#838: Ruling on Plastic Surgery
837. QUESTION:
“Sallam alaykum warahmatullah Ya Shiek,pls what is the ruling on Plastic Surgery (cosmetic surgery)in order to improve the facial or any other body appearances.jazakumullahu Khyran”
ANSWER:
Wa Alaykum Salām Warahmatullāh Wabarakātuh
Alhamdulillāh, as for plastic surgery, it depends on the reason for it and why it is sought by the one who seeks it.
If it is done for no reason and a mere wish to improve on one’s beauty and to change one’s natural looks, then this is Harām by consensus as it is tantamount to seeking to change the creation of Allāh.
The Rasūl -salallāhu alayhi wasallam – said as was recorded by Imām Al-Bukhārī from ‘Abdullah bn ‘Umar – radiyallāhu ‘anhumā:
لعن الله الواشمات والمستوشمات، والنامصات، والمتنمصات، والمتفلجات للحسن المغيرات خلق الله
“The curse of Allāh is upon women who tattoo and those who get themselves tattooed, those women who remove hairs from their eyebrows and those who get them removed from their eyebrows, and those women who force out spaces between their teeth for the sake of making themselves beautiful. (All are) changers of the creation of Allāh.”
However, if the essence of the plastic surgery is to amend a smear or an ugliness that emanated from an accident and the likes then this is permissible.
It has been recorded by Imām At-Tirmidhī, Abū Dāwud and An-Nasa’ī from ‘Arfajah bn As’ad that during the Kulāb war that happened in Jahiliyyah, his nose was cut. So he began to use an artificial nose made of silver but it began to rot and smell on him. Then the Rasūl -salallāhu alayhi wasallam – asked him to use one that is improvised using gold.
This Hadīth has been graded Hasan by the Ulamā of Hadīth, of them, Muhammad Nāsiruddīn Al-Albānī rahimahullāh in Irwā Al-Ghalīl.
Another proof that the Fuqahā have used is the Hadīth of Ibn ‘Umar narrated above where he – salallāhu Alayhi Wasallam – said:
“…And those women who force out spaces between their teeth for the purpose of making themselves beautiful…”
Imām An-Nawawī mentioned in his Commentary of this Verse the causative factor for the prohibition here is ‘beauty’. Were it to be done for other than it, and for the purpose of a Medical necessity, this will be permissible. He mentioned this in the Commentary of Sahih Muslim.
As for operations like taking out an extra hand, for people who were born with more than five fingers and the rest, then the Ulamā are disagreed.
The position favoured by Imām Ahmad as was mentioned by Al-Mardāwī, Qādī ‘Iyyādh Al-Mālikī as he mentioned this in the Ikmāl, and Ibn Al-Jawzī as was mentioned by Imām Qurtubī from him in Ah’kāmu Al-Qur’ān. This position is also attributed to Ibn Jarīr At-Tabarī as was done by Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalānī Rahimahullāh in the Fat’h. However, these Ulamā exempt a situation where this added/extra organ inflicts pain and/or is a source of health complications.
The second position, and this is the one favoured by the majority of the Scholars of our era, that it is permissible.
What seems stronger, and Allāh knows best, is the earlier position that Considers it impermissible unless there is pain in leaving it. Kindly note that psychological pain caused from social stigma can also be regarded as a justifiable reason, and Allāh knows best.
Bārakallāhu Fīkum
Jazakumullāhu Khayran.
21st Muharram, 1441AH.
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