Does My Hair Falling Out During Wudu or Being Trimmed By a Barber in Ihram Affect my Umra?

Answered by Ustadh Faraz A. Khan

Question: I recently performed umrah and while I was doing wudu in ihram, an eyebrow hair came out. also afterwards I had my hair trimmed by a barber, yet I’m not sure it was trimmed to one finger joint as I could not communicate with him. Was my umrah valid according to the Hanafi school?

Answer: Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah,

I pray this finds you in the best of health and faith.

You can assume the eyebrow hair was already detached and hence your wudu did not pull out an attached hair but rather moved an already detached hair.

With regards to the haircut, the assumption is that the barber cut the required length of one finger joint, especially as that amount is necessary for just one-fourth of the head, not the entire head. Barbers there have experience and inshaAllah take care of the requisites when trimming the hair.

[For requirements of a proper haircut on hajj/umra, see “Ascent to Felicity” p.157]

It is important to remember that the default assumption of acts of worship is soundness and validity, and this default is at the level of certainty. That default certainty is not lifted by doubt or confusion, but rather only by a new certainty, or by a high likelihood close to certainty.

Finally, the questions you raise do not relate to the validity of the actual umra, so the umra is valid in any case. They instead relate to violations and whether or not donations are due, which they are not inshaAllah.

And Allah knows best.

wassalam

Faraz

Checked & Approved by Faraz Rabbani