Can I cut my hair and nails in the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah if I am offering a sacrifice?

Who the restriction falls on

The prohibition attaches to the person who is actually offering the sacrifice — al-mudahhi — not to everyone in the household. Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen explained that the Prophet ﷺ tied the ruling to "the one who wants to sacrifice," which means those for whom the sacrifice is made are not included.

"If one intends to sacrifice, then when the ten days begin he does not cut anything from his hair, his skin, or his nails until he sacrifices."— Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen, Fatawa Nur 'ala al-Darb

The Permanent Committee made the same distinction for a person acting as an agent: someone slaughtering on behalf of others is not himself a mudahhi, so nothing prevents him from cutting his hair or nails.

What the evidence is

The ruling rests on a narration from Umm Salamah رضي الله عنها in Sahih Muslim:

"When you see the crescent of Dhul Hijjah, and one of you wants to sacrifice, let him refrain from his hair and his nails."— Sahih Muslim 1977, from Umm Salamah

Shaykh Ibn Baz cited this hadith repeatedly and drew the boundary clearly: it applies once the month enters, to the one who has resolved to sacrifice. He noted that the restriction covers hair, nails and skin — from the head, the moustache, the armpits, the pubic area, or anywhere on the body — and applies equally to men and women.

When it begins and ends

• It begins at the start of Dhul Hijjah: the restriction takes effect when the crescent of Dhul Hijjah is sighted, not when the animal is purchased.
• It ends when the sacrifice is offered: once the animal is slaughtered, the restriction lifts.
• If you decide mid-month: Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen addressed the case of someone who was poor at the start of the month and acquired the means later. He holds that the person refrains from the day he actually resolves to sacrifice, since he was not a mudahhi before that.
• A view that it starts at purchase: some scholars held the restriction begins when the animal is bought. Al-Shanqiti records this as the weaker position (marjuh), because the hadith ties the ruling to the intention, not to ownership.

If you cut something anyway

IslamWeb notes that if a person cuts his nails or hair during this period, there is no expiation (kaffarah) and no fidyah — whether done deliberately or forgetfully. Ibn Qudamah is quoted as saying that one who does it should seek Allah's forgiveness, and that there is no fidyah in it by consensus. If it happened out of forgetfulness, there is no blame at all, based on the Qur'anic principle:

"Our Lord, do not hold us accountable if we forget or err."— Qur'an 2:286

The disagreement over its ruling

The scholars differed on whether the restriction is a prohibition, a dislike, or merely a recommendation. IslamWeb records that there are three positions, each with its evidence.

Al-Shanqiti addressed the second view directly, arguing that there is a difference between the hady (the animal sent to Makkah) and the udhiyah (the sacrifice): the hadith of 'A'ishah concerns the hady, while the hadith of Umm Salamah concerns the udhiyah. He concluded that the prohibition is the stronger position.

If you are also performing Hajj

A pilgrim in ihram is already forbidden from cutting hair and nails as part of the rites. The Permanent Committee clarified that if a person intends to sacrifice and also intends to enter ihram, he enters ihram without cutting anything, and when he exits ihram after 'Umrah before the sacrifice is offered, he may shave or trim his head only — because that is a rite of 'Umrah — but not the rest of his hair or nails. Shaykh Ibn Baz added that the hady offered for tamattu' or qiran is not the same as the udhiyah and does not carry this restriction.

In practice

• If you are the one sacrificing: stop cutting hair and nails from the first day of Dhul Hijjah until the animal is slaughtered.
• If you are not sacrificing: there is no restriction — cut as you normally would.
• If you are in the household of someone sacrificing: the restriction does not apply to you, though following it is fine.
• If you forgot or did it deliberately: seek forgiveness; no fidyah or expiation is required.
• If you are also a pilgrim: the rules of ihram apply alongside this, and the head-shaving at the end of 'Umrah is permitted.

Key takeaways

• The restriction applies to the person offering the sacrifice, not to the household.
• It begins when Dhul Hijjah enters and ends when the sacrifice is offered.
• It covers hair, nails and skin from anywhere on the body, for men and women alike.
• If something is cut, there is no expiation — only seeking forgiveness.
• The Hanbali position is that this is a prohibition; some scholars held it to be merely disliked.

Further reading

• Sahih Muslim, Book of Sacrifices, hadith 1977
• Shaykh Ibn Baz, Majmu' al-Fatawa
• Ibn Qudamah, al-Mughni

And Allah knows best.