Is It Haram for a Man to Plait His Hair in Islam?
C.J Ahmed-18.04.2023
It is not haram for a man to plait his hair because even the prophet (sal) used to plait his hair and it proven from several authentic hadiths.
1) Umm Hani narrated,
“The Messenger of Allah (sal) came to Makkah and he had four braids” (Tirmidhi and AduDawud and Graded Sahih by Albani. Ibn Hajar graded it Hasan (Good and authentic))
Even the women used to braid their hair.
2) Narrated Hafsa bint Seereen:
Um 'Atiyya said that they had entwined the hair of the daughter of Allah's Messenger (sal) in three braids. They first undid her hair, washed and then entwined it in three braids."(Bukhari)
3) Narrated Ibn `Abbas:
Once I stayed overnight in the house of my aunt Maimuna bint Al-Harith and Allah's Messenger (sal) was with her as it was her turn. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) got up to offer the night prayer. I stood on his left but he took hold of my two locks of hair and made me stand on his right.
Narrated Abu Bishr:
(the above Hadith) but he quoted: Ibn `Abbas said, (took hold of) my two braids on my head." (Bukhari)
4) Narrated `Ikrima bin Khalid:
Ibn `Umar said, "I went to Hafsa while water was dribbling from her twined braids. I said, 'The condition of the people is as you see, and no authority has been given to me.' Hafsa said, (to me), 'Go to them, and as they (i.e. the people) are waiting for you, and I am afraid your absence from them will produce division amongst them.(Bukhari)
Based on the above hadith, there is nothing wrong in having twists, perms or braids and the prophet (sal) told to take care and maintain ons hair.
Abu Hurayrah narrated, the prophet (sal) said:“Whoever has hair, let him take care of it.”(Abu Dawud-Graded Hasan Sahih by Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Bari, 10/368)
The Qaza haircut has been wrongly interpreted by many to mean that you cannot cut your hair in a style where one part is shorter than the other. They base this argument by quoting the below hadith,
Narrated by Abdullah bin `Umar (rali)
"Allah's Messenger (sal) forbade Al-Qaza"
(Bukhari and others).
This is not the real meaning of the Qaza haircut that the prophet (sal) forbade. Only shaving one part and leaving one part of the hair is haram. Below is the haram hair cut that is clearly mentioned in the below hadith,
Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar (rali):
"The Prophet (sal) saw a boy with part of his head shaved and part left unshaven. He forbade them to do that, saying: "Shave it all or leave it all."
(Abu Dawud-Graded Sahih by Albani)
In this hadith the prophet (sal) only forbade having one part shaved and the other part left unshaven. This is the Qaza haircut which Islam has clearly mentioned and forbidden. Below image is the example of the Qaza haircut forbidden in Islam.
It is clear from this hadith that the Qaza haircut is only specific to having the head of a boy unshaved and the other part shaven. All the other hairstyles are halal in Islam if it is done in a way with the intention of not mimicking the non-Muslims. Another hadith validates this even further,
Ibn Umar reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, prohibited partial shaving. It was said to Nafi’, “What is partial shaving?” Nafi’ said, “It is to shave part of a boy’s head and leave the rest.”
(Bukhari)
In this hadith it is clear that the prophet (sal) forbade only partial shaving of the hair of a boy child. Below is the sample image of all the halal hairstyles in Islam.
Some try to argue that Qaza hairstyle also includes shaving some places on the sides of the head, or shaving the middle and leaving the side. They bring the personal opinions of the sahaba to point this argument. Let me point a few such hadiths.
Narrated Ubaidullah bin Hafs:
That `Umar bin Nafi` told him that Nafi`, Maula `Abdullah had heard `Umar saying, "I heard Allah's Apostle forbidding Al-Qaza'." 'Ubaidullah added: I said, "What is Al-Qaza'?" 'Ubaidullah pointed (towards his head) to show us and added, "Nafi` said, 'It is when a boy has his head shaved leaving a tuft of hair here and a tuft of hair there." Ubaidullah pointed towards his forehead and the sides of his head"
(Bukhari)
In this hadith Ubaidullah bin hafs (rali) gave his personal opinion on what Qaza haircut is and we cannot accept the personal opinion of the sahaba as a ruling in Shariah. Some might try to argue whether I am more knowledgeful than the sahabi and the answer to this is none of us our greater than the Quran and the authentic sunnah and what has been established is to follow only the Quran and the authentic hadiths of the prophet (sal) or the rightly guided caliphs and not any other sahaba. What is established in the hadith of the prophet (sal) is that the Qaza haircut is to keep one part of the head shaven and the other unshaven. There are hadiths of Ibn Umar (rali) having similar opinions of that of the sahabi Ubaidullah. One hadith is as follows,
Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar:
"The Prophet (sal) forbade Qaza' which means that the head of a boy is shaved and a lock is left."
(Abu Dawud-graded sahih by Albani)
In this hadith ibn Umar (rali) gives his own explanation of Qaza by saying that the meaning for Qaza is shave one part and leave a hair of lock. This opinion goes against what the prophet (sal) forbade as in the below hadith,
Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar (rali):
"The Prophet (sal) saw a boy with part of his head shaved and part left unshaven. He forbade them to do that, saying: Shave it all or leave it all."
(Abu Dawud-Graded Sahih by Albani)
The narrator in this hadith is no doubt ibn Umar (rali) but the hair lock he mentions is nowhere mentioned by the prophet (sal) in any hadith. If the prophet (sal) had forbidden even leaving a lock of hair, then ibn Umar (rali) or the other sahaba who gave their personal opinions should have narrated it from the prophet (sal). We should know the difference between the opinion of a sahabi and a ruling by the prophet (sal).
It is not haram for a man to plait his hair because even the prophet (sal) used to plait his hair and it proven from several authentic hadiths.
1) Umm Hani narrated,
“The Messenger of Allah (sal) came to Makkah and he had four braids” (Tirmidhi and AduDawud and Graded Sahih by Albani. Ibn Hajar graded it Hasan (Good and authentic))
Even the women used to braid their hair.
2) Narrated Hafsa bint Seereen:
Um 'Atiyya said that they had entwined the hair of the daughter of Allah's Messenger (sal) in three braids. They first undid her hair, washed and then entwined it in three braids."(Bukhari)
3) Narrated Ibn `Abbas:
Once I stayed overnight in the house of my aunt Maimuna bint Al-Harith and Allah's Messenger (sal) was with her as it was her turn. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) got up to offer the night prayer. I stood on his left but he took hold of my two locks of hair and made me stand on his right.
Narrated Abu Bishr:
(the above Hadith) but he quoted: Ibn `Abbas said, (took hold of) my two braids on my head." (Bukhari)
4) Narrated `Ikrima bin Khalid:
Ibn `Umar said, "I went to Hafsa while water was dribbling from her twined braids. I said, 'The condition of the people is as you see, and no authority has been given to me.' Hafsa said, (to me), 'Go to them, and as they (i.e. the people) are waiting for you, and I am afraid your absence from them will produce division amongst them.(Bukhari)
Based on the above hadith, there is nothing wrong in having twists, perms or braids and the prophet (sal) told to take care and maintain ons hair.
Abu Hurayrah narrated, the prophet (sal) said:“Whoever has hair, let him take care of it.”(Abu Dawud-Graded Hasan Sahih by Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Bari, 10/368)
The Qaza haircut has been wrongly interpreted by many to mean that you cannot cut your hair in a style where one part is shorter than the other. They base this argument by quoting the below hadith,
Narrated by Abdullah bin `Umar (rali)
"Allah's Messenger (sal) forbade Al-Qaza"
(Bukhari and others).
This is not the real meaning of the Qaza haircut that the prophet (sal) forbade. Only shaving one part and leaving one part of the hair is haram. Below is the haram hair cut that is clearly mentioned in the below hadith,
Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar (rali):
"The Prophet (sal) saw a boy with part of his head shaved and part left unshaven. He forbade them to do that, saying: "Shave it all or leave it all."
(Abu Dawud-Graded Sahih by Albani)
In this hadith the prophet (sal) only forbade having one part shaved and the other part left unshaven. This is the Qaza haircut which Islam has clearly mentioned and forbidden. Below image is the example of the Qaza haircut forbidden in Islam.
It is clear from this hadith that the Qaza haircut is only specific to having the head of a boy unshaved and the other part shaven. All the other hairstyles are halal in Islam if it is done in a way with the intention of not mimicking the non-Muslims. Another hadith validates this even further,
Ibn Umar reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, prohibited partial shaving. It was said to Nafi’, “What is partial shaving?” Nafi’ said, “It is to shave part of a boy’s head and leave the rest.”
(Bukhari)
In this hadith it is clear that the prophet (sal) forbade only partial shaving of the hair of a boy child. Below is the sample image of all the halal hairstyles in Islam.
Some try to argue that Qaza hairstyle also includes shaving some places on the sides of the head, or shaving the middle and leaving the side. They bring the personal opinions of the sahaba to point this argument. Let me point a few such hadiths.
Narrated Ubaidullah bin Hafs:
That `Umar bin Nafi` told him that Nafi`, Maula `Abdullah had heard `Umar saying, "I heard Allah's Apostle forbidding Al-Qaza'." 'Ubaidullah added: I said, "What is Al-Qaza'?" 'Ubaidullah pointed (towards his head) to show us and added, "Nafi` said, 'It is when a boy has his head shaved leaving a tuft of hair here and a tuft of hair there." Ubaidullah pointed towards his forehead and the sides of his head"
(Bukhari)
In this hadith Ubaidullah bin hafs (rali) gave his personal opinion on what Qaza haircut is and we cannot accept the personal opinion of the sahaba as a ruling in Shariah. Some might try to argue whether I am more knowledgeful than the sahabi and the answer to this is none of us our greater than the Quran and the authentic sunnah and what has been established is to follow only the Quran and the authentic hadiths of the prophet (sal) or the rightly guided caliphs and not any other sahaba. What is established in the hadith of the prophet (sal) is that the Qaza haircut is to keep one part of the head shaven and the other unshaven. There are hadiths of Ibn Umar (rali) having similar opinions of that of the sahabi Ubaidullah. One hadith is as follows,
Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar:
"The Prophet (sal) forbade Qaza' which means that the head of a boy is shaved and a lock is left."
(Abu Dawud-graded sahih by Albani)
In this hadith ibn Umar (rali) gives his own explanation of Qaza by saying that the meaning for Qaza is shave one part and leave a hair of lock. This opinion goes against what the prophet (sal) forbade as in the below hadith,
Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar (rali):
"The Prophet (sal) saw a boy with part of his head shaved and part left unshaven. He forbade them to do that, saying: Shave it all or leave it all."
(Abu Dawud-Graded Sahih by Albani)
The narrator in this hadith is no doubt ibn Umar (rali) but the hair lock he mentions is nowhere mentioned by the prophet (sal) in any hadith. If the prophet (sal) had forbidden even leaving a lock of hair, then ibn Umar (rali) or the other sahaba who gave their personal opinions should have narrated it from the prophet (sal). We should know the difference between the opinion of a sahabi and a ruling by the prophet (sal).