Therefore, braiding the hair while travelling, during Jihad, or whenever the need arises — for someone who already has long hair — is closer to emulating the Pr

POINT 3: The Prophet ﷺ did not go to extremes with his braids. They were four simple and effortless braids. Therefore, whoever seeks to emulate the Prophet ﷺ should avoid wasting excessive time and money on getting their braids done. POINT 4: The Prophet ﷺ said: ((أُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَسْجُدَ عَلَى سَبْعَةِ أَعْظُمٍ؛ عَلَى الْجَبْهَةِ وَالْيَدَيْنِ وَالرُّكْبَتَيْنِ وَأَطْرَافِ الْقَدَمَيْنِ وَلَا نَكْفِتَ الثِّيَابَ وَلَا الشَّعْرَ)) “I have been commanded to prostrate on seven bones: the forehead, the hands, the knees, and the tips of the feet, and not to fold back the clothing or the hair.” [Hadeeth of Ibn ‘Abbas, reported by Bukhari and Muslim] This shows that it is disliked for males to pray while their hair is tied back. This, from what is apparent, includes cornrows. Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), who narrated the previous hadeeth, saw ‘Abdullah ibn Al-Haarith praying with his hair plaited and tied behind his head. So Ibn ‘Abbas undid his hair. After the prayer, ‘Abdullah ibn Al-Haarith asked him why he did that. Ibn ‘Abbas replied: “I heard the Prophet ﷺ saying: ‘Whoever prays with hair plaited and tied behind their head is like someone who prays with their hands tied up.’” [Reported by Muslim] Sheikh ‘Abdulmuhsin Al-‘Abbad حفظه الله said: “It does not matter whether he makes it into braids and gathers it behind him, or gathers it together and ties it behind him (i.e., both are included in the prohibition).” [His explanation of the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Abbas in Sunan Abi Dawud, p. 8] How likely is it that a person will undo their braids before every prayer? Very unlikely. Thus, a person may continue praying with braids, persisting upon this disliked act. Warning: Persistence upon a Makrooh act can render it into a minor sin. Ash-Shatibi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “Sin is apparent regarding prohibited matters (haraam). As for disliked matters (makrooh), there is no sin in general, as long as it is not accompanied by something that necessitates it, such as persistence upon it. This is because persistence upon a minor sin can make it a major sin; likewise, persistence upon a disliked matter may make it a minor sin.” [Al-I‘tisam (1/296)] سبحانك اللهم وبحمدك، أشهد أن لا إله إلا أنت، أستغفرك وأتوب إليك