In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The Senior Scholars Project in Kuwait is pleased,
in cooperation with the Sheikh Abdul-Aziz ibn Baz Foundation,
—may Allah have mercy upon him—
to present to you:
The Juristic Choices
in Matters of Worship and Transactions,
from the Fatwas of His Eminence, the Eminent Scholar and Imam,
Abdul-Aziz ibn Abdullah ibn Baz,
—may Allah have mercy upon him—
compiled and arranged by Sheikh
Khalid ibn Saud ibn Amir al-Ajmi.
The Book of Purification:
Chapter on the Sunnahs of Natural Disposition (Fitrah).
The Eminent Imam Ibn Baz, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:
The use of scented products known as cologne,
which contain alcohol,
is impermissible.
This is because it has been established for us by expert medical authorities
that it is an intoxicant,
owing to its content of the known substance spirit (ethanol).
Therefore, its use is prohibited for both men and women.
As for ablution (wudu), it is not invalidated by it.
As for prayer, the validity of praying with it on is questionable.
Whoever prays while it is on their clothes or body out of forgetfulness, ignorance of the ruling,
or believing it to be pure,
their prayer is valid.
However, to be on the safe side, one should wash whatever part of the body or clothing it has touched.
It is permissible for a woman to use perfume
if she is going out to a gathering of women
and does not pass by men on the way.
The default principle regarding perfumes and scents used among people is permissibility,
except for that which is known to contain a substance prohibiting its use,
such as being an intoxicant or intoxicating in large amounts,
or containing impurity (najasah) and the like.
Tattoos on the body are impermissible,
as it is authentically established from the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
that he cursed the woman who joins hair extensions and the one who requests them,
and the woman who tattoos and the one who gets tattooed.
If a Muslim did it while ignorant of the prohibition,
or if a tattoo was done on them during childhood,
they are required to remove it upon learning of the prohibition.
However, if its removal involves hardship or harm,
it suffices them to repent and seek forgiveness,
and its remaining on their body will not harm them.
Men and women gathering on a designated day
to attend a circumcision and standing the boy uncovered before them:
this is prohibited.
Female circumcision is a Sunnah,
like the circumcision of boys,
provided there are skilled male or female doctors to perform it.
The Sunnah is to shave the head of the newborn male
when naming him on the seventh day only.
As for the female,
her head is not to be shaved,
due to the saying of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him:
"Every boy is pledged to his aqeeqah,
which is slaughtered on his seventh day,
and he is shaved and named."
Reported by Imam Ahmad
and the authors of the four Sunan with a good (hasan) chain of transmission.
Nail polish:
leaving it off is preferred,
and its removal is mandatory when performing wudu
because it prevents water from reaching the nail.
If the coating applied to the nails has no physical body,
like henna which leaves no physical barrier,
or similar oils and creams that leave no layer,
then it causes no harm
if one performs wudu while it is applied.
Lipsticks, kohl substitutes like deyram, and similar cosmetics do not block water.
Kohl is of two types:
if it has a substance that blocks water,
it must be removed at the time of wudu;
but if it has no physical layer,
then it does not prevent the validity of wudu.
There is no basis for applying nail polish for the duration of five prayers
and then wiping over it,
and it is not analogous to wiping over leather socks (khuffayn)
to be applied for five prayer times.
It is obligatory upon both women and men
to pay attention to this matter:
so that neither fingernails, mustaches, pubic hair—
meaning the private hair—
nor armpit hair are left
for more than forty nights.
It is impermissible to pluck the eyebrows
or to thin them,
because it is authentically established from the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
that he cursed the woman who plucks eyebrows and the woman who requests it.
Regarding hair that grows on a woman's face:
if it is normal hair,
it is not permissible to remove it;
but if it is an abnormal growth
that is considered a disfigurement to her appearance,
such as a mustache or beard,
there is no harm in removing it,
and it does not fall under the forbidden plucking (namas).
Hair extensions are impermissible,
and there is no difference between human hair
and other materials used to extend hair.
It is not permissible for a woman or anyone else
to alter gray hair with black dye.
As for altering it with a color other than black,
there is no harm in it.
It is not permissible for women to cut their hair,
because hair is a beauty for them,
and cutting it resembles disfigurement,
while cutting part of it is considered qaza' (uneven shaving).
However, if it grows very long
and they trim its ends,
there is no harm in that.
I know of no prohibition against using
eggs, milk, honey,
or other items for the hair,
if there is a benefit in doing so.
If it is washed off in the bathroom,
there is no harm,
because it is no longer usable as food at that point.
If it is washed off in a clean place
as a matter of precaution,
that is good;
however, as appears to us,
washing it in the bathroom
or in washing sinks is fine,
because under these circumstances,
it no longer retains its status as usable food blessing.
A believer must not imitate women,
neither in using henna
by applying it to his hands and feet,
nor in anything else.
Even if it were a local custom,
he is not permitted to do what involves
imitating women.
Adopting
artificial hair wigs is prohibited
for four reasons:
First,
it is among the matters
forbidden by the Prophet,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and the default principle of a prohibition is strict illegality.
Second,
it constitutes falsehood and deception.
Third,
it involves imitating the Jews,
and the Prophet,
peace be upon him, said:
"Whoever imitates a people
is one of them."
Fourth,
it is a cause for punishment
and ruin,
due to his saying, peace be upon him:
"The Children of Israel were ruined
only when their women adopted
such things."
What supports what we have mentioned
regarding the prohibition of adopting this wig
is that it is even worse in deceit,
falsehood, and trickery
than joining hair with hair.
And it has been authentically reported from the Messenger of Allah,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
in the two Sahihs and elsewhere,
that he cursed the woman who joins hair extensions
and the woman who requests them.
A woman is permitted to beautify herself
by applying kohl to her eyes among women,
in front of her husband, and before her mahrams.
The hadith narrated by
al-Tirmidhi from Abu Hurairah,
may Allah be pleased with him,
that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
used to trim his beard
along its length and breadth,
is a false hadith according to scholars,
because its chain of transmission includes
Umar ibn Harun al-Balkhi,
who is accused
of lying according to most imams
of hadith and critics.
The beard is what grows upon
the cheeks and the chin;
this is the correct definition.
It is not permissible for a Muslim
to shave or trim the hair on the cheeks.
The hadith: "Whoever does not trim
his mustache is not of us,"
was recorded by al-Nasa'i
in his Sunan with an authentic chain of transmission.
Growing the beard,
letting it flourish, and letting it hang full
is an obligation that is impermissible to neglect,
because the Messenger,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
commanded it,
and his command denotes obligation.
Growing big moustaches
is a sin among sins,
and an act of disobedience.
Shaving the beard and trimming it
are among the collection of sins and acts of disobedience
that diminish faith
and weaken it,
and it is feared that they may bring about Allah's wrath
and His retribution.
It is permissible for the ruler
to punish whoever violates commands
and prohibitions with whatever he deems appropriate
of deterrent punishments,
in matters short of prescribed legal penalties (hudud),
as a deterrent to the people
against committing the sacred prohibitions of Allah
and transgressing His bounds.
I advise you to leave the aforementioned college
and move to another
if you are forced to shave your beard,
and Allah will surely grant
you relief and a way out.
The statement of some preachers
that he who shaves his beard
is an effeminate man (mukhannath)—
this is a statement made by
some of the early scholars,
and its meaning is "one who imitates women,"
because effeminacy (takhannuth)
is the imitation of women;
it does not mean that he is
a sodomite,
as some of the common people think today.
What is proper
for the preacher and others
is to avoid this expression,
because it is misleading.
Smoking tobacco is among the forbidden matters
because it is among the harmful and vile things (khaba'ith)
that Allah has prohibited,
and because it contains
many harms.
The evidence for its prohibition is
the saying of the Almighty,
“They ask thee (O Muhammad) what is made lawful for them. Say: (all) good things are made lawful for you. And those beasts and birds of prey which ye have trained as hounds are trained, ye teach them that which Allah taught you; so eat of that which they catch for you and mention Allah's name upon it, and observe your duty to Allah. Lo! Allah is swift to take account.” (5:4)
“They ask thee (O Muhammad) what is made lawful for them. Say: (all) good things are made lawful for you. And those beasts and birds of prey which ye have trained as hounds are trained, ye teach them that which Allah taught you; so eat of that which they catch for you and mention Allah's name upon it, and observe your duty to Allah. Lo! Allah is swift to take account.” (5:4)
and the saying of the Almighty
in describing His Prophet Muhammad,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
"And He makes lawful for them
the good things and prohibits for them
the harmful and vile things."
The scholars have interpreted the "good things"
as wholesome, beneficial foods and drinks
that contain no harm;
and it is well known that tobacco
does not fit this description,
but rather it is among the forbidden,
noxious matters.
[Fragment]
There is no evidence
permitting the clipping of the beard
or its trimming,
nor for not letting it grow long.
Ibn 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, taking from
his beard during the Hajj
whatever exceeded a fistful—
this contains no proof,
because it was an act of personal reasoning (ijtihad) on his part,
and proof lies in what he reported,
not in his personal reasoning.
There is no doubt that shaving is more severe
in sin than clipping and thinning it;
thus, there is no doubt that doing so is an objectionable act (munkar)
and contrary to authentic hadiths,
but it is lesser in degree than shaving.
A point of benefit:
Guidance, safety, and success
lie in following him,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
obeying his commands,
and abandoning his prohibitions.
The Almighty says,
He says,
He says,
He says,
He says,
The Almighty says,
“Say, (O Muhammad, to mankind): If ye love Allah, follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.” (3:31)
"Allah, then follow me,
Allah will love you
and forgive you your sins."
So whoever loves Allah
and loves His Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
must
follow this noble
Messenger; for following him
and adhering to what he brought
is the sole path
to gaining the love of Allah, the Mighty and Sublime,
just as it is the path
to forgiveness, entering Paradise,
and salvation from the Fire.
Taking payment for shaving
beards is forbidden and illicit gain (suht),
and whoever has done so must
repent to Allah from it,
refrain from returning to it,
and give away in charity whatever earnings he acquired
from that, if he
knew the ruling of Allah, the Exalted,
regarding the prohibition of shaving beards.
But if he was ignorant,
there is no blame on him for what
has passed, and he must abstain
from doing so in the future,
due to the saying of the Almighty regarding the consumers of
usury:
"So whoever receives an admonition
from his Lord and desists,
“Those who swallow usury cannot rise up save as he ariseth whom the devil hath prostrated by (his) touch. That is because they say: Trade is just like usury; whereas Allah permitteth trading and forbiddeth usury. He unto whom an admonition from his Lord cometh, and (he) refraineth (in obedience thereto), he shall keep (the profits of) that which is past, and his affair (henceforth) is with Allah. As for him who returneth (to usury) - Such are rightful owners of the Fire. They will abide therein.” (2:275)
unto Allah...
“Those who swallow usury cannot rise up save as he ariseth whom the devil hath prostrated by (his) touch. That is because they say: Trade is just like usury; whereas Allah permitteth trading and forbiddeth usury. He unto whom an admonition from his Lord cometh, and (he) refraineth (in obedience thereto), he shall keep (the profits of) that which is past, and his affair (henceforth) is with Allah. As for him who returneth (to usury) - Such are rightful owners of the Fire. They will abide therein.” (2:275)
the Fire, wherein they will abide eternally."
The hadith: "There will be
at the end of time a people
who dye their hair black like the crops
of pigeons; they shall not smell
the fragrance of Paradise"—
Abu Dawud and al-Nasa'i narrated it
with an authentic chain of transmission.
This is a severe warning
that dictates that this act
is among the major sins.
It is not permissible for a Muslim to shave
his beard for political reasons
or to enable himself to engage in dawah;
rather, his duty is
to leave it to grow fully and amply,
in compliance with the command of
the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
It is not permissible for you to obey
your father in shaving the beard.
Regarding facial powders, there is
elaboration:
If beauty is achieved through them
and they do not harm the face
or cause any defect in it,
then there is no problem or harm in them.
But if they cause
anything in it, such as black
spots, or produce
other harms,
then they are prohibited due to
the harm. There is no objection
to using a depilatory product
for the pubic hair and armpits,
though shaving for the pubic hair and plucking for the armpits
is better if that is feasible.
The hair that
grows on the throat—
there is no harm in removing it.
The hadith: "The miswak is a means of purification for the mouth
and a cause of pleasure for the Lord"—
al-Nasa'i reported it with an authentic
chain of transmission from 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her.
And this
applies generally to the fasting person and the non-fasting person alike,
at the end of the day
as well as at its beginning.
The hadith: "Were it not that I would overburden my Ummah..."
The hadith regarding the miswak:
"...with a miswak at every ablution"—
Imam al-Nasa'i reported it
with an authentic chain of transmission.
The Sunnah is to use the miswak
at the time of prayer before saying the takbir;
so when the imam says the takbir,
one hastens to say the takbir after him.
The hadith: "A prayer with a miswak
is better than seventy prayers
without a miswak"
is a weak (da'if) hadith.
On the day of Jum'ah, one does not use the miswak
during the sermon—
neither men nor women.
When a person clips his nails,
he may throw them away and there is no issue;
there is no need to bury them,
nor to recite the Qur'an over them.
All of this
is a superstition with no basis,
having no foundation.
Burying nails in the ground
and saying, "O soil,
bear witness on the Day of Reckoning"—
this has no basis;
rather, this is among the innovations
that have no basis.
Juristic selections (Fiqh choices).