What is the ruling on removing excess hair from a woman's face, other than the eyebrows, and likewise its removal from other parts of her body, such as her hands and legs, as adornment for her husband?
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The questioner : What is the ruling on removing excess hair from a woman's face, other than the eyebrows, and likewise removing hair from other parts of her body, such as her legs and hands, as adornment for her husband only?
The Shaykh : The answer to this is that we say removing hair falls into three types or three categories. The first category is what the Shari'ah has commanded, and its command is clear, such as removing the hair of the pubic area and the armpits. This is a recommended practice (sunnah), part of the innate natural disposition (fitrah), and a matter of ritual purity and cleanliness.
The second category is what the Shari'ah has forbidden, such as shaving the beard of a man, and likewise plucking the eyebrows (nams) for a woman or for a man as well. No, and some scholars said that nams is plucking the hair of the face, and this encompasses the entire face, so plucking it is considered nams. However, if the hair growing on a woman's face is a deformity, such as if a mustache or beard grows on her, then she may remove it, because this is a deformity that repels people.
The third category is removing hair for which no text has come regarding its prohibition, nor any encouragement for it, such as removing hair from the arms and legs, and the like. It is better that it not be removed. Some scholars said that it is forbidden to remove it, because this is changing the creation of Allah, and the default ruling regarding changing the creation of Allah is prohibition, because Allah the Exalted informed that it is among the commands of Satan, and if it is among his commands, then it is not permissible for us to obey him. Therefore, this hair should not be removed, neither from the leg, nor from the arm, nor from anywhere else. Some scholars said, on the contrary, that it is permissible, but leaving it is better. They explained the permissibility by saying that this is something about which Allah and His Messenger were silent. The hairs that Allah and His Messenger specified include those He forbade removing and those He commanded removing. So what He was silent about is a matter of leniency. There is no doubt that a person should be scrupulous in every matter in which he fears falling into something prohibited because of it. Therefore, a woman should not remove any hair from her leg or arm, except if it is excessive to the point that it disfigures the appearance, in which case she may reduce it, and there is no blame on her for that.
The questioner : Her other question.
The Shaykh : The answer to this is that we say removing hair falls into three types or three categories. The first category is what the Shari'ah has commanded, and its command is clear, such as removing the hair of the pubic area and the armpits. This is a recommended practice (sunnah), part of the innate natural disposition (fitrah), and a matter of ritual purity and cleanliness.
The second category is what the Shari'ah has forbidden, such as shaving the beard of a man, and likewise plucking the eyebrows (nams) for a woman or for a man as well. No, and some scholars said that nams is plucking the hair of the face, and this encompasses the entire face, so plucking it is considered nams. However, if the hair growing on a woman's face is a deformity, such as if a mustache or beard grows on her, then she may remove it, because this is a deformity that repels people.
The third category is removing hair for which no text has come regarding its prohibition, nor any encouragement for it, such as removing hair from the arms and legs, and the like. It is better that it not be removed. Some scholars said that it is forbidden to remove it, because this is changing the creation of Allah, and the default ruling regarding changing the creation of Allah is prohibition, because Allah the Exalted informed that it is among the commands of Satan, and if it is among his commands, then it is not permissible for us to obey him. Therefore, this hair should not be removed, neither from the leg, nor from the arm, nor from anywhere else. Some scholars said, on the contrary, that it is permissible, but leaving it is better. They explained the permissibility by saying that this is something about which Allah and His Messenger were silent. The hairs that Allah and His Messenger specified include those He forbade removing and those He commanded removing. So what He was silent about is a matter of leniency. There is no doubt that a person should be scrupulous in every matter in which he fears falling into something prohibited because of it. Therefore, a woman should not remove any hair from her leg or arm, except if it is excessive to the point that it disfigures the appearance, in which case she may reduce it, and there is no blame on her for that.
The questioner : Her other question.