Al-Imām Ibn Bāz was asked: “What is the meaning of the Prophet’s (ﷺ) prohibition against gathering the garment and the hair?”
He (rahimahullāh) replied:
The Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) said: ‘I have been commanded to prostrate upon seven parts/bones, and that I do not gather up the hair nor the garments’ —meaning that when a man goes into prostration, his hair prostrates with him, and his head-covering or clothing prostrates as well. He does not wrap it up or restrain it; rather, he leaves (or allows) it to go down with him.
Question: And [what about] the hair?
Answer: If he has tied/plaited hair, then it prostrates along with him.
Question: Does he prostrate upon it, or tie it up?
Answer: Meaning: it falls onto the ground; he does not tie it up out of fear that it may touch the ground.
(End).
Shaikh Ibn Bāz was refering to the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Abbās where he narrated that the Prophet (salallāhi ‘alaihi wasallam) said:
أُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَسْجُدَ عَلَى سَبْعَةِ أَعْظُمٍ وَلاَ أَكُفَّ ثَوْبًا وَلاَ شَعْرًا
“I was commanded to prostrate myself on seven bones and not to fold back clothing or hair.” (Muslim, no. 490)
Plaited or Braided Hair
It is not obligatory to untie plaits/braids when making wudoo, not for men, nor for women. That is because the head is not washed during wudoo, it is wiped as Allah has stated in Surah al-Mā’idah. And nothing is wiped beyond the back of the head, even if the hair falls beyond the nape of the neck and unto the back.
In performing ghusl, it is required that water reach the entire body and the roots of the hair. However, Allah has given allowance to the woman who has braided (plaited) her hair and intends to perform ghusl. She can pour water over her head so that it reaches the roots of her hair, and she is not required to undo her braids. In this ruling, the man is the same as the woman. Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: I said: “O Messenger of Allah, I am a woman who tightly braids the hair of my head—should I undo it for the ghusl of janābah?” He said: “No. It is sufficient for you to pour three handfuls of water over your head, then pour water over yourself, and you will be purified.” (Muslim no. 330) And in another narration, she said: “Should I undo it for menstruation and janābah?” He replied: “No.”
Al-Lajnah ad-Dāʾimah (the Committee of Major scholars in Saudi Arabia) were asked: “Is there any difference between the ghusl of a man and a woman from janābah? Must a woman undo her hair, or is it sufficient for her to pour three handfuls of water over it as mentioned in the hadīth? And what is the difference between the ghusl of janābah and menstruation?”
They replied: There is no difference between the man and the woman regarding the manner of performing ghusl from janābah. Neither of them is required to undo the hair for ghusl. Rather, it is sufficient for each of them to pour three handfuls of water over the head, then pour water over the rest of the body. (Fatāwā al-Lajnah ad-Dāʾimah 5/349).
There is no harm in a man praying with his hair braided, but it is disliked for him to tie it, like women who tie it around the head, or to gather the hair and tie it at the back of the head. This is based on the report of Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with them) that he saw ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Hārith praying while his hair was tied at the back. He stood and untied it. When he finished, he approached Ibn ʿAbbās and said, “What is the matter with my head?!” Ibn ʿAbbās said: “I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: ‘The example of this is like the one who prays while his hands are tied.’” (Muslim no. 492). Al-Manāwī stated it is like the one who prays with his hands tied to his shoulders—i.e., that it is disliked just as that is disliked. So, when long hair is tied back, it does not touch the floor, and that is makrooh (disliked). Abu Shāmah said: This applies to gathering the hair [for men] after braiding it, as women do.
The scholars are agreed on the dislike of tying the hair (ʿaqs) in prayer. Tying here means pulling a braid around the head as women do, or gathering the hair and tying it at the back of the head. This is disliked as a form of tanzīh (makrooh), and if one prays in this state, the prayer is valid. The wisdom behind the dislike it is that the hair prostrates with the one praying, and for this reason, the Prophet (ﷺ) compared it in the hadīth to one who prays with his hands tied.
Folded or Gathered Garments
Back to the issue of gathering garments: Shaikh Ibn Bāz was asked: Some people have wide garments, and when they intend to prostrate, they gather them so that the person on their right or left does not sit on them.
He replied: That does not cause any harm. He is still prostrating upon it.
Question: Is the prohibition of gathering because he would not be prostrating upon it?
Shaykh: In this case, he has not abandoned prostrating upon it—he is still prostrating upon it. Rather, it is done so that those around him are not harmed, or that he himself is not harmed.
Question: And gathering the hair, or placing the shemagh behind the back?
Shaykh: Yes—he leaves his shemagh as it is [and not place over his shoulders and back].
End.
Dreadlocks, ‘Natural’ Locs and Microlocs
Dreadlocks are not allowed for our sisters and daughters of African and Caribbean descent, or any other ethnicity.
Dreadlocks (“locs” or “natural locks”) are a significant religious and spiritual symbol for several cultures and religions. While famously associated with the Rastafari movement, dreadlocks have been used for thousands of years to signify spiritual devotion, connection to the divine, or the renunciation of vanity.
Microlocs, if they carry the same significance in style and imitation of the Kuffar in their religion, spiritual beliefs, and renunciation of vanity, then they are prohibited, for sure.
In any case, I would advise my sisters and daughters from African and Caribbean [and all ethnic] backgrounds to avoid locs and instead, plate or braid their hair neatly, keeping it neat, oiled and clean. This hair arrangement is shared between all cultures and all women, and is not distinct to the kuffār. So it is not considered a resemblance to the unbelievers for the Muslim women.
“Plait” and “braid” refer to the same core technique of interlacing strands of hair, but differ primarily by regional dialect: “plait” is common in British English, while “braid” is the standard American term.