The Ruling on Shaving or Cutting the Hair in Hajj and 'Umrah

The questioner:
When finishing Hajj or 'Umrah, we see that some people shave their heads, while others cut all their hair. This is among the obligatory acts, but we want to know the status of those who cut only a small amount of their hair. Does that suffice? What is the evidence for that? And if it does not suffice, what is obligatory for them? May Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh:
The obligatory act in Hajj or 'Umrah is shaving or cutting the hair. Shaving the entire head is known, or cutting the hair, meaning cutting from the head, from the entire head, cutting from the entire head. Just as shaving covers the head, so too cutting must cover the head by taking from the whole of it, not from all of it, by cutting from it, cutting his head and covering it with the cut. There is no limit to the cut; there is no fixed limit to the cut. The important thing is that he cuts from his head, whether he lengthens the cut or shortens it, whether he makes it long or short. If he cuts from his hair, that suffices for him, even if this cut is small relative to the hair, by taking from the tips of his hair and generalizing the taking from the tips of his hair, it suffices. In our current time, the machines for cutting are known, yes, and they have settings. If he takes the first setting, or the second, or the third, there is no harm in that. The important thing is that he cuts from his entire head, whether he lengthens the cut from it or shortens it. It has no fixed limit. And this is regarding the woman. It has come regarding the woman that she cuts from her head the length of a finger, from the total hair of her head, she cuts from it the length of a finger.

The questioner:
We ask: What is upon those who do not cut except a specific amount of their hair, and do not cover the entire head with the cut?

The Shaykh:
The obligatory act, according to the correct of the scholars' opinions, is to cover the head by taking from all of it, and not taking from some of it and leaving the rest. Because Allah made cutting a substitute for shaving. Just as shaving must cover the head, and it is not permissible to shave part of the head and leave part of it, so too it is not permissible to cut part of it and leave part of it. Because cutting is a substitute for shaving. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: He prayed for the shavers three times, and for the cutters once. So the result is that cutting, according to the correct of the scholars' opinions, must cover the entire head, and cutting part of it and leaving the rest does not suffice, just as if he shaved part of it and left the rest, it would not be permissible. Yes.

The presenter:
May Allah reward you with good. Do they have a shaykh to ask?

The Shaykh:
What is obligatory for them in the future is to be aware of that.

The questioner:
Yes, what about what has passed?

The Shaykh:
And what has passed, if they relied on the opinion of some scholars and acted upon it, or if someone issued a fatwa to them to that effect, we hope that what has passed suffices for them.

The presenter:
May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good.