6829 – 0214
Question:
ٱلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ ٱللَّٰهِ
I wanted to ask about a fiqh ruling that I’m confused about. As has been taught to us from young, plucking eyebrows is haram. However, recently an aapa mentioned that trimming from the top is permissible. I read this fatwaa that supports what the aapa said but it said that we must be cautious with what is regarded as “thick”.
https://islamqa.org/hanafi/zamzam-academy/20418/eyebrows-hair-removal/
I wanted to ask mufti to distinguish between what is thick and what is normal, in order to avoid falling into sin.
جَزَاكَ ٱللَّٰهُ خَيْرً
Answer:
As salām ʿalaikum wa raḥmatullāhī wa barakātuhu
In the Name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The Fatwā provided in the link above does not permit trimming from the top of the eyebrows. In fact, it highlights the grave warnings mentioned in various Aḥādīth for those who engage in this practice. The only concession mentioned in the Fatwā is in the case where the eyebrows are joined above the nose, appear unnaturally thick, thereby causing an abnormal appearance, or if there are few stray hairs that are clearly outside the natural shape of the brows. This is not considered the same as shaping the brows, which remains impermissible.
The conclusion of the Fatwā clearly states the following:
- If the eyebrows are linked in between, it would be permissible to remove the excess hair from in between to separate them (i.e. the hair above the nose). The reason for this is that linked eyebrows are looked upon as a defect; hence it would be permissible to remove it.
- A ‘few’ stray hairs around the eyebrows would be permissible to remove by clipping them off, if it looks defective, or for married women creates abhorrence in their husband. This does not mean it is permitted to remove a whole line or two of fine hair from around the eyebrows (as is the style nowadays).
- Dense bushy eyebrows may be trimmed down to a more normal size. However, one must exercise great caution in this regard, since one does not want it to fall under the warning of the hadith. If one is not sure how to determine the normal size they should not act on the benefit of the doubt, but rather follow the more cautionary approach and trim less. What so called ‘regular’ (especially non-Muslim) people consider nowadays as the norm i.e. eyebrows that are shaped in particular unnatural styles or reduced to thin lines can not be considered as acceptable in Islamic law due to the severity of the hadith.
Our Dār al-Iftā concurs with the contents of the Fatwā referenced above.
In summary, it is not permissible to shorten, trim, or shape the eyebrows for purposes of beautification or fashion. However, if the eyebrows are abnormally thick, to the extent that it is clearly noticeable and causes discomfort or embarrassment, then a concession is granted to trim them only to restore a normal appearance. This concession does not permit thinning the eyebrows beyond what is considered normal, as is common in contemporary fashion trends.
And Allāh Taʿālā knows best.
رد المحتار على الدر المختار— ابن عابدين، محمد أمين بن عمر بن عبد العزيز عابدين الدمشقي الحنفي (ت 1252هـ) 6/ 373
(قوله والنامصة إلخ) ذكره في الاختيار أيضا وفي المغرب. النمص:نتف الشعر ومنه المنماص المنقاش اهـ ولعله محمول على ما إذا فعلته لتتزين للأجانب، وإلا فلو كان في وجهها شعر ينفر زوجها عنها بسببه، ففي تحريم إزالته بعد، لأن الزينة للنساء مطلوبة للتحسين، إلا أن يحمل على ما لا ضرورة إليه لما في نتفه بالمنماص من الإيذاء. وفي تبيين المحارم إزالة الشعر من الوجه حرام إلا إذا نبت للمرأة لحية أو شوارب فلا تحرم إزالته بل تستحب اهـ، وفي التتارخانية عن المضمرات: ولا بأس بأخذ الحاجبين وشعر وجهه ما لم يشبه المخنث اهـ ومثله في المجتبى تأمل
احسن الفتاوی — مفتی اعظم مفتی رشید احمد صاحب (ت ١٤٢٢هـ) 8/ 76
ابرو بہت زیادہ پھیلے ہوتے ہوں تو ان کو درست کر کے عام حالت کے مطابق کرنا جائز ہے۔ غرضیکہ تزیین منتحب ہے اور ازالہ عیب کا استحباب نسبتہ زیادہ مؤکد ہے اور تلبیس و تغییر خلق نا جائز ہے۔
فتاوی دار العلوم زکریا — حضرت مولانا مفتی رضاء الحق صاحب دامت برکاتہم ۔ 7/ 322
بصورت مسئولہ حاجبین کے بال اگر حد سے زیادہ لمبے ہوں اور گھنے ہوجائیں کہ قابل نفرت معلوم ہوں تو ان کا کاٹنا اور ٹھیک کرنا جائز اور درست ہے، یہ ازالہ عیب کے قبیل سے ہے، ہاں بلا ضرورت کاٹنا اور باریک کرنا جیسا کہ اس زمانہ میں اکثر بازاری عورتوں کا طریقہ ہے یہ جائز اور درست نہیں حدیث شریف میں اس کی ممانعت وارد ہوئی ہے۔