A woman cutting her head hair for necessity or for adornment
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
The questioner asked the Shaykh: What is the ruling on a woman cutting her head hair, whether she is distinguished or not? He said that cutting is worse than [cutting] a few hairs. What is your opinion regarding the fact that some of the wives of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) are mentioned as having cut their hair after his death? Subhan Allah, (peace and blessings be upon him)?
The Shaykh:
If the cutting is for a necessity, there is no harm in it, such as the action of the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), because that action was for a necessity, not for adornment. However, if the intention behind the cutting is to adorn oneself, this is not permissible, because adornment is achieved by keeping the hair, not by cutting it. If the intention of the cutting is to adorn and beautify oneself, this is not permissible, because adornment and beauty are achieved by keeping the hair. The beauty of a woman lies in her hair. Therefore, in Hajj or 'Umrah, she is required to take a small amount, the length of a finger, to exit the state of ihram. This indicates that it is required of her to preserve her hair, even though the better option for a man is shaving. As for the woman, shortening is obligatory for her, because she needs to keep her head hair. So, if the cutting is for a necessity, such as treatment or lightening the burden, there is no harm in it, following the example of some of the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) after his death. But if it is for beautification and adornment, it is not permissible, because beautification and adornment are the opposite, lying in keeping the hair and not cutting it. Indeed. This is for a necessity. If you intend it for the purpose of lightening the burden and you are poor, this is a necessity, and there is no harm. Yes.
Another questioner:
Laugh with me, for example.
The Shaykh:
What is the distinction? If it is permissible, it must be in a manner that does not resemble a man's head, in a manner that does not resemble a man's head. Yes.
The questioner asked the Shaykh: What is the ruling on a woman cutting her head hair, whether she is distinguished or not? He said that cutting is worse than [cutting] a few hairs. What is your opinion regarding the fact that some of the wives of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) are mentioned as having cut their hair after his death? Subhan Allah, (peace and blessings be upon him)?
The Shaykh:
If the cutting is for a necessity, there is no harm in it, such as the action of the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), because that action was for a necessity, not for adornment. However, if the intention behind the cutting is to adorn oneself, this is not permissible, because adornment is achieved by keeping the hair, not by cutting it. If the intention of the cutting is to adorn and beautify oneself, this is not permissible, because adornment and beauty are achieved by keeping the hair. The beauty of a woman lies in her hair. Therefore, in Hajj or 'Umrah, she is required to take a small amount, the length of a finger, to exit the state of ihram. This indicates that it is required of her to preserve her hair, even though the better option for a man is shaving. As for the woman, shortening is obligatory for her, because she needs to keep her head hair. So, if the cutting is for a necessity, such as treatment or lightening the burden, there is no harm in it, following the example of some of the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) after his death. But if it is for beautification and adornment, it is not permissible, because beautification and adornment are the opposite, lying in keeping the hair and not cutting it. Indeed. This is for a necessity. If you intend it for the purpose of lightening the burden and you are poor, this is a necessity, and there is no harm. Yes.
Another questioner:
Laugh with me, for example.
The Shaykh:
What is the distinction? If it is permissible, it must be in a manner that does not resemble a man's head, in a manner that does not resemble a man's head. Yes.
Source
شرح بلوغ المرام من أدلة الأحكام [ صالح الفوزان ]، بداية من باب نواقض الوضوء — islamhouse.com (1:10:50)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.