What is the ruling on women wearing colored contact lenses?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : This is a believing woman asking, and although the question is outside the scope of the lesson, it is one of the questions that come up.
The Shaykh : There is no harm, there is no obstacle, there is no harm, come on.
The questioner : She says: Women these days wear contact lenses, and some of these lenses are medical, while others are not medical but are merely adornment. And for your information, colored lenses completely change the appearance of a woman; instead of her eye being black, it becomes green or blue or hazel.
The Shaykh : There is no power and no strength except by Allah, and I have increased in fearing Allah, yes, green, I do not think it can be written as a mistake.
The questioner : Green and blue.
The Shaykh : I see black to become, correct, green, no.
The questioner : She asks: Is this permissible, O Shaykh, or not? We ask for clarification.
The Shaykh : Yes, I say first that one must consult a doctor and ask if these lenses cause harm to the eye. If the doctor says yes, then it is forbidden, because it is not permissible for a person to use what is harmful to his body. Even to the point that I tell you something you may find surprising: Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "If a person eats a lot and fears that his eating will become excessive, then eating is forbidden for him". Look, a person craves a delicious meal and fills his stomach greatly, but he is harmed and starts to feel unwell, so Shaykh al-Islam says this is forbidden, even though the original ruling for eating is permissibility, but because of the harm it becomes forbidden. Everything that harms you, consuming it is forbidden, whatever it is, because Allah said:[An-Nisa 4:29] And because your soul is a trust with you, do not be negligent with it. So, consult the doctors. If they say, "By Allah, these contact lenses harm the eye," then it is forbidden without exception. If they say it does not harm, look, if it turns the eye into a beast's eye, meaning so that it becomes like the eye of a rabbit or the eye of a cat or the eye of a dog or something similar, then it is forbidden, forbidden. The evidence is the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): Sunan an-Nasa'i 3700Sahih (Darussalam) Look, we Muslims do not have Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1298Sahih (Darussalam), so he made resembling beasts a place of blame. And in the Noble Qur'an: [Al-Jumu'ah 62:5] And they, the Jews, are like what? [Al-Jumu'ah 62:5] And this is a place of blame, not praise? Blame. And He the Exalted said: [Al-A'raf 7:175-176] What? [Al-A'raf 7:176] And this is a place of blame. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Bulugh al-Maram 2:374.
So if these lenses resemble the eyes of an animal, they are forbidden. And if they do not resemble the eye of an animal but only beautify, then there is no harm with them. And this is not from changing the creation of Allah, because these lenses are not permanent, they are not fixed, the woman can remove them, so they are like henna and the like.
The Shaykh : There is no harm, there is no obstacle, there is no harm, come on.
The questioner : She says: Women these days wear contact lenses, and some of these lenses are medical, while others are not medical but are merely adornment. And for your information, colored lenses completely change the appearance of a woman; instead of her eye being black, it becomes green or blue or hazel.
The Shaykh : There is no power and no strength except by Allah, and I have increased in fearing Allah, yes, green, I do not think it can be written as a mistake.
The questioner : Green and blue.
The Shaykh : I see black to become, correct, green, no.
The questioner : She asks: Is this permissible, O Shaykh, or not? We ask for clarification.
The Shaykh : Yes, I say first that one must consult a doctor and ask if these lenses cause harm to the eye. If the doctor says yes, then it is forbidden, because it is not permissible for a person to use what is harmful to his body. Even to the point that I tell you something you may find surprising: Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "If a person eats a lot and fears that his eating will become excessive, then eating is forbidden for him". Look, a person craves a delicious meal and fills his stomach greatly, but he is harmed and starts to feel unwell, so Shaykh al-Islam says this is forbidden, even though the original ruling for eating is permissibility, but because of the harm it becomes forbidden. Everything that harms you, consuming it is forbidden, whatever it is, because Allah said:
And do not kill yourselves [or one another]
ولا تقتلوا أنفسكمIt does not befit us to leave bad examples
ليس لنا مثل السوءa bad example: The one who takes back his gift is like the dog
مثل السوء العائد في هبته كالكلبThe example of those who were entrusted with the Torah and then did not take it on
مثل الذين حملوا التوراة ثم لم يحملوهاa donkey who carries volumes [of books]
الحمار يحمل أسفارا(175) And recite to them, [O Muhammad], the news of him to whom we gave [knowledge of] Our signs, but he detached himself from them; so Satan pursued him, and he became of the deviators. (176) And if We had willed, we could have elevated him thereby, but he adhered [instead] to the earth and followed his own desire. So his
وَاتْلُ عَلَيْهِمْ نَبَأَ الَّذِي آتَيْنَاهُ آيَاتِنَا فَانْسَلَخَ مِنْهَا فَأَتْبَعَهُ الشَّيْطَانُ فَكَانَ مِنَ الْغَاوِينَ وَلَوْ شِئْنَا لَرَفَعْنَاهُ بِهَا وَلَكِنَّهُ أَخْلَدَ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ وَاتَّبَعَ هَوَاهُ فَمَثَلُهُ كَمَثَلِthe dog: if you chase him, he pants, or if you leave him, he [still] pants
الْكَلْبِ إن تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْهِ يَلْهَثْ أَوْ تَتْرُكْهُ يَلْهَثْWhoever speaks on Friday while the Imam is giving the Khutbah (religious talk), he is like a donkey which carries books
الذي يتكلم يوم الجمعة والإمام يخطب كمثل الحمار يحمل أسفاراSo if these lenses resemble the eyes of an animal, they are forbidden. And if they do not resemble the eye of an animal but only beautify, then there is no harm with them. And this is not from changing the creation of Allah, because these lenses are not permanent, they are not fixed, the woman can remove them, so they are like henna and the like.