Why is it taboo in asian societies for women to cut their hair?

You —

Just asking because I came across this page which mentioned:

It was narrated in Saheeh Muslim that Abu Salamah ibn ‘Abd al-Rahmaan said: “The wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to cut their hair until it came just below their ears.” ( al-Hayd , 320)

So why is it taboo especially for the older generation? Is there some valid source, or could it be due to maybe influence from other religions in the region which may be against cutting of hair? (I *think* sikhs may consider it wrong to cut the hair... or I may be making that up.)

(PS I cannot seem to find that hadith in the USC collection of Sahih Muslim...)

Forum

Saira — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 - 07:12

Thid kind of question can only be answered by the one and only.....an Asian Male! Since they set these rules and passed them on.

I'd also like to know why asian women should not learn how to drive when the Qu'ran and Suunah has no law against it.

Also like to know why its wrong if a female driver overtakes a male driver

Also what's the problem if girls come out with damn good grades which the asian males never did

(Yes I am an asian female - can u tell :D)

MuslimSister — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 - 15:30

Its a cultural thing. I kept cutting my hair despite my fathers extreme annoyance. I just kept it tied back. After marraige, my hair is shoulder length - dad still hates it.

I've heard some cultural stuff about metal never touching a womans hair...dunno how true this is...

Although, there is some religious backing to it. Islamically, girls must not look like men, so very short boy cuts are forbidden in islam.

You — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 - 15:37

[quote=Saira]Thid kind of question can only be answered by the one and only.....an Asian Male![/quote]

I hate the logic of "when in doubt, blame the men!" - mainly because that puts me in the firing line.

@MuslimSister - there is a hadith on he lines that a woman should not shave her head where some people get the idea from... but that is shaving, not cutting.

Saira — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 - 16:03

[quote=You][quote=Saira]Thid kind of question can only be answered by the one and only.....an Asian Male![/quote]

I hate the logic of "when in doubt, blame the men!" - mainly because that puts me in the firing line.

@MuslimSister - there is a hadith on he lines that a woman should not shave her head where some people get the idea from... but that is shaving, not cutting.[/quote]

You know what this means then.......WAR and nope I is no feminist, just seem to have males thorw rules regulations down at me which have no religious basis just cultural notions, women don't seem to do that tho)
Although if You let do anything I want then You're outta the firing line and free to live 😃

You — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 - 01:05

[quote=Ya'qub]How would Rapunzel ever escaped if she hadn't been an Asian female and therefore cut her hair?!?!?!\

Won't someone PLEASE think of the (fictional) children?! [/quote]

How dare you suggest that women are allowed outside the house!

You — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 - 21:39

You can't live life worry if there is someone out there who might disapprove - there are better reasons than that to do and not do things.

You have to realise that there are a lot of clueless/illiterate people there too, and for them it generally works by word of mouth - since they do not feel educated enough, they are less likely to question, or even ask for explanation.

An equivalent example is advising people to not eat banananas because if they have too many, they may get too much potassium - whereas a doctor *may* have advised a single person to cut down on bananas due to him specifically have too high a potassium level.

You — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 - 21:42

[quote=YasminCullen]I got many asian friends and there parents wont let them cut their hair they go its a culture thing. I got a bob cut done. Does this mean im imitating a non-believer? [/quote]

WHo's bob and why does he have a cut named after him? and why have you got a haircut in the name of a guy.

("imitating disbelievers" means doing it in a way that distinguishes you... for instance dressing like a nun or a priest etc - as those dress codes have specific meanings to communities and if you saw someone dressed as a priest you would not expect the person to be Muslim.)

Ya'qub — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 - 13:28

[quote=MakeMeRawr_6TeenF][quote=Noor]it is allowed...[/quote]

Clearly not everyone agrees with that...

The fact that it's questionable is enough.[/quote]

Not true at all. The fact that there's evidence for it being forbidden means that we can ignore the ppl who say this.

RI_RS — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 - 21:42

[quote=Ya'qub][quote=MakeMeRawr_6TeenF][quote=Noor]it is allowed...[/quote]

Clearly not everyone agrees with that...

The fact that it's questionable is enough.[/quote]

Not true at all. The fact that there's evidence for it being forbidden means that we can ignore the ppl who say this.[/quote]

no 'we' can't ignore 'the people' who say this

RI_RS — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 - 21:53

No YOU can. Don't speak for me.

As far as i'm concerned, they're Muslims and their view counts, and it doesn't seem as though it's a rare opinion.

i DOUBT it's solely culture based, i'm sure they have good reason to believe they're right as much as you have to believe you are.

You — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 - 21:59

[quote=MakeMeRawr_6TeenF]No YOU can. Don't speak for me.[/quote]

you're right (but I stand by the thought that not all opinions are equal).

EDIT - also, is the opinion not automatically discounted til you come across it? til you see some reason for why they think so, is it not just another opinion in a sea of opinions, without much weight?

Ya'qub — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 - 22:53

Rory stop being silly. Why make something complicated when it doesn't have to be? Whether you decide to cut your hair or never cut it, cover it or not, wear what you like etc is NONE of anyone else's business.

They can tell you their view/belief/opinion as to if it is OK in the Eyes of God, but whether you (or anyone else) chooses to follow what they say is entirely up to you (or anyone else).

The Lamp — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 - 14:32

[quote=You]Just asking because I came across this page which mentioned:

It was narrated in Saheeh Muslim that Abu Salamah ibn ‘Abd al-Rahmaan said: “The wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to cut their hair until it came just below their ears.” ( al-Hayd , 320)

So why is it taboo especially for the older generation? Is there some valid source, or could it be due to maybe influence from other religions in the region which may be against cutting of hair? (I *think* sikhs may consider it wrong to cut the hair... or I may be making that up.)

(PS I cannot seem to find that hadith in the USC collection of Sahih Muslim...)[/quote]

Look at the Hadith, lovely innit! 🙂 Just below the ears is pretty short, so I'm guessing cutting it to that length is halal, so long as you don't look like a man.