#332: Ruling on Women Piercing the Nose

QUESTION”

Please is it halal or haram to pierce a woman nose”

ANSWER

Alhamdulillaah.

Firstly, it should be known that any form of beautification that a woman can do for the benefit of presenting and endearing herself to her husband is permissible in Islam as long as it does not involve changing permanently the creation, emulating thereby the Kuffaar, using items that are impure (najis) and harming the body.

Secondly, it must be realised that piercing any part of the body is a form of changing the nature with which Allaah created us and is haraam unless that which is exempted by textual evidence of Qur’an and/or Hadith.

Piercing of the ears for the sake of beautification is indeed one of those exceptions as most of the Ulamaa have identified.

The evidences for this are as follows:

Allaah – ta’ala – said:

او من ينشا في الحلية وهو في الخصام غير مبين

“Is it the one that grew up and was nourished in ornaments and is not fluent in disputing with the person of dispute?”
Suratu Az-Zukhruf

The Mufassirun among the Sahaabah and those that came after them explain that ‘the one that grows and was nourished in ornaments’ are women. And that is because women from head to toes used to be ornamented traditionally. It was to such an extent that men use it as a derogatory attribute for women. Allah’s mention of this attribute of the women without dislike is an evidence for the fact that beautification is exempted from the general ruling that stipulates that piercing any part of the body is a kind of changing the creation of Allaah.

So, how did the women in the time of the Rasul – salallaahu ‘alayhi wasallaam – take the beautification from head to toe, and for piercing, how did they take it?

In the Hadith agreed upon by Imaam Bukhaari and Imaam Muslim from A’isha – radiyallaahu anha – in the Hadith of Ummu Az-Zar’ – radiyallaahu ‘anha, Ummu Az-Zar’ said: “People whose ears are characterized by ornaments.”

The Ulamaa said: what is meant by ‘characterized by ornaments’ is that ornaments are hung on it in such a way that they dangle on it. This was referenced by Imaam Ibn Hajar in his fat’h.

This shows that it was something that was practiced in the time of the Rasul – salallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam – with his knowledge and approval.

Likewise, both Imaam Al-Bukhaari and Muslim recorded the Hadith in which the Rasul – salallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam – encouraged the female companions to give sadaqa and he asked Bilaal to gather them. It came in the hadith the following:

“So the women began removing the ornaments hung by their ears”

And in another narration of the hadith:

“Then I saw them turning toward their ears and their neck laces and giving them to Bilaal…”

For this reason, majority of the Ulamaa considered it permissible for women to pierce their ears for the purpose of ornaments.

This is the fatwa of the Hanafi, the Maaliki and the Hanbali Imaams.

As for the Shafi’I Imams, they considered it a change of creation. Likewise Ibn Jawzi and Ibn Aqil among the Hanbalis.

The evidences we have quoted above most evidently are against the Shafi’i position.

As for piercing of the nose, the some Ulamaa consider it permissible while others don’t. Basically, it has to do with the culture of the people. If the culture in which the woman lives consider it right for women, then a Muslim woman may pierce her nose.

When asked the same question, Shaykh Muhammad bn Saalih Al-Uthaymin – rahimahullaah – said:

“What is correct is that there is nothing wrong with piercing the ears, as that is a part of the means by which the goal of permitted beautification is achieved. And it has been authentically reported that the women of the Companions used to wear ornaments on their ears. The pains attributed to the piercing is negligible. And if the piercing was done right from childhood, it heals very fast.
As for piercing the nose, then I cannot remember coming across any statements in that regard by the People of Knowledge. But in it is some form of mutilation and changing of the nature in our own consideration. And probably other scholars differ with us on this. Therefore, we say that if a woman lives in a land where piercing the nose for the purpose of hanging ornaments is considered a form of beautification and ornamentals, then there is nothing wrong with piercing the nose for that purpose…” Majmuu Al-Fataawa Uthaymin

This is the same verdict passed by Shaykh AbdulMuhsin Al-Abbaad and Shaykh Muhammad bn Ibrahim.

Allaahu A’alam.

Bārakallāhu Fīkum
Jazākumullāhu Khayran

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