Shortening Hair in First 10 Days of Dhul-Hijjah

Question :

Respected scholars, as-salamu `alaykum.

Is it forbidden to trim your nails or cut your hair in the first 10 days of Dhul-Hijjah? Please answer based on the Hanafi Madhhab.

Jazakum Allahu khayran.

Answer (Dr. Zulfiqar Ali Shah) :

Wa `alaykum as-salam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

Brother, we are impressed by your question, which emanates from a thoughtful heart. May Almighty Allah help us all adhere to the principles of this true religion, Islam, and enable us to be among the dwellers of Paradise in the hereafter, amen.

It goes without saying that the first 10 days of Dhul-Hijjah are an opportunity for every Muslim to get abundant rewards. A Muslim is highly encouraged to seize this opportunity and come near to Allah through fasting, giving charities, reciting the Qur'an, making dhikr (Arabic for: remembrance of Allah), etc.

As for cutting the nails and trimming the hair in the first days ofDhul-Hijjah, if a Muslim intends to sacrifice an animal on the day of `Eid Al-Adha, then it is highly recommended neither to cut one's nails nor to trim one's hair.

In his response to your question, Dr. Zulfiqar Ali Shah, member of the Executive Committee of the Fiqh Council of North America and the Religious Director of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, stated, Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "If one of you intends to sacrifice an animal on the day of `Eid al-Adha, then he or she should stop cutting the hair and the nails." Imam Malik, Imam Ahmad, and Imam Shafi`i (in one of his opinions) strictly follow this hadith and forbid cutting the nail or hair during the first 10 days of the month of Dhul-hijjah.

The Hanafi School declares it as Sunnah Mu'akkadah (Arabic for: confirmed sunnah) and highly recommends that a Muslim holds off cutting the nail and hair and to do so after sacrificing the animal, so that the hair and the nails are counted as hasanat (Arabic for: good deeds) along with the hair of the sacrificial animal. It is not haram to cut the hair or the nails; but it is recommended to achieve additional rewards for good deeds.

Source : Islamonline