Question

السَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَ بَرَكَاتُه

Is one allowed to have a haircut whereabouts the hair on the side is slightly shorter than the hair on the top so that the head looks neat. What is the rulings on this?

Secondly, what about having a skin fade where ones hair is so short that the skin is shown and the hair gradually becomes longer is this permissible.

Answer

Men’s haircuts are generally problematic from the perspective of the Shari’ah when they resemble the hair styles of women, or when they are particular to non-Muslims, or identified with groups that are known for their sinfulness or moral depravity. In particular, the Prophet (may Allah send peace and blessings upon him) prohibited a hairstyle referred to as “qaza”. While the exact description of this hairstyle is not agreed upon, it involves shaving parts of the head and leaving hair on parts.

The first type of haircut mentioned in the question would not be problematic in any way since the hair on the sides is only slightly shorter than the hair on the top and not shaved altogether. As far as the skin fade is concerned, it falls within the range of definitions of “qaza” provided by the jurists and hence would be considered disliked and should be avoided.

Answered by:
Ifta Research Fellow

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