Question
Some women tie their hair at the back of the head. Does this fall within the prohibition mentioned in the ḥadīth of the Messenger of Allah , narrated by Abū Hurayrah:
…وَنِسَاءٌ كَاسِيَاتٌ عَارِيَاتٌ مُمِيلاَتٌ مَائِلاَتٌ رُءُوسُهُنَّ كَأَسْنِمَةِ الْبُخْتِ الْمَائِلَةِ لاَ يَدْخُلْنَ الْجَنَّةَ وَلاَ يَجِدْنَ رِيحَهَا وَإِنَّ رِيحَهَا لَيُوجَدُ مِنْ مَسِيرَةِ كَذَا وَكَذَا
“…and women who are clothed yet appear naked, who incline to evil and make others incline to it. Their heads will be like the humps of the bakht camels, inclined to one side. They will not enter Paradise, nor will they smell its fragrance, though its fragrance can be smelt from such and such a distance.” (Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, no. 2128)
Shaykh ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Bāz (d. 1420 AH/1999 CE)
No. The ḥadīth states:
كَأَسْنِمَةِ الْبُخْتِ الْمَائِلَةِ
“Like the humps of the bakht camels, inclined to one side.” (Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, no. 2128)
This means that they gather things on top of their heads to enlarge them. As for tying the hair, this does not fall within the ruling mentioned by the Messenger .
However, during prayer, they should untie it and let it hang loose [under their ḥijāb].
As for the wording mentioned in the ḥadīth:
كَأَسْنِمَةِ الْبُخْتِ الْمَائِلَةِ
“Like the humps of the bakht camels, inclined to one side.” (Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, no. 2128)
It means that they gather things on their heads, such as cloth and similar items, so that their heads resemble the humps of camels inclined to one side. The humps of the bakht camels resemble two humps with something between them.
References
Ibn Bāz, ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn ʿAbd Allāh (d. 1420 AH/1999 CE). Recorded answer concerning tying women’s hair and the ḥadīth of camel humps. Arabic recording reproduced above. Recording title, date and session details not established.
Muslim, Abū al-Ḥusayn Muslim ibn al-Ḥajjāj al-Qushayrī an-Naysābūrī (d. 261 AH/875 CE). Al-Musnad aṣ-Ṣaḥīḥ al-Mukhtaṣar bi-Naql al-ʿAdl ʿan al-ʿAdl ilā Rasūl Allah . Book of Clothing and Adornment, no. 2128.
