Long Hair for Men

Q: Is keeping long hair for man prohibited in Islam?

A: Long hair for a man is allowed if it is kept according to the Sunnah of Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alayhi wasallam). According to the books of hadith, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) had three lengths of hair. One length was till the middle of the ear, the second till the ears, and the third till just above the shoulders. Rasool (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) never tied his hair into a pony tail nor did he plait his hair. Hence, the long hair must not resemble the styles of the non-Muslim West for the Quran-e-Kareem and Hadith-e-Shareef have condemned the imitation of disbelievers. Furthermore, hair should not be so long that it resembles the hair of a woman, which normally falls down to the waist or middle of the back. Resemblance of a woman by man is prohibited in a hadith of Bukhari Shareef.

And Allah knows best

Prepared by Moulana Yusuf Laher
Checked and Ratified by:
Mufti Siraj Desai, Darul-Uloom Abubakr, Malabar, Port Elizabeth, South Africa