The ruling of Shariah regarding the hair of the head and face
Question: May women have the hair of their head cut short?
Questioner: Farhan (Soldier Bazaar, Karachi)
بسم اللہ الرحمن الرحیم الجواب بعون الملک الوھاب اللھم ھدایۃ الحق والصواب
Answer: For women to have the hair of their head cut so short that it resembles men is impermissible and haram. Likewise, cutting the hair to follow a fashion trend in the manner of immoral women is also forbidden. However, if the hair has become very long, then to trim it to such an extent that it does not resemble men — as the ends are commonly trimmed to even them out —is permissible.
وَاللہُ تَعَالٰی اَعْلَمُ وَرَسُوْلُہُ اَعْلَم عَزَّوَجَلَّ وَ صَلَّی اللّٰہُ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَاٰلِہٖ وَسَلَّم
Answered by: Fuzayl Raza al-Attari عفی عنہ الباری
26 Dhul-Hijjah al-Haram 1437 AH / 29 September 2016
Question: If hair has appeared on a woman’s face, the question is: may she have her face threaded — that is, may she remove her facial hair— or not?
Questioner: Ali Raza (Latifabad No. 2, Hyderabad)
بسم اللہ الرحمن الرحیم الجواب بعون الملک الوھاب اللھم ھدایۃ الحق والصواب
Answer: If hair has appeared on a woman’s face, then under ordinary circumstances it is permissible and allowed (mubāḥ) for her to remove this hair; there is no harm in it. If this is done with the intention of adornment for the husband, then, along with being permissible, it is also recommended (mustaḥabb), because a woman has been commanded to adopt adornment for her husband, and the presence of hair on the face is a cause of aversion and dislike for the husband and is contrary to adornment.
However, plucking the eyebrows is an exception to this ruling, as plucking and shaping the eyebrows merely for beauty and adornment is impermissible. In the blessed Hadith, a curse has been mentioned concerning the woman who has her eyebrows shaped. Therefore, the custom of shaping the eyebrows that is now common among women is impermissible, and they should refrain from it. Yes, there is one case: if the eyebrows have grown excessively and appear unsightly, then only those overgrown hairs may be trimmed and shortened enough for the unsightliness to be removed; there is no harm in this.
وَاللہُ تَعَالٰی اَعْلَمُ وَرَسُوْلُہُ اَعْلَم عَزَّوَجَلَّ وَ صَلَّی اللّٰہُ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَاٰلِہٖ وَسَلَّم
Answered by: Abu Muhammad Muhammad Sarfraz Akhtar al-Attari
2 Ramadan al-Mubarak 1437 AH / 8 June 2016
Verified by: Fuzayl Raza al-Attari عفی عنہ الباری
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