an essential part of their path to Allah, or make it a distinguishing mark of the righteous and the allies of Allah. Yet this is error, misguidance, and the invention of a religion for which Allah has given no permission.

An example is shaving the head outside Hajj and ‘umrah without an excuse. Allah mentions in His Book shaving the head and shortening the hair as part of the pilgrimage rites, and He mentions shaving it for an excuse in His words:

“But whoever among you is ill or has an ailment of the scalp must compensate by fasting, charity, or sacrifice.”
[Surah al-Baqarah 196]

As for shaving it for other reasons, scholars have a well-known disagreement over whether it is permissible or disliked. These are two positions, both reported from Ahmad. Yet there is no disagreement among Muslim scholars and the leading authorities of the religion that this is neither prescribed nor recommended, nor is it part of Allah’s way and path, or of the asceticism prescribed for Muslims, or something for which Allah has praised any of the poor.

Nevertheless, groups of poor ascetics and Sufis have made it a religious practice, even making it a distinguishing mark of people of religious devotion, asceticism, goodness, repentance, and journeying to Allah, signifying spiritual poverty and Sufism. They go so far as to regard anyone who does not do it as deficient and outside the path they esteem and praise, while anyone who does it has joined their way and path.

This is a deviation from Allah’s path and way, by the agreement of the Muslims. Making it a religious practice and a distinguishing mark of religious people is among the causes of altering the religion. Indeed, it would be more fitting to make it a sign of departure from the religion. For one who regards it as disliked—even when a person does it as a matter of custom rather than worship—