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:

Salam my dear brother in islam, i am a doctor and living in China. I have 2 questions:
1) One of my chinese friend, a muslim friend wanted to know that where does TATOOING stand in Islam. Means is it allowed in islam or not to have a tatoo on our body? If it is allowed then certainly a face or a SHABEEH will not be allowed, then anything else can be tatooed on the body? And if not then if someone who entered islam recently has a tatoo already on his/her body, what would be the choices available?
2) I heard someone telling that hair colour is not allowed for males and females as it hinders the way to be clean during ablution. Is it correct?
Please answer my above mentioned questions as soon as possible. May Allah bless u on doing such a good deed and may Allah bless muslims

 

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Answer:

 

Tattoo and hair color

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 no one (no idol, no person,  no grave, no prophet,  no imam,  no dai,  nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

 

Your  Question: One of my chinese friend, a muslim friend wanted to know that where does TATOOING stand in Islam.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 7.816         Narrated by Humaid bin Abdur Rahman bin Auf

The Prophet (saws)  said, "Allah has cursed the lady who artificially lengthens (her or someone else's) hair and the one who gets her hair lengthened,  and the one who tattoos (herself or someone else) and the one who gets herself tattooed."

 

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 7.820         Narrated by Ibn Umar

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said, "Allah has cursed such a lady as lengthens (her or someone else's) hair artificially or gets it lengthened, and also a lady who tattoos (herself or someone else) or gets herself tattooed."

 

The Messenger of Allah (saws) specifically forbade the believers and invoked the curse of Allah on those who applied tattoos of any kind or manner on themselves or on others.

 

Your Question: If it is allowed then certainly a face or a SHABEEH will not be allowed, then anything else can be tatooed on the body?

Every type or kind of tattoo, regardless of whether it is a face, or a flower, or even a name or only an alphabet; absolutely all types and kinds of tattoos are absolutely prohibited for the believers by the Messenger of Allah (saws). 

 

Your Question: And if not then if someone who entered islam recently has a tatoo already on his/her body, what would be the choices available?

Amr ibn al-'As said: "When Allah guided me to Islam, I went to the Prophet (saws) and said to him: 'O Prophet of Allah (saws)! Stretch out your hand so that I may pledge my allegiance to you.'  The Prophet (saws) stretched out his hand to me, but I withdrew my hand. The Prophet (saws) asked: 'O 'Amr!  What is the matter with you?'  I said: 'I would like to stipulate a condition!'  The Prophet (saws) asked: 'What is it?'  I said: 'That all my past sins be forgiven!' The Prophet (saws) said: 'O 'Amr! Do you not know that (acceptance of) Islam wipes off all past sins, and Hijrah (migration for Allah's Cause) wipes off all sins, and (similarly) Hajj Mabrur wipes off all past sins!"'

Related by Muslim.

 

The Messenger of Allah (saws) gave the good news and glad tidings that regardless of whatever one might have done in one’s past, if one accepts Islam as their way of life and submits to Allah Subhanah, they will not be held accountable for their past deeds. 

 

Although they are assured of not being held accountable for whatever they did before their acceptance of Islam, if one had a tattoo on their body prior to their acceptance of Islam, after their acceptance they should strive to get that tattoo removed as soon as possible. 

 

Your Question: I heard someone telling that hair colour is not allowed for males and females as it hinders the way to be clean during ablution. Is it correct?
The Messenger of Allah (saws) himself,  and some of his closest companions used to dye their hair with henna and/or ‘katam’.

 

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 1.167         Narrated by Ubaid Ibn Juraij

‘And about the dyeing of hair with Hinna;  no doubt I saw the Messenger of Allah (saws) dyeing his hair with it and that is why I like to dye (my hair with it).’

 

Al-Muwatta Hadith 51.8

Yahya related that Abd ar-Rahman ibn al-Aswad ibn Abdal-Yaghuth used to sit with us and he had a white beard and hair.  One day he came to us and he had dyed them red, and the people said to him, 'This is better.'   He said, 'Aisha, the wife of the Prophet (saws) sent her slave girl Nukhayla to me yesterday.  She informed me that Abu Bakr as-Siddiq used to dye his hair.'

 

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 5.257         Narrated by Anas (the servant of the Prophet)

When the Prophet arrived (at Medina), there was not a single companion of the Prophet who had grey and black hair except Abu Bakr,  and he dyed his hair with Hinna and Katam (i.e. plants used for dying hair).  Through another group of narrators, Anas bin Malik said,. "When the Prophet arrived at Medina, the eldest amongst his companions was Abu Bakr.  He dyed his hair with Hinna and Katam till it became of dark red color."

 

Dyeing of the hair is permissible in Islam.  And if Allah has blessed one with old age,  it is preferable that he does not dye his hair jet-black,  but rather dye it brown,  dark red; or with henna or katam as was the practice of the Messenger of Allah (saws) and his noble companions. 

 

The dyeing or coloring of one’s hair has absolutely nothing to do with and does not effect the validity of one’s ablution in any way whatsoever.  

 

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me.  Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

 

Your Brother in Islam,

 

 

Burhan