6 – What is meant by “shaving” in this ḥadith is removing every strand of hair from the head. This, according to the Qur’an and the Prophet’s ﷺ words and deeds, is the correct view, and it is the position of the two Imams, Mālik and Aḥmad.

Chapter: Ṭawāf al-Ifāḍa and the Farewell Circumambulation

First ḥadith
ʿĀʾishah ﵂ said: “We performed Hajj with the Prophet ﷺ and, after completing our rites on the Day of Sacrifice, we set out to make the ṭawāf of ifāḍa. Safiyyah then began to menstruate. The Prophet ﷺ now wished of her what a man normally wishes of his wife, so I said, ‘Messenger of Allah, she is menstruating.’ He asked, ‘Is she going to hold us back?’ They replied, ‘Messenger of Allah, she already made the ṭawāf of ifāḍa on the Day of Sacrifice.’ He said, ‘Then depart.’

In another wording he ﷺ said, “ʿaqrā ḥalqā! Did she perform the ṭawāf on the Day of Sacrifice?” They answered, “Yes.” He said, “Then move on.”

Gharīb (lexical notes)
• “We set out (afāḍnā) on the Day of Sacrifice”: the verb fāḍa is used for water that overflows. The ṭawāf of visitation is called ṭawāf al-ifāḍa because the crowds surge out in great numbers from the plains of Mecca toward the Sacred House.
• “Will she hold us back?” (aḥābisatunā) – the interrogative conveys disapproval and concern over a possible delay.
• “ʿaqrā ḥalqā” – both words are feminine forms, normally recited without nunation. Literally they are exclamations meaning “may she be wounded” and “may she suffer a throat affliction.” Al-Zamakhsharī interpreted them as describing a misfortunate woman who brings ruin upon her people; they can also be taken as verbal nouns like shakwā (complaint). The Prophet ﷺ did not intend an actual curse; they are idiomatic expressions common in Arabic speech, like “May your hands be dusty” or “May your mother lose you.”
• “fanfirī” – read with either a kasrah or a ḍamma on the initial fāʾ; the kasrah is preferable and is the form used in the Qur’an, “Go forth, whether lightly or heavily.” It means: “Set out.”