Can I pluck my eyebrows for my husband?
Question:
Can I pluck my eyebrows for my husband?
Answer:
Asalamu alaykum,
Many scholars allow a woman to trim those hairs which appear abnormal- strange. They differ on the permissibility of a married woman plucking her eyebrows for her husband. Those who allow it use a text that is weak, and when confronted with the definitive text: “Allah curses those who pluck and get plucked,” that opinion, which is held by them, which includes the Malikis as noted by Sh. ‘Adwai in his meta commentary on Abi Zaid’s Epistle, appears fragile.
There is an important axiom in Islamic law that states, “There is no cursing upon acts which are permissible.” The Prophet clearly invoked Allah’s curse upon the practitioners of this act, so I would encourage our sisters to stay away from it out of respect for the text; remaining cautious with their din. Although, there is a fatwa on our site that permits it, after further research I have found it to be weak.
Allah knows best
Suhaib
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As salamu alaykum,
Jazakum Allah khair for posting this article.
This has been an issue that has been troubling for sometime. I am not married and I used to pluck my eyebrows. I havent plucked my eyebrows in 6months, alhamduillah.
However, I cant lie as it really has been a struggle for the last 6 months.
Some sisters are shaving a portion of their eyebrows to give a more defined shape to their brow. Other sisters are bleaching a portion of their eyebrows to give a more coiffed appearance to them. Are either of these options permissible?
Jazakum Allah khair for your time
“Although, there is a fatwa on our site that permits it, after further research I have found it to be weak”
I am no authority in fiqh so I can’t comment on the technicality of the answer but what I love is the tone of self-analysis and honesty which is rare to find sometimes
respect to Imam Suhaib with continuous du’aa for him and this great blog
Salam all,
I can not resist not commenting on this when I hear it alot.
If I may be open about how I think of this ( please correct me Imam Suhaib). What is wrong in looking clean and tidy without exessive plucking? And why the lady asks if it’s for a husband or not when it will only make her look clean. A clean look does not make it look like how some ladies make of their faces using washam (or tatoo).Which is too …..much..if you know what I mean…believe me, some ladies look ugly without cleaning extra hairs.
Salam,
Can u give me a specific hadees or website where it sows we cannot pluck eyebrows for women in islam?
Fauzia
Assalamu Alayqum Wa Rahmatullah,
First of all, I would to like to say that I am thankful for having you as a brother in Islam. May Alloh (swt) keep you and your family in utmost bliss and serenity Brother Webb, Ameen!
Another hadith that has been bothering me for quite some time goes like this, Abu Musa reported that the Prophet pbuh said “Any woman who wears perfume and passes by people who would smell her perfume, is a fornicator” (An-Nasa’I and Abu Dawud). It upsets me to hear a hadith like this. It doesn’t sound like Islam. As you know, Islam is equality for all. And this hadith sounds as if some insecure man who wouldn’t even want his wife to leave the house wrote this hadith himself. Women have to wear hijab which causes us to sweat and in turn causes us to smell. Sure we can wear deodrant, ofcourse, but sometimes that isn’t enough. I say, if you have good intentions and are being modest then there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. I don’t think this earth would even exist if petty matters such as not being able to groom your eyebrows or wear perfume really mattered. Women can equally be attracted by the smell of a man’s perfume when he walks by. And this is why we both need to be modest when applying perfume, etc. and lower our gazes. Funny though, because in Islam its good to have proper hygiene so whats wrong with someone smelling nice? Everyone should smell nice for their own comfort. Also, it bothers me when not just one thing but two or three things are taken from a hadith. The fact that women cannot wear high heels even if their feet are covered and shoes are sound proof bothers me as well. I have heard that we cannot wear high heels period due to the fact that it alters our height. Islam is not supposed to be complicated. “Those who go to extremes are doomed x3″ (Muslim). I wish that some people can stop criticizing those who have already given up plently for the sake of Alloh (swt) and are making an effort to live Deen Al Islam in every aspect. May Alloh (swt) forgive us for our sins, guide us, and protect us. Ameen. Summah Ameen.
Wow. With all that is going on in peoples’ lives, are we really talking about eyebrows? Waxing, threading, plucking, shaving, and freaking out?
I thank Allah that He has given us a complete faith to follow, and what He really wants from us is to check our intention – why do we do things? Allah knows what is in our hearts, and if we have the capacity to restrain ourselves from excess, to guard our modesty, to properly prioritize in our lives, to learn from the example of the Prophet (SAW), to fear Allah, to seek His truth, and to remember Him when we are confronted with our shortcomings, we have to believe He will guide us.
As I age, I am growing increasing weary of the world view of those around me. PLucking is one example. (insert appropriate Arabic expression of shock and outrage here). I’m not trying to be glib, but if we try to live our lives in accordance to Allah’s instructions, and really thought about it, we would start changing our practices, as in the stories of the great prophets, who started changing their understanding of life one small step at a time.
My 2 cents. I’m outa change. Allah knows best.
I ask all sisters to please fear Allah, as Imam Suhaib has exhorted in this post. Please remember that once you comment on a blog, your comment is out there permanently unless Allah wills otherwise. It can either guide readers to do that which is closer to taqwa and to a higher level of piety, or cast doubts in their minds regarding matters of jurisprudence, or more importantly, what is haram and what is halal.
As women, we can never really know what thoughts our perfume, high heels, or jiggling trinkets can produce in men’s minds. You can never know.
Please submit to the commands of your Lord and His Prophet [sal Allahu alyhi wasallam] even if you do not understand the hikmah behind them.
Allah knows best.
with all due respect, sister, your concern for muslim men is too great! let them worry about the nature of the universe, changing diapers, minding good manners, things that muslim men fall far behind of their non-muslim counterparts. i think muslim woman who opt to look, smell and appear what presentable by any set of conservative standard does so for the wellbeing of her emotional, spiritual and moral standing, notwithstanding what the men think. let the muslim men find out some better occupiers of their time, other than what clings on a muslimah’s body.
Thanks sis for the reminder.
I would like to point out that for a believer, no sin should be considered unimportant or insignificant.
“Even the smallest sin is great in the eyes of a believer.”
Everyhing has its place in our deen. Where do you draw the line in calling the implementation of small rulings as insignificant. One my say cleanliness is insignificant, cutting nails is insignificant, washing after using the toilet is insignificant. Just because there are greater problems needing to be addressed, does not make the smaller problems any less important. We should try our best to just accept the deen as it is, remember a day will come when:
“Whosoever does an atom’s weight of good, shall see it,
And whosoever does an atom’s weight of bad, he shall see it.”
Remember we will be accountable for all our deeds, we should be careful and humble ourselves. We should not think we are above an ruling, remember Allah swt knows what is best for us…he Created us and He knows the consequences of our actions, even if they are as insignificant as an atom’s weight..
As it says in Suratul Kahf:
“And the Book (of Deeds) will be placed (before you); and thou wilt see the sinful in great terror because of what is (recorded) therein; they will say “Ah! woe to us! what a book is this! It leaves out nothing small or great, but takes account thereof!” They will find all that they did, placed before them: and not one will thy Lord treat with injustice.”
As Salam Alaikum Sister Sadaf,
Dont mind the negative comments of other lesser knowledgeable muslims. They have little knowledge & they make decisions based on their logical reasoning, but they fail to understand, Islam is a religion formulated by Allah (SWT), & Allah tells us to do something or forbids us from something because it is in our better interest even if we don’t understand how. Such lesser knowledgeable muslims don’t trust the religion and based on their logic, they think either such regulations do not exist in Islam, or these regulations are not right. May Allah Taala (SWT) guide us on the right path & give us correct knowledge InshAllah. Ameen.
Assalamualaikum @Muslim Sister, speaking from a mans perspective, no matter what level of piety he has or is at, when a woman walks by with the most beautiful perfume, it attracts attention to the person, no matter if they are covered or not. Theres definitely wisdom in the perfume hadith. Though you may have good intentions sister, unfortunately, a man is only a man…
sunnahAttempter,
A man is only a man, so is a woman, just a woman…we both smell when we perspire, the woman more so because of their extra layers of clothing. i completely agree on the frustrations our hijabi sisters face when their muslim brothers frown upon them for wearing the same perfume, that when coming from the not-so-discreet non-muslimah passer-by (wearing the latest channel) is inhaled free of cost. they way this argument can go, one should either put on a surgical mask (h1n1 type) or breathe easily, on the street,, because to get your own oxygen cylinder, could turn out a little expensive.
Haha…yeah, not many guys are into girls with unibrows, or with super bushy brows. Nor are guys really into sisters whose clothes smell like biryani and onions. I think most sisters aren’t into dudes that way either…no one is really (unless thats your thing!) But at the same time no need for sisters to go crazy like Persian guys do about their brows.
I think its about balance- doing your brows is a good idea, for the more hairier of us, please do it (muslims end up looking unhygienic and caveman-ish), but not to the extent of plucking away all your eyebrows and then painting eyebrows on (which is what I think that hadith might have been intended towards?)
Allahu jamilun. Uhibu al-jamal (God is beautiful and He loves beauty)
Honestly, I am perplexed by the hadith. Seems too tough to follow, especially for the reasons brother Dawood mentioned.
Whats the big fuss about? You either obey Allah and His messenger or you dont. As simple as that.
I agree with Fatimah.
You don’t need perfume in order to not smell like onions? Use deodorant or anti-perspirant, they usually do not give of a strong scent that can be felt by others and it makes you NOT smell like sweat, onions or whatever you’d like to call it. Usually perfume mixed with sweat makes you smell even worse anyways.
Yeah, the eyebrow-issue has been a bit of a struggle for me too. But i’ve let them grow, i usually brush them before i go out, haha. It gives them a cleaner look if you brush them abit. But then again, my eyebrows aren’t too thick to begin with.
There’s a type of perfume which women can wear without worrying if people can smell it whenever she’s passing by. It’s called attar, for women the color is darker than men. Why it’s darker? Its ‘molecule’ is heavier. I got this attar from a dear friend who lives in Mecca and I have been wearing it since then. People can only smell you when they hug you and sit close next to you only. And off course those who hug and be near with you are your mahram and girlfriends.. But don’t put too much, less is more..
On eyebrow issue- plucking is a no-no for me, I appreciate Allah’s gift to me, agree with Ms Adelina- brush them a bit. Jazakallah..
there are limits to everything..guys have to control themselves too..why are people always on girls..Allah is most forgiving..he is very nice..people make it so hard..Allah knows best
slms
Please provide clarity on whether women can just clean by means of plucking the stray hairs below the brow that is not connected with the eyebrow it self? is that permissible?
Jazaka Allah
Salaam,
I always thought that it is permissible to pluck hair in-between the brows, since that doesn’t really count as ‘eyebrow’, no?
Also, for women I thought any facial hair can be plucked if it resembles male or unfemininelike, avoiding the eyebrows of course…
In addition, I’ve heard that women cannot ‘pluck’ but they can ‘wax’…..????
Can someone please clarify?
As for myself being a young Muslim lady, I’ve always struggled with this issue as many many people in my culture actually encourage making the eyebrows, and in today’s society unfortunately its the ‘thing’ for ‘beauty’.
Never having plucked mine, they aren’t extremely bushy but aren’t perfect either. But you know what? Allah(swt) gave me a full functioning body with hands, feet, eyes, nose, mouth, ears, a brain…. who am I to complain about something as small as eyebrows which serve no function at all benefiting the state of my health?
If something is unclear about our faith, it’s better to avoid it all together…. Better safe than sorry is what I always say.
As Muslims, we should say ALHAMDULILLAH for what Allah HAS given us
Peace and Salaam to all the wonderful people, muslim and nonmuslim, on this blessed website, and May Allah help us seek knowledge and guide us strong and erect on the Path. Ameen
Salam Sisters & Brothers.
As far as I know (from the fatwaas i have read), it is permissible to pluck the hair between the two brows, they’re not eyebrows. And i would personally agree with it.
Plucking eyebrows is a huge issue. And i think there’s great Hikmah in forbidding it – It is impermissible and women already go to a great extent of plucking them and even have to recreate them with a pencil at times. Plus if they do so, it’s more along the lines of changing the nature that they’re born with. had it been allowed, i wonder what we, the female class, would have done! pluck them all off or something! LOL. just kidding, but no seriously, people do exaggerate the eyebrow plucking and usually end up destroying their natural beauty. I don’t know how it feels to have reallyyyy untidy eyebrows but i pray that it gets easy for all and He makes us happy with who we originally are! ameen.
As far as the perfume is concerned — I guess it is okay to use anti-perspirants or similar things. Non-mahrams will not be able to smell those products. I would say that lowering the eyes order would probably be hard for men already, let alone women walking around with sweet swelling perfumes. Men & women function differently. For us women, it isn’t exactly hard to lower down the gaze… we are by default more modest AlhamduLillah. We can’t debate much over how we function so it’s better that we inshAllah go along with the Ihkaam for they are only for our benefit. Prayers for my struggling sisters and brothers.
Wasalam
are married women allowed to do their eye brows if there husband wants to and is there any harm
The answer is posted above in the article.
asalam aleikum……we are forgeting islam came along way….people during the prophets(saw) time were submitting their lives to Allah and leaving their homes,their families,their community…why?…because they believed everything the prophet told them…..the only thing here is that we are being told is something simple “dont pluck ur eyebrows” it is that simple….you can imagine now how our faith in islam is so weak we go round and round and round justifying it but deep in our hearts we know we have to listen and obey the the prophet (saw. other than that whatever you do is up to you!!!!
i think so , it is always an arguement for people who want to follow islam but in their own way.
so if you say plucking eyebrows is permissable if its very very ugly and to look beautiful for husband it can be done, other who want to bite you,will come ok that means it is permissible in some way.
see guys, Fatwa is different and Taqwa is different.
the day we get taqwa, we will stop arguing and take all the commands of Allah and Rasool as commands and not argue on those.
Decide for urself.
you want Allah and rasool or want to argue on ”why it is not allowed or why is this allowed”
in that case the people who argue” shud actually not use any of the nemat of Allah” and try and live life without the nemat of Allah and see forurself if you can survive without the nemat of allah.
give back the nemat of allah”eg: ur eyes,ur heart,hands, legs and hair and etc.
give it back if have become so big to argue on why is this not allowed and why is this allowed.
then why are u using the nemat of Allah.
why? survive without these if u are so proud in arguing on the hikmah of Allah.
Allah has given tongue”not to raise arguments on Allah’s hikmah, he so rahmanur raheem, that after such arguement also you are still using the nemat of Allah that is ur tongue and hand and minds to write down .
Allah said it right” surely man is always less thankful”
please guys instead of arguement
”May Allah give us TAQWA and MAKE US among his close friends:ameen”
i agree wit u hafsa…even when we are asked not to do..we want it so badly that we argue saying its for our husband..yes im married.my eyebrows get bushy nd start lukin lik a man’s eyebrows..and face luks untidy…i do clean up the unwantd ones..my face luks cleaner..and Allah knows whats best for me..May Allah guide us through always
Salam,
Imam Suhaib said ”Many scholars allow a woman to trim those hairs which appear abnormal- strange. They differ on the permissibility of a married woman plucking her eyebrows for her husband” So what is defective is OK but going ‘Vogue – Fashion’ style for you husband is the issue that is not differed on and based on weak texts.
Regarding the perfume, sisters you have to realise that some things are allowed for men and not for women and some things are not-allowed for men but are allowed for women e.g. men cannot wear gold jewellery or silk and is strictly prohibited
Abdullah b. ‘Abbas reported that Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) saw a person wearing a gold signet ring in his hand. He (the Holy Prophet) pulled it off and threw it away, saying: One of you is wishing live coal from Hell, and putting it on his hand. It was said to the person after Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) had left: Take your signet ring (of gold) and derive benefit out of it. whereupon he said: No, by Allah, I would never take it when Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) has thrown it away. (Book #024, Hadith #5209)
yet gold and silver is perfectly fine for women and I am sure pretty much no one goes on about how this is ‘not Islam’ so why is it when there is something specific for women such as wearing a lot of perfume (outside), people go and make all sorts of excuses, its not exactly difficult? offering explanations such as ‘you don’t know what is in the minds of men’ or ‘need it for hygiene reasons’ etc should be avoided IMO as they are from ourselves, besides stuff like deodorant that you cant smell unless your right next to them is OK
Correct me If I am wrong anywhere
W.salam