Short Haircuts Forbidden for Ladies

 بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ 

In the Name of Allah, the Rahman, the Merciful

الصلاة والسلام عليك يا سيدي يا رسول الله

Among the calamities of our time is the turning away from the tradition of our Muslim antecedents and elders in favor of Western fashion and trends.

The modernists and liberals of the Community often refer to the permissive but irresponsible Fatawa (legal opinions) which, as an instance, permit ladies to cut their hair short.

They cite a Hadith to argue that since the Prophet’s wives, may Allah be pleased with them, cut their hair short after he passed away, to the length of their earlobes, therefore, the ladies of the Community may do the same.

But as we shall see, the Hadith of Abu Salamah has been mistranslated:

وَكَانَ أَزْوَاجُ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَأْخُذْنَ مِنْ رُءُوسِهِنَّ حَتَّى تَكُونَ كَالْوَفْرَةِ

“The Wives of the Prophet, peace and blessing of Allah be upon him, would take from (the hair of) their heads until they were like Wafrah.” (Sahih Muslim)

The term Wafrah is often translated into English to mean hair extending to the earlobes. However, this is not necessarily the correct translation, as Imam an-Nawawi has pointed out:

الْوَفْرَةُ أَشْبَعُ وَأَكْثَرُ مِنْ اللُّمَّةِ وَاللُّمَّةُ مَا يَلِمُّ بِالْمَنْكِبَيْنِ مِنَ الشَّعْرِ قَالَهُ الْأَصْمَعِيُّ

“The Wafrah is more copious and abundant than the Lummah, and the Lummah is hair that reaches the shoulders, as stated by al-Asma’i.” (Sharh an-Nawawi ala Muslim, v.4, p.4)

From this we come to know that the Prophet’s wives, may Allah be pleased with them, kept lengthy hair during his apparent life, and when he, peace be upon him, passed away from this world, they shortened it to shoulder length.

Therefore, it is permissible for Muslim ladies to trim their hair, but not shorter than shoulder length—for to do so would be resemblance with men. And the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, cursed women who resemble men and vice versa:

لَعَنَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم الْمُتَشَبِّهِينَ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ بِالنِّسَاءِ وَالْمُتَشَبِّهَاتِ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ بِالرِّجَالِ

The Apostle of Allah, peace be upon him, cursed men who resemble women and women who resemble men (Sahih al-Bukhari)

In the Hanafi school the ruling is that a lady may not cut her hair short, as Imam al-Haskafi says:

قَطَعَتْ شَعْرَ رَأْسِهَا أَثِمَتْ وَلُعِنَتْ زَادَ فِي الْبَزَّازِيَّةِ وَإِنْ بِإِذْنِ الزَّوْجِ لِأَنَّهُ لَا طَاعَةَ لِمَخْلُوقٍ فِي مَعْصِيَةِ الْخَالِقِ

“A woman who cuts the hair of her head is sinful and cursed.” And in al-Bazzaziyyah is the addition, “Even if the husband permitted her for there is no obedience to the creation in disobedience to the Creator.” (Radd ul-Muhtar)

It is so tragic that today many Muslim ladies cut their hair short, in imitation of men or Western fashion trends.

The beauty of women was traditionally associated strongly with their long, waist length hair.

The cancer of feminism is spreading in the Muslim Body at an alarming rate. Short hair is almost universally recognized as a political and social statement of rejection of patriarchy and tradition.

All Muslims must strive sincerely to return to the traditions of our Islamic ancestors and elders for whom these modern fashions and trends were not only alien but would be perceived by them as abominable.

والله ورسوله اعلم

And Allah and His Apostle know best!