Fatwa: # 16450
Category: Jurisprudence and Rulings...
Country: South Africa
Date: 12th March 2008

Title

Are woman allowed to cut their hair and colour it black?

Question

Are woman allowed to cut their hair and colour it black?

Answer

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Assalaamu `alaykum waRahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

1) It is not permissible for women to cut their hair. The illustrious Fuqahaa have mentioned that if a woman cuts her hair she will be sinful and worthy of curse, even in the case where her husband desires for her to do so.

وفيه : قطعت شعر رأسها أثمت ولعنت زاد في البزازية وإن بإذن الزوج لأنه لا طاعة لمخلوق في معصية الخالق ، ولذا يحرم على الرجل قطع لحيته ، والمعنى المؤثر التشبه بالرجال

(Darrul Mukhtar, Vol. 6, P. 407, HM Saeed)

The above ruling is also supported by the following Hadith:

Abdullah Ibn Amr (Radiyallahu Anhu) narrated that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) prohibited free women from cutting their hair up to the shoulders.

عن عبد الله بن عمرو قال : « نهى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم عن الجمة للحرة والعقيصة للأمة »

(Al-Mu'jam Al-Sagheer Li Tabraani)

2) It is not permissible for men and women to dye their hair black. Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) has said:

قال رسول الله -صلى الله عليه وسلم- « يكون قوم يخضبون فى آخر الزمان بالسواد كحواصل الحمام لا يريحون رائحة الجنة ».

"There will be people who come later in time who will apply dye that is black like the stomachs of pigeons; those people will not get to smell the fragrance of paradise."

(Sunan Abi Dawud, Vol. 2, P. 222, HM Saeed)

However, it is permissible to dye the hair any other color as long as it is not for the purpose of following modern-day fashion. It is a sunnah to use mehndi to dye the hair red.

 

( اختضب لأجل التزين للنساء والجواري جاز ) في الأصح ويكره بالسواد

(Darrul Mukhtar, Vol. 6, P. 756, HM Saeed)

 

أما بالحمرة ، فهو سنة الرجال و سيما المسلمين

(Raddul Muhtar, Vol. 6, P. 756, HM Saeed)

(Fatawa Mahmudiyya, Vol. 19, P. 454, Faruqiyya)

And Allah knows best

Wassalam

Ml. Asif Umar,
Student Darul Iftaa

Checked and Approved by:

Mufti Ebrahim Desai

DISCLAIMER - AskImam.org questions
AskImam.org answers issues pertaining to Shar'ah. Thereafter, these questions and answers are placed for public view on www.askimam.org for educational purposes. However, many of these answers are unique to a particular scenario and cannot be taken as a basis to establish a ruling in another situation or another environment. Askimam.org bears no responsibility with regards to these questions being used out of their intended context.
  • The Shar's ruling herein given is based specifically on the question posed and should be read in conjunction with the question.
  • AskImam.org bears no responsibility to any party who may or may not act on this answer and is being hereby exempted from loss or damage howsoever caused.
  • This answer may not be used as evidence in any Court of Law without prior written consent of AskImam.org.
  • Any or all links provided in our emails, answers and articles are restricted to the specific material being cited. Such referencing should not be taken as an endorsement of other contents of that website.
The Messenger of Allah said, "When Allah wishes good for someone, He bestows upon him the understanding of Deen."
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]