If a Person Does Not Intend to Offer Sacrifice, Should He Still Refrain from Cutting Hair and Nails?
Written by: Imran Ayub Lahori
❀ No Prohibition for One Without Intention of Sacrifice
For the person who does not intend to perform sacrifice, there is no authentic Hadith that prohibits him from cutting his hair or nails.
However, if such a person wishes to attain the reward of sacrifice, then he should:
- Trim his hair
- Cut his nails
- Shorten his mustache
- Shave the hair below the navel
as mentioned in the following narration:
① Hadith of Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin al-‘As (RA):
"عن عبد الله بن عمرو بن العاص رضى الله عنه ، أن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم قال أمرت بيوم الأضحى عيدا جعله الله لهذه الأمة قال الرجل أرأيت إن لم أجد إلا منيحة أنثى أفأضحى بها؟ قال: لا ولكن تأخذ من شعرك وأظفارك وتقص شاربك وتحلق عانتك فتلك تمام أضحيتك عند الله"
"Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin al-‘As (RA) reported that the Prophet ﷺ said: I have been commanded to make the Day of Sacrifice a festival, which Allah has made for this Ummah. A man asked: ‘O Messenger of Allah, tell me, if I cannot find except a female goat that is kept for milk, should I sacrifice it?’ The Prophet ﷺ replied: ‘No, but trim your hair, cut your nails, shorten your mustache, and shave the hair of your private part. That will be your complete sacrifice with Allah.’"
[Da‘if: Da‘if Abu Dawood: 595, Abu Dawood: 2789, Kitab al-Dahaya: Bab ma ja’a fi Ijabi al-Adahi, Nasa’i: 4377, Ibn Hibban: 1043, Hakim: 4/223. Though Shaykh al-Albani (رحمه الله) graded it weak, it holds the status of Hasan.]
❀ Statement of Ibn Baz (رحمه الله)
"Whoever intends to offer sacrifice, it is not permissible for him to cut his hair, nails, or remove anything from his skin once the month of Dhul-Hijjah has begun, until he has performed his sacrifice."
[Fatawa Islamiyyah: 2/317]
❀ Conclusion
- If one intends to sacrifice → He must refrain from cutting hair, nails, or skin until after the sacrifice.
- If one does not intend to sacrifice → There is no prohibition, though he may still perform grooming on the Day of Eid as an act of worship.
