Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Dear Brother in Islam,

Assalam alaikum. You are doing a great job by spreading the correct knowledge of deen in this world. May Allah reward you with his blessings. Thank you for answering to my earlier queries too.

I know that in Islam its wrong to shape your brows. But I would like to know is it wrong for women, who have hair on their upperlips which looks like moustaches, to take it out by threading or waxing? In today's world when you are in group of other people such a minute thing causes embarrassment specially when any child points out aloud that that lady has moustaches. Kindly enlighten me in this issue.

May Allah reward you with his generosity. Thank you.

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Women remove hair on lips

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

May Allah Subhanah reward you with the best of this world and the Hereafter for your kind comments of encouragement for our humble efforts in the propagation of the Truth. If our humble and modest efforts have helped even one brother or sister get closer to Allah and His Deen of Truth, then we would consider ourselves indeed fortunate to have been given this opportunity by the Lord Most Merciful to serve in His Cause. We hope, beg, and pray the Merciful Lord accepts our humble and weak efforts, forgives us our shortcomings, and saves you, us, and all the believers from the torment of the Hell Fire. Ameen.

Your Question: I know that in Islam its wrong to shape your brows. But I would like to know is it wrong for women, who have hair on their upperlips which looks like moustaches, to take it out by threading or waxing?

Sahih Al-Bukhari 7.815 Narrated by Abdullah

Allah has cursed those women who practice tattooing and those who get themselves tattooed, and those who remove their eye-brow hairs, and those who create a space between their teeth artificially to look beautiful, and such women as change the features created by Allah. Why then should I not curse those whom the Prophet (saws) has cursed?

Other than the removing or shaping of her eye-brow hair, the believing woman is at absolute liberty in Shariah to do whatever she chooses to the hair on any other parts of her body. There is absolutely no restriction or prohibition in Shariah if a believing woman wishes to remove or bleach or do whatever she wills with her unwanted hair on her upper-lips.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan