1638/1- Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported: “The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) forbade Qaza‘ (shaving parts of the head and leaving other parts unshaven).” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
1639/2- He also reported: “The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) saw a boy with some of his hair shaved and some unshaved. He forbade them from doing that and said: ‘Shave it all or leave it all.’”
[Narrated by Abu Dāwūd with an Isnād that meets the conditions of Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
Qaza‘: to shave part of the head and leave the rest unshaved.
1) It is forbidden to shave part of the head and leave the other unshaven, because doing this causes deformation to the head and is unfair.
2) When the Islamic law forbids something, it guides to what is more beneficial and better for the person. When it forbade Qaza‘, it guided Muslims to shave all the hair or leave all of it.
Al-Hāfiz Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy upon him) said in his book Tuhfat Al-Mawdūd fi Ahkām Al-Mawlūd:
“Qaza‘ is to shave parts of the boy’s head and leave other parts unshaved. Our Shaykh said: ‘This indicates the perfect love of Allah Almighty and His Messenger (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) for justice, as he (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) commanded it even in man’s personal affairs. He forbade one to shave a part of his head and leave the other unshaven because this involves injustice to the head, when part of it is covered with hair while the other part is bare. Another example is when the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) forbade sitting between the sun and the shade, because this is injustice done to some parts of the body. He also forbade that a person wears a sandal in one foot, and said that one should either wear sandals on both feet or leave both of them bare.”
There are four forms of Qaza‘:
1- To shave some parts from the different sides of his head.
2- To shave the middle of the head and leave the sides unshaven, like what the Christian deacons do with their hair.
3- To shave the sides and leave the middle of the head unshaven, like what is done by many lowly and mean people.
4- To shave the front part and leave the back.
All these forms are included in the meaning of Qaza‘, and Allah knows best.” [End of quote]
1640/3- ‘Abdullah ibn Ja‘far (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) gave the family of Ja‘far a three-days respite. He then came to them and said: “Do not weep for my brother after this day.” He then said: “Call for me the children of my brother.” We were brought over to him as if we were (bereft) chicks. Then he said: “Call for me a barber.” He then ordered him to shave our heads. [Narrated by Abu Dāwūd with an Isnād that meets the conditions of Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
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1) Shaving the head symbolizes removing temporary grief and anticipating joy.
2) It is impermissible to weep over a dead person for more than three nights.
The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) shaved their heads because their mother was overwhelmed by the calamity (of losing her husband) and did not comb or wash their heads. Therefore, the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) mended their state. This is of his mercy to his family and relatives (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him).
1641/4- ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) forbade that the woman shaves her head.” [12]
1) A woman is forbidden to shave her hair, whether she is old or young, unless there is a need.
2) A woman shaving her hair in a way that resembles men is considered a form of the forbidden imitation.