What is the ruling on a pilgrim (muhrim) shaving his hair if he has matted it (labbadahu), braided it (dhaffarahu), or tied it up (aqasahu)? Is it obligatory for him to do so or not? And what is the interpretation of Ibn Umar's saying, "Whoever matted his hair (man labbad) should shave"?

The pilgrim (muhrim) has the choice between shaving (halq) and shortening (taqseer), based on the Almighty's saying: ﴿لَتَدْخُلُنَّ الْمَسْجِدَ الْحَرَامَ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ آمِنِينَ مُحَلِّقِينَ رُءُوسَكُمْ وَمُقَصِّرِينَ﴾ "You will surely enter al-Masjid al-Haram, if Allah wills, in safety, with your heads shaved and [hair] shortened." (Quran 48:27) and due to the Prophet's (peace be upon him) supplication for those who shaved and those who shortened. This applies to those whose hair is matted, braided, or tied up. Some Companions and jurists differed on this, but the preponderant opinion is that the choice remains, due to the absence of explicit evidence necessitating shaving.