Q & A WITH SHALIM SALIM GHISA

Shaykh Muhammad Salim Ghisa is a prominent young scholar in the UK. He has studied Islam in India, UK and Jordan.

I'm a single Muslim girl. Is it allowed for me to trim, shape or pluck my eyebrows?

The problem of living in the West is to try and keep up with the Western phenomena and this is done whether it means its Haram or Halal. We find sisters with perfectly formed eyebrows wanting to reshape them so that they will be part of the picture.

According to the Shariah (Islamic Law) it is not permissible for a Muslim girl to pluck, trim or shape her eyebrows as this is against the natural beauty that Allah(swt) has given to her.

This has been clarified in the following Hadith: “The Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: Allah has cursed those women who modify their eyebrows or ask others to do it for them. (Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim).

As we can see the warning from the Prophet (pbuh) is a very strong one. This is why great scholars like Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani, Tabari, Nawawi, among others have actually prohibited (forbidden) any kind of modification to the eyebrows, even removing hair from in between linked eye-brows.

Tabari has considered it to be changing the creation of Allah. However, they have permitted the removal of hair for women from the chin and above the upper lip (if a beard or a moustache develops), since this is to avoid resembling men.

Exceptions

We learn from this that it is not permissible for women to remove any hair from the eyebrows for the sake of just beautifying themselves. However, it would be permissible for a woman to remove the hair from above the nose (if the eyebrows have become linked) as this is considered to be not-normal.

It may also be considered permissible to clip off one or two stray hairs from around the eyebrows or for very bushy eyebrows to be reduced to normal size and moderation. This type of concession (i.e. to remove hair for the sake of eliminating a defective appearance) can be found in the following:

Ibn 'Abidin al-Shami(1) writes in his commentary on the al-Durr al-Mukhtar(2) concerning the prohibition of plucking hair from the face:

It is possible that the prohibition mentioned [in the hadith] is if this is done for the sake of beautifying oneself for the sake of strangers, otherwise, if she has some hair on her face which her husband dislikes, then the prohibition of removing such hair seems to be far-fetched.

This is because [self-] beautification for women is recommended for the sake of chastity.… It states in the Tabyin al-Maharim(3) that removing facial hair is unlawful, unless a beard or moustache grows on a women, in which case it will not be unlawful to remove it, but would actually be recommended.

It is related in the Tatarkhaniyya(4) from al-Mudmarat that there is no objection in removing the hair from eyebrows and face so long as it does not cause one to resemble a man. The same is mentioned in the Mujtaba (Radd al-Muhtar 5:239).

Conclusion:

Taking the hadith and the various statements of the Hanafi jurists into consideration the following could be concluded:

1. It would be permitted for a woman to remove a beard or a moustache that appears on her face. Even though it is facial hair, but since it is to stop women from resembling men, it is permitted. This is the opinion of the majority of scholars, in fact they have said that it is recommended, not just permitted. The same will be to bleach this hair instead.

2. 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], this can be done by clipping them off, plucking, trimming or shaving. The reason for this is that linked eyebrows are looked upon as a defect, hence it would be permissible to remove it.

3. A 'few' stray hairs around the eyebrows would be permissible to remove by clipping them off, plucking, trimming or shaving is acceptable 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 case nowadays].

4. 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 or reduced to thin lines can not be considered as acceptable in Islamic law due to the severity of the hadith.

5. Great caution has to be exercised in this regard, since the hadith is very strict and there are some Hanafi scholars who have taken more strict position. For instance, Mullah Ali al-Qari (Allah be pleased with him) comments [relating from Imam Nawawi] that plucking of the facial hair is haram (unlawful) for a woman with the exception of moustache or beard hairs (Mirqat al-Mafatih 8:218). The concessions mentioned above are for the removal of a defective appearance and not for purely beautification purpose, hence, caution in this matters is the way.

Of course Allah knows best.

References:

  1. Shaykh Ibn Abidin is one of the highest Authorities of the Hanafi Fiqh. He was known for his brilliance in Hanafi Fiqh and Hadith. His most famous works are used as the complete authority of the Hanafi school of thought which is Raddul Mukhtar the explanation documentary for the great Hanafi scholar Imam Haskafi's Durr-e-Mukhtar. He lived in Syria (8th century Islam) and hence his title As-Shami.
  2. Durr-al-Muktar was written in 1070 (6th century Islam) by Imam Haskafi who was the main Mufti and complete authority of Syria. His works are regarded as the masterpiece of Hanafi Fiqh by all.
  3. Tabyin Al Maharim was written in the 8th century by Sinan Ad Din Yusuf Al Hanafi an Egyptian scholar. The works are on Islamic Ethical and Moral codes and law. Again accepted by Hanafis throughout.
  4. Tatarkhaniyyah is a very important work of Fatwas released in the 7th century. All Hanafi jurist regard it as authentic and use it in their works.

HOW CAN READING SALAAH/NAMAAZ, HELP US IN THIS WORLD?

After submission to the faith of Islam, Salaah is the most important form of worship for the believers. The purpose behind the Salaah is to remember the creator within regular intervals during the day. This will lead to a believer putting his/her full trust in Allah for all their day to day necessities. There are many Hadith advising the believers of the true benefits of Salaah and the beauty it holds for both this world and the hereafter.

During our day we commit many sins without even realising their consequences. However, we cannot always remember to perform repentance to Allah and hence justifiably we should await our punishment. However, how great is the mercy of Allah who forgives these sins just by us performing our daily prayers, as narrated in the following Hadith;

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) narrates: “I heard the Messenger of Allah (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) say”, “What would you think if there were a river running by the door of any of you, and he bathed in it five times every day, would any trace of dirt be left on him?” The people said “There would be no trace of dirt on him”. He said “this is like the five daily prayers through which Allah erases (minor) sins. ” (Bukhari and Muslim)

The Messenger of Allah (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: “The five daily prayers are like a deep river flowing by the door of any of you, in which he bathes five times a day.” (Muslim)

Ibn Mas’ud said: “A man kissed a woman, and then he came to the Prophet of Allah (pbuh) and told him what he had done. Then Allah revealed the verse “And establish regular prayers at the two ends of the day and at the approaches of the night: For those things that are good remove those that are evil….(11:114). The man said “does it apply to me?” The Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) replied “it applies to all of my Ummah. (Bukhari and Muslim)

Uthman Ibn Affan said: “I heard the Messenger of Allah (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) saying “There is no Muslim who, when the time for prayer comes, performs ablution properly, concentrates on his prayer and bows correctly, but the prayer will be an expiation for the sins committed prior to it, so as long as no major sin has been committed. This is the case until the end of time.” (Muslim)

Benefit in this world

From the above few Hadith we can understand the benefit of Salaah for us and our after life. However one may ask how it can benefit me in this world? The fact of the matter is that when a Muslim devotes himself to prayer he gains such closeness to his creator that all that he does is always accepted and becomes spiritual. Therefore when he asks for something Allah grants it, when he needs something Allah gives it even before he requests it. Allah has said that he becomes the power in the hand that he uses or the step he takes, meaning he only does with the absolute will of Allah. This is when a person becomes the friend of Allah and Allah loves him so much that He will wage war against his servant’s enemies. Who needs any defence when Allah will protect them?

Abu Hurairah narrated from the Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) that Allah said “Whoever is hostile to my friends I declare war against him. A man does not come close to me with anything more dearly than what I have made obligatory upon them (Salaah, saum etc). Man continues to come nearer to me through voluntary deeds until I love him, and when I love him, I become his ears with which he hears, I become his sight with which he sees. I become his hands with which he strikes and I become his legs with which he strides. If he asks me I shall surely grant his request. If he seeks my refuge I shall protect him. I do not hesitate in what I intend to do, as I hesitate to take the soul of My faithful servant; he hates death whilst I hate for any harm to come to him (through pain of death). [Bukhari]

From the above hadith we can see how powerful man can become when he becomes close to Allah. This can only be done by performing regular Salaah.

Here's a few more benefits of prayer in this world:

  1. It helps you from doing evil deeds and makes you a better person.
  2. It gives you peace, tranquillity and meditation.
  3. Prayer gives you stress-relief because you shut everything else out.
  4. Prayer in congregation (jamaat) builds your bond with other Muslims.
  5. It gives you a timetable for the day. It gives you discipline.

Salaah in times of difficulty

When we face difficulties we try and find remedy in various different aspects, such as finance, medicine, friendship etc. However, whenever our Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) would face difficulty he would always turn to prayer.

Huzaifa narrates that whenever the Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) faced any difficulty, he would at once resort to Salaah. (Ahmad, Abu Dawood)

Salaah is a great blessing of Allah. To resort to Salaah at the time of worry is to hasten to His mercy, and when Allah’s mercy comes to the rescue there can be no trace of any worry. When Ibn Abbas heard the news of the death of his son, he came off his camel and performed two cycles of prayer and said this is what Allah has commanded us to do in the following verse “Seek Allah’s help with patience and Salaah”(2:45)

There are many other reports of when Allah’s Messenger and his companions used to resort to Salaah. We unfortunately find that our youth resort to Haram such as alcohol and drugs to drown their worries, and then we wonder why we as an Ummah are in such a state.

Other benefits of Salaah

There are numerous benefits for Salaah both physically and mentally, here are some that our scholars have highlighted:

  • The love of Allah will start to increase.
  • The body will stay free from illness.
  • You will stay in the protection of the angels.
  • You will gain blessing in the home.
  • Your face and body will become illuminated.
  • Allah will protect you from the punishment of the grave.
  • Allah will protect you from the fire of Hell.
  • There will be ease in the questioning on the day of judgement.
  • The Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) will intercede for you.
  • You will be with the friends of Allah without fear.
  • The greatest benefit for the believer will be the vision of Allah.
  • May Allah guide us all and keep us steadfast in prayer and worship.
  • Of course Allah knows best

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