Braided hair and washing the roots during ghusl

Question

Assalamu alaykum

Is a woman permitted to braid her hair after intimacy, and then only wash the roots mildly for ghusl?

— Ghulam Qasim, Birmingham

Answer

Wa `Alaykum al-Salām

During ghusl, a woman is permitted to only wash the roots of the hair while her hair is braided. However, if the braids are so tight that the water is unable to reach all the roots of the hair, she must undo them and fully wash the hair in order for the ghusl to be complete.

Ṣadr al-Sharī`ah, Muftī 'Amjad `Alī ‘A`ẓamī, states while specifying the areas of the body which require special attention during ghusl,

سر کے بال گندھے نہ ہوں تو ہر بال پر جڑ سے نوک تک پانی بہنا اور گندھے ہوں تو مرد پر فرض ہے کہ ان کو کھول کر جڑ سے نوک تک پانی بہائے اور عورت پر صرف جڑ تر کرلینا ضروری ہے کھولنا ضروری نہین، ہاں اگر چوٹی اتنی سخت گندھی ہو کہ بے کھولے جڑیں تر نہ ہوں گی تو کهولنا ضروری ہے

If the hair on the head is not plaited, then every strand, from the root to the tip, must be washed. If the hair is plaited, then for men, it is farḍ (obligatory) to undo the plaits and wash the hair from the roots to the tips. As for women, it is only necessary that they moisten the roots. There is no need for them to undo the plaits. However, if the plaits are so tightly done that without undoing, the water will not properly moisten the roots, then undoing them will be necessary.

[Bahār-e-Sharī`at, Vol. 2]

Faqīrah Sayyidah Bināyah al-Qādirīyah · (may she be forgiven)

Verified by Muftī Zāhid Ḥussain al-Qādirī