The Islamic ruling regarding waxing and the plucking of eyebrows
Question: What is the Islamic ruling regarding waxing and the plucking of eyebrows?
Answer: A lady wrote to Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih V that a murabbi had argued that the plucking of eyebrows was impermissible and was equivalent to adultery. She sought guidance on this as well as the Islamic ruling on body waxing.
Huzoor (aa), in his letter dated 16 January 2021, offered the following guidance regarding this topic:
“It is narrated in the ahadith that Allah the Exalted has cursed those women who, for cosmetic or aesthetic purposes, practise tattooing, and those who get themselves tattooed, and those who pluck facial hair, and those who artificially create a space between the front teeth, and those who practise artificial lengthening of the hair, and those who get their hair lengthened artificially, who alter Allah’s creation. (Sahih Bukhari, Kitab al-Libas)
“There is always some or the other point of wisdom behind every Islamic commandment. Moreover, some Islamic injunctions have a specific context and background to them. If we disregard their background, then they would become distorted. When the Holy Prophet (sa) was commissioned as a prophet, on the one hand, the poison of various kinds of polytheism had spread everywhere in the world and especially in the Arabian Peninsula, and on the other hand, different kinds of misguided attitudes had also gripped humanity in their claws. Men and women were involved in various kinds of polytheistic rituals and social evils.
“The ahadith that prohibit the abovementioned actions, especially mention two motivators [behind those actions]; a) the altering of God’s creation or b) looking more beautiful.
“When we carefully consider these two aspects, we observe that the first aspect, namely ‘the altering of God’s creation’, points to social evils and also reflects polytheistic practices. Hence, wearing long braids, wrapping them into ‘turbans’ and then considering those to be a sign of nobility or sacrament; wearing braids or topknots as a vow of devotion to some saint or guru; shaving the top of the head while growing hair around it and considering it a blessing for children; having the image of a goddess, idol or animal tattooed on the body, face, arms etc. to seek blessings – these were all polytheistic practices, driven by mythical superstitions of the jahiliyyah [the pre-Islamic period of ignorance].
“The second aspect, that is ‘for the sake of beauty’, in some respects, reflects social misconduct and obscenity. It is not forbidden for a person to adopt any legitimate methods for their own beauty while remaining within the permissible limits. Hence, it is mentioned in a hadith that a person said [to the Holy Prophet sa] that he liked and admired a fine dress and shoes and he asked if it constituted arrogance. The Holy Prophet sa replied that that was not arrogance. Arrogance was to deny the truth and despise others. He went on to say:
“‘Allah is most Beautiful and loves beauty.’ (Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Iman, bab tahrimi l-kibri wa bayanih)
“Moreover, it is a well-established fact that even in those days when women were to be married, they too would be adorned according to the methods of that era.
“Therefore, the attainment of ‘beauty’ about which the Holy Prophetsa warned of God’s curse certainly means something else. Hence, when we carefully ponder over the ahadith in this regard, we see that the Holy Prophet sa, when prohibiting these things, added that the Children of Israel perished when their women started such acts. (Sahih Bukhari, Kitab al- Libas)
“Then, we also know that at the time of the Holy Prophet sa, lewdness was common among the Jews and at that time there were several brothels in Medina, especially in the Jewish area. The women who were involved in this business would employ such tactics of embellishment to beguile the men. Hence, Allah’s Messenger sa forbade believing women from using those [means of enhancing beauty].
“Thus, the prohibition of these things appears to stem from the wisdom that if they result in such an artificial change in the physical appearance of an individual that the distinction between man and woman, which God Almighty has created in human beings, vanishes, or there is a fear that this kind of action may lead to inclination towards shirk, which is the gravest of sins; or if these things are carried out in order to beguile the opposite sex in an impermissible manner, then all these actions would be considered unlawful and actionable.
“It was within this context of these vices that the Holy Prophet sa forbade such things to the believing women. However, he also gave reasonable permission in exceptional circumstances on grounds of someone’s suffering or illness. Hence, it is narrated by Hazrat Abdullah ra bin Mas‘ud that:
“‘I heard Allah’s Messenger sa forbidding the plucking of hair, filing of the teeth, having artificial hair and having tattoos done except on grounds of illness.’
“Islam has made actions dependent on their intentions. Therefore, in this age, there is nothing wrong with a woman making use of these things in a lawful way and for a legitimate purpose as long as she is observing the Islamic injunctions regarding hijab. Nonetheless, if these actions lead to an inclination toward vices or they lead to an expression of any polytheistic rituals or disobedience to a clear command of Islam – for example, if women do not take full care of their purdah and expose their private parts in front of other women while having their waxing or other treatments etcetera done – then such actions would be counted among those against which we have been warned by the Holy Prophet (sa) and they would be unlawful.
“Furthermore, it should also be kept in mind in this regard that Allah the Exalted has declared discord and disorder to be greater sins than murder and has commanded their abolition. There have been some instances where marriages were dissolved or divorces were issued after marriages because the husband found out later that the woman had facial hair. If they are not cleaned or plucked out, these few hairs would ruin more houses, and a long series of unpleasantries would begin. In any case, it was not at all the objective of the Holy Prophet (sa) to give rise to a situation in society that would lead to the spread of disorder in the homes. The wisdom behind his uttering such harsh words appears to be that since polytheism is the gravest of sins and these practices were employed for the sake of various deities etcetera, or since they used to be tools for promoting indecency, he expressed his disgust about them in the strongest possible terms, and thus uprooted polytheistic customs and indecency.”
What is the Islamic ruling regarding waxing and the plucking of eyebrows?
Plucking, threading, tattoos, artificial diastema and hair
In response to a question about ladies plucking or threading their facial hair and having tattoos, Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa, in a letter dated 2 February 2019, wrote:
Answer: “There are various reasons why believing women have been forbidden in ahadith from getting tattoos, plucking facial hair, creating artificial gaps between the front teeth to look more beautiful and youthful, wearing artificial hair and altering Allah’s creation etc.
“If these things cause such an artificial change to the natural physical appearance of someone that the distinction between man and woman, which God has placed in human beings, disappears or if there is a danger of inclining towards shirk [association of any partner with Allah] – which is the gravest sin – due to such things, then it is forbidden to do so.
“Moreover, in the ahadith, where these things have been forbidden, the Holy Prophet (sa) also warned that the Children of Israel perished when their women started doing such things. So, it could be argued that since adultery had spread and brothels had been established among the Jews, women who were involved in such business may have employed such tactics [as outlined in the beginning] to seduce men. Hence, the Holy Prophet (sa) may have forbidden the believing women from doing such things by highlighting their nefarious aspect.
“Moreover, it is also possible that this instruction of the Holy Prophet (sa) was temporary, given the circumstances of that time, just as the Holy Prophet (sa) prohibited the converts to Islam in a region from the general use of utensils that were also used to produce alcohol. However, once the Islamic teaching was well established among those people, the Holy Prophet (sa) allowed them to use those utensils.
“Islam declares that actions depend on motives. Therefore, even in this age, if, as a result of these actions, there arises a tendency towards evil or they lead one to disobedience to any clear command of Islam, then they would fall under the actions against which the Holy Prophet (sa) has warned. An example of this would be women not taking full care of their purdah or exposing their private parts in front of other women while having their waxing or other treatments etc. done. That is indecency,
which is not allowed and perhaps the actions of such women would fall under the same actions against which we have been warned.
“However, there is nothing wrong with a woman taking advantage of these things while observing the Islamic commandment of purdah.”
https://www.alhakam.org/answers-to-everyday-issues-part-x
Virtual congregational prayers
I met with Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa on 13 April 2021. During the mulaqat, I asked Huzooraa whether it was permissible to conduct Tarawih prayers virtually.
Answer:
Huzooraa provided guidance on this matter and said:
“If the mosque and the houses behind it are at the same site — as is the case at the new markaz of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat in Islamabad, UK, where the workers’ dwellings are located behind the Mubarak Mosque — then one may, only under compelling circumstances such as the current coronavirus pandemic, offer the Tarawih or other congregational prayers using means of communication such as loudspeakers or FM radios etc. where the chances of losing the signal are
very low. However, if the mosque and the houses are at separate locations or if the houses are located in front of the mosque, then the occupants of those houses may not offer their prayers by following the [imam, leading] prayers in the mosque; rather, they may offer separate congregational prayers in their own homes.”
Members of Lajna writing to or getting published in newspapers
A virtual mulaqat of Lajna members of the Netherlands with Huzoor (aa) was held on 22 August 2020. Members of Lajna writing to or getting published in newspapers During the same mulaqat, Huzoor (aa) was asked as to what steps Lajna could take to be able to write to or get published in newspapers.
Answer:
Huzoor (aa) said:
“Whatever contemporary issues arise or whatever articles are written in newspapers or the issues that you feel are being discussed on social media or other platforms, can be addressed on social media or on your Lajna website so that there may be awareness about it and so that everyone learns that this is the correct answer to such and such matter. “Similarly, those people who wish to write articles in newspapers about various issues in defence of Islam should, for instance, write that ‘you say that Islam teaches such and such when in actual fact, this is the true teaching of Islam.’ So, you should encourage those who are capable of writing such articles. The various topics that come up on social media are the ones that should be addressed so that readers are attracted and turn towards what you have to say.
“In the Western world, the issue that arises with regard to [Muslim] women is that it is alleged that they do not have freedom; the restriction of purdah applies to them; such and such restrictions are made against women and such and such injustices are committed upon them. Women should write about these issues and explain that ‘you say such and such [about us]; I am a woman and this is my response to your assertion.’
“There are Lajna members who write articles like this in the UK and it has a positive impact. Instead of men responding to such issues, women should respond to them as that has a better impact on people.
“Therefore, you should form a team for this. Then, you should also have knowledge of these issues. You should possess knowledge of the teachings of Islam and when you begin to write anything, you should be well-prepared and should write in light of facts and figures so that others are impressed [with what you have written].”
Lack of talent in doing tabligh and its solution
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