#349: Ruling on Hair Relaxers, Dying of Hairs and Skin Toning
“What is the Islamic Perspective on females using relaxer on their hairs? Is it permissible or not?”
ANSWER
Alhamdulillāh! Baarakallaahu feekum, our beloved brother abu Mujaahid!
It is important to know that we have a general principle in Islam which prohibits any forms of changing the creation of Allah.
In a Hadīth Abdullah ibn Mas’ud – radiyallaahu ‘anhu – relates that the Prophet – salallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam – said: “Allah’s curse is on those women who practice tattooing and get themselves tattooed, and those who remove hair from their faces, and those who make space between their teeth artificially to beautify themselves. They are such that they change the nature and features created by Allah. Allah’s Messenger also cursed such women”.
Ref; [Bukhari and Muslim in the Sahihayn]
In Usul al-Fiqh, we pick the causative factor (called the illah) for the institution of an injunction (Hukm) and then extrapolate with it the injunctions of unknown matters.
This is what the Ulamaa call Qiyaas which is unfortunately translated by some Muslims today as ‘Analogical Reasoning’.
The implication is that whatever changes the creation of Allah is haraam.
However, for anything to be referred to as a change of the creation of Allah, it has to be a permanent change which isn’t temporal. Examples of temporal changes which are encouraged in Islam include clipping the nails, the use of dyes, etc.
In the light of that, the application of Hair Relaxers is permissible only with the following conditions:
1. That the Hair Relaxer is neither made up of, nor contain anything which is Najis (impure) in itself.
2. That when it is applied to the hair it does not change it permanently but only straightens it out for a temporary period.
3. That it does not cause a harm to the body by burning the skin or burning the hands. This is because Allah has commanded us not to harm ourselves.
4. It must not make the applier look like the opposite sex. This is due to the fact that the Rasul – salallāhu alayhi wasallam – cursed men that emulate women and women that emulate men.
5. It is only applied by the woman/lady to please her husband and to show him her beauty.
Conclusively, this that we have established here is what many of the Ulamaa of this era – such as our Shaykh Muhammad bn Al-Hasan bn Ad-Dadw, Shaykh Muhammad bn Saalih Al-Uthaymin, Shaykh Muhammad Saalih Al-Munajjid and many others – also established.
However, the conditions highlighted above must be adhered to.
Allāhu A’alam!
Bārakallāhu Fīkum
Jazākumullāhu Khayran
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