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What is the authenticity of the story of Ayyub's wife (peace be upon him) selling her braids, and does the prohibition of hair extensions in Islamic Sharia abrogate previous rulings?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The scholars of Islam, in their exegesis of the story of Ayyub (Job), peace be upon him, mentioned that the reason he struck his wife was her selling of her braid to provide food. However, this reason is not established by a text from divine revelation, and it appears to have been transmitted from the People of the Book, with no authentic narration specifying it.

As for Ayyub's wife selling her braid, it is not considered proof in our Sharīʿah for the permissibility of hair extensions. It has not been authentically established that this was part of the Sharīʿah of Ayyub, peace be upon him. Even if the story were established, Ayyub, peace be upon him, did not approve of it; rather, he became angry about it. It has been established in our Sharīʿah that hair extensions are forbidden, as narrated in the hadith of Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "May Allah curse the woman who adds hair extensions and the woman who asks for them to be added."

Regarding the issue of "the law of those before us": What is established in our Sharīʿah as being a law for those before us and then clarified to us that it is also a law for us (like Qisas - retaliation) is, by consensus, a law for us. However, what is not established in our Sharīʿah as ever having been a law for those before us (like the Isra'iliyyat), or what is established in our Sharīʿah as having been a law for those before us but clarified to us that it is not legislated for us, is not a law for us by consensus.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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