A Set of Questions of Importance to the Muslim Family
Praise be to Allah; we praise Him and seek His help and forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allah from the evil of our selves and from our bad deeds. Whoever Allah guides, none can lead astray, and whoever He leads astray, none can guide. We bear witness that there is no true god but Allah, alone, with no partner, and we bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, his family, his Companions, and those who follow them rightly until the Day of Judgment.
The Shaykh Muhammad ibn Sālih al-‘Uthaymīn Charity Foundation is pleased to present these valuable Fatwas by His Eminence Shaykh Muhammad ibn Sālih al-‘Uthaymīn (may Allah have mercy upon him).
We ask Allah Almighty to render this work purely done for His sake, pleasing to Him, and beneficial for His servants; and we ask Him to grant our Shaykh a great reward for what he did for Islam and Muslims and to multiply his reward, raise his rank, and admit him into Paradise; indeed, He is All-Hearing, Ever-Responsive.
May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, his Companions, and those who follow them rightly until the Day of Judgment.
§§ One of the things used by women for adornment is the wig, fake hair worn on the head. Is it permissible for a woman to use it?
?The wig is prohibited, and it is considered an artificial extension of the hair. Although it is not exactly an extension, it makes a woman’s face seem longer than it is, thus resembling an extension. The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) cursed the woman who adds an extension to another’s hair and the one who has her hair extended.
However, if a woman is bald with no hair on her head, she may use a wig to conceal this defect. Removing defects is permissible;
and that is why the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) gave permission to a man whose nose was cut in battle to replace it with a gold nose. The same applies if a person has some crookedness in his nose and he needs to correct it or he has a black spot and wants to remove it. There is nothing wrong with such things.
But if they are done for a purpose other than removal of a defect, like tattooing or removing the eyebrows, they become forbidden. The use of wig is forbidden even if the husband permits it, because his permission and approval are of no value with regards to the things that Allah prohibited.
§§ Some women remove their eyebrows or make them thinner for beautification and adornment. What is the ruling on this?
First: Removal of hair is done by plucking. This is forbidden and one of the major sins. The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) cursed those who do this.
Second: Hair is removed by clipping or trimming. The scholars differed over this as to whether it falls under the prohibited plucking or not. It is better to avoid it.
However, if the hair grows in unusual places, like when a woman has a mustache or has hair on her cheeks, there is nothing wrong in removing it, because it is abnormal and makes her face look bad.
As for eyebrows, they can be thin and delicate or thick and wide. This is normal and usual. What is normal and usual may not be changed, as people do not regard this or that shape as a defect; rather, they consider a certain shape, or the lack of it, as beauty. So, this is not a defect that requires its removal.
§§ One of the means a woman may use for beautification and adornment is putting a wad inside her hair to collect the hair on top of the head. What is the ruling on this?
?If the hair is collected in a large bun on top of the head, this falls under the warning issued by the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) when he said: “There are two types of the dwellers of Hell-fire which I have not yet seen... and women who are dressed yet naked, turning away [from righteousness] and turning others away. Their heads are like the humps of Bactrian camels, leaning to one side...” So, if the hair is collected up on top of the head, this is subject to the reported prohibition. But if the hair is at the neck, for example, there is nothing wrong with that, except if the woman goes out to the marketplace in this state, in which case she will be displaying her beauty as her hair will be bulging underneath the gown. Such is display of beauty and a means to temptation, so it is not permissible.
There is a widespread phenomenon of girls cutting their hair to shoulder length for beautification, wearing high heels, and using the known cosmetics. What is the ruling on these practices?
There are two ways in which a woman cuts her hair; either in a style that makes her hair resemble men’s hair, which is prohibited and a major sin because the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) cursed women who imitate men, or she cuts it to an extant that does not resemble men’s hair. The scholars differed on this second style into three views: Some scholars said it is permissible and there is nothing wrong with it; others held that it is prohibited; while some others said it is disliked. According to the famous opinion of the Hanbali school of Fiqh, it is disliked.
Actually, we should not accept all the habits coming to us from others. Not long ago, women used to brag about their thick long hair. What is the matter with them today that they wish to cut their hair in imitation of women from other parts of the world! I do not disapprove of everything new; I only disapprove of everything that causes our society to turn to habits imported from non-Muslims.
As for high heels, if they are unusual, display a woman’s beauty, and attract attention to her, then it is not permissible to wear them. Allah Almighty says: {And do not display yourselves as [was] the display of the former times of ignorance.} [Al-Ahzāb: 33] Anything that displays a woman’s beauty, attracts attention to her, and makes her distinct from other women in a beautifying way is prohibited and impermissible.