Halq (shaving and cutting hair)

الحلق

Halq lexically is removing hair, and also names the throat; istihdad is shaving the pubic area and naf't is plucking hair at its roots. 1 2 For Hanafis the sunna for a man's head is parting or shaving; for the Malikis shaving the head is a permitted innovation outside the state of ihram; for the Shafiis there is no harm in it for cleanliness; Ahmad has two reports on its dislike. 2 3 Shaving part of the head (qaza') is disliked; a woman may not shave her head except out of necessity among the Hanafis and Malikis. 3 Most jurists recommend shaving a newborn's head on the seventh day and giving the weight of the hair in silver in alms; the Hanbalis do not shave a girl's hair. 3 4 For the Hanafis shaving the moustache is a sunna; for the Malikis it is trimmed not shaved; for the Shafiis shaving it is disliked; for the Hanbalis trimming or clipping its edge is sunna; shaving the beard is forbidden. 4 5 A person in ihram may not shave his own head or another's until both have finished the rite. 5 Shaving or cutting the hair to leave ihram is a rite for the Hanafis, Malikis, the more authoritative Shafii view and the Hanbali school, and a mere release from a prohibition for some Shafiis and Ahmad in one report. 5 Shaving the whole head suffices by agreement; the Hanafis accept a quarter of the head with dislike; the Shafiis accept three hairs; the Malikis and Hanbalis reject shaving part of the head. 6 A woman cuts rather than shaves for leaving ihram. 5 6 Shaving the pubic hair is recommended for men as part of the natural practice, and shaving the armpit is permitted for one who finds plucking hard. 7 Most jurists recommend shaving a convert's head; the Hanafis and Hanbalis forbid shaving a dead person's head, the Malikis dislike it, and the Shafiis in the sounder view do not shave it. 8 9 The word also names the throat, to which rules on fasting and suckling attach. 9 The entry closes at the next headword, halla (حلّ), on p.7270.

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Era
The Early Abbasid Caliphate
Region
Global / Diaspora
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Ethics and characterWorship and the pillars

Summary

Halq lexically is removing hair, and also names the throat; istihdad is shaving the pubic area and naf't is plucking hair at its roots. 1 2 For Hanafis the sunna for a man's head is parting or shaving; for the Malikis shaving the head is a permitted innovation outside the state of ihram; for the Shafiis there is no harm in it for cleanliness; Ahmad has two reports on its dislike. 2 3 Shaving part of the head (qaza') is disliked; a woman may not shave her head except out of necessity among the Hanafis and Malikis. 3 Most jurists recommend shaving a newborn's head on the seventh day and giving the weight of the hair in silver in alms; the Hanbalis do not shave a girl's hair. 3 4 For the Hanafis shaving the moustache is a sunna; for the Malikis it is trimmed not shaved; for the Shafiis shaving it is disliked; for the Hanbalis trimming or clipping its edge is sunna; shaving the beard is forbidden. 4 5 A person in ihram may not shave his own head or another's until both have finished the rite. 5 Shaving or cutting the hair to leave ihram is a rite for the Hanafis, Malikis, the more authoritative Shafii view and the Hanbali school, and a mere release from a prohibition for some Shafiis and Ahmad in one report. 5 Shaving the whole head suffices by agreement; the Hanafis accept a quarter of the head with dislike; the Shafiis accept three hairs; the Malikis and Hanbalis reject shaving part of the head. 6 A woman cuts rather than shaves for leaving ihram. 5 6 Shaving the pubic hair is recommended for men as part of the natural practice, and shaving the armpit is permitted for one who finds plucking hard. 7 Most jurists recommend shaving a convert's head; the Hanafis and Hanbalis forbid shaving a dead person's head, the Malikis dislike it, and the Shafiis in the sounder view do not shave it. 8 9 The word also names the throat, to which rules on fasting and suckling attach. 9 The entry closes at the next headword, halla (حلّ), on p.7270.

People and things also explored

Openness as against secrecy in acts of worship, charity and public notice (alaniya)· Deliberate act (amd), as against error, and its rulings· Wounding an animal that cannot be taken (aqr) and its effect on lawfulness and liability· Honey: its medicinal use and zakat (asal)· Resolve and its legal effect (azm)· Shahwa (desire: its effect on touch and ablution, on fasting and pilgrimage, on looking, on marriage by touch and on the breaking of the marriage bond)· Shakk (doubt in law: its kinds, the rule that certainty is not removed by doubt, and its effect on worship, contracts, penalties and evidence)· Hay'a (the recommended forms of prayer, and the dignified offenders)

Sources

  1. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.7261
  2. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.7262
  3. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.7263
  4. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.7264
  5. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.7265
  6. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.7266
  7. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.7267
  8. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.7268
  9. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.7269
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islam.museum contributors. “Halq (shaving and cutting hair)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/halq-shaving/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-23.

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Openness as against secrecy in acts of worship, charity and public notice (alaniya)

In the lexicon, alaniya comes from proclaiming and showing a thing, and is the opposite of secrecy. Public voice (jahr) is narrower than openness, and secrecy is what is hidden in the heart. Acts of worship divide by openness: some are prescribed to be public, such as the call to prayer, the sermon, jihad and enjoining good; some are better kept private, such as reciting silently in the silent prayer; and some may be either, such as charity. An obligatory alms-giving is better shown when there is no fear of showing off, so that others may follow it, while a voluntary gift is better hidden where display is feared. The faults of narrators, witnesses and those entrusted with charities and endowments must be made public when they affect their fitness, and the scholars hold this is not forbidden backbiting. The judge is recommended to proclaim the restraint of a bankrupt and to call witnesses to it, and one Shafi'i view makes it obligatory.