The Description of the Prophet's Hair

Narrated by Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him)

Anas ibn Malik reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had hair that was not tightly curled nor straight, but wavy. This hadith is reported in Sahih Muslim and narrated by Anas ibn Malik.

Additional Narration

When Anas ibn Malik was asked about the hair of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he said: "His hair was between curly and straight, not tightly curled nor completely straight, but in between."

Translation of Classical Islamic Arabic Text

Hadith on the Hair of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)

Reported by Al-Bukhari: Al-Bukhari narrated in his Sahih from Muslim ibn Ibrahim, and from Amr ibn Ali, from Wahb ibn Jarir, from his father. Anas ibn Malik asked: "How was the hair of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him?" Anas answered: "It was neither curly nor completely straight, between his ears and shoulders." (Reported by Muslim)

Additional Narrations on the Prophet's Hair

Another narration is reported by Muhammad ibn Al-Husayn, who narrated from Abdullah ibn Ja'far, from Ya'qub ibn Sufyan, from Amr ibn Asim, from Hammam, from Qatadah. Abdullah ibn Muhammad Al-Ka'bi reported that this hadith is found in Sahih Al-Bukhari (Book of Clothing, Chapter of Curly Hair). It is also reported by Muslim in the Book of Virtues (Chapter of the Description of the Prophet's Hair). It is mentioned in other hadith compilations by Tirmidhi, Nasai, and Ibn Majah.

The Hair of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)

Narrated by Anas ibn Malik

It was narrated that Anas ibn Malik said: "The hair of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, used to reach his shoulders." This hadith was reported by Imam Bukhari in Sahih from Musa ibn Isma'il.

Narrated by Humaid

Humaid narrated from Anas that: "The hair of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, used to reach the middle of his ears." This narration is also mentioned by Abu 'Abdullah Al-Hafiz, through Muhammad ibn Nasr.

Additional Information

This hadith can also be found in Sahih Muslim in the Book of Virtues, under the chapter describing the hair of the Prophet, peace be upon him, Hadith number 95. It is also recorded by Al-Nasa'i in his book on adornment, and by Imam Ahmad in his Musnad.

Hadith Description of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)

Reported by Imam Muslim from Yahya bin Yahya, from Humaid:

Abu Al-Husayn bin Al-Fadl informed us, saying: Abdullah bin Ja'far narrated to us, saying: Ya'qub bin Sufyan informed us, saying: Abu 'Umar narrated to us. Abu Al-Husayn bin Bishran informed us, saying: Abu 'Amr bin As-Sammak narrated to us that Hambal bin Ishaq told them that 'Affan narrated to them that Shu'bah told them that Abu Ishaq said: "I heard Al-Bara' bin 'Azib saying: The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was medium (in height) and of moderate build, with hair reaching his earlobes. He had a reddish complexion and his hair was neither curly nor straight. I have never seen anything more beautiful than him."

This hadith is recorded in Sahih Al-Bukhari by Abu 'Umar: Hafs bin 'Umar and also in Sahih Muslim from Ghandar's narration by Shu'bah.

Also narrated by Muhammad bin Abdullah Al-Hafiz, saying: Abu Bakr Ahmad bin Salman Al-Faqih reported to us that Ahmad bin Muhammad bin 'Eisa narrated to us, saying: Abu Ghassan said: Israel narrated to us, from Abu Ishaq, who said: "I heard Al-Bara saying..."

Recorded by Abu Dawood, Tirmidhi, and An-Nasai in their respective compilations.

Hadith Description of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)

Abu Ishaaq said: I have heard him talking about this hadith repeatedly, and he never narrated it except with laughter.

It was narrated by Al-Bukhari in Sahih from Abu Ghassan: Malik ibn Isma'il.

Abu Ali informed us: Al-Husayn ibn Muhammad al-Rudhbari said: Abu Bakr ibn Dassa informed us, he said: Abu Dawud informed us, he said: Abdullah ibn Muslimah and Muhammad ibn Sulaiman al-Anbari said: Wakee' informed us. Abu Abdullah al-Hafiz informed us, he said: Muhammad ibn Ya'qub ash-Shaybani said: Abdullah ibn Muhammad informed us, he said: Abu Kurayb informed us, he said: Wakee' informed us, from Sufyan, from Abu Ishaaq, from Al-Bara', he said: I have not seen someone in a more beautiful red garment than the Messenger of Allah, prayers and peace be upon him, he has hair that touches his shoulders, far between his shoulders, neither long nor short. The wording of the hadith is from Abu Kurayb. It was narrated by Muslim in Sahih from Abu Kurayb.

Abu al-Husayn ibn al-Fadl informed us, he said: Abdullah ibn Ja'far informed us, he said: Ya'qub ibn Sufyan informed us, he said: Ibn al-Asbahani informed us, he said: Sharik, from Abdul Malik ibn Amr, from Nafi' ibn Jubayr ibn Mut'im, he said: Ali described the Prophet, prayers and peace be upon him, and said: He had abundant head hair.

Aisha describes Prophet Muhammad's Hair

Abu Ali Al-Rudhabari informed us, saying: Abu Bakr ibn Dasah told us, narrating from Abu Dawud, who narrated from Ibn Nufayl, who narrated from Abdul Rahman ibn Abi Zinad, from Hisham ibn Urwah, from his father, from Aisha, who said: "The hair of the Prophet (peace be upon him) was above his earlobes and below his shoulders."

Prophet Muhammad's Hair upon Arriving in Mecca

Abu Al-Husayn Al-Qattan informed us, saying: Abdullah ibn Ja'far told us, narrating from Yaqub ibn Sufyan, who narrated from Abdullah ibn Muslimah and Yahya ibn Abdul-Hameed, saying: Sufyan informed us, from Ibn Abi Najih, from Mujahid, who said: Umm Hani said: "The Prophet (peace be upon him) arrived in Mecca with four braids."

Additional Information on Prophet's Hair Length

According to Mujahid, if the hair reaches the shoulders, it is called "jummah"; if it reaches the earlobes, it is called "wafariyyah"; if it extends beyond the ears but does not reach the shoulders, it is called "lamah."

The Prophet's Practice of Letting His Hair Down

Narrated by Ibn Abbas:

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to like to behave like the People of the Book in matters that were not specifically commanded. The People of the Book would let down their hair, while the polytheists would part their hair. Therefore, the Prophet let down his hair and then parted it. This is reported by Imam Bukhari through Ahmad ibn Yunus and by Muslim through Muhammad ibn Ja'far al-Warraqani and others, from Ibrahim.

Reported by Abu al-Hassan al-Tabarani:

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) let his hair down as he wished, then he parted his hair. This is narrated by Imam Bukhari in the Book of Clothing, Muslim in the Book of Virtues, Abu Dawood in the Book of Footwear, and Ibn Majah in the Book of Clothing. This hadith is reported by Malik from Ziyad ibn Saad through Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri as recorded in Muwatta Malik.

The Separation of Aisha's Hair from the Messenger of Allah

Source:

Reported by Abu Al-Tahir Al-Faqih, who reported from Abu Hamid ibn Bilal Al-Bazzar, who reported from Abu Al-Azhar, who reported from Ya'qub ibn Ibrahim ibn Sa'd, who reported from his father, from Ibn Ishaq, who said that Muhammad ibn Ja'far ibn Zubayr narrated from Urwah ibn Zubayr, from Aisha, she said: "I combed the hair of the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him. I parted his hair from its midline, and I put the part between his eyes."

Interpretation:

According to Ibn Ishaq, this was in accordance with the statement of the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, who said: "Do not part your garments nor your hair," or he said, "Is it Samia that it was used to part with." Muhammad ibn Ja'far, a knowledgeable Muslim scholar, said to Ibn Ishaq that this hair was similar to the hair of the Prophets, and Christians took it to elevate among the people. This narration was confirmed by Al-Bayhaqi through Anas, and it is also found in the Musnad of Imam Ahmad.

Conclusion:

According to Ibn Abbas, this hadith is deemed incorrect and it is said to actually be from Ibn Abbas. The hadith is also attributed to other narrators such as Mu'ammar and Ibn Uyaynah from Az-Zuhri from Ubayd Marsala, where Ibn Abbas is not mentioned.

The Narration of Anas bin Malik

Narrated to us Abu Muhammad: Abdullah bin Yusuf al-Asbahanī, said: Informed us Abu Saʿīd ibn al-Aʿrābī, said: Informed us al-Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad al-Zaʿfarānī, said: Informed us Sufyān ibn ʿUyaynah, from Hishām, from Muḥammad bin Sīrīn, from Anas bin Mālik, who said: When the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, stoned the Jamrah and sacrificed his Hadi, he handed the blade to the barber, who shaved his right side, then Abu Ṭalḥah took it and he shaved his left side. Then he ordered him to distribute it among the people. Reported by Muslim in Sahih from Ibn Abi ʿUmar, from Sufyān.

Key Hadith Details

Hadith number 580, collected by Muslim in: Book of Hajj, Chapter: Clarification on the Sunnah on the Day of Sacrifice to stone, then sacrifice, then shave... Hadith 326, p. 948. Also narrated by Abu Dawood in the Book of Rituals, Chapter: Shaving and Trimming, Hadith 1981, p. 203. Narrated by al-Tirmidhi in the Book of Hajj, Chapter: Starting Shaving from Any Side of the Head, p. 912, page 246. Abu ʿĪsa said: "This hadith is of good authenticity."

Interpretation

The main point of the preceding narrations is that the Prophet's hair, peace be upon him, was abundant and thick, surpassing the point halfway between abundance and scarcity. The term 'wafra' refers to the point where the earlobe is reached. The term 'lamma' refers to below the earlobe. And 'jumma' refers to the junction point of the head's hair, which is more abundant than 'wafra' and extends to the shoulders. This was the opinion of most linguistic scholars, as mentioned by the scholars of linguistic precision and references.

There is a differing opinion by Al-Jawhari, stating that 'lamma' goes beyond the earlobe, and once it reaches the shoulders, it becomes 'jumma'. In the correct view, the hair related content of 'lamma' should be expounded upon as the hair extending past the earlobe. Therefore, the opinion expressed by al-Jawhari in this regard is accurate as mentioned in the topic 'Lamma', where he says: 'The term 'lamma', with the short vowel, denotes the hair extending past the earlobe. When it reaches the shoulders, it becomes 'jumma'.

Al-Hafiz Abu al-Fadl al-Iraqi said: "What he mentioned regarding the term with the letter Mīm is correct and aligns with the views of other linguistic scholars." The narration of '...above the jumma and below the wafra' found in al-Tirmidhi corresponds to the linguistic perspective, while the reverse version in Abu Dawood and Ibn Majah conforms to the linguistic scholars' opinion, though with some considerations.

Interpretation of a Hadith in Islamic Narrations

Explanation of Terms

The narration attributed to Al-Tirmidhi can be interpreted as referring to the place where the hair reaches. According to Al-Tirmidhi's narration, the term "below" indicates the extent of the hair's length. The interpretation is that his hair was above the jamrah, meaning taller in position. In this way, his hair reaches the lummah, which is between wafrah and jamrah. The narrations of Abu Dawood and Ibn Majah imply that "his hair was above wafrah," meaning more than wafrah and less than jamrah in abundance.

Harmonization of Narrations

There is no contradiction between the two narrations. Each narrator related based on their understanding of what is meant by above and below. Al-Qadi stated that combining these narrations implies that the part following the ear reaches the earlobe and the part following the ears and shoulders hits the shoulders. The part behind that strokes the shoulder blades. It is said that due to different times, if one neglects trimming the hair, it reaches the shoulders, but if trimmed, it stays up to halfway the ear, adjusting the length accordingly.