Source: Urdu Commentary of ‘Umdat al-Aḥkām from the Sayings of the Best of Mankind
Translator: Ḥāfiẓ Faizullah Nāṣir
Narrated by ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Umar (رضي الله عنهما):
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
"O Allah! Have mercy on those who shave their heads."
The Companions (رضي الله عنهم) said,
“And those who trim their hair, O Messenger of Allah?”
The Prophet ﷺ again said:
"O Allah! Have mercy on those who shave their heads."
They repeated,
“And those who trim their hair, O Messenger of Allah?”
He ﷺ finally said:
"And those who trim their hair (too)."
Explanation of Terms:
The Prophet ﷺ made a du‘ā’ for those who shave their heads three times, whereas he made the du‘ā’ for those who trim their hair only once. This distinction signifies a clear preference for shaving (ḥalq) over trimming (taqṣīr).
Allah Himself mentioned shaving before trimming in the Qur’ān:
﴿مُحَلِّقِينَ رُءُوسَكُمْ وَمُقَصِّرِينَ﴾ [Al-Fatḥ: 27/48]
"Shaving your heads and trimming (your hair)..."
Among the Arabs, when beginning any noble or righteous act, they would always start with the more virtuous form of that act.
[Irshād al-Sārī by al-Qasṭallānī: 3/234]
The Prophet ﷺ also said:
“When you shave your head, your sins fall off just as your hair falls off. For every hair, a sin is removed.”
[Muthīr al-‘Azm al-Sākin by Ibn al-Jawzī, p. 127]
This narration beautifully illustrates the spiritual cleansing associated with shaving the head after completing the rituals of Hajj.
References:
Translator: Ḥāfiẓ Faizullah Nāṣir
Narrated by ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Umar (رضي الله عنهما):
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
"O Allah! Have mercy on those who shave their heads."
The Companions (رضي الله عنهم) said,
“And those who trim their hair, O Messenger of Allah?”
The Prophet ﷺ again said:
"O Allah! Have mercy on those who shave their heads."
They repeated,
“And those who trim their hair, O Messenger of Allah?”
He ﷺ finally said:
"And those who trim their hair (too)."
Explanation of Terms:
- Al-Muḥalliqīn: Those who shave their heads. (Plural masculine active participle, form II)
- Al-Muqassirīn: Those who trim their hair. (Plural masculine active participle, form II)
The Prophet ﷺ made a du‘ā’ for those who shave their heads three times, whereas he made the du‘ā’ for those who trim their hair only once. This distinction signifies a clear preference for shaving (ḥalq) over trimming (taqṣīr).
✔ Reason ①:
Allah Himself mentioned shaving before trimming in the Qur’ān:
﴿مُحَلِّقِينَ رُءُوسَكُمْ وَمُقَصِّرِينَ﴾ [Al-Fatḥ: 27/48]
"Shaving your heads and trimming (your hair)..."
✔ Reason ②:
Among the Arabs, when beginning any noble or righteous act, they would always start with the more virtuous form of that act.
[Irshād al-Sārī by al-Qasṭallānī: 3/234]The Prophet ﷺ also said:
“When you shave your head, your sins fall off just as your hair falls off. For every hair, a sin is removed.”
[Muthīr al-‘Azm al-Sākin by Ibn al-Jawzī, p. 127]This narration beautifully illustrates the spiritual cleansing associated with shaving the head after completing the rituals of Hajj.
References:
- Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Ḥajj, Bāb: Shaving and Trimming When Coming Out of Iḥrām, Hadith: 1626
- Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitāb al-Ḥajj, Bāb: Superiority of Shaving Over Trimming, Hadith: 1301
