What is the ruling on cutting hair if the cutting does not involve imitating men and there is no reason that would force a woman to cut her hair, such as hair loss or the like?
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The questioner : The questioner says: What is the ruling on cutting hair if the cutting does not involve imitating men and there is no reason that would force a woman to cut her hair, such as hair loss or the like? Please inform us, may Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : A woman cutting the hair of her head during Hajj or 'Umrah is one of the rituals of Hajj and 'Umrah, so she shortens from each lock the length of a finger, and there is no problem with this. A woman cutting her hair out of need is also permissible without any problem. Scholars have differed on a woman cutting her hair without a need: some said that it is disliked, and some of the followers of Imam Ahmad forbade it, but there is no evidence for these two positions. What we see in this matter is that it is better for a woman to leave her head as it was, and she may cut it on the condition that she does not cut it so much that it becomes like a man's head, and that she does not cut it in a way that imitates the cutting of the women of the disbelievers. As for the evidence for the first condition—that it not resemble a man's head—it is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said:Sunan Abi Dawud 4097Sahih (Al-Albani). And as for the second evidence, it is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sunan Abi Dawud 4031Hasan Sahih (Al-Albani). Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "The least of the rulings for this hadith is prohibition, even though its apparent meaning implies that the one who imitates them is a disbeliever". And know that imitation does not occur by intention, but rather by appearance, meaning that if a person does an action that is specific to the disbelievers and is one of their characteristics and traits, then he is imitating them, whether he intended to imitate them or not. Many people think that imitation is not considered imitation unless it is by intention, and this is an error, because what is intended is the outward appearance. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) warned against imitating the disbelievers, as in the hadith we mentioned earlier. The scholars said: Whoever imitates them in appearance is likely to imitate them in reality, especially if this imitation is with the intention of following them, which indicates exalting them in one's self and that they are worthy of being a model, for that is a great danger.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : A woman cutting the hair of her head during Hajj or 'Umrah is one of the rituals of Hajj and 'Umrah, so she shortens from each lock the length of a finger, and there is no problem with this. A woman cutting her hair out of need is also permissible without any problem. Scholars have differed on a woman cutting her hair without a need: some said that it is disliked, and some of the followers of Imam Ahmad forbade it, but there is no evidence for these two positions. What we see in this matter is that it is better for a woman to leave her head as it was, and she may cut it on the condition that she does not cut it so much that it becomes like a man's head, and that she does not cut it in a way that imitates the cutting of the women of the disbelievers. As for the evidence for the first condition—that it not resemble a man's head—it is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said:
cursed women who imitate men
لعن المتشبهات من النساء بالرجالHe who copies any people is one of them.
من تشبه بقوم فهو منهمThe questioner : May Allah reward you with good.