A Topic We Pretend Does Not Exist
Asma bint Shameem
Today's topic is about something we DON'T really want to talk about. It's about...Plucking eyebrows
- Categories: Muslim Women's Issues -
Today’s topic is about something we DON’T really want to talk about. It’s about...
Plucking eyebrows
This is a topic we just want to avoid or hope it would go away - although, not thinking about it does not mean that the Hukm (order/ruling) isn’t there [and doesn’t exist]. And you know what? It is sad to say that 90% of our sisters are guilty of doing it.
But dear Sister, have you really thought about it?
What does Islam REALLY say about shaping the eyebrows?
It says in “Fatawa Al-Sheikh Muhammad Ibn Salih Al-Uthaymeen”:
‘Plucking of women’s eyebrows is not permissible. The Messenger of Allah (Peace and blessings be upon him) cursed the one who does it. It is Haram and is not permitted.’
The evidence
Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (Peace and blessings be upon him) say: Allah has CURSED* the woman who does tattoos and the one who has them done, the woman who plucks eyebrows and the one who has it done, and the one who files her teeth for the purpose of beauty, altering the creation of Allah. [Bukhari & Muslim]
«لَعَنَ اللَّهُ الْوَاشِمَاتِ وَالْمُسْتَوْشِمَاتِ، وَالنَّامِصَاتِ وَالْمُتَنَمِّصَاتِ، وَالْمُتَفَلِّجَاتِ لِلْحُسْنِ الْمُغَيِّرَاتِ خَلْقَ اللَّهِ» رواه البخاري ومسلم
*Cursed means ‘cast out from the Mercy of Allah. It is the Mercy of Allah that makes a person to enter Paradise. He/she who is out cast from the Mercy will not enter it. The curse is not permanent but it is lifted when a person sincerely repents to Allah for this mistake. So one should not feel doomed because they committed this mistake when they were in days of Jahiliyyah (ignorance).
Removing or plucking the eyebrows implies changing the creation of Allah, as Allah tells us that the Shaytan said:
{...and indeed I will order them to change the nature created by Allah.} [An-Nisa 4:119]
{وَلَآمُرَنَّهُمْ فَلَيُغَيِّرُنَّ خَلْقَ اللَّـهِ} النساء: 119
Transliteration: walaamurannahum falayughayyirunna khalqa Allahi
Can you do it if (You Think) it makes you look ugly?
Allah is Wise in what He decrees for His slaves. Some people are beautiful in appearance and some are not; the entire matter is in the hand of Allah. It is essential to be patient and seek reward with Allah, and not to transgress His sacred limits for the sake of one’s own whims and desires.
What about hair on her face (Like chin, upper lip, etc.) & the rest of her body?
There is no sin on a woman if she removes hair on her upper lip, thighs, calves and arms. This is not part of the plucking that is forbidden. It is one of the things concerning which Shari’ah did not say anything, so the ruling is that it is permissible, since whatever Shari’ah did not say anything about, in the Quran or Sunnah, is allowed.
“What is Halal is that which Allah has permitted in His Book, and what is Haram is that which Allah has forbidden in His Book, and whatever He has not said anything about is allowable.” [Reported by At-Tirmidhi and declared good by Al-Albani]
«الْحَلالُ مَا أَحَلَّهُ اللَّهُ فِي كِتَابِهِ، وَالْحَرَامُ مَا حَرَّمَهُ اللَّهُ فِي كِتَابِهِ، وَمَا سَكَتَ عَنْهُ فَهُوَ مِمَّا عَفَا عَنْهُ» رواه الترمذي، حسنه الألباني
What about plucking the hair between the eyebrows?
The Ulama tell us that it is permissible to pluck it, because it is not part of the eyebrows.
Can a woman do it if her husband asks her to do so?
It says in Fatawa Al-Lajnah Ad-Da’imah: ‘It is not permissible to remove the hair of the eyebrows because this is the plucking for which the Messenger of Allah (Peace and blessings be upon him) cursed those who do it, and it is a kind of changing the creation of Allah, which is the action of the Shaytan. If a woman’s husband tells her to do it, she should not obey him, because it is a sin, and there is no obedience to any created being if it involves disobedience towards the Creator. Rather obedience should only be with regard to things that are good and proper, as the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) said.’
Ok, I am not plucking it. But, can I shape it, cut it, etc?
Sheikh Ibn Jibrin said: “It is not permissible to cut the hair of the eyebrows, or to shave it, reduce it or pluck it. This is not the matter of beauty; rather it is altering the creation of Allah Who is the Best of creators. A warning has been narrated against doing that and the one who does it is cursed; this implies that it is forbidden.”
So, this is it?
The evidence is clear. There is no difference of opinion among the Ulama about it.
Plucking your eyebrows is Haram. Plain and Simple. No ifs and buts about it. The Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) said it. The Ulama explained it - you have been informed about it and you have been warned. Now, it is up to you to decide. Do you want to be the one who “listens and obeys”? Or are you going to be like the one whom Allah describes:
{And when Our Verses are recited to such a one, he turns away in pride, as if he heard them not - as if there were deafness in his ear. So announce to him a painful torment.} [Luqman 31:7]
{وَإِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِ آيَاتُنَا وَلَّىٰ مُسْتَكْبِرًا كَأَن لَّمْ يَسْمَعْهَا كَأَنَّ فِي أُذُنَيْهِ وَقْرًا ۖ فَبَشِّرْهُ بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ} لقمان: 7
Transliteration: Waitha tutla AAalayhi ayatuna wallamustakbiran kaan lam yasmaAAhakaanna fee othunayhi waqran fabashshirhu biAAathabin aleemin
Surely, you are NOT going to be that one! Then, give it up, my dear sister. It’s simply not worth it. You look beautiful even if you didn’t pluck your eyebrows. Don’t let the Kuffar get to you. Don’t be the one whom Allah curses.
Just think! How can anyone expect goodness and success in this life OR in the Hereafter if Allah’s curse is on them?
O Allah, save us from Your Curse and guide us to the Right Path. Ameen.
By Asma bint Shameem
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