#64. THE RULING OF USING PERFUME BY WOMEN
” Sir pls is perfume totally haram for ladies or a low 1 with less fragrant is allowed. Jazakallahu khairan.”
ANSWER
Alhamdulillaah, may Allah reward you too, aameen
Firstly, there is a general forbiddance to the use of perfume for women outside their homes.
It has been narrated by Abu Musa Al-Ash’ari – radiyallaahu an’hu – that the Rasul – salallaahu alayhi wa sallam – said:
( أَيُّمَا امْرَأَةٍ اسْتَعْطَرَتْ فَمَرَّتْ عَلَى قَوْمٍ لِيَجِدُوا مِنْ رِيحِهَا فَهِيَ زَانِيَةٌ )
“Whichever woman uses the perfume and then passes by a people while they perceive of her scent, she is a Zaaniyah.”
Transmitted and recorded by Ahmad and An-Nasa’i and graded as Sahih by the Muhaddithun.
Also, the Rasul – salallaahu alayhi wasallam – particularly forbade the use of perfumes by women whenever they go out to the Masjid.
Zainab the wife of Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud – radiyallaahu an’hum – narrated from her husband that the Rasul – salallaahu alayhi wasallam – said:
( إِذَا شَهِدَتْ إِحْدَاكُنَّ الْمَسْجِدَ فَلَا تَمَسَّ طِيبًا ) رواه مسلم
“If any of you attends the Masjid, then let her not use perfumes.”
Transmitted and Recorded by Imaam Muslim
Imaam Ibn Daqiq Al-Id – rahimahullaah – mentioned in his book ‘Ihkaamu Al-Ahkaam Sharhu Umdatu Al-Ahkaam’:
“It follows the ruling of the perfume anything that has similar effects, for perfumes were forbidden simply due to what it implies of setting off the lowly desires of men and their yearn. It may also set off the desires of women also…”
Imaam Al-Munaawi – rahimahullaah – said;
“And whenever a woman applies the perfume and then passes by a gathering then she surely would have stirred the desires of men by virtue of her fragrance and perfume, and made her raise their gazes towards her. Whosoever gazes at her has indeed committed the Zina of the eyes. She therefore has the sin for she caused him to lift his gaze toward her and distracted his mind. Therefore she is the cause of the Zina of his eyes and she resultingly is also a Zaaniya.”
But it has also come in the Hadith recorded by Imaam Abu Daawud – rahimahullaah – from A’ishah – radiyallaahu anha – that she said:
: «كنا نخرج مع النبي r إلى مكة، فنضمد جباهنا بِالسُّكِّ الْمُطَيَّبِ عند الإحرام. فإذا عرقت إحدانا، سال على وجهها. فيراه النبي r فلا ينهاها
“We used to go out to Makkah with the Rasul – salallaahu alayhi wasallam – and we would put perfumed As-Sukk on our foreheads before the use of the Ihraam. Then when one of us sweats, it would trick down on her face. The Prophet would see it and he did not forbid us from that.”
The Hadith is graded Hasan by more than one of the Muhaddithun.
As-Sukk according to ‘Al-Muhit’ is a form of perfume made from Ar-Ramak and Musk.
For this reason, the Ulamaa differed slightly on the use of perfume by women.
While some of them hold that it is haraam anyway due to the Ahaadith first quoted, the Hanafis and the Shafi’is in some of their dominant positions hold that it is permissible if its fragrance is not dominant.
Among the Maalikis, the elder Ibn Rushd holds that it were permissible generally and depends on the intention of the Muslim Lady when she uses it.
Allah knows best, but what conforms with the texts of the Shari’a and reconciles all of the Hadith is the Unrestricted forbiddance of using perfume by women outside their homes, and inside their homes if they are visited by men that are not of their Mahram. The only exemption is the perfume whose fragrance does not go out of her Jilbaab.
Allaah knows best
Baarakallaahi feekum!
Jazaakumullaahu khayran.
