Answered by: Maulana Belaal Ahmed
Question
Assalamu Alaikum,
Would it be haram in Islam if a woman cut her hair very short?
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيْم
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
In general, in the books of Hanafi jurisprudence, we find that it is not permissible for women to cut their hair, and there are two main reasons given by the scholars for it not being permissible:
1) Imitation of the immoral ones.
2) Imitation of men (therefore hair should be below the shoulders)
Both the above two points have been mentioned in ahadith as well.
Regarding the first point (imitation of the disbelievers) there is a very famous hadith in which the Holy Prophet (SAW) states that: ‘He who copies any people is one of them’. [1]
In the meaning of the above narration, we see a very stern warning of how one should abstain from such actions. The Hadith is clear in affirming that anyone who copies any people e.g. disbelievers etc., then it is as if he is one of them.
Regarding the second point, Sayyidina Ibn Abbas (R.A) narrates that Allah’s Apostle cursed those men who imitate women and those women who imitate men.[2]
In conclusion to the above two points, we see that it would be impermissible for a woman to cut her hair very short because it will fall under the second category of resemblance with men which has been clearly forbidden in Hadith.
Only Allah knows best
Written by Maulana Belaal Ahmed
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham