Is It Permissible for Men to Have Braids or Cornrows or metal black hairband?

Is It Permissible for Men to Have Braids or Cornrows, or metal black hairband and What Are the Opinions of the Madhhab?

Question
Is having braids for men halal?
I’m a sports athlete and I like having my hair lengthy, but it keeps blocking my eyes whenever I play. I initially thought of doing cornrows during the main events of the season and take them off as soon as it ends, but it is not a part of my culture for men to have cornrows or braids. Am I still allowed to do so? What are the opinions of the madhahib?

Answer
Alhamdulillah, wassalatu wassalamu ala rasulillah, wa ala alihi wa sahbihi ajmain.

1. The Shar‘i Context

The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam sometimes braided his hair when it grew long. Anas ibn Malik and Um Hani’a said that the Prophet had four braids on certain occasions. This establishes that braiding itself is not haram for men.
The prohibition arises only when a hairstyle involves:

• Imitation of women
• Imitation of sinful or immoral groups
• Arrogance or vanity
• Styles that are specifically feminine

Thus, the issue is not the braid itself, but what it resembles and what it expresses in a particular culture.

2. Opinions of the Madhahib

Hanafi, Maliki, Shafii, and Hanbali madhhabs all permit men to have long hair, and none of them prohibit braiding in principle, because the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam braided his hair.
The condition across the schools is that it must not resemble women’s hairstyles or be a mark of fujjar (open sinners) or be a form of tashabbuh that carries a forbidden meaning.

The madhahib emphasize three rules:

1. If the braid is a functional style (keeping hair out of the way, tying long hair together), it is allowed.
2. If the style imitates women, it is not allowed.
3. If it imitates a group known for sin, arrogance, or identity contrary to Islamic modesty, it is disliked or forbidden depending on the extent.

Since you mentioned your intention is to manage long hair for sports, not fashion or imitation, the madhahib would not prohibit it on that basis alone.

3. Application to Your Case

Your intention is practical:

• Your hair blocks your vision
• You are an athlete
• You want a temporary solution
• You will remove it after the major events

In this context:

• Braiding for utility is permitted.
• It does not resemble a feminine hairstyle.
• It is not tied to a haram identity.
• The Prophet himself used braids when needed.

The fact that cornrows are not part of your personal culture does not make them haram.
Cultural unfamiliarity is not a cause of prohibition unless the style has a meaning of imitation of women or immoral groups, which is not the case here.

4. Final Ruling

Braids and cornrows or metal black hairband for men are permissible as long as they do not imitate women or immoral cultural symbols. Using them temporarily as an athlete to keep long hair out of your eyes is halal, in line with the practice of the Prophet when he braided his own hair. The madhahib do not forbid braiding in itself, and your intended use is functional and within the limits of modesty.

And Allah knows best