❀ Ruling on Shaving the Head and Explanation of the Hadith Regarding Resemblance to the Khawārij ❀
Taken from: “Ahkam wa Masail – In Light of Qur’an and Hadith”, Volume 01, Page 524
❖ Question
Is shaving the head prohibited?
Some say it resembles the Khawārij, citing the Hadith:
قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اﷲِ ﷺ: سِیْمَاہُمْ (أي الخوارج) اَلتَّحْلِیْقُ
(Bukhārī)
“Their sign (i.e., of the Khawārij) is shaving the head.”
Please explain this Hadith in light of the Sharī‘ah.
❖ Answer
Alḥamdulillāh, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
✅ Shaving the Head Is Permissible in Sharī‘ah
There is no prohibition in the Sharī‘ah against shaving the head. In fact, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ explicitly said:
اِحْلِقُوْہُ كُلَّهُ أَوِ اتْرُكُوْہُ كُلَّهُ
(Abū Dāwūd, Book of Grooming, Chapter on a Boy with a Braid)
“Either shave all of it or leave all of it.”
📖 Qur’anic Evidence
In Surah al-Fatḥ (48:27), Allah ﷻ says:
{لَتَدْخُلُنَّ الْمَسْجِدَ الْحَرَامَ إِنْ شَآءَ اﷲُ آمِنِیْنَ مُحَلِّقِیْنَ رُءُوْسَكُمْ وَمُقَصِّرِیْنَ لَا تَخَافُوْنَ}
“Indeed, you shall enter al-Masjid al-Haram, if Allah wills, in safety—shaving your heads and trimming [your hair], without fear.”
✿ Practice of the Prophet ﷺ
At the time of exiting Ihram, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ shaved his head. He also made the following du‘ā:
اللَّهُمَّ ارْحَمِ الْمُحَلِّقِينَ
(Bukhārī – Book of Hajj, Chapter on Shaving and Trimming at the Time of Release)
“O Allah! Have mercy on those who shave their heads.”
When the Companions asked: “And those who trim their hair?”
He repeated: “And those who shave.”
And only later included: “And those who trim.”
This indicates that shaving is more virtuous than trimming at the time of leaving Ihram.
❖ Sunnah Practice for Hair (Outside of Ihram)
Outside the state of Ihram, the Sunnah and preferred practice is to keep hair in accordance with the length mentioned in narrations:
✔ Wafrah – hair reaching the earlobes
✔ Jummah – hair reaching the shoulders
✔ Limmah – hair between the earlobes and shoulders
These were the conditions of the Prophet’s ﷺ hair as described in authentic Hadiths. Therefore, the best practice is:
– To shave the head at the time of exiting Ihram
– To maintain hair naturally as per Sunnah at all other times
❖ Clarifying the Hadith:
The Hadith:
سِیْمَاهُمْ التَّحْلِیقُ (“Their sign is shaving the head”)
is referring specifically to the Khawārij, not to general shaving.
🟤 The meaning is: Shaving the head was a sign among the Khawārij,
not that everyone who shaves their head is necessarily a Khārijī.
Just as certain groups adopt particular outward features, it doesn’t make those features inherently sinful—unless adopted with the intent of resembling the deviant group.
✅ Summary:
✔ Shaving the head is permissible in Islam
✔ It is preferred (afḍal) during rituals like exiting from Ihram
✔ Outside of Ihram, maintaining natural Sunnah hair length is encouraged
✔ The Hadith about the Khawārij is descriptive, not prohibitive
هَذَا مَا عِنْدِي وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
This is what I have, and Allah knows best what is correct.
