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A Discussion on Male Braids For anyone to be able to braid their hair, they have to grow their hair long enough; obviously. So, let us begin this discussion with the following question: What is the ruling on growing hair long in the case of men? Answer: Generally speaking, it is allowed (mubaah) for men to grow their hair. The evidence for this is the hadeeth of Ibn 'Umar, that the Prophet ﷺ saw an infant with his head partly shaven, so he ﷺ forbade that and said: ((اِحْلِقُوهُ كُلَّهُ، أَوِ اتْرُكُوهُ كُلَّه)) “Shave it all, or leave it all (to grow).” [Reported by An-Nasa’i; graded Saheeh by Sheikh Al-Albani in Saheeh An-Nasa’i] This hadeeth clearly demonstrates the permissibility of leaving the hair to grow. However, if a male decides to grow his hair, he has to clean it, comb it, and look after it regularly — without going to extremes. The evidence for this is the statement of the Prophet ﷺ: ((مَنْ كَانَ لَهُ شَعْرٌ فَلْيُكْرِمْهُ)) “Whoever has hair, let them honour it.” [Reported by Abu Dawud on the authority of Abu Hurairah; graded Saheeh by Sheikh Al-Albani in Saheeh Abi Dawud] What does it mean to honour it? Answer: Al-'Adheem Al-Abaadi (may Allah have mercy on him d. 1329H) said: ((فَلْيُزَيِّنْهُ وَلْيُنَظِّفْهُ بِالْغَسْلِ وَالتَّدْهِينِ وَالتَّرْجِيلِ وَلَا يَتْرُكْهُ مُتَفَرِّقًا)) “He should beautify and clean it by washing, oiling, and combing it, and he should not leave it messy or unkempt.” [‘Awn Al-Ma‘bood] You could even get someone to assist you with that. As ‘Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: ((كُنْتُ أُرَجِّلُ رَأْسَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَأَنَا حَائِضٌ)) “I used to comb the head of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ while I was menstruating.” [Bukhari] Can we take from the above-quoted hadeeth that the Prophet ﷺ had long hair? Answer: Yes, the Prophet ﷺ used to grow his hair long. Qataadah said: “I asked Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him): ‘How was the hair of Allah’s Messenger ﷺ?’ He replied: ((كَانَ شَعَرًا رَجِلًا لَيْسَ بِالْجَعْدِ وَلَا السَّبِطِ بَيْنَ أُذُنَيْهِ وَعَاتِقِهِ)) ‘His hair was neither very curly nor very straight, and it hung down between his ears and his shoulders.’” [Bukhari & Muslim] Does this mean it is Sunnah for a man to grow his hair? Answer: Yes, it is a Sunnah; however, Sunnah is of two types: 1⃣. Sunnah ‘Ibaadah (an act of worship) 2⃣. Sunnah ‘Aadah (not an act of worship, but merely a customary practice) As explained by Sheikh Al-Albani in the following link: https://youtu.be/NKSmFSzzcgY [Note: In this clip, Sheikh Al-Albani clearly states that braids fall into the second category; a customary act, not an act of worship.] Moreover, Sheikh ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) explained: “There is nothing wrong with growing the hair on the head, as the Prophet ﷺ had long hair which sometimes came close to his shoulders. So according to the asl (origin), there is nothing wrong with it. But with that said, this returns back to the habits and customs of the people; if it is established that this affair is only used by a certain group and is looked down upon within the customs of the people, then it is not appropriate for the noble to grow their hair, because according to the customs of the people, this is only done by the lowly ones. Therefore, the issue of growing the hair on the head in the case of men is from the mubaah (allowable) affairs, which are governed by the habits and customs of the people. If it is a common practice within the customs of the people, such that everyone shares in it — the honourable as well as the lowly — then there is nothing wrong with it. However, if it is only practised by the lowly ones, then the people of honour and status should not practise it. The Prophet’s ﷺ habit of growing his hair — and he is the most honourable of people and the greatest of them in prestige — cannot be used as an argument, because we do not see this issue (of growing the hair) as an act of Sunnah and worship; rather, it is merely a matter of following the habits and customs.” [Fataawa Noor ‘ala Ad-Darb]