1. I was brought up with the idea that as a Muslim woman, I should not trim my hair. Is it permissible for Muslim women to have their hair cut?
Yes, it is allowed for a Muslim woman to trim her hair. What is prohibited is to shave as a sign of sorrow for a death of a person, or imitating young men. These are the only two instances where it is prohibited to indulge in this. Apart from that it is reported by Imam Muslim that the wives of the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to cut their hair short until the hair reached the lobe of their ears without leaving it to a long stretch. Two of the great sheikhs, Al Qadi lyad and Imam Nawawi said this was the manner of the wives of the Prophet (peace be upon him) after his death because they had abandoned looking attractive and beautifying themselves, and they were not in need of having long hair, and wanted to reduce the task of caring for their hair. Imam Nawawi commented on this Hadith by saying that it shows that it is allowed for women to cut short their hair as the wives of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
But there are some scholars, particularly in the Hanafi school, who do not feel happy about shortening the hair - to the extent that the translator of the book of Sahih Muslim tried to avoid that clear meaning of the Fiqh of the Hadith which allowed women to cut short their hair, and he claimed from the source he had already quoted that the wives were not cutting their hair, they were just gathering their hair on top of their head and they did not allow their long hair to be dangling behind them. That is exactly the sectarian point of view which he warned against - but in his translation, at the same time, his explanation goes contrary to the clear meaning of the Hadith regarding the wives of the Prophet (peace be upon him) which allowed them to shorten their hair.
Considering what is happening with so many Muslim girls, who want to study or to work and wear hijab, they do not have the luxury or availability of so much time to sit and comb their hair, they are allowed to shorten their hair on condition that they do not imitate men and do not shave their heads.
(115 - Clothings & Hijab 9)
2. Why does the time for Fajr vary so wildly between different Madhab. Can you run us through some of the technical arguments for these differences?
The desirability of prayer at the beginning of its time is agreed upon by the Hanafi, Shafi'i and Maliki scholars. There are many Ahadith they rely upon. The Prophet, upon whom be blessings and peace, said: "The best time for offering prayer is when its time begins."
As far as Fajr is concerned, its starting time is indicated, in the words of the Prophet, by the true twilight. This is when light appears across the full width of the sky, as opposed to in an isolated spot on the horizon. Once the full light is clear in the sky that is the beginning of the Fajr prayer. The four schools all agree on this. But the Hanafi school delay Fajr prayer until the sky is lit enough so that people can recognise one another and there remains enough time before the end of Fajr for an invalid prayer to be repeated. This is approximately about 40 minutes before the end of Fajr.
This practice is in line with the Prophet's saying, "offer your Fajr when the light is spread everywhere. This is the best for a great reward from Allah." This is why the Hanafi school prefers to delay prayer. However, it does not invalidate the prayer which is offered at the beginning of its time. It is a matter of preference.
(159 - Solah 12)
