Buying And Selling Human Hair In Islam

Darulifta Ahlesunnat

(Dawateislami)

Question

   What do the scholars of Islam say about the following matter: nowadays, there are people in some localities who offer to buy human hair.  They purchase male and especially female hair with some part of its root, up to the rate of 8,000 Rs. per kilo.  The public are selling the hair of their family members despite the weight usually not reaching 62.5g.  Is this buying and selling of human hair permissible?

بِسْمِ اللہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ

اَلْجَوَابُ بِعَوْنِ الْمَلِکِ الْوَھَّابِ اَللّٰھُمَّ ھِدَایَۃَ الْحَقِّ وَالصَّوَابِ

   The buying and selling of human hair, be it male or female, is impermissible and Haram.  For women, apart from the actual buying and selling element, there is the issue that even after such hair is removed from their head it is still necessary (wājib) to conceal this hair from a non-maḥram, according to sharīʿah.  When female hair is sold, the sin of all those involved in the process (seeing and handling the hair) will also add to the sin of the original seller. Both the buyer and seller should not destroy their hereafter and displease Allah.

   Allah created humankind as dignified and honoured beings, as He declares:

وَ لَقَدۡ کَرَّمۡنَا بَنِیۡۤ  اٰدَمَ وَ حَمَلۡنٰہُمۡ  فِی الۡبَرِّ وَ الۡبَحۡرِ وَ رَزَقۡنٰہُمۡ مِّنَ الطَّیِّبٰتِ وَ فَضَّلۡنٰہُمۡ عَلٰی کَثِیۡرٍ مِّمَّنۡ خَلَقۡنَا تَفۡضِیۡلًا ﴿٪۷۰﴾

   Translation from Kanz-ul-Iman: And We have indeed honoured the descendants of Adam and transported them on land and sea, and gave them good things as sustenance, and made them superior than many (i.e. all) of Our creation.[1]

   And He gave humankind the best physical appearance:

لَقَدۡ خَلَقۡنَا الۡاِنۡسَانَ فِیۡۤ  اَحۡسَنِ تَقۡوِیۡمٍ ۫﴿۴﴾

   Translation from Kanz-ul-Iman:We have indeed created man in the best form.[2]

   He created the earth and whatever is in it, for mankind:

ہُوَ الَّذِیۡ خَلَقَ لَکُمۡ مَّا فِی الۡاَرۡضِ جَمِیۡعًا ٭

   Translation from Kanz-ul-Iman:  It is He Who created for you whatever is in the earth.[3]

Since the human being has been afforded such honour and greatness, based on this, the buying and selling of any part of the body is considered impermissible and Haram.

   Another reason behind the prohibition of trade with human hair, according to jurists, is that no part of the human body is a commodity (māl) for it to be used in buying and selling.  In light of sharīʿah, if human hair is not a commodity, then trading with it is null and void (bāṭil).  

   If a man or woman attained money through selling hair, then it is incumbent upon him or her to first sincerely repent. Thereafter, the sum must be returned to those from whom it was gained.  If this is not possible, then their inheritors must receive the appropriate sum, and if this is not known then the amount will be given as charity on behalf of the original owners of the wealth. Personal use of this money is impermissible and sinful.

   The Hanafi jurist, Imam Muhammad b. Hasan al-Shaybānī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه (d.189 AH) writes:[4]

لا يجوز بيع ‌شعر الانسان والانتفاع به

   Stating the reason behind this impermissibility, Abu al-Hasanāt Shaykh Abdul al-Ḥayy al-Luknawī (1304 AH) رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه states:[5]

لأن الإنسان مكرم فلا يجوز أن يكون منه شيء مبتذل

   With some variation in wording and after deduction from a hadith, Fakhr al-Din, Imam ZaylaꜤī Hanafi (743AH) رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه writes:[6]

لا يجوز ‌بيع ‌شعر ‌الإنسان والانتفاع به، لأن الآدمي مكرم فلا يجوز أن يكون جزؤه مهانا وقال  عليه السلام  «لعن اللہ  الواصلة والمستوصلة»، وإنما لعنا للانتفاع به لما فيه من إهانة المكرم

   Regarding human body parts not being commodities, Imam Akmal al-Dīn al-Bābartī (d. 786AH) رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه comments:[7]

جزء الآدمی لیس بمال۔۔۔  وما لیس بمال لا یجوز بیعہ

   Declaring this type of trade as void, Shaykh Shams al-Dīn Tumurtāshī (d.1004 AH) رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه writes:[8]  

بطل بیع… شعر الانسان

   The principle regarding looking at parts of the body is as follows:[9]

کل عضو لا یجوز النظر إلیه قبل الانفصال، لا یجوز بعده و لا بعد الموت، کشعر عانة و شعر رأسها

   Imam Aḥmad Razā Khān (d. 1340 AH) رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه explains the ruling regarding a sum attained through an null and void trade (bayꜤ bāṭil), “Upon invalidity (in the scenario of invalid trade), the sum attained by the landowners in the form of rupees as the price, is unlawful for them.”[10]

   Commenting on the return of such a sum, he writes:

   “The cost, taken by the landowners, is (still) in the ownership of the buyers. It is incumbent upon them (the landowners) to return the cost.”[11]

   Explaining other scenarios of return, he states: 

   It is incumbent (farḍ) upon him to return it (unlawful wealth) to whomever he took it from. If they have passed away, it should be given to their inheritors.  If their inheritors are unknown, then it should be given to the poor.  It is definitively unlawful to spend this sum in any transaction. Apart from the previously-mentioned scenarios, there is no other way of being relieved from its burden.[12]

   Sharīʿah stipulates; if hair is removed from the head of a woman, it should be buried. Mufti Muhammad Amjad ꜤAlī AꜤẓamī (d.1367 AH) رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه writes, “It is necessary for women to conceal any hair that falls after combing or washing, from the eyes of the non-mahram.”[13]

وَاللہُ اَعْلَمُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ وَرَسُوْلُہ اَعْلَم صَلَّی اللّٰہُ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَاٰلِہٖ وَسَلَّم

Answered By: Mufti Muhammad Qasim Attari

Ref No: FSD-8139

Date: 12 Jumādā al-Ūlā 1444 AH / 07th December 2022