Anyway, I cane across this hadith and wanted to ask something:
It was narrated in Saheeh Muslim that Abu Salamah ibn ‘Abd al-Rahmaan said: “The wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to cut their hair until it came just below their ears.” (al-Hayd, 320)
The think which confuses me is, if the wives of the prophets used to cover their hair then wouldn't we have no clue what their hair looks like? I was told that when wearing the hijab you cannot describe your hair to other people. So how did others know what the hair of the prophet's wives look like?
Assalamu alaikum sister,
This hadith (the tail end of which is quoted above) is occasionally quoted by some as one proving permissibility of women cutting their hair.
و حدثني عبيد الله بن معاذ العنبري قال حدثنا أبي قال حدثنا شعبة عن أبي بكر بن حفص عن أبي سلمة بن عبد الرحمن قال
دخلت على عائشة أنا وأخوها من الرضاعة فسألها عن غسل النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم من الجنابة فدعت بإناء قدر الصاع فاغتسلت وبيننا وبينها ستر وأفرغت على رأسها ثلاثا قال وكان أزواج النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم يأخذن من رءوسهن حتى تكون كالوفرة
Abu Salama ibn. 'Abd al-Rahman reported:
I along with the foster brother of 'A'isha went to her and he asked about the bath of the Apostle (may peace be upon him) because of janaabah (major impurity). She called for a vessel equal to a Sa' and she performed ghusl, and there was a curtain between us and her. She poured water on her head thrice and he (Abu Salama) said: The wives of the Apostle (may peace be upon him) used to "akhth" from their heads until it reached till just to ears/above the shoulders.' (Muslim, Book of Menstruation, Number 320)
The words in highlighted in red are "ya'khuthna min", meaning 'to take from'. This is translated in some places, as 'cutting' or 'lopping'. The root word word 'akhth', means, to take, or to take hold of, and with 'min', means to take from, or take hold from. The hadeeth is about the method of ghusl, and it would seem odd for the hairstyle of the Prophet's wives (may Allah be pleased with them) to be mentioned at the end of it. Contextually, it seems to refer to what the wives of the Prophet :saws: did with their hair during ghusl, i.e. instead of allowing their hair to hang down whilst performing Ghusl, they may have taken hold of some of their hair and put it up in order to reach just above their shoulders. This way washing the back would become easy whilst performing Ghusl, as whilst the hair is hanging down, it is difficult for water to reach all parts of the back thoroughly. This is the meaning of 'akhth' in the Hadith taken by some scholars.
The last word of the hadeeth is wafrah. Wafrah has different meanings: It may be hair collected upon the head or hair hanging down upon the ears or hair extending to the lobes of the ears only. (Lanes Arabic - English Lexicon). In other words, some scholars have understood this to mean that the wives of the prophet :saws: used to take their hair and put it up to that level, to keep the back clear.
There doesn't appear to be a need for the narrator to tell someone enquiring about ghusl, about Aisha's (radiyallu anha) hairstyle. What was said appears to be relevant to the act of ghusl, so that ladies would know what they could do with their hair to make it easier to do ghusl.
Those who believe that "to take from" equals "to cut", believe that the wives of the Prophet :saws: or Aisha (radiyallau anha) in particular, had cut hair, or used to cut their hair in a style called wafrah i.e. near the shoulders/ears. Bearing in mind that the Prophet :saws: forbade men from imitating women, and women from imitating men, it does not appear befitting to say that the wives of the Prophet :saws: , may Allah be pleased with them, had hair cut to their ears.
And Allah knows best in all matters, and may he forgive me if I said anything wrong.
