Question
Assalam u Alaikum,
I wanted to ask a few questions about cosmetic procedures, specifically nose procedures. This is a fairly long question but I ask you to read it fully and grant me help because I’m desperate for it. May Allah SWT bless you for your efforts and help.
I am very very insecure about my nose. My nose insecurity holds me back from so many opportunities and experiences in my life. My insecurity is on my mind every single day. This insecurity eats at me and it’s honestly all I can think about for a really long time now. I’m tired of being insecure. I’m tired of crying over this matter. I feel weak. This insecurity causes me major psychological distress.
I believe that I have a slightly deviated nasal septum that causes my nostrils and both sides of my nose to look slightly different from one another. I wanted to ask if it would be permissible for me to go to a plastic surgeon for a septorhinoplasty which is a nose procedure that would not only straighten my slightly deviated nasal septum, but also even out both sides of my nose and nostrils, so that they could at least look the same and my nose would be restored to a more natural shape? Also I’m mainly a mouth breather so this procedure would in shaa Allah benefit my breathing and also restore my nose to a natural, even shape.
I have never been to a doctor for my nose issues before. Will it be permissible for me to go to a consultation with a plastic surgeon so I could tell them about the internal structures of my nose that I believe need to be straightened as well as talk to them about the slightly uneven nostrils and sides of my nose and what we could do to give me a natural, more even look? I will let the doctor know that I do not want to completely change my appearance. In fact I do not want the change to my nose to be noticeable at all from the frontal view of my face and nose. I mainly want to alter the sides of my nose and my nostrils so that they can look even.
Also I have a minor bump on my nose and if it is still present after the procedure to straighten my nasal septum and even out both sides of my nose, will it be permissible for me to get nose filler/non-surgical nose job in order to add volume to my nose to slightly alter the shape of my nose and reduce the appearance of the bump and give my nose tip a slight lift? This is temporary by the way.
I’m 21 years old and I’m just so tired of being insecure about this. I do not want to completely change my look. I know changing ones look is very common in today’s society unfortunately, but I just want a more natural look. Honestly I just want a more natural, even, and feminine nose profile.
Also, I’m not married yet and I don’t want to do anything that would be considered deception to my future husband. I don’t want to look completely different from how I naturally look. Since I’m not married, yet, for now will I be able to straighten my nasal septum and then just get the temporary nose job using nose fillers and then when I get married in shaa Allah, I can talk to my husband about doing the permanent change to my nose?
Again I just want to make minor changes and I mainly only want to alter the side views of my nose.
Thank you so much for your help. May Allah SWT bless you and your loved ones with happiness in this dunya and in the akhirah.
Answer
There is no harm in having a procedure which corrects a defect. For this reason undergoing septoplasty to correct a deviated nasal septum would be permissible. As for the rhinoplasty, it would depend on whether the modification being made would fall under correcting a defect, or enhancing one’s looks. The former being permissible and the later impermissible.
Making changes to the creation of Allah including the human body has generally been prohibited in Islām.[1] However, this principle is not absolute and in certain scenarios some changes to the body would be permissible. For example, if a certain modification was permitted by the Prophet (peace and blessing upon him) then that would be permissible, such as ear piercings. Similarly, temporary changes, such as applying henna or make-up, would also be permissible.
Also, if an individual has a defect, they are permitted to make the necessary changes in order to return the defect back to a normal state. For example, if a person is born with six fingers on one hand it would be permissible to undergo an operation to have that finger removed.[2]
Defect here is not something which is considered defective due to social trends but something that would be considered defective regardless of customary trends. For example, if a person’s nose tilts to one-side to the extent that as soon as someone looks at them, they would notice it immediately and would consider it defective then this would be considered an actual defect. However, if it is slightly tilted to one side where people do not take much notice, then that would not be considered a defect which permits one to undergo surgery. Rather, this would be permanently changing the creation of Allah for the purpose of beautification which is not permissible. As for your case, you would have to determine based on this criterion whether the defect is enough to permit surgery or not. It would be difficult for us to make this judgement for you, hence we have provided you with the basic framework that needs to be considered.
Bear in mind that the boundary between defect and beautification can at times become difficult to determine; especially with social pressures of having to look a certain way. It is important that one acts with caution as the prohibition of permanently modifying the way one looks is direct from the teachings of the Qur’ān and the sunnah.
[1] Surat al-nisā’ 119
صحيح مسلم (3/ 1678)
عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ، قَالَ: «لَعَنَ اللهُ الْوَاشِمَاتِ وَالْمُسْتَوْشِمَاتِ، وَالنَّامِصَاتِ وَالْمُتَنَمِّصَاتِ، وَالْمُتَفَلِّجَاتِ لِلْحُسْنِ الْمُغَيِّرَاتِ خَلْقَ اللهِ
[2] الفتاوى الهندية (5/ 360)
إذَا أَرَادَ الرَّجُلُ أَنْ يَقْطَعَ إصْبَعًا زَائِدَةً أَوْ شَيْئًا آخَرَ قَالَ نُصَيْرٌ – رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى – إنْ كَانَ الْغَالِبُ عَلَى مَنْ قَطَعَ مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ الْهَلَاكَ فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَفْعَلُ وَإِنْ كَانَ الْغَالِبُ هُوَ النَّجَاةُ فَهُوَ فِي سَعَةٍ
Answered by:
Ifta Research Fellow
Checked & Approved by:
Mufti Abdul Rahman Mangera
Mufti Zubair Patel