Beauty

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

SUNNAH OF BEAUTY

(Henna, Filing of teeth, Hair, Jewellery, dye, etc.)

O Allah (The Exalted) bless our master Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and the family of our master Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) as many times as those who have not asked for blessings upon him and bless our master Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and the family of our master Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) with as much blessings as is fitting for him and bless our master Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and the family of our master Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) with as much blessings as is his due.

Use of henna (mehndi)

The Shariah (Islamic law) allows women to use henna. Hindh-Binte-‘Ukbah (may Allah be pleased with her) said to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), “I want to take oath to you,” to which the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) replied, “First go and colour your hands.” i

Male or a Female?

A woman wished to give the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) a book (from behind a curtain), the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) withdrew his hands and said, “I cannot tell whether this is a male or a female’s hand.” The woman replied, “It is a woman’s hand.” The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) replied, “If it is a woman’s hand then the fingers should be coloured with henna.” ii

It is important to learn from the previous two hadiths that a woman can colour her hands and feet with henna. If a woman does not wish to colour her hands and feet then she should at least colour her fingernails, so that one can distinguish between a man’s hand and a woman’s hand. Therefore if a woman is interested in colouring her hands then she should not use nail polish, but should resort to henna as the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) agreed with it.

Men & Henna

It is forbidden for men to apply Henna (Mehndi) on their hands or feet. If applied on a young boy then the person putting the henna on him is responsible for the sin. iii

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that a person was bought to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) whose hands and feet where coloured with henna. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) asked, “Why did he do this?” people replied that he imitates women. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “Send him out of Madinah.” iv

Allahu Akbar! We find that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was displeased with men wearing henna on their hands or feet. It is permissible and Sunnah to apply henna on the hair and beard.

Abu Dhar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said that, “The best thing that changes white hair is Mehndi or Khatam1.” v Meaning apply either of these.

1 A plant from which a dye is made.

Nail polish

Women must beware of the fact that nail polish is mostly made from unlawful (Forbidden) ingredients such as pig, as are other forms of make-up such as lipstick etc. Every part of the pig is Haraam, and therefore to use anything that has been made from pig is strictly forbidden. Make up can only be used if non-animal ingredients are used and to please the husband in the home only and not the show to other people. 2 www.GardensOfSunnah.co.uk

Ghusl will not be acceptable

It must also be noted that if one performs Wudhu (ablution) or ghusl (bath) whilst wearing nail polish or other things made of Haraam ingredients, one’s Wudhu or ghusl will not count. One should be aware of the fact that if a small part of the body is kept dry during ghusl or certain parts during Wudhu, it will not be accepted. So how can one’s ghusl or Wudhu be accepted if whole of the nails or where it is applied are kept dry due to make up?

Filing the teeth

Filing of teeth for beauty and plucking of eyebrows is a grave sin, and one will not be protected by Allah (The Exalted).

‘Abd-Allah ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) states that Allah’s (The Exalted) curse is on those who file their teeth and those who file them. Also on those who trim their eyebrows. Those who trim their eye brows and beautify their teeth are changing the creation of Allah (The Exalted).

A woman came to ‘Abd-Allah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) and said, “I have heard that you have cursed such and such women.” ‘Abd-Allah ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “Why should I not curse such people, as did the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and as it states in the Book of Allah (The Exalted).” The woman said, “I have read the Book of Allah (The Exalted) and did not find such a thing.” He said, “If you read it (with attention) surely you would have found it, have you not read ‘…What the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) gives you take it and what he forbids you abstain from it.’

“Yes, I have read this.” The woman said. “The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) has disallowed it.” Said ‘Abd-Allah ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him).

In another narration it states that your wife does some of these things, to which he said, “Go and see if she does.” The woman went in and found that she didn’t, to which ‘Abd-Allah ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “If my wife did such things I would not keep her with me.” vi

Unlawful

It is haraam (strictly prohibited) to file teeth, pluck eyebrows and to wear a headpiece (i.e. wig made out of someone else’s hair for the sake of beauty). vii These things will make Allah (The Exalted) and the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) unhappy. It is a major sin for a woman to cut her hair even if her husband demands it, except on pilgrimage as it is a condition.

If a person’s eyebrows get too long it is permissible to trim them. viii It is also permissible to remove hair from arms, legs and chest for both males and females. However, for males it is better not to do so. If you are removing the hair from the arms as too much water is being used in ablution then it is better to remove them.

Angels of mercy do not enter the house

One should also be aware of the fact that angels of mercy do not enter the house of one who stays without performing ghusl (when it is Fardh for them to perform ghusl i.e. Junub). There will be no blessings in one’s livelihood and it is feared that one will suffer from poverty. One should also be aware of the fact that angels of mercy will not enter the house of those who keep photographs of living creatures (humans, animal’s etc.) displayed. Also of those who keep dogs in their homes. ix

Angels of mercy do not enter the house in which unclean people reside. Have mercy on yourselves, fear Allah (The Exalted), and remember the hereafter. Make the intention, that as from today you will stop using these things, which displease Allah (The Exalted) and His beloved Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). No matter what the occasion, whether it be Eid or a wedding, even if it is your wedding and you will only put it on once. It may be this once that Allah (The Exalted) may be displeased with us and open the doors of hell for us, Allah (The Exalted) forbid, Ameen.

Noisy jewellery

Women can wear gold or silver jewellery regardless of weight. Bronze, iron, copper, brass etc. is not permissible. If children wear forbidden jewellery, the person who has made them wear it is responsible for the sin. Jewellery worn by women on the feet must be of the sort that does not make any noise. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) has stated, that “Angels do not enter the house of those who wear noisy feet jewellery.” x 3 www.GardensOfSunnah.co.uk

Ankle Jewellery can be worn by women as long as there are no bells, meaning there is no sound of jingling. The reason being that it attracts attention.

‘Abd-Allah ibn Zubair (may Allah be pleased with him) states that, ‘Our slave girl bought the girl of Zubair (may Allah be pleased with him) to ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). She had bells (on the ankle jewellery that jingled) which ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) cut off and said: ‘I have heard from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) saying: “With every bell there is a devil (Shaytan).”’’ xi Allahu Akbar!

A girl came to ‘Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) with bells (jingling) on her feet (ankle jewellery), she said: ‘Do not bring her near me until the jingles are cut. As I heard form the Messenger of Allah, (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) say: “Angles do not enter that house which has bells or (ankle jewellery that) jingles.”’ xii

To dye the beard

Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that Abu Qahafa father of ‘Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was presented to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) on the day of the conquest of Makkah and his head and his beard were just like snow. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said that, “Change it with something and avoid black.” xiii Meaning dye it with a colour and do not use black.

The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said that, “The best youth is he who follows the elderly and the worst of the elders is he who follow the youth.” xiv

To dye the hair or beard black is forbidden as the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said that, “Black dye is the sign of the inmates of hell.”

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) that, “The first to dye the hair with Mehndi and Khatam was Prophet Ibrahim and the first man to dye his hair black was Pharaoh.” xv

Mehndi and Khatam are the Sunnah of the friends of Allah (The Exalted) and enemies of Allah (The Exalted) use black dye.

Types of dye?

Shaykh Ahmad Raza Khan (may Allah’s mercy be upon him) in his book Ehkam-e-Shariat writes: Red or yellow dyes are good, and in the hadith concerning black dye it states it is of the non-believers. This is unlawful and the ruling of the permissibility is incorrect and void.

He was asked, “What if the dye is from Wasma?”

Ala Hadhrat replied, “If it is from Wasma or Tasma2 it is unlawful.”

2 Meaning ‘this or that.’

He was then asked, “What if an old person wanted to marry a young woman?”

Ala Hadhrat replied, “A bull would not turn into a calf by cutting of its horns.”

He was then asked, “In some books it states that Imam Hussain (may Allah be pleased with him) when he was martyred had dye of Wasma.”

Ala Hadhrat replied, “Imam Hasan, Hussain and ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar, (may Allah be pleased with them all) they would put it on, as they were fighters.” xvi

We find that the only time one can dye their hair or beard is when in jihad and that is to deceive the enemy. To apply dye to cover white hair is to deceive Muslims and to look young. To deceive Muslims is forbidden anyway.

Dying the hair

‘Abd-Allah Ibn ‘Abbas, (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “At the end of time there will be people who will use this black dye like the crops of doves, these will not experience the fragrance of Paradise.” xvii

Muhammad bin Sirin (may Allah’s Mercy be upon him) narrates that, “I asked Anas, (may Allah be pleased with him) “Did the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) dye his hair?” Anas replied, 4 www.GardensOfSunnah.co.uk

“The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) did not have but a few Grey hairs.”” xviii Meaning he had no need to dye them.

Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates, “Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) was asked whether the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used a hair dye or not.” Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) replied, “The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) had not enough grey hair to dye. I could even count the white hairs on his beard.”” xix

The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) has said that towards the last era there will be some people who will use dye to colour their hair and these people will not even smell the scent of paradise (the scent of paradise can be smelt from a distance of 500 years). Allahu Akbar!

Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said that, “A true believer’s dye is yellow, a Muslim’s dye is red and a non-believer’s dye is black.” xx

Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said that, “Everyone from my Ummah will enter Jannah except those who reject.” The companions asked: “Who are those who reject?” The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) replied: “The person who follows me will enter Jannah and the person who disobeys me has rejected.”

Rules of Beauty

1. To have extensions using someone else’s or even your own once taken out is forbidden. xxi

2. It is allowed for women to wear artificial hair (not someone else’s) to extend their plats.

3. It is permissible for women to apply henna on their hands and feet as this is for beauty. It is better not to, without any reason colour the hands and feet of young children. xxii

4. It is permissible to use henna on young girls as it is permissible for them to wear jewellery. xxiii

5. It is preferable for females to be content with silver jewellery and not insist on gold.

6. It is permissible for women to place beads in their hair made from gold or silver. xxiv

7. Whosoever wears gold jewellery due to pride shall be punished in the hereafter.

8. Females should not wear such jewellery that creates a jingling noise with movement especially on the feet as the curse of Allah (The Exalted) is on them.

9. Females can colour their nails with henna. xxv

10. When the women are feeding their children, they should use a veil to cover up even in their own homes. xxvi

11. If the eyebrows are too long then they may be trimmed, only if they have over grown. xxvii

12. It is permissible to remove the hair of the arms and the legs. xxviii

13. To take off the hair from the chest and back is not recommended. xxix

14. You can remove the hair from the arms, feet and stomach. xxx

15. To have a young girl’s ears pierced is permissible. Some even get the boys done too, this is not permissible. Boys are not allowed to wear jewellery. xxxi

16. For women to wear glass bangles is permissible. xxxii

17. To use black dye is forbidden and to use henna is permissible.

May Allah (The Exalted) give us all the ability to adopt beauty by following the Sunnah and abstaining from that which is forbidden, Ameen. 5 www.GardensOfSunnah.co.uk

i Abu Dawud

ii ibid

iii Faizan-e-Sunnat, p. 808

iv Abu Dawud

v Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud and Nasa’i.

vi Bahare Shariat

vii Raddul Mohtar, Bahar-e-Shairat, Vol: 17, p. 208 and Akhlaq Aur Aadaab, p. 247

viii Durre Mukhtar

ix Alamgiri, Bahar-e-Shairat, Vol: 17, p. 208 and Akhlaq Aur Aadaab, p. 247

x Abu Dawood

xi ibid Reference: Bahar-e-Shariah: Volume 16; Ring and jewellery

xii ibid

xiii Muslim

xiv Ihya ulum adeen

xv Ibn Najjar, Ihya ulum adeen, Bahar-e-Shairat, Vol: 17, p. 207 and Akhlaq Aur Aadaab, p. 247

xvi Ehkame Shariat

xvii Abu Dawood & Nasa’i.

xviii Bukhari

xix ibid

xx Tabarani in Kabir and Hakim in Mustadrak.

xxi Raddul Mohtar, Bahar-e-Shairat, Vol: 17, p. 207 and Akhlaq Aur Aadaab, p. 247

xxii Alamgiri, Bahar-e-Shairat, Vol: 17, p. 208 and Akhlaq Aur Aadaab, p. 247

xxiii Bahare Shariat

xxiv Alamgiri, Bahar-e-Shairat, Vol: 17, p. 208 and Akhlaq Aur Aadaab, p. 247

xxv Abu Dawud

xxvi Faizane Shariat

xxvii Durre Mukhtar

xxviii Dure Mukhtar

xxix ibid

xxx ibid

xxxi Raddul Mohtar, Bahar-e-Shairat, Vol: 17, p. 207 and Akhlaq Aur Aadaab, p. 247

xxxii Rehnuma-e-Kamil