Part of Al-Shama'il Al-Muhammadiyah (the series is completed)
· Lesson 5 of 40
Al-Shamail Al-Muhammadiya | Episode (5) | Chapter on what was mentioned in the poetry of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace
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Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
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In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
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With pens of yearning
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and ink of love,
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we write words more precious than gold
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describing the Master of Creation,
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peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
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The Prophetic characteristics (Shama'il):
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Chapter on what has been narrated concerning the hair of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
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On the authority of Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
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"The hair of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
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used to reach halfway down his ears."
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In this hadith,
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Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) describes the hair of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),
0:58
stating that it would sometimes reach halfway down his ears.
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This does not contradict the hadiths indicating that it reached his shoulders,
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for it is well known that head hair varies in length over time.
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Thus, whoever described a particular length
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was simply recounting what they saw.
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And on the authority of 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), who said:
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"I used to take a bath with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
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from a single vessel,
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and he had hair that was above the *jummah*
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and below the *wafrah*."
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In this hadith
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is evidence for the permissibility of spouses bathing together from a single vessel,
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and that this does not compromise modesty
1:45
or noble character.
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As for her statement,
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"and he had hair that was above the *jummah* and below the *wafrah*,"
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the wording of the hadith in Abu Dawud is:
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"above the *wafrah* and below the *jummah*."
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It has been previously mentioned
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that the *jummah* is hair that descends to the shoulders,
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while the *wafrah* is that which reaches the earlobes.
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This indicates that his hair (peace be upon him)
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was of an intermediate length,
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between a *jummah* and a *wafrah*.
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In some narrations, it is stated
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that his hair (peace be upon him) was a *jummah*,
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which is likely due to the variation of his conditions at different times.
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And on the authority of Umm Hani bint Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with her), who said:
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"The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) arrived in Makkah once,
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and he had four braids."
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In this hadith, Umm Hani tells us—
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and she is the cousin of the Prophet (peace be upon him)—
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that he (peace be upon him) came to Makkah on one occasion
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with four braids.
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In another narration from her as well:
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"I saw that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had four plaits."
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*Ghada'ir* is the plural of *ghadirah*,
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and *dafa'ir* is the plural of *dafīrah*,
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and both *ghadirah* and *dafīrah*
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carry the meaning of a lock or braid of hair,
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which is gathering the hair, winding it, and weaving its strands together.
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This establishes the permissibility of a man braiding his hair,
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provided that it does not lead to ostentation,
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a lack of dignity,
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or cause the person doing it to be disparaged.
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And on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both):
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"The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to let his hair hang down naturally,
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while the polytheists used to part their hair,
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and the People of the Book used to let their hair hang down;
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and he liked to conform to the People of the Book in matters wherein he had received no command.
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Later, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) parted his hair."
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In this hadith, the noble Companion 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) reports
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concerning the practice of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),
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stating that he used to let his hair hang down,
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meaning he would leave the hair of his forelock hanging down over his forehead.
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It is also said that letting it hang down (*sadl*) means leaving it draped down the back
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without dividing it into two parts.
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His statement, "while the polytheists used to part their hair,"
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means that the custom of the polytheists was to part their hair;
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and parting (*farq*) means dividing the hair down the middle into two halves,
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one to the right side and the other to the left side.
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As for his statement, "and the People of the Book used to let their hair hang down,
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and he liked to conform to the People of the Book in matters wherein he had received no command,"
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it was because the People of the Book fundamentally possessed a heavenly scripture,
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making it likely that some of their practices conformed to what was revealed in their scriptures,
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unlike the polytheists whose religion was entirely fabricated
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and born of human opinions and conjectures.
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His statement, "Later, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) parted his hair,"
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means he draped his hair to both sides of his head,
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leaving none of it hanging over his forehead.
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A point of benefit:
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Shaykh Muhammad ibn 'Uthaymin (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked
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about growing long hair and letting it grow full:
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Is it part of the Sunnah or not?
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He replied: "No, it is not part of the Sunnah,
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because the Prophet (peace be upon him) only kept it
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because the people at that time customarily kept it.
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For this reason, when he saw a boy whose head was partially shaved,
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he said: 'Shave it all, or leave it all.'
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Had keeping long hair been an intrinsically desirable act of worship,
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he would have said to him: 'Keep it.'
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Based on this, we say:
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Keeping long hair is not an intrinsically prescribed Sunnah;
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rather, if it is the custom of the people to do so, then do it,
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otherwise, follow what is customary among the people.
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For a Sunnah may be specific in its exact form,
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or it may be a Sunnah in its general category.
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However, one must be extremely cautious
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against imitating the disbelievers or imitating women.
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The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
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'Whoever imitates a people is one of them.'
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Furthermore, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) cursed
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men who imitate women.
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Despite this,
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some young men grow their hair long
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and style it in a manner identical to women,
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while others imitate the disbelievers
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in their haircuts or hair color.
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This is indeed a grave misfortune,
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and Allah's help is sought.
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The Prophet (peace be upon him) also forbade *al-qaza'*,
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which is shaving parts of the head while leaving other parts unshaven.
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This practice has become widespread in our time,
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as you see many people shaving the sides of the head
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while leaving the hair on top,
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and this is the very *qaza'* that has been forbidden."
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Chapter on what has been narrated concerning the hair-combing of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
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Combing the hair (*al-tarajjul*)
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refers to combing, cleaning, and caring for the hair.
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His guidance (peace be upon him) in this regard,
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as in all other matters, was balanced.
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His practice was not like that of someone preoccupied solely with his hair,
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spending long periods styling and grooming it,
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nor was it like that of someone who neglects his hair
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and takes no care of it whatsoever;
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rather, it was moderate, without excess or neglect.
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On the authority of 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), who said:
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"I used to comb the hair of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
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while I was menstruating."
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In this hadith, the Mother of the Believers 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) informs us
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that she used to comb the hair of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).
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This provides evidence for the permissibility of a woman combing her husband's hair,
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even if she is menstruating.
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It also indicates the permissibility of physical contact between a menstruating woman and her husband,
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and of him touching her,
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and that the body of a menstruating woman is not ritually impure.
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Furthermore, it clarifies the legitimacy of grooming the hair,
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and that it does not contradict the commendable religious asceticism.
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And on the authority of 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), who said:
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"The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
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used to love starting with the right side when purifying himself,
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when combing his hair,
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and when putting on his footwear."
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In this hadith,
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our mother, the Mother of the Believers 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), informs us
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that the Prophet (peace be upon him)
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loved starting with the right side in all his affairs,
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as narrated in the version recorded by al-Bukhari.
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Her statement, "The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
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used to love starting with the right side,"
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means beginning actions with the right hand,
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the right foot,
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and the right side.
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The reason he loved doing so was perhaps
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that he loved good omens,
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and the companions of the right are the people of Paradise
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who are given their records in their right hands;
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it is also due to the right side's innate virtue and strength,
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which calls for giving it precedence and honor.
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Her statement, "when purifying himself,"
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refers to his ablution and ritual bath:
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he would begin with the right hand before the left,
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and likewise wash the right foot before the left.
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Her statement, "when combing his hair,"
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means that whenever he combed his hair,
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he would start with the right side before the left,
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and he would do the same when oiling his hair.
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Her statement, "and when putting on his footwear,"
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means that whenever he wished to put on his sandals,
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he would begin with the right foot before the left.
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Imam al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
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"This is a consistent principle in the Shari'ah:
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whenever an act is a matter of honor and nobility—
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such as wearing a garment, trousers, or leather socks,
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entering the mosque, using the tooth-stick (*siwak*), applying kohl,
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clipping the nails, trimming the mustache,
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combing and grooming the hair,
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plucking armpit hair, shaving the head,
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making the salutation to conclude the prayer,
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washing the limbs in ritual purification,
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exiting the lavatory,
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eating, drinking,
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shaking hands, touching the Black Stone,
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and other actions of similar nature—
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it is recommended to begin with the right.
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As for actions of the opposite nature—
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such as entering the lavatory, exiting the mosque,
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blowing the nose, cleansing oneself after relieving nature,
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removing a garment, trousers, or leather socks,
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and the like—
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it is recommended to begin with the left.
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All of this is due to the honor and noble status of the right side.
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And Allah knows best."
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And on the authority of 'Abdullah ibn Mughaffal (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
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"The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forbade
12:06
against combing one's hair except occasionally.
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In this hadith,
12:14
the noble Companion 'Abdullah Ibn Mughaffal (may Allah be pleased with him) mentions
12:18
that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
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forbade combing one's hair except occasionally—
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meaning, from time to time.
12:27
That is, by grooming it occasionally;
12:29
a person should not make hair grooming his sole preoccupation, but rather adopt a balanced approach, neither neglecting it entirely nor making it his primary concern and obsession.
12:43
The hadith indicates the dislike of constantly being occupied with grooming hair, because it is a form of indulgence in luxury and pampering,
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and it is authentically established that the Prophet (peace be upon him) forbade excessive indulgence in luxury.
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For Faddalah Ibn 'Ubayd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to forbid us from excessive indulgence in luxury.
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His prohibition (peace be upon him) against combing hair every day is a discouragement (tanzihi) rather than an outright prohibition (tahrim).
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The rationale behind it is that it stems from pampering and luxury, so it should be avoided, and there is no difference in this regard between head hair and the beard.
13:29
To be continued, if Allah wills. And Allah knows best. May peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and all his Companions.
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