a time limit for trimming the moustache, clipping the nails, plucking the armpit hair and shaving the pubic hair, that we should not leave them for more than forty nights.”
◈ Cutting all of the moustache (or some of it) with scissors is proven from authentic hadiths.
❀ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: من لم يأخذ من شاربه فليس منا “He who does not take from his moustache is not from us.”
Sayyidina Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) would trim his moustache so much that his (white) skin could be seen.
❀ Sayyidina Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) would sometimes twist his moustache.
◈ Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him) also had long moustaches with thin tips.
❀ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ trimmed (or had trimmed) the long moustache of Sayyidina Mughirah ibn Shu’bah (may Allah be pleased with him) with a miswak.
◈ Imam Sufyan ibn Uyaynah (may Allah have mercy on him) (once) had his moustache shaved with a razor. See al-Tarikh al-Kabir of Ibn Abi Khaythamah
◈ It is known that both cutting and shaving the moustache are permissible, but it is better to cut the moustache with scissors rather than a razor.
⑥ Rulings on Armpit Hair
➊ Plucking armpit hair is also part of fitrah.
Whoever is unable to pluck armpit hair may shave it. Allah Almighty says: ﴿اتَّقُوا اللَّـهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ﴾ “Fear Allah as much as you are able.”
See also Kitab al-Tarajjul
and al-Majmu’
➋ One should not delay plucking armpit hair beyond forty days.
Benefit: Trimming the moustache is better, and shaving it is also permissible. For details see
⑦ Rulings on Pubic Hair:
➊ Shaving pubic hair is part of fitrah.
➋ One should not delay shaving pubic hair beyond forty days.
Benefit: Shaving the pubic hair of a deceased person is permissible, and not shaving it is also permissible; both kinds of reports from the righteous predecessors are narrated.
However, it is better that the hair not be shaved.
⑧ Rulings on hair growing on the chest, back, arms, back, legs, thighs, hands and feet (and inside the ears)
◈ The Qur’an and hadith have explained the rulings on some kinds of body hair, and on others they have not; that is, silence has been maintained about them. When the Shariah has maintained silence on something (and other indicators do not negate it), doing it is permissible. It is thus known that cutting and shaving the hair of the chest, back and arms is permissible. And Allah knows best.
⑨ Plucking hair growing in the nose:
◈ The Shariah is also silent on this, so plucking it is permissible.
Note: Allah Almighty has not created anything in vain. There are great wisdoms in the growth of hair in the nose and in the kinds of hair mentioned before it, which are hidden from us (due to lack of knowledge), so it is best to leave them in their state. And Allah knows best.
⑩ Rulings on Temple Hair
➊ A few hairs of the temples of the Prophet ﷺ were white.
➋ In the narration stating that the Prophet ﷺ wiped his temples at the time of wudu.
◈ Its chain is weak (da’if) because of Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn Aqil (da’if).
