The Sunnah of Keeping Hair Long for Men
Introduction
In Islam, keeping the hair long for men is something that is mentioned in the Sunnah, based on authentic narrations about the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Here are the key points:
Length of the Prophet’s ﷺ Hair
The Prophet ﷺ sometimes kept his hair long, to around his ear lobes or shoulders(both are reported in hadith).
Anas ibn Malik (رضي الله عنه) said:
“The hair of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ reached his shoulders and earlobes.”(Muslim, Ahmad)
General Guidelines (Adab) of Hair in the Sunnah
Cleanliness & Grooming– The Prophet ﷺ emphasised that hair should be kept neat, combed, and oiled if long. He said:
“Whoever has hair, let him take care of it.”(Abu Dawood, authenticated by al-Albani)
Avoiding Pride/Imitating Wrong– The intention should not be arrogance or imitating non-Muslim practices that are specific to them.
No Half Styles (Qaza‘)– The Prophet ﷺ forbade shaving parts of the head while leaving others in patches. (Bukhari, Muslim)
No Obligation– Long hair is not obligatory or a sign of greater piety. The Prophet ﷺ had long and short hair at different times. Both are permissible.
Imitating Women– A man should not keep hair in a way that resembles women’s styles, as Islam differentiates between the appearances of men and women.
In summary:
The Sunnah is that it is permissible for a man to keep long hair, and the Prophet ﷺ sometimes kept his hair to his shoulders or earlobes. The main Sunnah aspect is in maintaining cleanliness, grooming, and dignity. Short hair is equally fine, as the Prophet ﷺ also had his hair cut short at times.
Would you like me to give you the different lengths of the Prophet’s ﷺ hair with the Arabic terms used in hadith (like wafrah, limmah, jummah) so you can see the Sunnah styles more clearly?
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References would be good
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Got it 👍 — here are the references from authentic Hadith about the Prophet ﷺ keeping long hair, with the Arabic terms scholars use:
Lengths of the Prophet’s ﷺ Hair
Wafrah (وَفْرَة)– hair reaching theearlobes
Anas ibn Malik (رضي الله عنه) said:
“The hair of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ reached hisearlobes.”
—(Sahih al-Bukhari 5904, Sahih Muslim 2337)
Limmah (لِمَّة)– hair reaching theshoulders(but not past them)
Al-Bara’ ibn ‘Azib (رضي الله عنه) said:
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was of medium stature, broad-shouldered, with hair that reached his earlobes. I saw him in a red cloak, and I never saw anyone more handsome than him.”
—(Sahih al-Bukhari 3551, Sahih Muslim 2337)
In another narration:
“The hair of the Prophet ﷺ reached his shoulders.”
—(Sunan Abu Dawood 4187, graded Sahih by al-Albani)
Jummāh (جُمَّة)– hair that comes down to the shoulders or slightly beyond
Aisha (رضي الله عنها) said:
“I used to bathe with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ from the same vessel, and he had hair reaching his shoulders.”
—(Sunan Ibn Majah 3631, Sahih)
Adab (Etiquette) of Keeping Hair
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Whoever has hair, let him take care of it.”
—(Sunan Abu Dawood 4163, Sahih by al-Albani)
About Qaza‘(shaving parts and leaving parts):
Ibn Umar (رضي الله عنه) said:
“The Prophet ﷺ forbade al-Qaza‘.”
—(Sahih al-Bukhari 5920, Sahih Muslim 2120)
The Sunnah of Keeping Hair Long for Men
Introduction
In Islam, it is permissible for men to keep their hair long or short. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ kept his hair at different lengths at different times. The key Sunnah is maintaining cleanliness, neatness, and dignity.
Lengths of the Prophet’s ﷺ Hair
Wafrah (وَفْرَة)– hair reaching the earlobes
Anas ibn Malik (رضي الله عنه) said:
“The hair of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ reached his earlobes.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari 5904, Sahih Muslim 2337)
Limmah (لِمَّة)– hair reaching the shoulders(but not past them)
Al-Bara’ ibn ‘Azib (رضي الله عنه) said:
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was of medium stature, broad-shouldered, with hair that reached his earlobes...”
(Sahih al-Bukhari 3551, Sahih Muslim 2337)
In another narration:
“The hair of the Prophet ﷺ reached his shoulders.”
(Sunan Abu Dawood 4187, graded Sahih by al-Albani)
Jummāh (جُمَّة)– hair that comes down to the shoulders or slightly beyond
Aisha (رضي الله عنها) said:
“I used to bathe with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ from the same vessel, and he had hair reaching his shoulders.”
(Sunan Ibn Majah 3631, Sahih)
Adab (Etiquette) of Keeping Hair
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Whoever has hair, let him take care of it.”
(Sunan Abu Dawood 4163, Sahih by al-Albani)
The Prophet ﷺ forbade Qaza‘(shaving parts of the head while leaving other parts).
(Sahih al-Bukhari 5920, Sahih Muslim 2120)
Summary
It is Sunnah and permissible for men to keep long hair, provided it is neat and cared for.
The Prophet ﷺ sometimes kept his hair to his ear lobes (wafrah)or shoulders (limmah/jummāh).
The key principles are cleanliness, grooming, and avoiding pride or imitating women.
