104 – Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: “Messenger of Allah, I am a woman who ties up the hair of my head. Do I have to undo it when performing the ghusl for major impurity?” In another narration she added, “and for menstruation as well?” He replied, “No. It is enough for you to scoop three handfuls of water onto your head.” Recorded by Muslim (1).

Vocabulary of the ḥadith
• “I tie up the hair of my head”: to tighten something is to make it firm and secure; a knot is fastened firmly.
• “Must I undo it?”: to undo a rope or hair is to loosen its twist or knots; the initial hamzah indicates a question.
• “It is enough for you…”: the verb “to suffice” means that it renders one independent of anything else; here it means that pouring the water spares her from undoing her hair.
• “to scoop three handfuls”: with the letter thā’; both ḥathaytu and ḥathawtu are well-known pronunciations. A ḥathiyah is a double-handful of water or the like; its plural is ḥathayāt.

Points derived from the ḥadith
1 – A woman is not required to loosen her hair when performing the ritual bath after major impurity or after menstruation.
2 – Pouring water over the head three times is sufficient; this is the view of the majority of scholars, and the detailed discussion of the disagreement will follow, Allah willing.
3 – The ḥadith shows that a woman may tie up her hair, without specifying whether she braids it or coils it. Such matters are ordinary customs; any customary practice that is not a distinctive emblem of the unbelievers is permissible.