Plucking Eyebrows

Are all women who pluck eyebrows cursed – النمص ?

No.

It could be permissible – if done for the right reasons.

And it will be impermissible – if done for the wrong reasons.

Aishah reported:
نَهَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَنِ … النَّامِصَةِ وَالْمُتَنَمِّصَةِ
‘The Messenger of Allah forbade …
An-Namisah (the one who does the plucking);
And Al-Mutanammisah (the one who has it done).”
[Sunan Nasai, 5101 – Authentic – صحيح].

https://sunnah.com/nasai/48/62

In another narration of Ibn Mas’ud they are cursed.

REMEMBER:

The word eyebrows (حاجبين) is not in any of these Ahadith!!

The word here is ‘نمص’ which means plucking hair.

This linguistically includes plucking hair from the face, arms, legs etc. It’s primarily eyebrows – hence why some translators translate it like that, but that’s not the literal translation.

So what is the ruling?

The majority of scholars contextualised this and said that this prohibition applies to:

– Indecent women (فاجرات) who beatify themselves for strangers.
– Women who do this to deceive (تدليس) by hiding a defect from people who propose to marry them. So, a woman may have grown a beard or very weird looking eyebrows, but she has shaved it, not telling her husband.
– Women who intend to alter God’s creation (تغيير خلق الله).
– Women whose husbands have recently died or gone on travel or gone missing, because they will be beautifying themselves for non-Mahrams and not to their husbands.

If any of those reasons of prohibition (علة تحريم) are present – it’s forbidden – otherwise, it is allowed.

In fact, Aisha herself, who narrated the above Hadith from the Prophet, allowed removing facial hair for married women to beautify themselves for their husbands:

1- Abu Ishaaq said:
وأخرج علي بن الجعد في مسنده (1|80 #451) قال: حدثنا شعبة (ثقة ثبت) عن أبي إسحاق (السبيعي، ثقة ثبت) قال: دخلت امرأتي (هي أم يونس العالِية بنتُ أيْفَع) على عائشة وأم ولد لزيد بن أرقم. قال: وسألتها امرأتي (وفي رواية الطبري: وكانت شابة يعجبها الجمال) عن المرأة تحف جبينها؟ قالت: «أَمِيطِي عنكِ الأذى ما استطعت
“My wife went to ‘Aisha and asked: “Can a woman remove hair from her forehead?”
Aisha replied: “Keep disturbances away from yourself as much as you can.”
[“Musnad Ali bin Ja`d”, 451].

2- Abdur-Razzaaq narrates:
وأخرج عبد الرزاق في مصنفه (3|146): عن معمر (ثقة ثبت، عن غير العراقيين) والثوري (ثقة ثبت) عن أبي إسحاق (السبيعي الكوفي، ثقة ثبت بمستوى الزهري) عن امرأة ابن أبي السفر أنها كانت عند عائشة. فسألتها امرأة فقالت: «يا أم المؤمنين. إن في وجهي شَعَراتٍ، أَفَأَنْتِفُهُنَّ: أتزيَّنُ بذلك لزوجي؟». فقالت عائشة: «أَمِيطِي عنك الأذى. وتصنَّعي لزوجك كما تصْنَعين للزيارة. وإذا أمركِ فلتطيعيه. وإذا أقسم عليك فأبرّيه. ولا تأذني في بيته لمن يكره
The wife of Ibn Abi Safar asked Aisha: “O mother of believers! I have hair on my face, can I remove them in order to beautify myself for my husband?”
Aisha replied: “Keep disturbances away from yourself, and beautify yourself for your husband, as you beautify yourself [when he] visits [you].”
[‘Musannaf Abdur-Razzaq’, 3/146].

3- Ibn Sa’d narrates:
أَخْبَرَنَا الْمُعَلَّى بْنُ أَسَدٍ ، حَدَّثَنَا الْمُعَلَّى بْنُ زِيَادٍ الْقُطَعِيُّ ، حَدَّثَتْنَا بَكْرَةُ بِنْتُ عُقْبَةَ ؛ أَنَّهَا دَخَلَتْ عَلَى عَائِشَةَ وَهِيَ جَالِسَةٌ فِي مُعَصْفَرَةٍ ، فَسَأَلَتْهَا عَنِ الْحِنَّاءِ فَقَالَتْ : شَجَرَةٌ طَيِّبَةٌ وَمَاءٌ طَهُورٌ ، وَسَأَلَتْهَا عَنِ الْحُفَافِ ، فَقَالَتْ لَهَا : إِنْ كَانَ لَكِ زَوْجٌ فَاسْتَطَعْتِ أَنَّ تَنْزِعِي مُقْلَتَيكِ فَتَصْنَعِيهِمَا أَحْسَنَ مِمَّا هُمَا ، فَافْعَلِي.
Bukra bint ‘Uqba asked about removing hair from the face.
Aisha said to her: “If you have a husband, and you are capable of even removing your eyeballs and then replace them with something more beautiful – then do it.”
[‘Tabaqat’, 11614].

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1- This plucking (النمص) includes the plucking of hair from the body, face, arms, legs, etc. There is NO specific mention of eyebrows (حاجبين) in any of these Ahadith.

2- Imam Tabari and some other scholars took this prohibition on face value without making any exceptions. So, even if a woman were to grow a beard or a moustache, or excessive hair on her arms and legs – they do not allow her to remove this. This is a minority opinion.

3- The majority of jurists allowed the married women to beautify themselves for their husbands, by plucking their body hair and facial hair – including eyebrows – using Aisha’s narration as evidence. She narrated the Hadith of the general prohibition and she herself made the exception to that general rule. As a narrator and wife of the Prophet, she knows the meaning of her narrations better than others.

4- Some scholars, like Imam Ahmad also differentiate between plucking hair (نتف) and shaving hair (حلق). The narrations mention plucking hair [from the root], they do not mention shaving. Other scholars like Nawawi disagree and argue that its all the same.

5- Some scholars believe that Aisha’s words ONLY apply to women who have abnormal hair growth on their faces, or if they have deformed eyebrows. Only in this case, can they remove this defect (إزالة العيب) – and normalise the abnormal.

REFERENCES:

1- In (“Masaail Imam Ahmad wa Ishaaq”, 3596):
[3596-*] قلت: تحف1 المرأة جبينها. قال: أكره النتف، والحلق ليس به بأس.2 قال إسحاق: كما قال.
Ahmad Ibn Hanbal was asked: Can a woman remove hair from her forehead?
He replied: I dislike plucking, but as for shaving it, no problem.
Ishaaq said: It’s as he said.
[he agreed].

2- Imam Ibn Qudama states in his Al-Mughni:
فأما النامصة فهي التي تنتف الشعر من الوجه، والمتنمصة المنتوف شعرها بأمرها فلا يجوز للخبر، وإن حلق الشعر فلا بأس لأن الخبر إنما ورد في النتف نص على هذا أحمد
“Al-Namisa is a woman who ‘plucks’ facial hair, and al-Mutanammisa is one whose facial hair is plucked upon her request. This is not permissible due to the hadith.
If [however] she shaves off the hair, there is nothing wrong with that; since the hadith is in reference to plucking. Imam Ahmad (Allah have mercy on him) clearly mentioned this.”
(Al-Mughni 1/77).

3- Imam al-Mardawi states in his Al-Insaf:
وأباح ابن الجوزي النمص وحده وحمل النهي على التدليس، أو أنه شعار الفاجرات.
وفي الغنية وجه يجوز النمص بطلب الزوج، ولها حلقه وحفه نص عليهما
“Only Ibn al-Jawzi [from among the Hanbali jurists] permitted plucking, and interpreted the prohibition [in the hadith] as applicable to when there is deception or it becomes the hallmark of obscene women (fajirat).
In Al-Gunyah, there is an opinion that it [plucking facial hair] is permitted with the request of the husband.”
(Al-Insaf fi Ma’rifat al-Rajih min al-Khilaf 1/125-126; the same is also mentioned by Al-Bahuti in his Kashshaf al-Qina’ 1/76, Ibn Muflih in his Al-Furu’ 1/107-108, and in other Hanbali references)

4- Imam Ibn Abidin Hanafi states:
ولعله محمول على ما إذا فعلته لتتزين للأجانب وإلا فلو كان في وجهها شعر ينفر زوجها عنها بسببه ففي تحريم إزالته بُعد،
لأن الزينة للنساء مطلوبة للتحسين إلا أن يُحمل على ما لا ضرورة إليه لما في نتفه بالمنماص من الإيذاء
“It is possible that the prohibition mentioned [in the hadith] is when it is done for the sake of beautifying herself for strangers; otherwise, if she has facial hair which causes her husband to dislike her appearance, then the prohibition of removing such hair seems far-fetched.
This is because [self-] beautification for women is recommended in order to look good [for the husband], unless the hadith is interpreted to mean when it is done without a need, since there is harm in ‘plucking’ hair”.
(“Radd al-Muhtar ala ‘l-Durr al-Mukhtar”, 5:239).

5- Imam Al-Maawardi in (“Al-Hawi al-Kabir”, 2/594):
أن تكون ذات زوج تفعل ذلك للزينة عند زوجها ، أو أمة تفعل ذلك لسيدها ، فهذا غير حرام لأن المرأة مأمورة بأخذ الزينة لزوجها
“If a woman does that to beautify herself for her husband, or if a slave girl does it for her master, it is not forbidden, because a woman is required to make herself beautiful for her husband.”

6- Imam al-Nafrawi in (“Al-Fawakih al-Dawani”, 2/314):
ﻭﻗﺎﻝ ﺍﻟﻨﻔﺮﺍﻭﻱ ﻓﻲ ” ﺷﺮﺡ ﺍﻟﺮّﺳﺎﻟﺔ ـ ﺍﻟﻤﻮﺳﻮﻡ ﺑﺎﻟﻔﻮﺍﻛﻪ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﺍﻧﻲ ” ‏( 2/314 ‏) : ‏( ﺍﻟﺘﻨﻤﻴﺺُ ﻫﻮ ﻧﺘﻒ ﺷﻌﺮ ﺍﻟﺤﺎﺟﺐ ﺣﺘﻰ ﻳﺼﻴﺮ ﺩﻗﻴﻘًﺎ ﺣﺴﻨًﺎ، ﻭﻟﻜﻦ ﺭُﻭﻱ ﻋﻦ ﻋَﺎﺋِﺸَﺔَ ﺭَﺿِﻲَ ﺍﻟﻠَّﻪُ ﻋَﻨْﻬَﺎ ﺟﻮﺍﺯ ﺇﺯﺍﻟﺔ ﺍﻟﺸﻌﺮ ﻣﻦ ﺍﻟﺤﺎﺟﺐ ﻭﺍﻟﻮﺟﻪ ﻭﻫﻮ ﺍﻟﻤﻮﺍﻓﻖ ﻟﻤﺎ ﻣﺮ ﻣﻦ ﺃَﻥ ﺍﻟﻤﻌﺘﻤﺪ ﺟﻮﺍﺯ ﺣﻠﻖ ﺟﻤﻴﻊ ﺷﻌﺮ ﺍﻟﻤﺮﺃَﺓ ﻣﺎ ﻋﺪﺍ ﺷﻌﺮ ﺭﺃﺳﻬﺎ،
ﻭﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻓﻴﺤﻤﻞ ﻣﺎ ﻓﻲ ﺍﻟﺤﺪﻳﺚ ﻋﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻤﺮﺃَﺓ ﺍﻟﻤﻨﻬﻴﺔ ﻋﻦ ﺍﺳﺘﻌﻤﺎﻝ ﻣﺎ ﻫﻮ ﺯﻳﻨﺔ ﻟﻬﺎ ﻛﺎﻟﻤﺘﻮﻓﻰ ﻋﻨﻬﺎ ﻭﺍﻟﻤﻔﻘﻮﺩ ﺯﻭﺟﻬﺎ
“Al-Tanmis [mentioned as being prohibited in the hadith] is to pluck the eyebrow hairs so that it becomes fine and beautiful.
However, the permissibility of removing hair from the eyebrows and face has been narrated from A’isha (Allah be please with her), and it conforms to what was mentioned previously that the relied upon opinion [in the Maliki School] is the permissibility of a woman removing all her hair with the exception of the hair of her head.
As such, the [prohibition] in this hadith will be understood to be for a woman who has been prohibited from adorning herself, such as a woman whose husband has passed away [and she is in her waiting period] and a woman whose husband is lost.”

7- Imam Ramli said:
ﻭﺍﻟﺘﻨﻤﻴﺺ : ﻭﻫﻮ ﺍﻷﺧﺬ ﻣﻦ ﺷﻌﺮ ﺍﻟﻮﺟﻪ ﻭﺍﻟﺤﺎﺟﺐ ﺍﻟﻤُﺤَﺴِّﻦ، ﻓﺈﻥ ﺃﺫﻥ ﻟﻬﺎ ﺯﻭﺟﻬﺎ ﺃﻭ ﺳﻴﺪﻫﺎ ﻓﻲ ﺫﻟﻚ ﺟﺎﺯ ؛ ﻷﻥ ﻟﻪ ﻏﺮﺿﺎً ﻓﻲ ﺗﺰﻳﻴﻨﻬﺎ ﻟﻪ، ﻛﻤﺎ ﻓﻲ ﺍﻟﺮﻭﺿﺔ
“Al-Tanmis – which is to remove facial hair and eyebrows for adornment [is unlawful]. However, if the husband or master [of a slave girl] gives her permission, then it is permitted; because he has an interest in her adorning herself for him, as mentioned in Al-Rawda…”
(“Nihayat al-Muhtaj ila sharh al-Minhaj”, 2/25).

8- Imam Khatib al-Shirbini, in (“Mughni al-Muhtaj”, 1/191):
أما إذا أذن لها الزوج أو السيد في ذلك فإنه يجوز
“But if her husband or master gives permission, then it is allowed.”

9- Ibn Muflih Hanbali narrates that even Imam Ahmad himself would remove some hair from his eyebrows:
ﻭﻗﺎﻝ ﺍﺑﻦ ﻣﻔﻠﺢ ﻓﻲ ” ﺍﻟﻔﺮﻭﻉ ‏( 1/130 ‏) : ﻭﺃﺧﺬ ﺃﺣﻤﺪ ﻣﻦ ﺣﺎﺟﺒﻴﻪ

10- It says in ‘al-Taj wa al-iklil’, (1/287):
العلامة الغرناطي في “التاج والإكليل شرح مختصر خليل” (1/ 287): [وقال عياض: روي عن عائشة رخصة في جواز النمص، وحف المرأة جبينها لزوجها وقالت: أميطي عنك الأذى]
Al-Qadhy Iyaadh said: And it has been narrated from Aisha that she made an exception on this plucking.
She allowed a woman to remove hair from her forehead for her husband.
She said: Remove any disturbances from yourself.”

11- Imam Zakariyah al-Ansari says (1/173):
ﻭﻓﻲ ” ﺷﺮﺡ ﺭﻭﺽ ﺍﻟﻄﺎﻟﺐ ﻣﻦ ﺃﺳﻨﻰ ﺍﻟﻤﻄﺎﻟﺐ ﻟﻺﻣﺎﻡ ﺃﺑﻲ ﻳﺤﻴﻰ ﺯﻛﺮﻳﺎ ﺍﻷﻧﺼﺎﺭﻱ ” ‏( 1/173 ‏) ﻗﺎﻝ :
قال (ويحرم) على المرأة (التنميص) فعلاً وسؤال للخبر الصحيح السابق
“لعن الله الواصلة والمستوصلة والواشمة والمستوشمة والواشرة والمستوشرة والنامصة والمتنمصة”.
إلا بإذن زوج أو سيد ( وهو الأخذ من شعر الوجه أو الحاجب ) للحسن .
“… [It is Haram] for the woman [to pluck hair], to do it and to ask for it, due to the authentic narration that was mentioned before:
[Hadith about the curse on people who do this and to whom it is done]
Except with the permission of her husband or master.
[This means to remove hair from the face or eyebrows] for beautification.”

12- In ‘Al-Mawsu’ah al-Fiqhiyah’, (14/81):
وذهب الجمهور إلى أنه لا يجوز التنمص لغير المتزوجة، وأجاز بعضهم لغير المتزوجة فعل ذلك إذا احتيج إليه لعلاج أو عيب، بشرط أن لا يكون فيه تدليس على الآخرين
أما المرأة المتزوجة فيرى جمهور الفقهاء أنه يجوز لها التنمص إذا كان بإذن الزوج أو دلت قرينة على ذلك لأنه من الزينة والزينة مطلوبة للتحصين والمرأة مأمورة بها شرعاً لزوجها
ودليلهم ما روته بكرة بنت عقبة أنها سألت عائشة رضي الله عنها عن الحفاف فقالت: إن كان لك زوج فاستطعت أن تنزعي مقلتيك فتصنعيهما أحسن مما هما فافعلي
“The majority of scholars are of the opinion that this plucking is not allowed for the unmarried. Some of them allowed it even for the unmarried if there is a defect, but they put a condition that it should not be to deceive others.
As for the married woman, then the majority of jurists allow her to pluck hair, if its with the permission of her husband because it is a form of beautification and she is required to beautify herself for her husband by the Islamic law.
Their evidence is what has been narrated by Bukra bint ‘Uqba (mentioned above).”