Search In Fatwa

Combing one's hair occasionally

Question

In Shamaa'il Tirmithi, Abdullah Mughaffal, may Allaah be pleased with him, reports "Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, prohibited the combing of hair, but allowed it to be done occasionally". 1) Is Shamaa'il Tirmithi book known to be Saheeh? 2) If the above Hadith is Saheeh then could you explain more about it because I comb my hair every morning going to work.

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.

With regard to the book Ash-Shamaa'il Al-Muhammadiyyah, written by At-Tirmithi may  Allaah  have  mercy  upon  him it is a good book in which he compiled the excellences of the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ). Nonetheless, he did not restrict himself to the authentic narrations. It is for this reason that Al-Albaani may  Allaah  have  mercy  upon  him clarified the authentic and inauthentic narrations thereof, and he summarized the authentic ones in a volume which he entitled: "Mukhtasar Ash-Shamaa'il Al-Muhammadiyyah" [The Concise Shamaa'il Al-Muhammadiyyah], which is a very beneficial book in this matter.

As regards the Prophetic narration reported by 'Abdullaah Ibn Mughffal which reads: "The Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) forbade combing one's hair, except Ghibbaa." [Abu Daawood, At-Tirmithi, An-Nasaa'ee] As-Sindee may  Allaah  have  mercy  upon  him said regarding its interpretation: 'Ghibbaa, means to do it every other day. It is disliked to persist in combing one's hair, but the particularity of doing it one day and leaving it another day is not what was intended by the term, rather what is meant it to restrict one from doing it often.' Taking care of one's hair is something recommended as long as one does not exaggerate. The Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) said: "Whoever has hair, he should care for it." [Abu Daawood]

Imaam Ibn Al-Qayyim may  Allaah  have  mercy  upon  him correlated the two narrations saying: "A person is ordered to take care of his hair, but he is forbidden from overdoing taking care of it and nourishing it. He is permitted to take care of his hair, but he should not be doing this all the time, and he should comb every other day."

Allaah Knows best.

Related Fatwa