❖ Source: Extracted from the book Aḥkām wa Masā’il: Kitāb wa Sunnat kī Roshnī Mein by Shaykh Mubashshir Ahmad Rabbānī
Does the term “Nāmiṣah” refer only to a woman who removes all facial hair, or also to one who only removes eyebrow hair?
The term “Nāmiṣah” refers to any woman who removes hair from any part of her face.
Lughāt al-Ḥadīth (lexicons of prophetic language) have defined the word accordingly.
Imām Ibn al-Athīr al-Jazarī رحمه الله stated:
النامصة التي تنتف الشعر من وجهها
“A Nāmiṣah is the woman who plucks hair from her face.”
[al-Nihāyah fī Gharīb al-Ḥadīth wal-Athar: 5/119]
This same meaning is confirmed by:
Thus, any woman who plucks or removes hair from any part of her face falls under the curse mentioned in the ḥadīth of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Removing even just eyebrow hair or other facial hair makes one included in the warning issued by the Prophet ﷺ.
❖ Question:
Does the term “Nāmiṣah” refer only to a woman who removes all facial hair, or also to one who only removes eyebrow hair?
❖ Answer:
The term “Nāmiṣah” refers to any woman who removes hair from any part of her face.
Lughāt al-Ḥadīth (lexicons of prophetic language) have defined the word accordingly.
Imām Ibn al-Athīr al-Jazarī رحمه الله stated:
النامصة التي تنتف الشعر من وجهها
“A Nāmiṣah is the woman who plucks hair from her face.”
[al-Nihāyah fī Gharīb al-Ḥadīth wal-Athar: 5/119]
This same meaning is confirmed by:
- ʿAllāmah Muḥammad Ṭāhir al-Paṭnī in Majmaʿ Baḥr al-Anwār (4/811)
- ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Khalīl al-Farāhīdī in Kitāb al-ʿAyn (p. 989)
- and other scholarly works
Thus, any woman who plucks or removes hair from any part of her face falls under the curse mentioned in the ḥadīth of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Removing even just eyebrow hair or other facial hair makes one included in the warning issued by the Prophet ﷺ.
