#762: Ruling on Barbing the Hair of a Female Infant
762 QUESTION:
“Asslamu alaykum, wat is d ruling of barbing a female child at d 7th day of birth”
ANSWER:
Wa Alaykum Salām Warahmatullāh Wabarakātuh, Alhamdulillāh.
As for barbing the head of a female infant on it’s 7th day of birth, the Ulamā differed.
The position held by the Mālikī and Shāfi’ī Imāms is that it is Sunnah to take off the hairs of both male and female on the seventh day and they did not consider any difference between the Male and female infant. As evidence, they presented the Mursal Hadīth that was recorded by Imām Mālik and Al-Bayhaqī and others from Muhammad bn ‘Alī bn Al-Husayn that Fatimah – radiyallāhu ‘anha – did this for all of her children male and female: Hassan, Hussayn, Zainab and Umm Kulthum. Ad-Dardīr Al-Mālikī mentioned this in Ash-Shar’hu Al-Kabir. Likewise An-Nawawī As-Shāfi’ī mentioned it in Al-Majmū’
They also mentioned that in the cutting of her hair is much good for her at this stage since the hair that will follow will be more attractive, full and long, so they said.
As for the Hanbalis, they held that the Sunnah practice applies to boy Infants only and that the hairs of girls are not to be shaved. Their evidence are the Ahādith that indicate that the command to shave the head was specific to male infants.
The Hanafī Madh’hab held that it is neither Sunnah nor Wajib but a permissibility.
What we see, and Allāh knows best is that what is stronger is the Hanbalī position since the Hadīth from Fatimah is Mursal. However, there is nothing wrong in following the Mālikī and Shāfi’ī position on this matter given the matter involved and the benefits anticipated.
And Allāh knows best.
As for the Hair of women generally, we have responded to it in Question 210. on our Telegram Channel. So refer to it.
Bārakallāhu Fīkum
Jazākumullāhu Khayran.
📚IslāmNode
