Shaykh Taqī al-Dīn said: If a pilgrim bathes and some of his hair falls out in the process, that does not harm him, even if he is certain that the hair was cut off by the washing.

10 – The general wording of the ḥadīth indicates that this fidya may be carried out either inside the Haram or outside it, whether the compensation be fasting, a sacrificial animal, or feeding the poor. With regard to fasting, the scholars unanimously permit it both inside and outside the Haram, because its benefit is limited to the person himself. As for the sacrifice and the feeding, Mālik places them on the same footing as fasting, whereas al-Shāfiʿī and Aḥmad stipulate that they be done within the Haram.

Clarifying the issue of choice in the fidya:
The ḥadīth before us gives precedence to offering a sheep; if one is unable, he may then choose between fasting and feeding. The Qur’anic verse and the remaining narrations of the ḥadīth, however, establish freedom to choose among all three options, for the Almighty said: “Whoever among you is ill or has an ailment of the head must offer a fidya: fasting, or charity, or sacrifice” (Qur’an 2:196).

Al-Bukhārī relates from Kaʿb ibn ʿUjrah that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to him, “Perhaps the vermin of your head is troubling you?” He replied, “Yes.” The Prophet then said, “Shave your head, and fast three days, or feed six needy persons, or sacrifice a sheep.”

All of this points to a genuine choice. The scholars sought to reconcile the texts, and the best reconciliation is that of Ibn Ḥazm, who explained that the reports from Kaʿb ibn ʿUjrah come by two routes. The first, through ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Laylā, conveys the sense of choice; the second, through ʿAbd Allāh ibn Maʿqil, conveys the sense of sequential order. Ibn Ḥazm ruled the narration of ʿAbd Allāh to be inconsistent, and he said of the route of ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, “This is the most complete and the clearest of the ḥadīth.”

I say: This reconciliation is the most deserving of acceptance, for the incident was a single event, and the only possible way to harmonize the reports is by