Wa alaykum assalam warahmatullah wabarakatuh.

In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Mercy-Giving.

All praise is due to Allah. Peace and blessings be upon His Messenger Muhammad.

For the first question, Umm Salamah reported that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “He who has a sacrificial animal shall not get his hair cut or nails trimmed, after the commencement of Dhul-Hijjah, until he slaughters his sacrificial animal.” [Muslim]

A group of scholars quote this hadith for the prohibition or at least the undesirability of removing hair or nails after the commencement of Dhul-Hijjah as long as one has intended to slaughter a sacrificial animal.

There are other scholars, however, who raised objection in this regard maintaining that such prohibition is only for the pilgrims who assumed the state of ihram (ritual sanctity). They argue that the one who intends to offer a sacrificial animal in the tenth of Dhul-Hijjah does not have to abstain from sexual intercourse whereas a pilgrim in the state of ihram has to, which means that they are not alike. They also claim that the aforementioned hadith is not a prophetic statement but only a statement by Umm Salamah. The issue thus is controversial and there are arguments and counterarguments provided by each group of scholar.

For the second questions, of course, a wife can pay for her husband’s hajj expenses and she will be rewarded for such a good deed.

Almighty Allah knows best.