ARE WOMEN ALLOWED TO CUT THEIR HAIR?
Allah Taãla created the Human being, individually perfect – with no stigma
of sin and in the best shape.
In Surah Teen Allah Taãla declares:
‘Indeed we have created human beings of the best stature.'(Quran95:4)
Every part of the human body has been placed respectively to serve its
purpose. Some parts, organs and limbs play an important and vital role
whilst others have a minor supporting role. At the outset, looking at the
external human appearance its beauty is manifest immediately and, it’s at
this juncture that we are most grateful to Allah Taãla.
Consequently, we are not owners of ourselves i.e. we have been entrusted by
Allah Taãla with our physical body and internal self. Therefore, as this is
a Trust (Amaanat), it does not belong to us; and as a result, we have to
obey and respect its obligations. If the Maker requires us to fulfil a
certain requirement, e.g. to cover a portion of the body from the navel to
the knee in the case of men then that law is to be obeyed.
Similarly, a woman is required to keep and wear her hair without cutting it
short.
This latter issue will be highlighted in the following discourse.
Allah Taãla has concentrated the physical beauty of the human being in the
upper part of the body, i.e. the face. The face is probably the most
important feature in the whole external anatomy of the human being. In fact,
every effect and reaction becomes evident on the face instantly. Hence, the
face is the central part of the whole body exposed entirely and at all
times.
It is obvious that, what surrounds the face displays an important value and
forms a protective gear. Moreover, it displays the beauty and identity of a
person. Therefore, the long hair of the woman professes her beauty, the one
most powerful image of a female.
During Hajj/Umrah, in order to come out of the Ihraam, a man can either make
Halq (shave) or Qasr (trim) of the hair on the head. For a woman, she has to
clip the size of the small finger (approximately 2cm.)
From among the restriction imposed on her during Hajj is (as the text
appears in the Fiqh book, Al-Quduri).
‘She will not shave but trim’
‘Because Rasulullah (Sallallaaahu Álayhi Wasallam) forbade women from
shaving but commanded them to trim (the hair).’
The fact that women are only allowed to trim – a short length (2cm) and not
more – explains the issue under discussion.
Once the wife of Rasulullah (Sallallaaahu Álayhi Wasallam), Hadhrat Umme
Salamah (RA) asked him, ‘O Prophet of Allah, I am a woman who keeps her hair
closely plaited; should I unto it when I wash after sexual defilement?’ ‘No’
he replied, ‘It is enough for you to throw three handfuls over it (your
head)’.
In another Hadith, Rasulullah (Sallallaaahu Álayhi Wasallam) replied to a
question saying, ‘As regards man, he should undo the hair of his head and
wash it until the water reach the roots of the hair. But there is no harm if
the woman does not undo it (her hair) and pours three handful of water over
her head.
These traditions clearly indicate that women are allowed, in exceptional
cases, to throw water over their heads – which is not the real matter of
discussion here – but that:
the wife of Rasulullah (Sallallaaahu Álayhi Wasallam), Umme Salamah
(Radhiyallaahu Ánhaa) herself had long hair;
NOTE : The Noble Qur’an refers to them (wives) as the
(Mothers of the Muslims)
no directive was given to cut, trim, clip, or shave the hair in order to
solve the problem ; and ,
in many such questions a similar answer was given.
In one of the most popular books of Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence) Hidaayah,
the text reads:
“It is not necessary for a woman to release her plaits when taking a bath,
if the water reaches the root of her hair.”
4) Sheikh Hafiz says in Fathul Qadeer :
“It is not permissible for men to imitate women in clothing and
beautification that are especially associated with women only (and vice
versa).
5) Hadith:
‘Ibn Abbas (Radhiyallaahu Ánhu) reported that Rasulullah (Sallallaaahu
Álayhi Wasallam) cursed the hermaphrodite from the men and the like from
the women.’
6) Hadith
Rasulullah (Sallallaaahu Álayhi Wasallam) said : Glory (to Allah) who
beautified men by the beard and (similarly) women by their lock of hair.
7) By nature, Allah Ta’ala has distinguished men from women respectively in
their beauty, e.g. externally the masculine beauty of a man is in the beard
and the feminine beauty of a woman is in her long hair.
It is reported from Hadhrat Ali (Radhiyallaahu Ánhu) that Rasulullah
(Sallallaaahu Álayhi Wasallam) prohibited a woman from shaving her hair.
Hence, for men to shave the beard is like the women shaving their head.
8) In their external features Allah Ta’ala created both sexes differently.
For this and other reasons men are strictly prohibited to imitate women and
vice versa.
Rasulullah (Sallallaaahu Álayhi Wasallam) cursed men who imitate women and
cursed women who imitate men.
9) Hadith
Glory (to Allah) who beautified men by their beard and beautified women by
their plaits and locks of hair.
Note : The above is a hymn read by groups of angels as indicted in the
hadith.
In conclusion, we must remember that our perpetual enemy, Shaitaan, will
cause us to deviate from the truth and constantly instruct us to follow his
dubious ways. Allah Ta’ala says, “And surely I (Shaitaan) will most
definitely deviate them, aspire them and order them;hence they will change
Allah’s creation.”(Qur’an 4:119)