This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Farooq Rafi Sahib's book Qurbani, Aqiqah, and Ashra Zil-Hijjah.
The person who intends to offer a sacrifice should neither cut nor shave the hair of the head, nor trim the mustache, nor shave the hair below the navel, nor pluck the armpit hair, nor trim the nails after sighting the moon of Dhu al-Hijjah, until he has performed the sacrifice. All these actions are prohibited for such a person:
① It is narrated from Sayyida Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
إذا دخلت العشر وأراد أحدكم أن يضحي، فلا يمس من شعره وبشره شيئا
"When the tenth of Dhu al-Hijjah (i.e., the crescent of Dhu al-Hijjah appears) begins, and any one of you intends to offer a sacrifice, he should not cut any hair or skin from any part of his body."
Reference: Sahih Muslim, Book of Sacrifices, Chapter: Prohibition for one who enters the first ten days of Dhu al-Hijjah intending to sacrifice, etc.: 1977. Sunan an-Nasa'i, Book of Sacrifices, Chapter: Whoever intends to sacrifice, etc.: 4369. Sunan Ibn Majah, Chapters on Sacrifices, Chapter: Whoever intends to sacrifice should not cut, etc.: 3149.
② Umm al-Mu'minin Sayyida Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) reports that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
من كان له ذبح يذبحه، فإذا أهل هلال ذي الحجة، فلا يأخذن من شعره ولا من أظفاره شيئا، حتى يضحي
"Whoever has a sacrificial animal that he intends to slaughter, when the crescent of Dhu al-Hijjah appears, he should not cut his hair or nails until he has performed the sacrifice."
Reference: Sahih Muslim, Book of Sacrifices, Chapter: Prohibition for one who enters the first ten days of Dhu al-Hijjah intending to sacrifice, etc.: 1977. Sunan Abu Dawood: 2791.
③ Amr ibn Muslim ibn Ammar Laythi (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates:
كنا فى الحمام قبيل الأضحى فاطلى فيه أناس، فقال بعض أهل الحمام: إن سعيد بن المسيب يكره هذا أو ينهى عنه، فلقيت سعيد بن المسيب فذكرت ذلك له، فقال: يا ابن أخي، هذا حديث قد نسي وترك، حدثتني أم سلمة زوج النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: من كان عنده ذبح يريد أن يذبحه، فإذا أهل هلال ذي الحجة، فلا يمس من شعره وظفره شيئا حتى يضحي
"We were in the bath a few days before Eid al-Adha when some people in the bath used saffron powder to clean the hair below the navel. Someone said: Sa'id ibn Musayyib (may Allah have mercy on him) considers this act (shaving hair during the first ten days of Dhu al-Hijjah) disliked or forbids it. Later, I met Sa'id ibn Musayyib (may Allah have mercy on him) and narrated this incident to him. He said: Nephew! Surely this hadith has been forgotten and abandoned. The noble wife of the Prophet (peace be upon him), Sayyida Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her), narrated to me that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 'Whoever has a sacrificial animal that he intends to slaughter, when the crescent of Dhu al-Hijjah appears, he should not cut his hair or nails at all until he has performed the sacrifice.'"
Reference: Sahih Muslim, Book of Sacrifices: 1977. Sunan al-Bayhaqi: 266/9, 267. Sahih Ibn Hibban: 5918.
Benefits:
① The one who intends to offer sacrifice should not cut, shave, pluck any hair from any part of the body, nor trim nails during the first ten days of Dhu al-Hijjah after the sighting of the moon of Dhu al-Hijjah; this act is forbidden for him.
② After the sacrifice, it is permissible and lawful to cut hair, shave, pluck hair, and trim nails.
③ Imam Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him, states that some Shafi'is say: "The prohibition of cutting nails means not to trim, break, or remove nails in any way, and the prohibition of cutting hair means that during these days hair should not be shaved, thinned, plucked, burned, or removed by using hair powder. This ruling applies equally to underarm hair, pubic hair, mustaches, and the hair on the head."
Sayyiduna Ibrahim Marwazi, may Allah have mercy on him, says: "The ruling for all parts of the body is like that of hair and nails (i.e., hair on any part of the body should absolutely not be removed). The evidence for this is the hadith:
فلا يمس من شعره وبشره شيئا
"He did not touch his hair or skin at all."
Reference: Sharh al-Nawawi: 137/13, 138.
Religions and Opinions:
For the person who intends to offer a sacrifice, is it forbidden, disliked (makruh tanzihi), or permissible to remove hair and trim nails during the first ten days of Dhu al-Hijjah? The four Imams have different opinions on this, which we will mention before indicating the preferred view:
① Saeed bin Musayyib, Rabi'ah, Ahmad bin Hanbal, Ishaq bin Rahwayh, Dawood Zahiri, and some Shafi'is hold the view that for the one who is going to offer a sacrifice, removing hair and trimming nails is forbidden until he has slaughtered the sacrifice.
② Imam Shafi'i and his companions hold that this act is makruh tanzihi (disliked), not forbidden.
③ Imam Abu Hanifa says: This act is not disliked (completely permissible) because it is not forbidden for the one offering the sacrifice to have intercourse with his wife or to wear clothes; therefore, just as removing hair and trimming nails is not disliked for one who is not offering a sacrifice, similarly, these acts are not disliked for the one offering a sacrifice.
However, the hadiths of this chapter contradict Imam Abu Hanifa’s position.
Reference: (Neel al-Awtar: 119/5)
④ Three opinions are reported from Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him:
① It is not disliked.
② It is disliked.
③ It is forbidden in voluntary sacrifice and not disliked in obligatory sacrifice.
Reference: Sharh al-Nawawi: 137/13. Al-Mughni Ibn Qudamah with Al-Sharh al-Kabeer: 96/11.
Preferred Position:
The first mentioned position of the scholars that it is forbidden to remove hair and nails during the first ten days of Dhu al-Hijjah is the preferred one. Because the prohibition indicates a legal prohibition (hurmah) and there is no contextual evidence here that would interpret the prohibition as mere dislike (karahah).
① Ibn Qudamah, may Allah have mercy on him, says: "Here, the prohibition of removing (hair and nails) necessitates a legal prohibition (hurmah)."
Reference: Al-Mughni by Ibn Qudamah with Al-Sharh Al-Kabir: 11/96.
② Imam Shawkani, may Allah have mercy on him, writes that "The apparent meaning of the hadiths of this chapter supports the position of those who hold the prohibition, that for the one who intends to offer sacrifice, it is forbidden to remove hair and nails."
Reference: Nail al-Awtar: 5/119.
Wisdom behind not removing hair and nails:
Imam Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him, states that the wisdom behind the prohibition of cutting hair and nails during the ten days of Dhu al-Hijjah is that the one who is going to offer sacrifice remains complete in limbs and is freed from Hellfire with complete limbs.
Reference: Sharh al-Nawawi: 13/138. Nail al-Awtar: 5/119.
What if the one offering sacrifice cuts hair or nails?
If a person intending to offer a sacrifice removes hair or nails during the first ten days of Dhu al-Hijjah, he will certainly be sinful. Therefore, it is necessary to avoid this forbidden act, and in case of wrongdoing, one should seek forgiveness. However, there is no expiation or penalty for this. Ibn Qudamah Hanbali, may Allah have mercy on him, states:
إذا ثبت هذا فإنه يترك قطع الشعر وتقليم الأظفار، فإن فعل استغفر الله تعالى، ولا فدية فيه إجماعا، سواء فعله عمدا أو نسيانا
"When the prohibition (of cutting hair and nails during the first ten days of Dhu al-Hijjah) has been established, the one who is going to offer a sacrifice should refrain from cutting hair and trimming nails. Then if he commits it, he should seek forgiveness from Allah, and by consensus, there is no expiation for this, whether he did it intentionally or forgetfully."
Reference: Al-Mughni by Ibn Qudamah with Al-Sharh Al-Kabir: 11/97.
Are family members included in this ruling?
The reality is that only the person who is the organizer and supervisor of the sacrifice will avoid cutting hair and trimming nails during the first ten days of Dhu al-Hijjah. Other family members on whose behalf the sacrifice is being made, or other household members involved in the sacrifice, are not bound by these matters, because the hadiths prohibit cutting hair and nails only for the person who intends to sacrifice and performs the sacrifice; other individuals are not included in this ruling.
Fatwa of the Saudi Fatwa Committee:
This hadith (which prohibits cutting hair and nails) is specific only to the person who intends to sacrifice, and those on whose behalf the sacrifice is being made, whether they are young or old, are not prohibited from cutting hair, shaving, or trimming nails, because the original permissibility exists and we have found no evidence against this permissibility.
Reference: Fatawa al-Lajnah al-Da'imah lil-Buhooth al-Ilmiyyah wal-Ifta: 500/13.
