635. Do WOMEN Have To Untie Their Hair For Salaah?

 By Asma bint Shameem 

Women *CAN* offer their prayers in a bun or ponytail etc. 

And there’s *nothing wrong with that. *

Although the hadeeth is authentic, it does NOT apply to women. 

Rather, it applies only to *MEN*.

You see men in those days usually had long hair. 

And the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam instructed the men to let their (long) hair prostrate with them when they go into sajdah. 

The hadeeth:

Abdullah ibn ‘Abbaas radhi Allaahu anhumaa said that he saw ‘Abd-Allaah ibn al-Haarith praying, and his hair was braided and tied up at the back. 

He went and started to undo it. 

When he finished praying, he turned to Ibn ‘Abbaas radhi Allaahu anhu and said: 

“What do you have to do with my hair?”

He said: 

“I heard the Messenger of Allaah Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam 

say: 

“The likeness of this one is that of a man who prays with his hands tied.”

(Muslim 492)

Shaikh Ibn Uthaymeen said:

“*This ruling APPLIES ONLY to MEN*, NOT WOMEN, because when praying the woman is commanded to cover herself and if we were to tell the woman to undo her hair when praying or let her braids prostrate with her, as we tell men to do, that might lead to it (her hair) becoming uncovered whilst praying, and it is not permissible to uncover it because it is ‘awrah. 

But the hair of a man is not ‘awrah, as is quite obvious.”

(Al-Liqa’ Al-Shahri 17)

And the statement of the scholars shows that they *understood clearly* the hadeeth *applies to MEN only*. 

And NOT women. 

They said:

“The fuqaha’ are unanimously agreed that it is makrooh to tie back the hair when praying. 

What is meant by tying back is wrapping the braid around the head *as women do*, or gathering the hair and tying it at the back of the head. 

This is makrooh but if a person (man) prays like that, his prayer is still valid.”

[al-Mawsoo‘ah al-Fiqhiyyah (26/109)]

It’s logical!

Just think about it....

The hair is part of the awrah of a woman and when she prays she must completely cover ALL her awrah, including the hair. 

If she were to “undo” her hair, then there’s a big chance that her hair would show from under her headcover, since women usually have long hair. 

So the hadeeth applies to MEN. 

And there’s nothing wrong with women tying their hair during prayer. 

And Allaah knows best