Removing unwanted hair

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:

Assalamoalikum,

Inshallah you are in the best of health. I had a last question regarding removing hair from the arms and the legs. Is it permissible for women to remove hair from the arms and the legs? If so, are women allowed to use an epilator as a method of hair removal. Inshallah I will be waiting for your reply.

Jazakallah Khair in advance. 

(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:

Removing unwanted hair

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.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 7.779 Narrated by Abu Huraira

I heard the Prophet (saws) saying. "Five practices are characteristics of the Fitra (nature): removing the pubic hair, clipping the nails, depilating the hair of the armpits, (and) circumcision and cutting the moustaches short (for males)."

Both the believing men and the believing women are obliged to remove their unwanted hair from their pubic region and from under their armpits. One may use any means or method to remove the unwanted hair including cutting, clipping, shaving, plucking, or the use of chemicals, epilator, etc.

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?

In light of the above absolutely clear guidance of the Messenger of Allah (saws), it is the unanimous opinion of all the scholars and jurists in Islam that the plucking or shaping of eyebrows is strictly forbidden for the believing woman in Islam.

Other than the shaping of the eye-brow hair, there is absolutely no prohibition in Islam if a believing woman wishes to remove any other unwanted hair from her face, arms, legs, or body, by any means at her disposal (cutting, shaving, clipping, plucking, chemicals, threading, epilator, etc.)

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