Chapter 21 of 33 2 min read
3. Shaving the Head or Dishevelling41 the Hair
3. حلق الرأس أو نتف الشعر
Since the woman’s hair is considered a part of her beauty, and women in mourning would shun all forms of beauty, they used to either shave off all of their hair or mess it up and leave it in a state of disarray. In Islaam woman are allowed to shun various forms of beautification, but the shaving of the head and dishevelling of the hair is forbidden, as these go beyond normal bounds and are associated with pre-Islamic concepts. 40 Collected by al-Bukhaaree, Muslim, Sunan Abu Dawud and al-Bayhaqee Sahih al-Bukhari, vol.2, p.216 no.385, Sahih Muslim, vol.1, p.59, no. 184, Sunan Ibn-i-Majah, vol.2, p.438 no.1584 and Mishkat Al-Masabih,, vol.1, p.361, by ‘Abdullaah ibn Mas‘ood. 41 i.e. messing it up and leaving it that way.
ﻰﻭﺴﻭ ﻤ ﺃَﺒﺠِﻊﻰ ﻗﹶﺎلَ ﻭﻭﺴ ﺃَﺒِﻲ ﻤﻥﺓﹶ ﺒﺩﺭﻭ ﺒﺃَﺒ ﺃَﺓٍ ﻤِﻥﺭﺭِ ﺍﻤﺠ ﻓِﻲ ﺤﻪﺃْﺴﺭﻪِ ﻭﻠﹶﻴ ﻋﺎ ﻓﹶﻐﹸﺸِﻲﻌﺠﻭ ﻋﺩﺭ ﻴ ﺃَﻥﺘﹶﻁِﻊﺴ ﻴﻠِﻪِ ﻓﹶﻠﹶﻡ ﺃَﻫﺃَﺓﹲ ﻤِﻥﺭﺕِ ﺍﻤﺎﺤﻠِﻪِ ﻓﹶﺼﺃَﻫ ﺎ ﻤِﻤﺭِﻱﺀﺎ ﺃَﻓﹶﺎﻕﹶ ﻗﹶﺎلَ ﺃَﻨﹶﺎ ﺒﺌًﺎ ﻓﹶﻠﹶﻤﺎ ﺸﹶﻴﻬﻠﹶﻴ ﻭلُ ﺍﻟﻠﱠﻪِ ﺴ ﺭﺭِﺉَ ﻤِﻨﹾﻪﺒ r ﻭلَ ﺍﻟﻠﱠﻪِ ﺴ ﺭ ﻓﹶﺈِﻥ r ﺍﻟﺸﱠﺎﻗﱠﺔِﺎﻟِﻘﹶﺔِ ﻭﺍﻟﹾﺤﺎﻟِﻘﹶﺔِ ﻭ ﺍﻟﺼﺭِﺉَ ﻤِﻥ ﺒ . Aboo Burdah ibn Abee Moosaa reported that Aboo Moosaa was overcome by severe pain and lost consciousness while his head was in the lap of one of the women of his family. The woman began to scream, but he was unable to say anything to her. When he regained consciousness he said, ‘I am blameless of what Allaah’s Messenger (r) declared himself blameless; the wailing woman, the one who shaves her head and the one who tears her clothes.”42 ﻨﹶﺎﻠﹶﻴﺎ ﺃَﺨﹶﺫﹶ ﻋ ﻓِﻴﻤﺎﺕِ ﻗﹶﺎﻟﹶﺕﹾ ﻜﹶﺎﻥﺎﻴِﻌﺒ ﺍﻟﹾﻤﺃَﺓٍ ﻤِﻥﺭﻥِ ﺍﻤ ﺃَﺒِﻲ ﺃَﺴِﻴﺩٍ ﻋﻥ ﺒﺃَﺴِﻴﺩ ﻭلُ ﺍﻟﻠﱠﻪِ ﺴﺭ r ﻓِﻲ ﻭﻑِ ﺍﻟﱠﺫِﻱ ﺃَﺨﹶﺫﹶ ﻋﺭﻌﺍﻟﹾﻤ ﻻﹶ ﻨﹶﺸﹸﻕﱠ ﻼﹰ ﻭﻴ ﻭﻭﻋﻻﹶ ﻨﹶﺩﺎ ﻭﻬﺠﺵﹶ ﻭ ﻻﹶ ﻨﹶﺨﹾﻤ ﻓِﻴﻪِ ﺃَﻥﻪﺼِﻴ ﻻﹶ ﻨﹶﻌﻨﹶﺎ ﺃَﻥﻠﹶﻴ ﺍﺭ ﺸﹶﻌ ﻻﹶ ﻨﹶﻨﹾﺸﹸﺭﺃَﻥﺎ ﻭﺒﻴﺠ . One of the woman who made the pledge to the Prophet (r) before the Hijrah43 said, “Among the things which the Prophet (r) made us pledge not to disobey him in was that we should not scratch or slap our faces nor call out “woe”, nor rip our clothes nor dishevel our hair.”44 Those who normally shave but who let their beards grow for a few days to indicate their sorrow, fall under this category of dishevelling hair as the intent is similar. This practice is also bid‘ah, an innovation in the rites of Islaam, which is also forbidden.