Rulings on the hair found on the human body

Finally, the sister questioner from Yemen asks: Is removing hair from a woman’s body forbidden, especially from the face and hands? And if this hair causes her distress regarding her face, does she sin if she removes it from the edges of her face or her eyebrows with scissors or a razor, especially since the curse in the hadith was for the one who plucks her eyebrows and the one who has them plucked? Please give us a ruling, may Allah reward you with good.
Answer: The hair on the body has three categories, and it has three states regarding the man and the woman:
There is hair that is not permissible to remove, cut, or shave, such as the man’s beard and the woman’s eyebrows. It is not permissible for a woman to remove her eyebrows, whether by cutting or otherwise, and it is not permissible for her to remove the customary hair on her face; because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) cursed the one who plucks her eyebrows and the one who has them plucked. Plucking the eyebrows is removing the hair of the eyebrows and the customary hair of the face.
As for hair that is not customary, such as a beard on a woman or a mustache on a woman, there is no harm in removing it because of the disfigurement it causes. Likewise, a man’s beard is not to be removed; he should not shave it or cut it; because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded to let the beard grow, to let it hang down, and to keep it full, and to cut the mustache and trim it.
The second category is hair that is commanded to be removed for both the woman and the man, and it is a recommended practice (sunnah) to remove it. This is the hair of the armpits, the hair of the pubic area, and the hair of the mustache. This is removed by plucking the armpits; it is a recommended practice (sunnah) for the man and the woman to pluck the armpits, and if it is removed by means other than plucking, there is no harm. Likewise, the pubic area, which is the hair around the private parts, it is prescribed to remove it with a blade, a razor, or an electric clipper; this is the best. And if it is removed by other means, such as some medicines that remove hair, there is no harm for both the man and the woman.
And there is the hair of the mustache for the man; it is a recommended practice (sunnah) to cut it, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded. He said: Likewise, trimming the nails is prescribed for the man and the woman. It is not permissible to leave that for more than forty nights. It is not permissible for the man or the woman to leave the hair of the armpits, the pubic area, or the nails for more than forty nights. Likewise, the man should not leave the mustache for more than forty nights. Rather, it is prescribed for everyone to remove that before forty nights are completed: cutting the mustache, trimming the nails, plucking the armpits, and shaving the pubic area, before the completion of forty nights. This is what is prescribed.
The third category is other hair, such as: hair on the shins, hair on the upper arm, hair on the abdomen, hair on the chest. We do not know of anything that has come regarding this. So if one leaves it, there is no harm, and if one removes it, there is no harm. If one removes it with something, there is no harm, and if one leaves it, there is no harm. The matter is broad in this, if Allah wills. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you.