QUESTION:

There is this Hadith circulating regarding Cutting Nails and Trimming Hair for One Who Intends to do Qurbani. It says that it is Sunnah to avoid these things once Dhul Hijjah commences.

Can you please explain the matter in detail?

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ANSWER:

Yes. There is a Hadith which mentions this. We will put the Hadith forward, explain the Mazaahib of aimmah, and then elaborate on it.

Ummum Mu’mineen Umme Salamah Radiyallahu Anha narrates that Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam said: “When the days of Dhul Hijjah begin, and one of you intends to sacrifice, then he should not touch anything from his hair or his skin”.

In another narration: “He should not trim his hair nor clip his nails”.

In another narration: “Whoever witnesses the Hilal (crescent) of Dhul-Hijjah and intends to sacrifice, should not take from his hair nor his nails”. [Muslim, Mishkat Page 127]

Mazaahib:

1) Some Salaf like Imam Ahmed and Ishaq say that removing hair or clipping nails becomes haraam for a person who intends to do Qurbani and the month of Dhul-Hijjah has started. It will only become permissible for him/her after the Qurbani is done.

2) It is narrated from Imam Shafi’ee Rahmatullahi Alayhi that this is only Makrooh Tanzeehi i.e. slightly disliked.

3) Imam Malik Rahmatullahi Alayhi says: “It is not Haraam nor Makrooh Tanzeehi. In fact he says: It’s Mubaah i.e. permissible.

Most Ulama have narrated this from Imam Abu Hanifa Rahmatullahi Alayhi. However, Mufti Taqi Usmani Saheb writes I could not find this directly in the books of Hanafi fiqh. [Takmilah 329 Vol. 5]

Imam Malik rahmatullahi alayhi and those who declare it permissible take Daleel from the Hadith of Hadhrat Aysha Radiyallahu Anha in Saheeh Bukhari that “Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam would send sacrificial animals to Makkah Mukarramah, then nothing would become Haraam for him until people would return from Haj”.

Intending to do Qurbani is lesser than sending Sending a Qurbani animal to Makkah Mukarramah. When that does not make anything Haraam, why would mere intention make something Haraam?

Imam Nawawi Rahmatullahi Alayhi writes that the wisdom behind this Hadith could be that such a person should also remain complete with all his limbs and body parts, until he sacrifices the Qurbani animal. So the reason could be ‘Tashabbuh Bil Muhrim’ ie. Emulating the Haaji who is in Ihraam, and who is not permitted to remove hair nor clip nails.

However, Imam Nawawi goes on to say that this is not correct. Because one in Ihram, has to avoid sexual intercourse, perfume and sewn clothes. Whereas these do not become Haraam on the person who intends to do Qurbani. So there is no tashabbuh.
Mufti Taqi Saheb writes “If there is no full tashabbuh, it does not mean that there should not be partial tashabbuh either.
Maybe this is why Hafez Ibn Hajar Rahmatullahi Alayhi is of the opinion that the most we can say is that it would be Mustahabb i.e., desirable to refrain from trimming and clipping.

I would add that in those days when a person intended to do Qurbani, he would purchase the animal a few days before Eid. This is what ‘Intending’ would mean. So when a person has the animal in front of his house a few days before Eidul adh’ha, it would be desirable that he should do his own Qurbani of nails, moustache, armpits, pubic hair on the day of Eid as well.
In this day and age, especially in the UK, we can’t keep animals in our homes, and many people send qurbanees abroad, therefore there should be no reason why this would become Haraam.

And by the way, it can’t be classed as sunnah either, because a sunnah is something that Rasulullah Sallallahu alayhi wasallam did on a regular basis, and Aisha radiallahu anha has refuted this in the Hadith of sending hady to Makkah Mukarramah.

Allah knows best.

(Hadhrat Maulana) Abdul Raheem (hafizahullah)