Question
Salaam,
I am a married female and I feel insecure about my body hair as i have some on unwanted areas of my body.
My husband is okay with my body and is always happy with me. He says he loves me and does not mind but I still feel really insecure and ugly. I don’t like to shave because it leads to spots and rashes on my skin so I often leave my hair unshaved. I want to get rid of my body hair permanently.
I decided to get my whole body hair laser treatment. I have already paid for this and it was expensive and non refundable.
When my husband found out he said he felt betrayed because i did not inform him about this and he has been against this. He said i am revealing my awrah to another muslim woman and said he does not agree with this and it is causing relationship issues.
I have already been to a few sessions and during the laser process i have to undress fully including undergarments. The muslim lady covers my body with a towel and uncovers my body in sections to laser the hair. For example uncover chest to laser then uncover back, then private parts etc.
1) Is this permissable in islam because i am insecure and want to look nice which includes for my husband? And also is this a valid reason that I get rashes and bad spots/ingrown hairs from shaving?
2) What if I avoid the private area and only let the Muslim woman laser/look at the rest of my body? Would that be permissible?
JazakAllah
Answer
Striving to look good for your husband by removing body hair is commendable, but it must be done within the boundaries of shariʿah. Even in the presence of another female, it is impermissible to expose one’s nakedness (ʿawra). Specifically, in front of a Muslim woman, a woman’s ʿawra extends from the navel to the knees, while in front of a non-Muslim woman, it encompasses the entire body except for the face, hands, and feet. Therefore, in your situation, exposing the area between the navel and knees to a Muslim woman, even in sections as you’ve described, remains impermissible.
It is essential to consider your husband’s perspective, as he has expressed contentment with your appearance. Reflect on whether your concerns about your appearance have been influenced by the extensive marketing efforts of cosmetic companies targeting women.
Regarding the issues like rashes, spots, or ingrown hairs that can result from shaving body hair, they are not considered a valid excuse to allow you to expose your ʿawra, as your intention for hair removal seems to be primarily cosmetic.
For the other parts of your body, laser therapy is permissible when performed by a Muslim woman. However, if your husband’s disapproval is based on concerns about ʿawra his consent or lack thereof should be respected. If he continues to object to the treatment, then it will not be acceptable for you to go through with the laser treatment, as his wish must be upheld, even if it is legally allowed. If he consents to treatment on other areas then the ruling of permissibility will be as mentioned above. If your treatment includes facial hair removal as well, then details regarding this can be found in the following response: https://fatwacentre.org/uncategorized/laser-treatment-for-facial-hair/
While laser treatments can be costly, remember that upholding your husband’s wishes will bring you many benefits and rewards. Additionally, you should consider alternatives to having laser treatment done by someone else like using an IPL machine by yourself, in which case the ʿawra issues will no longer apply.
«مجمع الأنهر في شرح ملتقى الأبحر» (2/ 538) – «وَتَنْظُرُ الْمَرْأَةُ) الْمُسْلِمَةُ (مِنْ الْمَرْأَةِ) لِوُجُودِ الْمُجَانِسَةِ وَانْعِدَامِ الشَّهْوَةِ غَالِبًا؛ لِأَنَّ الْمَرْأَةَ لَا تَشْتَهِي الْمَرْأَةَ كَمَا لَا يَشْتَهِي الرَّجُلُ الرَّجُلَ وَلِأَنَّ الضَّرُورَةَ دَاعِيَةٌ إلَى الِانْكِشَافِ فِيمَا بَيْنَهُنَّ وَعَنْ الْإِمَامِ إنَّ نَظَرَ الْمَرْأَةِ إلَى الْمَرْأَةِ كَنَظَرِ الرَّجُلِ ذَوَاتَ مَحَارِمِهِ وَالْأَوَّلُ أَصَحُّ كَمَا فِي أَكْثَرِ الْمُعْتَبَرَاتِ. (وَ) مِنْ (الرَّجُلِ إلَى مَا يَنْظُرُ الرَّجُلُ مِنْ الرَّجُلِ) أَيْ إلَى مَا سِوَى الْعَوْرَةِ»
«ملتقى الأبحر» (ص199) – «وَيحرم النّظر إِلَى الْعَوْرَة إلَاّ عِنْد الضَّرُورَة كالطبيب، والخاتن والخافضة والقابلة والحاقن، وَلَا يتَجَاوَز قدر الضَّرُورَة»
«حاشية ابن عابدين = رد المحتار ط الحلبي» (6/ 371) – «وَكَذَا يَجُوزُ أَنْ يَنْظُرَ إلَى مَوْضِعِ الِاحْتِقَانِ لِأَنَّهُ مُدَاوَاةٌ وَيَجُوزُ الِاحْتِقَانُ لِلْمَرَضِ، وَكَذَا لِلْهُزَالِ الْفَاحِشِ عَلَى مَا رُوِيَ عَنْ أَبِي يُوسُفَ لِأَنَّهُ أَمَارَةُ الْمَرَضِ هِدَايَةٌ، لِأَنَّ آخِرَهُ يَكُونُ الدَّقُّ وَالسَّلُّ، فَلَوْ احْتَقَنَ لَا لِضَرُورَةٍ بَلْ لِمَنْفَعَةٍ ظَاهِرَةٍ بِأَنْ يَتَقَوَّى عَلَى الْجِمَاعِ لَا يَحِلُّ عِنْدَنَا كَمَا فِي الذَّخِيرَةِ»
«حاشية ابن عابدين = رد المحتار ط الحلبي» (3/ 208) – «وَحَقُّهُ عَلَيْهَا أَنْ تُطِيعَهُ فِي كُلِّ مُبَاحٍ يَأْمُرُهَا بِهِ، وَلَهُ مَنْعُهَا مِنْ الْغَزْلِ وَمِنْ أَكَلَ مَا يَتَأَذَّى مِنْ رَائِحَتِهِ، بَلْ وَمِنْ الْحِنَّاءِ وَالنَّقْشِ وَإِنْ تَأَذَّى بِرَائِحَتِهِ»
Answered by:
Ifta Research Fellow
Checked & Approved by:
Mufti Abdul Rahman Mangera
Mufti Zubair Patel