Difference between imitation and like

This may help Insha'Allaah:

http://www.islamqa.com/en/ref/21694/

Q. What are the definitions of imitating the west? Does everything that is modern and new and has come to us from the west imply imitation of them? In other words, when can we say that something is haraam because it is an imitation of the kuffaar?.

A.

Praise be to Allaah.

It was narrated that Ibn ‘Umar said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Whoever imitates a people is one of them.’” (Narrated by Abu Dawood, al-Libaas, 3512. Al-Albaani said in Saheeh Abi Dawood, (it is) hasan saheeh. No. 3401).

Al-Munaawi and al-‘Alqami said: i.e., dressing as they dress, following their way of life in clothes and some of the things they do.

Al-Qaari said: i.e., whoever imitates the kuffaar, such as in how one dresses, etc., or imitates the evil and immoral people, or the Sufis or the righteous, is one of the people whom he imitates, whether they are good or bad.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said in al-Siraat al-Mustaqeem: Imaam Ahmad and others quoted this hadeeth as evidence. This hadeeth at the very least implies that it is haraam to imitate them, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“... And if any amongst you takes them [Jews and Christians] as Awliyaa’ [friends, helpers]), then surely, he is one of them…”
[al-Maa’idah 5:51]

This is similar to the view of ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr who said: “Whoever settles in the land of the mushrikeen and celebrates their Nawroz (new year) and Mahrajaan (festival) and imitates them until he dies will be gathered with them on the Day of Resurrection.” This may be interpreted as referring to absolute imitation which implies kufr and as meaning that imitation in part is therefore haraam; or it may be interpreted as meaning that he is one of them to the extent that he imitates them, whether it is in ideas of kufr, sin or partaking in a ritual. It was narrated from Ibn ‘Umar that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade imitating the non-Arabs and said, “Whoever imitates a people is one of them.” This was also mentioned by al-Qaadi Abu Ya’laa. This was quoted by more than one of the scholars to show that it is makrooh to imitate forms of dress of the non-Muslims which are not known among the Muslims.
See ‘Awn al-Ma’bood Sharh Sunan Abi Dawood.

Imitating the kuffaar falls into two categories:

Imitation that is haraam and imitation that is permitted:

The first type is imitation that is haraam: this means knowingly doing things that are unique characteristics of the religion of the kuffaar and that have not been referred to in our religion. This is haraam and it may be a major sin; in some cases a person may even become a kaafir by doing that, according to the evidence, whether a person does that because he agrees with the kuffaar, or because of his whims and desires, or because of some specious arguments which make him feel that doing it will being him benefit in this world and the next. If it is asked, is the one who does that out of ignorance a sinner, such as one who celebrates Christmas? The answer is that the one who is ignorant is not a sinner because he was unaware, but he has to be told, and if he persists he becomes a sinner.

The second type is imitation that is permissible. This means doing something which is not originally taken from the kuffaar, but the kuffaar do it too. This does not involve a prohibition on resembling them, but one may miss out on the benefits of differing from them.

Imitating or resembling the People of the Book (Jews and Christians) and others with regard to worldly matters is permissible only when the following conditions are met:

1 – That should not be any of their traditions or rituals by which they are distinguished.

2 – That should not be part of their religion. A matter can be proven to be part of their religion though a trustworthy source, such as an aayah of the Qur’aan or a hadeeth of His Messenger, or via well-established reports, such as the prostration of greeting which was permitted to the previous nations.

3 – That should not be anything in Islam which refers specifically to that matter. If there is a specific reference in Islam, either approving or disapproving of it, then we must follow what our religion says about it.

4 – This resemblance should not lead to going against any of the commands of sharee’ah.

5 – That should not involve celebrating any of their festivals.

6 – The resemblance should be only according to what is needed, and no more.

See al-Sunan wa’l-Athaar fi’l-Nahy ‘an al-Tashabbuh bi’l-Kuffaar by Suhayl Hasan, p. 58-59


Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

Jazak Allah for such explanation. However, I am still confused about this one aspect. There is a hadith on imitating kafir hairstyle. Now would it still apply if I personally liked the hairstyle?
Question may seem obvious but I get doubtful sometimes.

I don't know sister - it might depend on which hairstyle you mean and whether that is unique to the kuffaar. There are some haircuts which fall into a clear prohibition of shaving some parts of the hair and leaving some. It's probably best to consult an Imam or scholar whom you trust about it if you are in doubt.

Which hadeeth were you referring to, because I don't think I've come across it.

format_quote Originally Posted by arjmand

Jazak Allah for such explanation. However, I am still confused about this one aspect. There is a hadith on imitating kafir hairstyle. Now would it still apply if I personally liked the hairstyle?
Question may seem obvious but I get doubtful sometimes.

i so wanted to ask this too cuz i hav this non muslim friend who teaches us lots n lots of hairstyles n nowadays i really like the katniss braid n i usually make it on my hair i hope thts ok i dun mean to copy them i just really like it...

dont u think intention counts ?? my intention is never to copy them i just like learning new hairstyles n making them on my hair...

Hairstyles that are forbidden, they are characterized by the following:

1 – al-Qaza’ (lit. tufts), which is where part of the head is shaved and part is left.

It was narrated from Ibn ‘Umar that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade al-qaza’.

Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5466; Muslim, 3959.

One of the narrators of this hadeeth defines al-qaza’ as shaving part of a child’s head and leaving some of his hair.

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

With regard to shaving part of the head and leaving part, this is of varying degrees.

The worst is shaving the middle of the head and leaving the sides, as the Christian monks do.

After that comes shaving the sides and leaving the middle, as many of the foolish and worthless people do.

After that comes shaving the front of the head and leaving the back.

These three types all come under the heading of qaza’ which was forbidden by the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), but some of them are worse than others.

Ahkaam Ahl al-Dhimmah, 3/1294

2 – Imitating the kaafirs or immoral people.

There are many such hairstyles, some of which come under the heading of qaza’ – such as the “Marines” haircut, which is forbidden for two reasons, the fact that it is a kind of qaza’ and the fact that it is an imitation of the kuffaar. Some of them do not involve qaza’ but they are styles that belong to the kuffaar, such as making some of the hair stand up and letting the rest hang down, and so on.

This also includes every hairstyle that belongs to the kaafirs or immoral people, because it is not permissible for a Muslim to resemble them in that, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Whoever imitates a people is one of them.”

Narrated by Abu Dawood, 4031. Classed as hasan by al-Haafiz ibn Hajar in Fath al-Baari, 10/271. its isnaad was classed as jayyid by Shaykh al-Islam in Iqtida’ al-Siraat al-Mustaqeem, p. 82.

Shaykh al-Islam said:

The least that we can say about this hadeeth is that it implies that it is haraam to imitate them, although the apparent meaning is that the one who imitates them is a kaafir, as in the verse (interpretation of the meaning):

“And if any amongst you takes them (as Awliyaa’), then surely, he is one of them”

[al-Maa’idah 5:51]

Iqtida’ al-Siraat al-Mustaqeem, p. 83.

Imitating foolish people.

These are hairstyles worn by some of the foolish people, which may be included in the categories mentioned above.

Taken from Islam QA.

P.S for Admins and Mods.
I posted this in another thread by mistake which needs approval.Plz remove the post.

I am doing a project on Muslim women and would like to know what is the ruling concerning a Muslim’s hair. Is she allowed to cut it as much as up to her shoulder or not/ what about facial hair? Is it harem to get rid of it or not. Please answer and pray my imam is strong.

Praise be to Allaah.

We ask Allaah Almighty to increase you in faith and to make you content with the truth.

Your question includes two issues:

1 – the ruling on cutting women’s hair. Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

We do not know anything (to disallow) cutting women’s hair. What is forbidden is shaving it. You should not shave your hair but you may cut it and reduce its length or volume; we know of nothing wrong with that. But that should be done in a proper manner which will please you and your husband. You should come to some agreement with him on a kind of haircut that does not resemble kaafir women, because if you leave it long, it will be a lot of trouble to wash it and comb it. So if the hair is very long or thick, and the woman cuts it to reduce its length or volume, that doesn’t matter. Cutting some of it will make it more beautiful, which will please both the woman and her husband. So we do not know of any reason to disallow that. But shaving it altogether is not permissible, except in the case of sickness. And Allaah is the Source of strength.

See Fataawa al-Mar’ah al-Muslimah, part 2, p. 515

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)

Al-Nawawi said: this indicates that it is permissible for women to cut their hair short.

But women should avoid resembling kaafir women or immoral women when they cut their hair

Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan said:

It is not permissible for a woman to cut her hair short in the back and leave the sides longer, because this involves disfiguring and fooling about with her hair which is part of her beauty, and it also involves imitating the kaafir women. This prohibition also applies to haircuts which are named after kaafir women or animals, like the “Diana” cut, named after a kaafir women, or the “lion” cut or “mouse” cut, because it is haraam to imitate the kaafirs or to imitate animals, and because that involves fooling about with a woman’s hair which is part of her beauty.

Fataawa al-Mar’ah al-Muslimah, 2/516,517

2 – Removing facial hair.

Shaykh Muhammad al-Saalih ibn ‘Uthaymeen said:

With regard to hair which is abnormal, because it grows in places where hair does not usually grow, such as a woman having a moustache or hair growing on her cheeks, there is nothing wrong with removing this, because it is abnormal and is disfiguring to the woman.

The Standing Committee was asked about women removing facial hair, and they replied as follows:

It is OK for a woman to remove hair on the upper lip, thighs, calves and arms. This is not the same as plucking (eyebrows), which is forbidden.

‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz, ‘Abd al-Razzaaq ‘Afeefi, ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Ghadyaan, ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Qa’ood

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 5/194, 195

The Standing Committee was also asked:

What is the ruling on a woman removing hair from her body; if it is permissible, then who is allowed to do that for her?

They answered:

It is permissible for her (to remove) everything except her eyebrows and the hair on her head; it is not permissible for her to remove those, or to remove anything from the eyebrows whether by shaving or any other means. She, her husband or one of her mahrams may do that for her, with regard to the parts of the body that they are permitted to see; or another woman may do that, with regard to the parts of the body that she is permitted to see

‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz, ‘Abd al-Razzaaq ‘Afeefi, ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Ghadyaan, ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Qa’ood

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 5/194

The hair of the private parts and the thighs may not be seen by either another woman or a mahram.

It is forbidden for a woman to remove her eyebrows or part of them by any means, whether it be by shaving, cutting, using a depilatory substance, because this constitutes the plucking for which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) cursed the one who does it, i.e., the women who plucks all or part of her eyebrows, claiming that it is for the purpose of beautification, or the woman who does that for her. This is changing the creation of Allaah which the Shaytaan promised to enjoin upon the sons of Adam.

See the answer to Question No. 2162, 1172, 1192

See also al-Fataawa al-Jaami’ah li’l-Mar’ah al-Muslimah, part 3, p. 877-879
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

sister,

format_quote Originally Posted by Endymion

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 issue of the permissibility of women cutting their hair is a very detailed matter involving much research from the scholars, which can't really be explained adequately in a forum post.

In general, the main position of the Hanafi madhab, and predominant position of the Hanbali madhab, is that cutting of the hair is not permitted for women (though there are a minority of scholars who permit it in each, but only under certain conditions). I do not know about the other two madhabs.

To my limited knowledge, there is no authentic hadeeth that clearly states that the wives of Rasoolullah cut their hair, at least during his lifetime.

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", to take from. This is translated in some places, as 'cutting' or 'lopping'. There is a word for cutting in Arabic, but that was not used in the hadeeth, and there is nothing which suggests that the meaning deviates from the normal to take from, and becomes cutting.

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 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 other 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, the wives of the prophet 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 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 or Aisha 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 forbade men from imitating women, and women from imitating men, it does not appear befitting to say that the wives of the Prophet had hair cut to their ears.

Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen considers women cutting their hair as a disapproved act, and quotes the most well-known view of the madhab of Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal: - that it is Makrooh in general, and haraam if done in emulation:

"A woman cutting her hair, does so either on account of emulating males. In this case it is Haraam and of the great sins because Rasoolullah said: Women who emulate men have been cursed'. Or the hair-cutting may not reach (the limits) of tashabbuh with men. In this case, the Ulama have differed and there are three views: Among them are those who say that it is permissible. And, among them are those who say that it is haraam, and among them are those who say that it is Makrooh. The well-known (Mash-hoor) view of the Math-hab of Imaam Hambal is that it is Makrooh. The reality is what we have answered earlier (referring to another question). Just a short time ago, we saw women (i.e. Muslim women) taking pride in an abundance of hair on their heads and in long hair. What has happened with their condition (nowadays)? They go towards this act (of hair-cutting) which has come to us from alien lands. I am not denouncing every new development, but I denounce every thing which leads to the changing of the community to the acceptance of the practices of non-Muslims."
(Fataawal Mar'ah, page 232)

In another Fatwa Shaikh Ibn Uthaymeen says:
"Hair-cutting for women according to the Hanaabilah is Makrooh. However, if the cutting is in emulation of males, then it is Haraam because Rasulullah said : Allah has cursed women who imitate men. Similary (will it be haraam) if she cuts her hair in emulation of kaafiraat (non-Muslim women). This too is Haraam because it is not permissible to emulate kaafir women and immoral women because Rasulullah said: Whoever emulated a people, becomes of them. If there is no tashabbuh with this (hair-cutting) or with that (hair-cutting), then according to the Hanaabilah Ulama, it is Makrooh."
(Fataawal Mar'ah, pages 235, 236)

Shaikh Saalih Bin Fawzaan states in the book Tanbeehaat Alaa Ahkaam Takhtassu bil-Mu'minaat, that Muslim ladies are required to lengthen the hair on their heads.

This link explains some of the above view point: http://www.islam.tc/cgi-bin/askimam/...=5849&act=view

And Allah knows best in all matters, and may he forgive me if I said anything wrong. None of the above is from my own knowledge.

That sounds really logical to me.Thanks for the correction,dear sister.

Im surprised how the sheiks of Islam QA made such a big mistake

dear sister,

It may be the case that they use a different interpretation, but Allahu a3lam.

So women are not allowed to cut their hair at all or are we talking about the length in which we are supposed to cut? What if we cut our hair down to our shoulder blades or or just above our shoulders?

I think Muslims from different regions have different hair styles, and does the Arab culture become the defining culture of what is Islamic and what is kufar?

sister,

format_quote Originally Posted by TrueStranger

So women are not allowed to cut their hair at all or are we talking about the length in which we are supposed to cut? What if we cut our hair down to our shoulder blades or or just above our shoulders?

The main Hanafi position is that women shouldn't cut their hair at all, though some of those allow for slight trimming from the bottom if needed if the hair is in very bad condition, or to make it even from the bottom. Those who do allow it, say if trimmed, it must be slight, and must be well below the shoulders, but that it is better to refrain. I don 't know what the Hanbali position is with regards to the detail. If I find out, I'll post it here inshaa'Allah.

format_quote Originally Posted by TrueStranger

I think Muslims from different regions have different hair styles, and does the Arab culture become the defining culture of what is Islamic and what is kufar?

I don't think the scholars quoted were making a point about sticking to Arab culture, but rather were implying that if the Prophet's wives (may Allah be pleased with them) didn't do it, then it is best if we don't do it either.

Allah knows best.

format_quote Originally Posted by Insaanah

sister,



The main Hanafi position is that women shouldn't cut their hair at all, though some of those allow for slight trimming from the bottom if needed if the hair is in very bad condition, or to make it even from the bottom. Those who do allow it, say if trimmed, it must be slight, and must be well below the shoulders, but that it is better to refrain. I don 't know what the Hanbali position is with regards to the detail. If I find out, I'll post it here inshaa'Allah.



I don't think the scholars quoted were making a point about sticking to Arab culture, but rather were implying that if the Prophet's wives (may Allah be pleased with them) didn't do it, then it is best if we don't do it either.

Allah knows best.

Thanks for providing more details of the Hanafi position. Just because the Prophet's (PBUH) wives ( May Allah be pleased with them all) didn't do it doesn't mean that we can't do it ( And that is the Hanafi view), unless the Prophet (PBUH) directly spoke out against women cutting their hair altogether.

As for the scholars, this line stood out :They go towards this act (of hair-cutting) which has come to us from alien lands.

format_quote Originally Posted by TrueStranger

Just because the Prophet's (PBUH) wives ( May Allah be pleased with them all) didn't do it doesn't mean that we can't do it ( And that is the Hanafi view), unless the Prophet (PBUH) directly spoke out against women cutting their hair altogether.

There is most likely a lot more details to this and more evidence that the scholars and jurists had available to them for their reasoning that we don't have knowledge of.

format_quote Originally Posted by TrueStranger

They go towards this act (of hair-cutting) which has come to us from alien lands.

In the context of what was written, I understood that to refer to non-Muslim lands.

And Allah knows best.