Hair cuts
| Fatwa #1534 | Category: Miscellaneous | Country: South Africa | Date: 9th July 2025 |
| Fatwa #1534 | Date: 9th July 2025 |
| Category: Miscellaneous | |
| Country: South Africa | |
Question
Assalāmu ʿalaykum wa-raḥmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
Modern barbers commonly offer “fade” or “undercut” styles in which the sides are clipped very short while the hair on top is left noticeably longer. This results in clearly uneven lengths on different parts of the head.
- What falls under the prohibition of qaza’? If the hair is of uneven length across different parts of the head, but no area is completely shaved, does it fall under the prohibition of qaza‘?
- Does the ruling differ when the cut is for medical reasons (e.g., alopecia patch) or sports requirements?
3. What is the ruling on women trimming or cutting their hair (even if it is not layered)?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
Qaza’ has been explicitly prohibited by Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. The definition of qaza’ is to leave part of the head shaved and part of the head with hair.[1] It does not matter which side of the head is shaved or has hair, as long as part is shaved and part is with hair.
This ruling is specific to shaving the hair.
For any other haircuts, the ruling is that the haircut must not resemble the opposite sex, nor should it resemble the ways of the kuffaar. Most ‘fashion haircuts’ by definition would be resembling the kuffaar, hence must be avoided.
As for fades, if the fade is so thin that it resembles a shaved head, then it will be the same as qaza’. If it is a bigger size, but still few sizes smaller than the hair on the rest of the head, then it will still be disliked due to the fact that it is a feature of the kuffaar. Pious, well intentioned, practicing Muslims do not usually cut their hair in this manner.
Cutting the hair two sizes will also be gauged in a similar manner. If the two sizes are close, such that one cannot easily distinguish between the two sizes, then that is permissible. For example, cutting size 5 on the top and size 4 on the sides. However, if the sizes are noticeably different, then it will be disliked. For example, a size 5 on top and size 2 on the sides.
Medical reasons would exempt one from the above rules. However, the medical reason must be genuine. Each situation must be analysed by a Mufti. We cannot think of any ‘sport requirements’ that would justify cutting the hair in the disliked manners.
As for females, they are only permitted to ‘trim’ abit of the hair at the ends in order to straighten it or avoid split ends. It is not permissible to trim the hair short. For females with lengthy hair, the minimum length of female hair must be till the bone above the backside. If the hair is longer than that, and the female is finding it difficult to maintain it, she may trim it till there, but no more.[2]
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Mufti Bilal Pandor
Concurred by
Mufti Nabeel Valli
Darul Iftaa Mahmudiyyah
Lusaka, Zambia
بريقة محمودية في شرح طريقة محمدية وشريعة نبوية (5/ 403) [1]
( وَ ) مِنْهَا ( الْقَزَعُ ) بِفَتْحِ الْقَافِ وَالزَّايِ فَمُهْمَلَةٌ وَهُوَ أَنْ يَحْلِقَ بَعْضَ رَأْسِ الصَّبِيِّ وَيَتْرُكَ مِنْهُ مَوَاضِعَ النَّهْيِ وَلِتَقْبِيحِ الصُّورَةِ وَلِتَشِبِّيهِ الْكَفَرَةِ فَإِذَا مُنِعَ مِنْ الصَّبِيِّ فَبِالْأَوْلَى مِنْ الْبَالِغِ ثُمَّ نُقِلَ إلَى الْأَعَمِّ مِنْ الصَّبِيِّ أَوْ تُجُوِّزَ لَهُ وَفِي الْجَامِعِ عَلَى رِوَايَةِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهُمَا { احْلِقُوهُ أَيْ أَزِيلُوا شَعْرَ الرَّأْسِ كُلَّهُ أَوْ اُتْرُكُوهُ كُلَّهُ } فَحَلْقُ الْبَعْضِ مَعَ تَرْكِ الْبَعْضِ مَكْرُوهٌ مُطْلَقًا تَنْزِيهًا بِلَا عُذْرٍ لِرَجُلٍ أَوْ امْرَأَةٍ ذَكَرَهُ النَّوَوِيُّ فِي الْقَفَا أَوْ النَّاصِيَةِ أَوْ الْوَسَطِ خِلَافًا لِبَعْضِ مَا فِيهِ مِنْ التَّشْوِيهِ وَتَقْبِيحِ الصُّورَةِ وَزِيِّ أَهْلِ الْفَسَادِ بَلْ زِيِّ الْيَهُودِ وَيَشْمَلُ مَا إذَا تَرَكَ مَوَاضِعَ مُتَفَرِّقَةً أَوْ حَلَقَ الْأَكْثَرَ وَتَرَكَ مَحَلًّا وَاحِدًا وَهُوَ مِنْ كَمَالِ الْمَحَبَّةِ الْمُصْطَفَى لِلْعَدْلِ فَإِنَّهُ أَمَرَ بِهِ حَتَّى فِي شَأْنِ الْإِنْسَانِ مَعَ نَفْسِهِ فَنَهَاهُ عَنْ حَلْقِ بَعْضٍ وَتَرْكِ بَعْضٍ لِأَنَّهُ ظُلْمٌ لِلرَّأْسِ حَيْثُ جَعَلَ بَعْضَهُ كَاسِيًا وَبَعْضَهُ عَارِيًّا وَنَظِيرُهُ الْمَشْيُ فِي نَعْلٍ وَاحِدَةٍ
الفتاوى الهندية – ط. دار الفكر (5/ 357)
يكره القزع وهو أن يحلق البعض ويترك البعض قطعا مقدار ثلاثة أصابع كذا في الغرائب وعن أبي حنيفة رحمه الله تعالى يكره أن يحلق قفاه إلا عند الحجامة كذا في الينابيع
رد المحتار (27/ 35)
وفي الذخيرة : ولا بأس أن يحلق وسط رأسه ويرسل شعره من غير أن يفتله وإن فتله فذلك مكروه ، لأنه يصير مشبها ببعض الكفرة والمجوس في ديارنا يرسلون الشعر من غير فتل ، ولكن لا يحلقون وسط الرأس بل يجزون الناصية تتارخانية قال ط : ويكره القزع وهو أن يحلق البعض ويترك البعض قطعا مقدار ثلاثة أصابع كذا في الغرائب ، وفيها : كان بعض السلف يترك سباليه وهما أطراف الشوارب