48/6. Chapter:
Sunan an-Nasai 5052 — A Better Way to Keep Hair
Cutting the (Hair)
Hadith About Hair Care and Better Grooming
Sunan an-Nasai : 5052
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 5052
أَخْبَرَنَا مَحْمُودُ بْنُ غَيْلاَنَ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، أَخُو قَبِيصَةَ وَمُعَاوِيَةُ بْنُ هِشَامٍ قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عَاصِمُ بْنُ كُلَيْبٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ وَائِلِ بْنِ حُجْرٍ، قَالَ أَتَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَلِي شَعْرٌ فَقَالَ " ذُبَابٌ " . فَظَنَنْتُ أَنَّهُ يَعْنِينِي فَأَخَذْتُ مِنْ شَعْرِي ثُمَّ أَتَيْتُهُ فَقَالَ لِي " لَمْ أَعْنِكَ وَهَذَا أَحْسَنُ " .
Wa'il bin Hujr Narrated from:
I came to the Prophet [SAW] and I had hair. He said: 'This is bad,' and I thought he meant me, so I cut my hair then I came to him. He said to me: 'I didn't mean you, but this is better.'
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 5052In-book reference : Book 48, Hadith 13English translation : Vol. 6, Book 48, Hadith 5055
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 5052
This hadith about hair care is a small personal incident. Wa'il bin Hujr came to the Prophet [SAW] while he had hair. The Prophet said, “This is bad,” and Wa'il thought the comment was about him. So he cut his hair and came back. The Prophet then told him, “I didn't mean you, but this is better.” The narration teaches careful listening and also shows that improved grooming may be praised without assuming every remark is aimed at one person. We should not turn this report into a broad rule about all hair lengths, because the text does not say that. It only tells what happened in this specific exchange.
What we learn from this hadith
- Wa'il first thought the Prophet’s remark was about him.
- He cut his hair after that understanding.
- The Prophet clarified that he had not meant him.
- The Prophet said the new state was better.
