What is the ruling on a woman cutting her hair, and how does it relate to braiding it when washing her after her death?

It is commendable for the Muslim woman's hair to be braided when she is washed after death, based on what Umm Atiyyah narrated, that they braided the hair of the Prophet's daughter, peace and blessings be upon him, into three plaits and placed them behind her. This commendation has been adopted by Al-Shafi'i, Ahmad, Ishaq, and Ibn Al-Mundhir. However, Al-Awza'i and the jurists of opinion held that it should not be braided; rather, it should be let loose beside her cheeks, and then the head covering should be draped over it. This is because braiding it would require combing, which could cut and pluck her hair. There is no connection between the permissibility of cutting a woman's hair during her life and braiding it after her death.