Fatwa ID: 07212
Answered by: Alimah Shireen Mangera-Badat
Question:
Someone went for umrah just now, the sides of his hair was 3 mm and in the middle was 10 mm. Can he do qasr, or does he have to do halq?
He trimmed his hair to zero, but is not sure if he is out of ihram or not
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
In Islamic fiqh, particularly within the Hanafi school of thought, the ritual of cutting the hair is an essential part of completing the rites of Umrah. The options for men are to either shave the head completely (halq) or to shorten the hair (qasr), this is in compliance with what it says in the Quran: “Certainly, Allah has fulfilled His Messenger’s vision in all truth: You will surely enter the Sacred Mosque, Allah willing, in security, with your heads shaved or hair cut short (halq or qasr) and without fear.” (Surah Al-Fath, 48:27).
- Requirements for Qasr and Halq:
– Halq involves shaving the entire head.
– Qasr requires trimming at least one-third of every strand of hair on the head. The Hanafi fiqh specifies that cutting at least the length of a fingertip (approximately 2 cm) from all the hair is necessary to fulfill the requirement.1
- Current Hair Length and Compliance:
The person had hair that was 3 mm on the sides and 10 mm in the middle. For qasr to be valid, he needs to trim approximately 2 cm (which is 20 mm). Since the hair on the sides is only 3 mm, trimming 2 cm from the sides is not possible.
Trimming the hair “on zero” likely implies using a trimmer or clipper set to a very short length, almost equivalent to shaving. This act, if done across the whole head, would generally fulfill the requirement of halq, as it essentially results in shaving the head completely.
- Out of Ihram:
If the person has indeed trimmed all his hair using a zero-length trimmer, effectively shaving his head, he has performed the equivalent of halq. This would mean he has completed the necessary ritual and is out of ihram.
Therefore , it would be recommended that you perform the halaq (shaving of the hair) since the hair you have mentioned is very close to the scalp almost, to avoid any confusion of being free from ihram.
1 حَدَّثَنَا عَيَّاشُ بْنُ الْوَلِيدِ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ فُضَيْلٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عُمَارَةُ بْنُ الْقَعْقَاعِ، عَنْ أَبِي زُرْعَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ” اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِلْمُحَلِّقِينَ ”. قَالُوا وَلِلْمُقَصِّرِينَ. قَالَ ” اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِلْمُحَلِّقِينَ ”. قَالُوا وَلِلْمُقَصِّرِينَ. قَالَهَا ثَلاَثًا. قَالَ ” وَلِلْمُقَصِّرِينَ (Bukhari 1728)
Only Allah knows best.
Written by Alimah Shireen Mangera-Badat
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
