Ruling on wearing a wig for a bald person

27-8-2015 | IslamWeb

Question:

What is the ruling on wearing a wig for a man who is afflicted by baldness? Is it permissible to pray and perform ‘Umrah while wearing it, knowing that baldness has caused me many psychological problems, including fear of going to perform ‘Umrah?

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

The bald person who lacks hair on the front of his head as well as the hairless person who has no hear on his head are both not allowed to wear a wig because this is like applying hair extensions; meanwhile, the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, cursed the one who does this. Ibn ‘Umar narrated that the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, cursed such a woman who lengthens other people’s hair artificially or gets her hair lengthened and the woman who tattoos others or gets herself tattooed. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

If this curse concerns women, in spite of their need to adornment and beautification, then men who do this are worthier of being cursed.

In Hajj and ‘Umrah, the one who has no hair is recommended to pass the razor over his head (as complying with the command to shave the head to end the state of Ihraam [sacred state which one assumes for performing Hajj or ‘Umrah]), but it is not obligatory for him to do so. Ibn Al-Munthir transmitted scholarly consensus on that.

Allaah Knows best.