Light on the Path-167b
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The questioner : He is asking about the meaning of this hadith from 'Ata ibn Yasar (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: A man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) with his head and beard disheveled, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gestured to him, as if commanding him to fix his hair, and he did so. Then he returned, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Muwatta Malik 51:7 It was narrated by Malik. The question is: What is the intent of this hadith, and is this hadith from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)?
The Shaykh : This hadith, as the questioner presented it, is mursal, meaning that 'Ata ibn Yasar did not meet the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The mursal hadith, according to the scholars, falls under the category of weak hadiths, because a mursal hadith is not accepted until it is connected from another source, or until the mursal hadith is famous, acted upon, and accepted by the Muslim community. If it has this fame, practice, and acceptance, that makes it established. Or, it must have a connected corroborating narration from another hadith that strengthens it.
As for fixing the hair in terms of it being a fix, it is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he used to comb his hair, and that he (peace and blessings be upon him) would start with his right side, as Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said:Bulugh al-Maram 44.
It is recommended that combing and styling the hair be done every other day, except if there is a need to style it every day, such as if a person engages in work that causes his hair to become disheveled and dusty, in which case it is desirable for him to style it every day. And we are speaking about the hair that should be kept.
As for what some people do of keeping their hair in a way that the Shari'ah does not approve of, we forbid them from keeping their hair in a manner that the Shari'ah does not approve of.
Isn't this better than that one of you should come with his head dishevelled, as if he were a shaytan?
أليس هذا خيرا من أن يأتي أحدكم ثائر الرأس كأنه شيطانThe Shaykh : This hadith, as the questioner presented it, is mursal, meaning that 'Ata ibn Yasar did not meet the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The mursal hadith, according to the scholars, falls under the category of weak hadiths, because a mursal hadith is not accepted until it is connected from another source, or until the mursal hadith is famous, acted upon, and accepted by the Muslim community. If it has this fame, practice, and acceptance, that makes it established. Or, it must have a connected corroborating narration from another hadith that strengthens it.
As for fixing the hair in terms of it being a fix, it is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he used to comb his hair, and that he (peace and blessings be upon him) would start with his right side, as Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said:
Allah’s Messenger (rad) loved to begin with the right while putting on his shoes, combing his hair, in his purification and in all his affairs
كان النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم يعجبه التيمن في تنعله وترجله وطهوره وفي شأنه كلهIt is recommended that combing and styling the hair be done every other day, except if there is a need to style it every day, such as if a person engages in work that causes his hair to become disheveled and dusty, in which case it is desirable for him to style it every day. And we are speaking about the hair that should be kept.
As for what some people do of keeping their hair in a way that the Shari'ah does not approve of, we forbid them from keeping their hair in a manner that the Shari'ah does not approve of.