This excerpt is taken from Dr. Yusuf al-Qaradawi's book Halal and Haram in Islam, translated into Urdu by Muhammad Tahir Naqqash.
Excessiveness in Adornment Leading to Alteration in Allah’s Creation:
Excessiveness in adornment that causes alteration in the creation made by Allah is rejected in Islam. The Quran describes it as the inspiration of Satan and quotes Satan’s statement regarding his followers:
وَلَاٰمُرَنَّهُمْ فَلَيُغَيِّرُنَّ خَلْقَ اللّٰهِ
“And I will surely command them so they will change the creation of Allah.”
Reference: Surah An-Nisa: 119
Piercing, Sharpening Teeth, and Undergoing Surgery for Beauty:
Among these prohibitions is also tattooing the body and sharpening the teeth.
لعن الرسول عليه الصلاة والسلام الواشمة والمستوشمة والواشرة والمستوشرة
"The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) cursed the one who tattoos, the one who gets tattooed, the one who sharpens the teeth, and the one who has the teeth sharpened."
Reference: Bukhari, Book of Clothing: Chapter on Extensions, Hadith: 5922, 5940 - Muslim, Book of Clothing and Adornment: Chapter on the Prohibition of the Act of the One Who Extends and the One Who Gets Extended, Hadith: 2124 - but it does not include the one who tattoos and the one who gets tattooed; in Musnad Umar ibn Abdul Aziz by Ibn al-Baghandi, p. 26 in the hadith of Muawiyah: he cursed the one who tattoos and the one who gets tattooed, and its chain of narration is weak; Ahmad narrated from Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) which includes the prohibition of plucking and tattooing, 415/1
Blue color is used for tattooing, and ugly patterns are made on the body, which creates a ridiculous deformity on the face and hands. In this matter, some Arabs, especially women, have gone to the extent of making patterns all over their bodies, and some followers of other religions make images of their gods and religious symbols; for example, Christians make the image of the cross on their hands and chest.
Besides these harms, another major harm is that piercing the body with needles causes severe pain. Therefore, doing or having this done is not only deserving of curse but also causes suffering.
As for "w-sh-r" meaning sharpening and shortening the teeth, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) cursed the woman who performs this act and also the woman who gets this service done. If a man performs this service, he is even more deserving of the curse.
Just as the Prophet (peace be upon him) prohibited sharpening the teeth, he also prohibited making gaps between the teeth.
ولعن المتفلجات للحسن المغيرات خلق الله
"He (peace be upon him) cursed those who make gaps in the teeth for the sake of beauty and fashion, which in reality alters the creation of Allah."
Reference: Bukhari, Book of Clothing: Chapter on Extensions, Hadith: 5943, 5948 - Muslim, Book of Clothing and Adornment: Chapter on the Prohibition of the Act of the One Who Extends and the One Who Gets Extended, Hadith: 2125
Making gaps means creating space between the teeth. Some women naturally have gaps between their teeth, and some do not. Those who do not have gaps artificially create them. This is forgery and excessive adornment in fashion, which Islam rejects.
From the above authentic hadiths, we can also understand the ruling on cosmetic surgeries done for beautification, which materialistic civilization, i.e., the present-day materialistic Western civilization, has introduced. Men and women spend thousands of rupees to correct the shape of their nose, breasts, etc. All these acts are cursed because they are painful and also amount to unnecessary alteration of Allah's creation. Moreover, this change is temporary, not real, and the alteration is in the body, not in the soul.
"However, if a person has a defect in the body that is an excess and causes discomfort or mental distress, then there is no harm in treating it, provided the purpose is to remove the hardship that the person is suffering from and which is causing difficulty in their life, because Allah has not placed any hardship or difficulty in our religion."
Reference: Al-Mar'ah Bayn al-Bayt wal-Mujtama, p. 105
This is supported by the fact that the hadith: لعن المتفلجات للحسن (The Prophet (peace be upon him) cursed those who make gaps in the teeth for beautification) implies that this act is blameworthy when done to create false beauty, but if it is truly necessary to remove pain or harm, then there is no harm in doing so. والله اعلم
Plucking Eyebrows :
A form of excessive adornment which Islam has prohibited is namas (plucking hair). Namas means removing eyebrow hair to make them neat or smooth. The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, cursed it:
لعن رسول الله النامصة والمتنمصة
“The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, cursed the one who plucks hair and the woman who asks someone to do this service for her.”
Reference: Abu Dawood, Kitab al-Tarajjul: Chapter on Hair Care, Hadith: 4170, wording of curse ... Al-Namisa Hadith of Ibn Mas’ud, may Allah be pleased with him, is a supporting evidence. Sharh Sahih Muslim 106/14
The prohibition of plucking hair becomes more severe when it is a mark of immoral women. Some scholars say that removing facial hair, applying rouge, making designs, and polishing nails are permissible provided these acts are done with the husband’s permission, because these are also part of adornment. However, Imam Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him, strongly opposed removing facial hair and counted it as namas, which is forbidden.
Warning :
سنن ميں وارد امام ابو داود كے اس قول سے مصنف رحمه الله نے استدلال كيا هے كه نامصه (چهرے كے بال اكهاڑنے والي) وه عورت هے جو اپنے ابروؤں كي تراش خراش كرتي هے حتيٰ كه انهيں باريك كر ديتي هے. اس كي زد ميں داڑهي كے پراگنده بال داخل نهيں اور نه هي چهره كے بال دور كرنا شامل هے.
◈ ميں كهتا هوں مجهے اس ميں چند باتوں پر اعتراض هے. يه موقف اس كے خلاف هے جس پر مطلق احاديث دلالت كرتي هيں ان ميں سے ايك سيده عائشه رضي الله عنها والي حديث هے جسے ميں نے ابهي ابهي ذكر كيا هے (جو كه نامصه اور متنمصه والي هے). يه حديث جسم كي هر اس جگه كو مشتمل هے جس سے بهي بال اكهاڑے جائيں. اور اس قسم كے اثر (قول) كے ساته اس كي تخصيص كرنا جائز نهيں كيونكه يه اثر پايه ثبوت تك نهيں پهنچتا.
◈ دوسري بات يه هے كه يه تفسير لغت عرب كے بهي خلاف هے، قاموس ميں هے نمص كا معنى بال اكهاڑنا هے اور جس نامصه پر لعنت كي گئي هے، نامصه وه عورت هے جو بال اكهاڑ كر عورتوں كو آراسته كرتي هے، متنمصه وه عورت هے جو بال اكهاڑ كر آراسته هوتي هے.
◈ تيسري بات يه هے كه ابو داود كا مذكوره قول عام رواج كے تحت بيان هوا هے اس ميں نمص (بال اكهاڑنا) صرف ابروؤں كو بنانے تك هي محدود نهيں. اپني كتاب سنن ميں ابو داود كي مكمل گفتگو هماري اس توجيه پر دلالت كرتي هے جو مصنف نے اس سے نقل كيا هے. وه بيان كرتے هيں كه بعض كهتے هيں: واشمه (گودنے والي) وه عورت هے جو اپنے چهرے ميں سرمه يا كيميكل كے ذريعه تل بناتي هے. آپ كا كيا خيال هے جب وه يه تل اپنے هاته ميں بنائے گي تو گودنا بنانے والي شمار نه هوگي؟ كيوں نهيں ضرور شمار هوگي؟ اس كي تائيد حافظ ابن حجر رحمه الله نے فتح الباري ميں فرمائي هے. ابو داود كا قول ذكر كرنے كے بعد فرماتے هيں : گودنا بنانے ميں چهرے كا ذكر غلبه كے طور پر كيا گيا هے حالانكه يه گودنے كا تل زياده تر هونٹ پر بناتي هيں.
Reference: (313/10)
اس كے بعد والے باب سے سيدنا نافع رحمه الله كا بيان آئے گا كه گودنا زياده تر مسوڑهے ميں بناتي هيں، چهرے پر گودنا بنانے كي قيد نهيں، يه كبهي جسم كے ديگر اعضاء پر بنتا هے مثلا هاته وغيره پر بهي بنا ليتے هيں.
اس وضاحت كے بعد نامصه (بال اكهاڑنے والي) كے بارے ميں ابو داود كے گزشته قول اور ابن اثير كے نهايه ميں آنے والے قول كے درميان كوئي اختلاف نهيں، نامصه وه جو اپنے چهرے كے بال اكهاڑتي هے. اس ميں حصر و قيد نهيں بلكه اس ميں ابرو كے بال اور چهرے كے بال اكهاڑنا مراد هے. يهي وجه هے كه حافظ ابن حجر رحمه الله نے بهي فتح الباري ميں اس بات كو ضعيف قرار ديا هے جس ميں نمص سے مراد صرف ابرو كے بال اكهاڑنا ليے گئے هيں. جو نهايه كے حواله سے ميں نے ذكر كيا هے اسے ذكر كرنے كے بعد حافظ ابن حجر رحمه الله فرماتے هيں :
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Reference: (317/10)
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اگر حافظ صاحب مرحوم ابو داود كے اس قول كے بارے ميں يه كهتے كه ابرو كے بال اكهاڑنے كا ذكر بطور قيد نهيں، جس طرح چهرے كے بارے ميں كها هے تو يه زياده بهتر تها كيونكه علمائے كرام كي گفتگو كو صحيح معنى پر قياس كرنا هي بهتر هے، غلط معنى پر قياس كر كے ان كو خطا كار قرار دينے پر مجبور هونے سے يهي بهتر هے كه معنى هي صحيح مراد ليا جائے. مختصر بات يه هے كه مصنف نے جو امام نووي سے چهرے كے بال اور داڑهي كے بال كٹوانے ناجائز هونے كا جو حكم بيان كيا هے، اگرچه بعض مابعد اس سے اختلاف ركهتے هيں، بهرصورت علمي تحقيق كا تقاضا يه هے كه جائز نه هونا هي صحيح هے. والله الموفق (ناصر الدين الباني رحمه الله)
Reference: Explanation of Sahih Muslim: 106/14
However, Abu Dawood has defined Namasah in Sunan as a woman who designs patterns in her eyebrows and makes them thin. This contradicts the opinion of Imam Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him, because the meaning of Namas does not include removing facial hair. According to a narration from Tabari, Abu Ishaq's wife, who was young and fond of beauty, came to the presence of Sayyida Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, and asked, "Can a woman remove the hair from her cheeks for her husband?" Sayyida Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said: "Remove harm as much as possible."
Reference: Fath al-Bari: 317/10
