[Q 305] The necessity of shaving Head After Each Umrah

Question

If a person performs two, three, or more Umrahs in a month, is it necessary for them to shave their head each time? If it is necessary, can they shave their own head with a razor?

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

الجواب بعون الملك الوهاب اللهم هداية الحق والصواب

Answer

Halaq (shaving the head) or Qasr (shortening the hair) is Wajib in Umrah. Without performing this, one cannot exit the state of Ihram, as it is a condition for exiting Ihram. Therefore, as many times as one performs Umrah, it will be mandatory to perform Halaq or Qasr each time. If the hair left is less than the size of a fingertip, then Qasr cannot be performed, and Halaq will be Wajib. A person performing Umrah can shave their own head, and this will not obligate any expiation, or sin upon him.

Allama Radi al-Din Muhammad bin Muhammad Al-Sarakhsi رحمہ اللہ علیہ writes:

وأما واجباتها: فالسعي بين الصفا والمروة والحلق أو التقصير

Translation: “The obligations of Umrah are: Sa’i between Safa and Marwah, and shaving the head or shortening the hair.”

(Al-Muheet Al-Ridawi, Kitab Al-Hajj, Bab Al-Halaq wa Al-Taqsir, Volume 2, Page 188, Published by: Dar Al-Kutub, Peshawar)

In Radd Al-Muhtar, Allama Ibn Abidin Shami رحمہ اللہ علیہ writes:

“(والحلق أو التقصير) أي أحدهما، والحلق أفضل للرجل، وفيه أن هذا شرط للخروج من الإحرام.”

Translation: “(Shaving the head or shortening the hair) either of the two, and shaving is better for men. This is a condition for exiting the state of Ihram.”

(Radd Al-Muhtar Ala Al-Durr Al-Mukhtar, Kitab Al-Hajj, Volume 2, Page 468, Dar Al-Fikr, Beirut)

Allama Mulla Rehmatullah Sindhi Hanafi رحمہ اللہ علیہ writes:

ومن لا شعر له علي رأسه يجري الموسي علي رأسه وجوباً هو المختار.

Translation: “One who has no hair on his head should run the razor over his head, this is obligatory.”

(Lubab Al-Manasik, Bab Manasik Mina, Chapter on Shaving and Shortening, Page 154, Published by: Dar Qurtuba, Beirut)

In Lubab wa Sharh Lubab it is stated:

(وإذا حلق) أي المحرم (رأسه) أي رأس نفسه (أو رأس غيره) أي ولو كان محرما (عند جواز التحلل) أي الخروج من الإحرام بأداء أفعال النسك (لم يلزمه شيء) الأولي: لم يلزمهما شيء.

Translation: “(When he shaves) i.e the one in Ihram (his head) i.e. his own head (or the head of another) even if the other is in Ihram (at the time when exiting Ihram is permissible) after performing the acts of Hajj (nothing will be obligated on him). It is better (to say): nothing will be obligated on both of them.”

(Lubab wa Sharh Lubab, Bab Manasik Mina, Chapter on Shaving and Shortening, Page 324, Al-Maktaba Al-Amdadiya, Saudi Arabia)

Answered by: Mufti Sajid Attari 

Translated answer:

Date: 6th June 2024