Just to summarise, Sheikh ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah be pleased with him) is saying that the Prophet ﷺ grew his hair because it was a common custom amongst the Arabs

This discussion about growing the hair being a customary practice is equally applicable to braiding the hair, which is the focus of our discussion. To cut to the chase, my argument is that in our time and age, particularly in the West, male braiding is heavily linked to rap culture, drugs, gangs, and the like. It is far from being a common custom amongst Muslims, let alone being a sign of piety. In fact, Ibn ‘Abdil Barr (may Allah have mercy on him) (d. 463H) said: “Now the people of our time do not let their hair grow except soldiers, who grow their hair until their earlobes, and some to their shoulders. Whereas the people of righteousness, chastity, and knowledge have shunned this practice, such that growing the hair shoulder-length has almost become a distinct sign of fools. And it was reported from the Prophet ﷺ that he said: ((من تشبه بقوم فهو منهم - أو حشر معهم)) “Whoever resembles a people is one of them — or will be gathered with them.” [At-Tamheed (6/80)] Though he was speaking about long hair, I believe his statement is equally applicable to men braiding their hair in our time. Did the Prophet ﷺ ever braid his hair? Answer: Yes, he did. It was narrated that Umm Haani’ (may Allah be pleased with her) said: ((قَدِمَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ إِلَى مَكَّةَ وَلَهُ أَرْبَعُ غَدَائِرَ)) “The Prophet ﷺ came to Makkah with four braids.” [Reported by Abu Dawud (4191); graded Saheeh by Sheikh Al-Albani in Saheeh Abi Dawud] Is it Sunnah to braid the hair? Answer: We already mentioned previously that growing and braiding the hair is a Sunnah ‘Aadah; it is regulated by the customs of the people. If a person lives in a time or place where this practice is viewed negatively within the customs, or is associated with the foolish and lowly, as is the case with male braids here in the West, then we should shun and refrain from engaging in it. If a person lives in a society where male braids are common practice, is there any chance they will be rewarded for growing and braiding their hair? Answer: If it is done اقْتِدَاءً / تَأَسِّيًا (in emulation and imitation of the Prophet ﷺ), then yes, a person is rewarded for this. Sheikh Muqbil (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “(Wearing) the ‘Imaamah is considered to be from the customs of the Arabs which was endorsed by Islam. However, as far as it being a Sunnah, then it does not reach the level of being a Sunnah (i.e., Sunnah ‘Ibaadah). The ‘Imaamah is a customary matter. However, if you intend to imitate the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, then you will be rewarded for imitating him ﷺ.” [Tuhfatul Mujeeb, p. 138] If someone seeks to imitate the Prophet ﷺ by braiding their hair, they must consider the following points: POINT 1: The Prophet ﷺ did not braid his hair regularly. In fact, the only incident I came across — although my search is very limited — was the hadeeth of Umm Haani’ quoted above. Therefore, braiding the hair once in a while is closer to emulating the Prophet ﷺ than doing so on a regular basis. POINT 2: It is mentioned in Tuhfatul Ahwadhi, the explanation of Sunan At-Tirmidhi, that: “Some wordings indicate that this arrival was on the Day of the Conquest of Makkah, because on that day he bathed and prayed the Dhuha prayer in her house. ‘He had four braids.’ He (Muhammad ‘Abdulghani Ad-Dahlawi) said in Injaahul Haajah Haashiyati Ibn Maajah: ‘Perhaps he did that to keep away the dust.’ End quote. I (Al-Mubarakfuri) say: This is what appears to be correct, because he ﷺ was travelling at the time.” This statement from ‘Abdur-Rahman Al-Mubarakfuri (may Allah have mercy on him) shows that the Prophet ﷺ braided his hair when he travelled to partake in Jihad (the conquest of Makkah), an occasion where a person would be least likely to focus on maintaining his hair.