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:

ALL PRAIZE BE TO ALMIGHTY ALLAH...I WOULD LIKE TO ASK THE RESPECTED SCHOLAR. IS MASSAGING PERMISSABLE IN ISLAM? MASSAGING A GIRL`S WHOLE BODY WITH THE HELP OF ANOTHER GIRL(MASSAGER) IS ACCEPTABLE ARE NOT? PLEASE ANSWER FOR BOTH MALE AND FEMALE MASSAGING,,,, 

(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:

Massage permissible

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.

It is categorically prohibited for a believer (man or woman) to expose their ‘satr’ before any individual except their spouse.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 24 Surah Noor verses 30-31:

30 Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and (scrupulously) guard their modesty: that will make for greater purity for them: and Allah is well acquainted with all that they do.

31 And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and (scrupulously) guard their modesty…..

The legal ‘satr’ of the believing men in Shariah is from the beginning of his knees to his navel, and the legal ‘satr’ of the believing woman in the presence of her mehrams is from the beginning of her breasts to the end of her knees.

As long as the ‘satr’ of one is completely covered, there is absolutely no harm if one needs to or has a massage done by a member of the same sex.

It would obviously be categorically and absolutely prohibited for a believer who sincerely fears Allah and the Last Day to allow a non-mehram member of the opposite sex to even touch them!

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