Question: May Allah be good to you. What is the ruling on removing the hair on the body and face-excluding the eyebrows-using a laser for women? And removing the hair that must be removed for men, also, like the hair of the armpit and pubic hair, using a laser?
Answer: First, is it allowed for a woman to remove the hair on the face and the body? We say: as for the eyebrows, then it is not allowed for a woman to remove it nor thin it, but rather she leaves it as Allah created it. As long as it does not exceed the usual form. If it exceeds the usual form such that it extends until the eyes or distorts the face, and this is not how Allah created women, then it is allowed for a woman to remove what exceeds that usual form. This is not changing the creation of Allah intending beauty, but rather returning it to the original form.
As for the hair on the face which is not the eyebrows, then the Scholars differ. Some Scholars say that plucking -by which the one who does it is cursed-is taking from the face in general. However, what is correct from the statements of the Scholars is that it is allowed for a woman to remove the hair on the face which grows except for the eyebrows. The origin of the woman is that hair does not grow on the face. So it is for her to remove it. As for the hair on the remaining of the body, she can remove it.
A question remains: is it allowed for her to remove this hair in the presence of another woman? The answer: as for removing the hair from the places which it is allowed for a woman to uncover in font of another woman, then there is no harm in her seeking help from her sister in removing it or from a doctor to remove it.
As for the hair which grows in the places which are not allowed to be uncovered in front of women, then it is not allowed for her to seek help in removing this hair because this is not from the way of medicine in which it is allowed for a woman to uncover her awrah. This is only by way of beautifying the body. So like this we say: it is not allowed for a woman to remove the hair that grows on the parts where it is not allowed for her to uncover in front of other women with a laser. This is because it is impossible that it can only occur except with the help from another person. We have heard from the doctors that that which is called the home hair removal laser is harmful and it creates harms and burns. So it is not allowed to use.
As for hair which grows in places which are allowed for a woman to show in front of other women, then there is no harm in her seeking the help of another woman to remove it with a laser in clinics and the likes.
As for a man, then it is not allowed for a man to shave his beard and take from it even if it exceeds a fist length according to the correct opinion from the statements of the People of knowledge. This is because he (ﷺ) said:
«وفِّروا اللِّحى»، «أُرخوا اللِّحى »
“Grow the beards” and “Keep the beards”
[From the Hadith of Ibn Umar and other than him in the Saheehayn]
As for the remaining hair which a command has not come about removing it, then that which is apparent to me, Allah knows best, is that it is not allowed for a man to remove it because he will become like a woman except if it is. a lot which harms him. Then in that case, he can lessens the harm.
Is it allowed for men to remove the armpit hair using a laser? Yes, if it is affirmed that there is no harm. As for the hair on the pubic area, then it is not allowed to remove it using a laser due to what we mentioned of the cause [i.e. exposing the awrah] which is connected to the affair of the women as well. And Allah knows best”
Source:
Translated by
Faisal bin Abdul Qaadir bin Hassan
Abu Sulaymaan
