Question:

Assalamualaikum Shaykh, Many people (especially Muslims) often cut their hair in a style called Skin Fade – to cut the side of the head to skin level and trim the top with scissors or a trimmer. Is this permissible? I have heard of Hadith where the Prophet Alayhi Salam prohibited shaving part of the head and leaving part of the head.

Muhammad Usamah Ayub

Answer

Qaza’ or uneven hair cut is prohibited by Hadeeth Shareef and is makrooh, i.e. disliked, unless done for medical reasons. Qaza is when hair are cut from different points and left in other places, as mentioned in Hadeeth Shareef:

عن نافع مولى عبد الله أنه سمع ابن عمر رضي الله عنهما يقول سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ينهى عن القزع قال عبيد الله قلت وما القزع فأشار لنا عبيد الله قال إذا حلق الصبي وترك هاهنا شعرة وهاهنا وهاهنا فأشار لنا عبيد الله إلى ناصيته وجانبي رأسه

(Bukhari. Hadeeth 5576)

Translation:

Hadhrat Abdullah ibn Umar Radi Allah anhu narrates that he heard the Prophet ﷺ  prohibit from the Qaza’ a. When questioned about what Qaza’ was Hazrat Ibn e Umar pointed that when a child’s hair are cut and some hairs are left here and some there. Ubaid Ullah,(a narrator) pointed towards the forehead and sides of the head. 

Fatawa Shamiyyah mentioned from Allama Tahawi that Qaza’ is when hairs are cut up to the size of three fingers from different areas of the head. 

Ala Hazrat said in Fatawa Radhawiyyah, that new hairstyles where hairs are cut unever from the sides which resembling the way of Kuffar and disblievers should be avoided. (vol 22 p 577)

So hairs should be cut evenly from all sides. While skin fade will not come under the definition of Qaza’ , still it is against the way of the Sunnah and predecessors of Islam and must be avoided. 

واللہ تعالیٰ  ورسولہ الکریم ﷺ اعلم بالصواب

Written by:  Mufti Syed Siraj Ul Arifeen Shah

St. Ives (Cambridgeshire, UK)

13/08/2024 18:43, 9 Safar, 1446 Hijri