What is your opinion on a man letting his hair grow to his shoulders or less, given that some young people argue that the hair of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was...
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The questioner : May Allah preserve you, what is your esteemed opinion on a man letting his hair grow to his shoulders, meaning his head hair, or slightly less, given that some of those young people argue that the hair of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) reached the lobes of his ears? Please guide us in light of this question, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : Yes. There is no doubt that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sometimes let his hair grow to his shoulders and sometimes to the lobes of his ears. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) would curl it, anoint it, and comb it (peace and blessings be upon him). He would comb it, as I think, but the curling is established. However, letting the hair grow in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was praiseworthy because it was the custom of the people. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not shave his head except during Hajj or 'Umrah, because that was the custom of the people. As for our time, people do not practice this; rather, people, including scholars, worshippers, and others, used to shave their heads. Shaving the head is permissible because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said regarding the boy who shaved his head and left some of it:.
And these people who let their head hair grow and say that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) used to do so—you find some of them neglecting the prayers, contradicting the explicit Sunnah. You find one keeping his head hair but shaving his beard, or you find one letting his garment hang below the ankles, or you find one smoking, or something else. And what leads them to this, may Allah know best, is that letting the hair grow has become an adornment for some people, so they do it, and it is not blameworthy for this reason. But what is blameworthy is for him to say that he did it for the Sunnah while he has left behind some of the important obligatory duties.
So my advice to the young people is that their concern should not be adorning themselves and fixing their appearance, but rather that their concern should be fixing their morals and their religion in terms of belief, speech, and action. And they should not indulge themselves too much, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) used to forbid excessive luxury and command simplicity at times. And softness and gentleness are matters pertaining to women; for this reason, it is forbidden for a man to wear silk and to wear gold, while it is permitted for women to wear that. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you, Shaykh Muhammad.
The Shaykh : Yes. There is no doubt that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sometimes let his hair grow to his shoulders and sometimes to the lobes of his ears. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) would curl it, anoint it, and comb it (peace and blessings be upon him). He would comb it, as I think, but the curling is established. However, letting the hair grow in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was praiseworthy because it was the custom of the people. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not shave his head except during Hajj or 'Umrah, because that was the custom of the people. As for our time, people do not practice this; rather, people, including scholars, worshippers, and others, used to shave their heads. Shaving the head is permissible because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said regarding the boy who shaved his head and left some of it:
Shave it all or leave it all.
احلقه كله أو اتركه كلهAnd these people who let their head hair grow and say that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) used to do so—you find some of them neglecting the prayers, contradicting the explicit Sunnah. You find one keeping his head hair but shaving his beard, or you find one letting his garment hang below the ankles, or you find one smoking, or something else. And what leads them to this, may Allah know best, is that letting the hair grow has become an adornment for some people, so they do it, and it is not blameworthy for this reason. But what is blameworthy is for him to say that he did it for the Sunnah while he has left behind some of the important obligatory duties.
So my advice to the young people is that their concern should not be adorning themselves and fixing their appearance, but rather that their concern should be fixing their morals and their religion in terms of belief, speech, and action. And they should not indulge themselves too much, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) used to forbid excessive luxury and command simplicity at times. And softness and gentleness are matters pertaining to women; for this reason, it is forbidden for a man to wear silk and to wear gold, while it is permitted for women to wear that. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you, Shaykh Muhammad.