Fatwa #4802013 February 2025Netherlands
Superstitions regarding cutting hair and nails
Question
As salaam alli kum,
In India people still have superstitions. Please clarify them from Islamic perspective.
1) For men, SHOULD NOT get or do hair cut on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Also after Magreeb.
From Islam's perspective, are we prohibited NOT to get hair cut on these days or just blind superstition.
2) Is clipping of nails after dark is prohibited in Islam.
Its understandable for sake of not spilling them. But Is it prohibited in Islamic besides purely for hygiene.
Jazak Allah Khair,
Khader Mohiuddin
Answer
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Brother in Islam, Khader
We solely rely on divine concepts when forming our Aqidah (belief) on an issue. One of our fundamental beliefs is in Taqdeer (predestiny), that all good and bad is decreed by Allah Ta’ala. Consider the following verses of the Qur’an:
انا كل شيء خلقناه بقدر
Translation: “Indeed, we have created everything according to (Our) predestination.” (54:49)
قل لن يصيبنا الا ما كتب الله لنا هو مولانا وعلى الله فليتوكل المؤمنون
Translation: Say, “Nothing can ever reach us except what Allah has destined for us. He is our Master. And in Allah alone the believers must place their trust.” (9:51)
وان يمسسك الله بضر فلا كاشف له الا هو وان يردك بخير فلا راد لفضله يصيب به من يشاء من عباده وهو الغفور الرحيم
Translation: “If Allah brings some harm to you, there is none to remove it except He. And if He intends to bring some good to you, there is none to turn His grace back. He brings it to whomever He wills from among his servants. He is the Most-Forgiving, the Very Merciful.” (10:107)
Superstitions were a practice of the time of Jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic era). Rasulullah Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam condemned superstitious beliefs. See the following hadiths:
لا عدوى ولا طيرة ولا هامة ولا صفر (رواه البخاري:5757)
Translation: “There is no contagion (without the permission of Allah Ta’ala), nor any evil omen, nor is there any ‘Hamah’ (avenging spirits), nor any bad luck in (the month of) Safar.” (Bukhari: 5757)
لاَ طِيَرَةَ، وَخَيْرُهَا الفَأْلُ قَالُوا: وَمَا الفَأْلُ؟ قَالَ: الكَلِمَةُ الصَّالِحَةُ يَسْمَعُهَا أَحَدُكُم (متفق عليه)
Translation: “There is no evil omen, but the best type is the Fa’l (good omen). The companions asked: What is the Fa’l? He said: A good word that one of you hears (and takes as a good omen).” (Bukhari: 5754, Muslim: 2223)
In Jahiliyyah, people would take evil omens from birds and different animals. These have no reality.However, Rasulullah Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam used to like good omens.[i]
In relation to your queries, it is permissible to cut/trim hair and clip nails at any time, day or night.[ii]
And Allah Ta’ala Knows Best
Muhammad Sohaib Malik
Student Darul Iftaa
Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Abrar Mirza.
(2021-07-12)
[i]
عمدة القاري شرح صحيح البخاري (21/ 245)
(ولا يتطيرون) أي: لا يتشاءمون بالطيور ونحوها كما كانت عادتهم قبل الإسلام، والطيرة ما يكون في الشر والفأل ما يكون في الخير، وكان صلى الله عليه وسلم يحب الفأل
[ii]
الفتاوى الهندية - ط. دار الفكر (5/ 358)
رجل وقت لقلم أظافيره أو لحلق رأسه يوم الجمعة قالوا إن كان يرى جواز ذلك في غير يوم الجمعة وأخره إلى يوم الجمعة تأخيرا فاحشا كان مكروها لأن من كان ظفره طويلا يكون رزقه ضيقا وإن لم يجاوز الحد وإن أخره تبركا بالإخبار فهو مستحب كذا في فتاوى قاضي خان.....
حكي أن هارون الرشيد سأل أبا يوسف رحمه الله تعالى عن قص الأظافير في الليل فقال ينبغي فقال ما الدليل على ذلك فقال قوله عليه السلام الخير لا يؤخر