Is Trimming Eyebrows Prohibited?

Question: 22393

I have come across various Islamic articles & write-ups that have spoken against shaving of hair on eyebrows amongst other areas of the body. I however need clarification on this does this shaving refer to TOTAL shaving? Am I allowed to reduce the amount of hair by mere shaping? I have very bushy eyebrows that need trimming as it makes my face look crowded.

Summary of answer

It is prohibited to remove any hair from the eyebrows, whether all the hair is removed by shaving, or some of it is removed by cutting. Anything apart from that is permissible, such as removing hair from the arms and legs, and the area between the eyebrows.

Answer

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah and his family.

We will quote for you the fatwas issued by the scholars concerning the ruling on removing hair from the eyebrows and hair from the rest of the body.

Shaykh Ibn `Uthaymin (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “If removing hair from the eyebrows is done by plucking, this is Namas (plucking the eyebrows ) and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) cursed the Namisah (the woman who plucks eyebrows ) and the Mutanammisah (the woman who has her eyebrows plucked ).

This is a major sin, and women are singled out in this ruling because they are the ones who usually do this, for the purpose of beautification, but if a man were to do it he would also be cursed, just as a woman is cursed for doing this, Allah forbid.

If hair is removed from the eyebrows by a method other than plucking, such as by cutting or shaving, some of the scholars regard this as being the same as plucking, because it is changing the creation of Allah, so there is no difference between plucking , cutting or shaving. This is undoubtedly more on the safe side, so a person must avoid that, whether man or woman.” (End quote from Fatawa `Ulama’ Al-Balad Al-Haram, p. 577)

The following question was mentioned in Fatawa Al-Lajnah Ad-Da’imah (5/196):

A young woman has very thick eyebrows that make her look bad. This girl was forced to shave part of the area between the eyebrows and to reduce the rest so that she will look acceptable to her husband.

The Committee replied:

“It is not permissible to shave the eyebrows or reduce them, because that is the namas (plucking) for which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) cursed the one who does it and the one who asks for it to be done. What you must do is repent and pray for forgiveness for what you have done in the past, and beware of that in the future.

Another question (5/195) was put to the Committee:

Namas means removing some of the hair of the eyebrows , and is not permitted, because the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) cursed the woman who plucks her eyebrows and the one who has that done, but it is permissible for a woman to remove a beard or moustache, if one grows, or hair from her legs or arms.”

The Hadith which says that the woman who plucks the eyebrows or who has that done is cursed was narrated by Al-Bukhari (4886) and Muslim (2125), from the `Abdullah ibn Mas`ud (may Allah be pleased with him).

The point is that it is prohibited to remove any hair from the eyebrows, whether all the hair is removed by shaving, or some of it is removed by cutting. Anything apart from that is permissible, such as removing hair from the arms and legs, and the area between the eyebrows.

The following appeared in Fatawa Al-Lajnah (5/197):

Question: What is the ruling on plucking the hair between the eyebrows?

Answer: It is permissible to pluck it, because it is not part of the eyebrows.

And Allah knows best.

Was this answer helpful?

Source:

Islam Q&A