General standards for female adornment

From the verses and hadiths that serve as legal evidence, we have learned that it is permissible for women to adorn themselves according to certain standards. These verses test the extent to which a woman is sincerely obedient to Allah and His Messenger. In addition, in order to prevent any causes that could lead to the deterioration of a woman's character, permissible and impermissible forms of adornment have been distinguished. The Sharia, based on the nature of a woman, has indicated how much she is respected in Islam, and has permitted her to adorn herself and her appearance, and has also established the legal rules that a woman must follow in this regard. We will explain them below.

1. A woman's makeup should not be fake or deceptive.

When a woman wears makeup, she should avoid making her face look younger than her actual age by radically altering its features and natural appearance. The reason for this is so that the man who wants to marry her does not look at her and is deceived by her real age. If she does not follow this rule and wears makeup as described above, this is considered fraud and deceit, and the woman should immediately abandon this act. Otherwise, her actions may fall under the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): “Whoever deceives us is not one of us.”

This does not mean that a woman is forbidden from bathing. It is one of her rights to wear beautiful clothes, use make-up, use antimony and various cosmetics during bathing.

However, there is no harm in a woman dressing up excessively and trying to look younger for her husband. This is because there is no deception or deception in this, and her true nature is revealed to her husband. In fact, this action of hers was considered mustahabb.

2. Her makeup should not be excessive or wasteful.

Islam is a religion that follows a moderate path in every situation and in everything. Especially in the matter of adornment. If the moderation reaches the point of extravagance and excess, it is not considered lawful.

Allah Almighty has blessed us in the Quran, saying: “O children of Adam, take your adornment at every time of worship” (Surah Al-A’raf, verse 31). Although adornment is actually considered a permissible act, in this case there is material harm and the owner of the money is forced to spend extra money on a useless thing.

In addition, there are other reasons for this, such as the fact that excessive makeup takes up a lot of time, attracts unwanted attention, and completely alters the natural appearance created by Allah Almighty.

Based on this, she is required to be moderate in the makeup she uses in her normal lifestyle and to follow the customs of other Muslim women in society.

3. Makeup should not alter the original structure of the face.

Allah Almighty warns man against the tricks of Satan in Surah An-Nisa:
He said, "I will mislead them, I will make them think foolishly, and if I command them, they will cut off the ears of cattle, and if I command them, they will change the creation of Allah. Whoever follows Satan instead of Allah, he has indeed suffered a clear loss."

Alqamah narrated that Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Allah has cursed those who get tattoos, those who pluck their eyebrows and facial hair, those who change the structure that Allah has created for the sake of beauty, and those who open the gaps between their teeth."

Over time, women began to cut their hair and let it fall over their eyebrows, and in accordance with the times, they developed the practice of plucking eyebrows and facial hair. In some cases, these practices alter the structure created by Allah Almighty, making the original state even more ugly instead of beautifying it.

There are also some women who, in order to make their hair look thicker, use special tools to open the space between their teeth. They think that by doing this, they will look young and beautiful. All of these things are forbidden. Allah Almighty has strictly forbidden this, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) cursed the one who does this and said that he will be far from Allah's mercy. Because in all of these, first of all, there is a change in what Allah has created, and on the other hand, there is deception, fraud, and pretense.

4. A woman's makeup should not cause obvious harm to herself, damage any of her body parts, or cause sedition.

If makeup causes one of these things, if it causes sedition and arouses the desires of non-mahrams, then such makeup is not considered permissible. If it causes various skin diseases due to the chemicals contained in cosmetics that are harmful to the human body, then it is also not included in the island of permissible according to Sharia. Today, it is proven that the makeup products used by women of our century are often harmful to them and are ultimately not good for women.

5. Cosmetics must not be made from impure substances and must not be obtained through unlawful means.

Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “Indeed, Allah and His Messenger have forbidden the sale of wine, carrion, swine, and idols.” It was said, “O Messenger of Allah, is the fat of a dead animal used for the decoration of ships and skins, and for lighting lamps?” He said, “Do not sell it, for it is forbidden to sell it. Allah has cursed the Jews. When Allah forbade them from eating the fat of a dead animal, they melted it down, sold it, and ate the money for it.”

If a cosmetic product is mixed with an impure substance or is made from that impure substance itself, it is haram. Think about it, if it is not possible to lubricate ships with haram, how can it be applied to the face, which is the most sacred part of a person? Accordingly, it is strictly forbidden to use products mixed with haram in makeup. It is known that some lipsticks are made by mixing pork fat. If this information is based on accurate information, then according to the hadith narrated by Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) and the consensus of scholars, it is considered impure and haram.

Also, some of the most expensive cosmetic powders are made from living human embryonic cells. In cases where embryonic cells are not available, they are made from water that is hardened and powdered and mixed with face creams.

Another act of personal adornment that is forbidden by Islamic law is tattooing. Its prohibition is based on the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): “May Allah curse the one who tattoos and the one who does it.” One of the reasons for its prohibition is that it causes pain to the human body and blocks blood circulation in the area where the tattoo is applied. It is also absolutely not permissible for this act, which is inherently forbidden, to be performed by men who are not men.

Although it is actually permissible to make oneself beautiful, in such cases it becomes forbidden. Allah Almighty has commanded women in Surah An-Nur, “not to display.” Since it is not permissible for a woman to display her beauty in front of non-mahrams, it is absolutely forbidden for a stranger to look at her and apply makeup to her.

6. The fact that the two sexes do not look alike when it comes to makeup.

One of the main rules regarding adornment is that the two sexes should not resemble each other in their makeup and dress. A man should not imitate women by using women's clothes and ornaments, and women should not imitate men in their dress, behavior, and speech. This applies to those who deliberately imitate the opposite sex, as emphasized in the hadith narrated by Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him). He said: "The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) cursed those men who imitate women and those women who (deliberately) imitate men."

If a woman wears a T-shirt or shorts that are similar in style and appearance to men's clothing, and imitates them, she will be cursed by Allah and His Messenger. If her husband allows her to wear such clothing, he will also be cursed.

Imam al-Dhahabi, in his book "The Major Sins," listed these acts as one of the greatest sins, and supported them with hadiths. He included women who imitate men in their dress and behavior, among those who imitate men.

Unfortunately, we see this happening all the time these days. Women are imitating men so much in the way they walk, cut their hair, and dress that it's often impossible to tell whether they're male or female.

7. In adornment, one should not imitate unbelievers, immoral, or evil people.

Imitation usually occurs in outward actions, especially in the attempt to resemble the infidels, which is manifested in falsehoods that are forbidden by the Sharia. A person's attempt to resemble the infidels externally ultimately leads to his inner world becoming like them as well.

It was narrated from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever imitates a people is one of them.”

In a hadith narrated by Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Indeed, the Jews and Christians do not dye their hair and beards, so you should differ from them."

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) himself was the most advanced in dyeing white hair and using dyes, contrary to what the People of the Book did. The only reason he differed from the Jews and Christians in dyeing white hair was because this was required by the Sharia.

"Has not the time come for those who believe that their hearts should be humbled to the remembrance of Allah and to what has been revealed of the truth, and that they should not be like those who were given the Book, but then their hearts hardened, and many of them were transgressors?" (Surah Al-Hadid, verse 16)

This statement of Allah Almighty indicates that it is absolutely forbidden to imitate them. Because they have changed the word of Allah, their hearts become hard and they cannot accept the advice. Neither promises nor threats can soften this hard heart.
Hardness of heart is the result of the increase in sins. Therefore, a Muslim is forbidden from imitating sinful people in any action that leads to sin.

The degree of haraamness of imitating the disbelievers and the people of the hereafter is determined by the inclination of the heart to their evil deeds and the eagerness to do them. This is a sign of true defeat for a Muslim, a sign of the violation of his personality and the weakness of his faith.