Refraining from Cutting Hair and Nails After the Sighting of Dhul-Hijjah Moon for the One Intending Sacrifice
Written by: Imran Ayub Lahori
❀ The Instruction of the Prophet ﷺ
Whoever intends to perform Qurbani should refrain from cutting their hair and nails from the sighting of the Dhul-Hijjah moon until the sacrifice is completed.
① Narration of Umm Salamah (RA):
"إذا رأيتم هلال ذى الحجة وأراد أحدكم أن يضحى فليمسك عن شعره وأظفاره"
"When you see the crescent of Dhul-Hijjah and any of you intends to sacrifice, he must refrain from cutting his hair and nails."
[Muslim: 3655, Kitab al-Adahi: Bab nahy man dakhala ‘alayhi ‘ashr dhi al-hijjah…; Nasa’i: 7/211; Ibn Majah: 3149; Bayhaqi: 9/266; Ahmad: 6/289]
② Another narration states:
"من كان له ذبح يذبحه فإذا أهل هلال ذى الحجة فلا يأخذن من شعره و أظفاره حتى يضحى"
"Whoever has an animal to sacrifice, once the crescent of Dhul-Hijjah is sighted, he should not cut his hair or nails until he has performed the sacrifice."
[Muslim: 1977; Nasa’i: 7/212; Tirmidhi: 1523; Abu Dawood: 2791; Sharh Ma‘ani al-Athar: 2/205; Hakim: 4/220; Bayhaqi: 9/266; Ahmad: 6/301]
❀ Opinions of Scholars
- Imam Ahmad (رحمه الله):
"For the sacrificer, cutting hair or nails during the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah is haram."
[Al-Mughni: 11/96] - Imam Shafi‘i (رحمه الله):
He considered it makruh tanzīhī (undesirable but not strictly forbidden).
[Al-Majmu‘: 8/391] - Imam Abu Hanifah (رحمه الله):
He held that cutting hair or nails during these ten days is not even makruh, though this goes against the explicit Hadith.
[Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi: 5/102; Nayl al-Awtar: 3/474; Al-Rawdah al-Nadiyyah: 2/477] - Imam Nawawi (رحمه الله):
"Sa‘id bin al-Musayyib, Imam Rabi‘ah, Imam Ahmad, Imam Ishaq, Imam Dawood, and some Shafi‘i scholars said: It is haram for one intending sacrifice to cut hair or nails until he performs the sacrifice."
[Sharh Muslim: 7/154] - Shaykh Ibn Baz (رحمه الله):
"Whoever intends sacrifice, once Dhul-Hijjah begins, it is not permissible for him to cut hair, nails, or skin until he has slaughtered."
[Fatawa Islamiyyah: 2/317]
❀ Conclusion (Rājih View)
The stronger opinion is that of Imam Ahmad (رحمه الله) and those who considered it haram for the sacrificer to cut hair or nails after the sighting of the Dhul-Hijjah crescent until the sacrifice is performed—because it is closest to the clear text of Hadith.
