Is it recommended for a bald person (one with no hair on the head) to pass a razor over their head during ritual purification rites?
Chapter on the Description of Hajj
Al-Mughni
Book of Hajj
Primary text
It is recommended that a person who is bald (having no hair on the head) passes a razor over their head. This view is held by Ibn Umar, Masruq, Sa'id ibn Jubayr, An-Nakha'i, Malik, Ash-Shafi'i, Abu Thawr, and the Companions of opinion (Ahl ar-Ra'y). Consensus has been reported among known scholars that passing the razor over the head of a bald person is recommended, although it is not obligatory. The primary opinion maintains that the ruling (shaving/passing the razor) is intrinsically linked to the presence of hair; therefore, since the hair is absent, the obligation or recommendation of the act itself is voided, similar to how the obligation to wash a limb in Wudu (ablution) ceases if the limb is missing. Furthermore, passing the razor on a bald head during the state of Ihram (consecration for Hajj/Umrah) does not necessitate a penalty (Damm), therefore it is not obligatory upon exiting the state of Ihram.
Supporting text
Abu Hanifa holds that passing the razor over the bald head is obligatory. The evidence cited for this view is the saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him): "If I command you to do a matter, then perform of it what you are able." Since the obligation would be to remove hair if it existed, and removing hair is impossible, the alternative action—passing the razor—becomes obligatory in its place.