Question

What are the hanifi veiws on Qaza haircuts where one gets a skin fade, i heard this is permissible so long as the hair does not as long as 3 fingers but less. Also what is the hanifi veiws on haircuts that resemble qaza I.e shortening the sides of the hair and back while leaving the top longer since this is not qaza but very similar to it? i.e getting a 0.5cm-3cm fade on the side of the head and leaving the top of the head 2-3 inches long.

Answer

Qaza‘ is defined as shaving (halq) part of the head, and leaving the rest. This is the definition given by ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Umar and adopted almost wholesale by the hadith scholars and jurists.[1] In the Hanafi school, qaza‘ has been qualified to shave an area of the head that is at least the size equivalent to three fingers and leave the rest. This has been ruled as impermissible (makruh tahrimi).[2]

To understand this ruling better, a few definitions are necessary. Firstly, the head in shari‘a starts from the hairline to the part of the head that aligns with the ears. The section below this part is the nape.[3] Secondly, shaving (halq) refers to the complete removal of the hair (izālat al-sha‘r).[4] This can be achieved through a razor, trimmer of other means.

The Hanafis have qualified qaza‘ as shaving the shar‘i head, at least the size equivalent to three fingers and leaving the rest. Based on this, most conventional skin-fades would not be permitted as the first step of a skin-fade usually involves shaving more than this amount. According to our research, even a “low-fade” would usually involve shaving more than this amount.

If less than this amount is shaven, then it will not amount to a qaza‘ haircut. If a person uses 0.25 or 0.5 grade to shave the back of the head, this will not fit within the technical definition of the qaza‘. Nonetheless, it is our view that trimming the haircut at these grades while maintaining longer hair on top should also be discouraged.

As for uneven haircuts which do not entail partial shaving or that resembling shaving (0.25-0.5 and the like), these are not impermissible intrinsically. However, external reasons could attach reprehensibility or dislike to the haircut. For example, if one adopts a hairstyle in imitation of unbelievers, footballers, musicians, and such celebrities, this would be impermissible as it involves unlawful imitation. Similarly, adopting a hairstyle in line with a particular group, say punk rockers, or goth-types or even Shaolin monks, would also entail unlawful imitation.

[1]              شرح النووي على مسلم (14/ 101) وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ أَنَّ هَذَا التَّفْسِيرَ مِنْ كَلَامِ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ الْقَزَعُ بِفَتْحِ الْقَافِ وَالزَّايِ وَهَذَا الَّذِي فَسَّرَهُ بِهِ نَافِعٌ أَوْ عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ هُوَ الْأَصَحُّ وَهُوَ أَنَّ الْقَزَعَ حَلْقُ بَعْضِ الرَّأْسِ مُطْلَقًا وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ قَالَ هُوَ حَلْقُ مَوَاضِعَ مُتَفَرِّقَةٍ مِنْهُ وَالصَّحِيحُ الْأَوَّلُ لِأَنَّهُ تَفْسِيرُ الرَّاوِي وَهُوَ غَيْرُ مُخَالِفٍ لِلظَّاهِرِ فَوَجَبَ الْعَمَلُ بِهِ

[2]           فتاوى النوازل لأبي الليث السمرقندي (ص: 299) والقزع منهي

الدر المختار وحاشية ابن عابدين (رد المحتار) (6/ 407) قَالَ ط: وَيُكْرَهُ الْقَزَعُ وَهُوَ أَنْ يَحْلِقَ الْبَعْضَ وَيَتْرُكَ الْبَعْضَ قَطْعًا مِقْدَارَ ثَلَاثَةِ أَصَابِعَ كَذَا فِي الْغَرَائِبِ

الفتاوى الهندية (5/ 357) يُكْرَهُ الْقَزَعُ وَهُوَ أَنْ يَحْلِقَ الْبَعْضَ وَيَتْرُكَ الْبَعْضَ قَطْعًا مِقْدَارَ ثَلَاثَةِ أَصَابِعَ كَذَا فِي الْغَرَائِبِ.

Al-Nawawi’s explanation of qaza‘ as makruh: kahara tanzihi is often cited to lower the severity of qaza‘. In the Hanafi school, karaha is used by default to refer to prohibitive dislike (karaha tahrimi), while it is referred to slight dislike (karaha tanzihi), by default, in the Shafi‘i school. The Hanafi references cited above are unqualified and, thus would refer to karaha tahrimi. This is further entrenched by al-Samarqandi, an early Hanafi heavy-weight, who attributes qaza‘ as prohibited (manhiy).

«حاشية البجيرمي على الخطيب = تحفة الحبيب على شرح الخطيب» (2/ 386):لِأَنَّ الْكَرَاهَةَ مَتَى أُطْلِقَتْ ‌انْصَرَفَتْ ‌إلَى ‌كَرَاهَةِ ‌التَّنْزِيهِ»

[3]              الدر المختار وحاشية ابن عابدين (رد المحتار) (1/ 99) (ومسح ربع الرأس مرة) فوق الأذنين … (قَوْلُهُ: فَوْقَ الْأُذُنَيْنِ) فَلَوْ مَسَحَ عَلَى طَرَفِ ذُؤَابَةٍ شُدَّتْ عَلَى رَأْسِهِ لَمْ يَجُزْ مَقْدِسِيٌّ.

[4]              القاموس المحيط» (ص875): وحَلَقَ رأسَه يَحْلِقُهُ حَلْقاً وتَحْلاقاً: أزالَ شَعَرَه

تاج العروس من جواهر القاموس» (25/ 187):وحلق رأسه يحلقه حلقا، وتحلاقا بفتحهما: ‌أزال ‌شعره

Answered by:
Ifta Research Fellow

Checked & Approved by:
Mufti Abdul Rahman Mangera
Mufti Zubair Patel