*IS IT LAWFUL FOR WOMEN TO ATTACH ANYTHING TO HAIR?* The correct thing - and Allah Knows Best - is that it is prohibited to tie or connect ANYTHING to the hair including natural and artificial hair and the various forms and colours of threads that are tied to the hair whether because the hairs are falling off or for the purposes of beauty. All of that is unlawful. Al-Imam ash-Shawkani in Nayl al-Awtar under the section on Walimah cited that the large majority of the scholars hold that: It is prohibited to attach or tie or connect ANYTHING to the hair. These scholars - may Allah shower blessings on them all - have based this view upon the Hadith collected in Sahih Muslim from Jabir bin Abdullah al-Ansari - radiya Allahu anhuma - reported that, زَجَرَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنْ تَصِلَ الْمَرْأَةُ بِرَأْسِهَا شَيْئًا. "The Prophet - sallallahu alayhi wasallam - warned against a woman connecting ANYTHING to her hair." The Hadith also occurs from the reports of other companions - radiya Allahu anhum - like Abu Umamah, Ibn Abbass, and others in other books of Hadith. They deduce from this hadith that the prohibition includes EVERYTHING and ANYTHING that may be tied to the hair. Long before al-Imam ash-Shawkani, Qadi Abu Musa Iyyad bin Musa gave the same report that this is the view of the large majority of the scholars. In the book Ahkam An-Nisaa by al-Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, it occurs variously that he was clearly prohibiting that a woman should tie ANYTHING to her hair. Similar reports have been given from al-Imam Malik - may Allah shower blessings on them all. However, some people say that what is prohibited is joining hairs to the hair. But this is a weak view. Rightly, joining hairs to the hair is specifically forbidden in various reports, like the Hadith of Aa'isha, Ibn Umar and others - radiya Allahu anhum - in Sahih al-Bukhaari, Muslim and others, but the Hadith of Jabir bin Abdullah mentioned above is far more general. It does not limit the prohibition to the use of hairs. The scholars of Usul al-Fiqh would say: ذكر بعض أفراد العام لا يخصص Mentioning a particular thing covered by a general ruling does not restrict the ruling to the mentioned unit. So, the prohibition is not restricted to joining hairs to the hair. It rather involves joining ANYTHING to the hairs. Even though AL-WASL basically refers to joining hairs to ones hairs, and the Prohibition for that is contained in clearcut authentic narrations, the Hadith of Jabir - radiya Allahu anhu - and others also mentioned above, emphasises that NOTHING should be joined to the hair. It Prohibits AL-WASL with ANYTHING. That is the view of the majority of the scholars who are better users of the Arabic language than any of us may claim! Al-Imam Abu al-Abbass al-Qurtubiyy affirmed that using threads and wool and the like are prohibited and explained that, "All of that is in the meaning of joining it (i.e. the hair) with hairs, and the general sense in the Prohibition given by the Messenger of Allah - sallallahu alayhi wasallam - that the woman should join ANYTHING to her hair." Al-Mufhim 5/443. In our own times, Shaykh Muhammad bin Aadam al-Ithyubiy said, "In my view, the correct opinion is the position of the majority of the scholars; that connecting anything is generally prohibited whether using hair or any other thing, except in cases of Darurah, and that is based on the authentic narrations regarding that..." - then he cited Ahadith and the hadith of Jabir. See: Al-Bahr al-Muheet 35/214. As for the explanation that if the material is different and not as much as the hair, then it is allowed, this is a weak posit! The hadith of Jabir and others prohibit joining anything to the hair, whether big or small, whether hairs or thread. The Hadith of Jabir says: زجر رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وسلم) أن تصل المرأة بشعرها شيئا" This is in Arabic syntax, an-Nakirah in the context of an-Nahy. How does that allow tieing or joining ANYTHING to the hair, whether small or much? And my advise to us all is that: We must understand that, the fact that the scholars differ on an issue, some saying it is Prohibited - for instance -, while others hold that the same thing is Permissible is not evidence that the thing is now Permissible, thinking that, "After all the scholars have differed on it." This kind of mindset is very wrong. Al-Imam Ash-Shaatibiy (d. 790H) said, "Perhaps a legal view will be given regarding an issue to be Prohibition, and then it is said, 'Why are you prohibiting (the matter) when the issue is controversial?' So they make the contoversy an evidence for Allowance, just because the matter is differed upon, not because of the evidence that shows the correctness of the view of Allowance, or because of blind-following the one (who views Allowance) due to preference for him (in his knowledge and religion) over the one who gave a position of Prohibition. This is the real error regarding the Shari'ah since he (i.e. the one who thinks like this) has made something that should not be depended upon as a basis and something that is not evidence to be evidence." Al-Muwafaqaat 4/141. The point here is that: the fact that there is a difference is not proof that it is allowed, neither is it proof that those who hold that it is prohibited have gone extreme. Do not connect or attach anything to your hairs, O Woman! And Allah Knows Best *WRITTEN BY: ABU NAASIR*