Date : 21-06-2011

Question :

What is the ruling when a woman plucks her eyebrows although none sees her face other than her husband?


The Answer :

All perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds. May His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.


 


The majority of the Muslim scholars are of the view that  it is permissible for the married woman to pluck part of her eyebrows to beautify herself for her husband.


They based this on the fact that beautifying for husband is encouraged by Sharia, along with being lawful, as this perpetuates love and affection between the spouses and leads to a happy family.


They have also based this view on the narration reported by Imam abdulrazak in his [Musannaf, vol.3/pp.146] from the wife of Abu Is-haak who entered the room of Ayisha (May Allah be pleased with her), and asked: "Is a woman allowed to pluck her eyebrows to beautify herself for her husband? Ayisha replied Remove the extra facial hair as much as you can."


They further added that removing the extra hairs from the eyebrows isn`t included within the curse stated in the following Hadith: 'Abdullah reported that Allah Had Cursed those women who tattooed and who have themselves tattooed, those who pluck hair from their faces and those who make spaces between their teeth for beautification changing what Allah Has Created. This news reached a woman of the tribe of Asad who was called Umm Ya'qub and she used to recite the Holy Qur'an. She came to him and said: "What is this news that has reached me from you that you curse those women who tattooed and those women who have themselves tattooed, the women who pluck hair from their faces and who make spaces between their teeth for beautification changing what God has created? Thereupon 'Abdullah said: Should I not curse one upon whom Allah's Messenger (PBUH) has invoked curse and that is in the Book also. Thereupon that woman said: "I read the Qur'an from cover to cover, but I did not find that in it. whereupon he said: If you had read (thoroughly) you would have definitely found this in that (as) Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, has said: "What Allah's Messenger brings for you accept that and what he has forbidden you, refrain from that." That woman said: I find this thing in your wife even now. Thereupon he said: Go and see her. She reported: I went to the wife of 'Abdullah but found nothing of this sort in her. She came back to him and said: I have not seen anything. whereupon he said: Had there been anything like it in her, I would have never slept with her in the bed." {Related by Muslim}.


Al-Shirbini (May Allah be pleased with him) says, "If her husband allows her to pluck her eyebrows, then this is permissible because his intention is that she beautifies herself for him."


Ibn Abedeen (May Allah have mercy on him) says: "The Hadith probably refers to plucking her eyebrows to beautify herself for non-Mahram men. If she removed facial hair that repels her husband, then this isn`t included in the curse mentioned in the above Hadith, because beautifying herself for her husband is encouraged by Sharia. However, this Hadith could be referring to removing the hair of the eyebrows unnecessarily as doing so involves harm." {Raad al-Mohtaar, vol.6/pp.373}.


 Maliki scholars permit that a woman plucks her eyebrows to beautify herself for her husband, as stated in [Hashiyat Ibn Abdeen, vol./pp.459.] Moreover, according to the reliable opinion of the Hanbali scholars, it is permissible for the wife to trim her eyebrows. Imam Ahmad (May Allah have mercy on him) said: "I dislike plucking the eyebrows, but allow shaving them." [Masa`il Al-Imam Ahmad, vol.1/pp.160}. Also refer to [Al-Furu`, vol.1/pp.160]. And Allah the Almighty Knows Best.