Tattoos and Hair Extensions
Total Hadiths 5
Prophetic Teachings on Tattoos, False Hair, and Altering Creation
These authentic prophetic traditions deliver a clear and firm guideline regarding cosmetic modifications, specifically addressing tattoos and hair extensions. According to these accounts, the Prophet Muhammad explicitly prohibited and cursed individuals who add false hair to themselves or others, as well as those who perform or receive tattoos. The narrations emphasize that such practices, alongside plucking facial hair or artificially creating spaces between teeth for cosmetic reasons, represent an unauthorized alteration of what Allah has created. Islamic scholars note that these actions were historically cited as a cause of downfall for previous nations, and the companions strictly adhered to these warnings, grounding their obedience in the foundational Quranic principle to accept whatever the Messenger commands and refrain from what he forbids.
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مَسْلَمَةَ، عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ حُمَيْدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ مُعَاوِيَةَ بْنَ أَبِي سُفْيَانَ، عَامَ حَجَّ وَهُوَ عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ وَتَنَاوَلَ قُصَّةً مِنْ شَعْرٍ كَانَتْ فِي يَدِ حَرَسِيٍّ يَقُولُ يَا أَهْلَ الْمَدِينَةِ أَيْنَ عُلَمَاؤُكُمْ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَنْهَى عَنْ مِثْلِ هَذِهِ وَيَقُولُ " إِنَّمَا هَلَكَتْ بَنُو إِسْرَائِيلَ حِينَ اتَّخَذَ هَذِهِ نِسَاؤُهُمْ " .
Narrated Humaid b. 'Adb al-Rahman: That he heard Mu'awiyah b. Abi Sufyan say during the Hajj when he was on the pulpit and took a lock of hair which was in the hand of the guard, saying: O people of Medina, where are your scholars ? I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) forbidding such a think as this and said: The children of Isra'il perished when their women practised it.
Reference : Sunan Abi Dawud 4167In-book reference : Book 35, Hadith 9English translation : Book 34, Hadith 4155
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عِيسَى، وَعُثْمَانُ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، - الْمَعْنَى - قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ، عَنْ مَنْصُورٍ، عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، عَنْ عَلْقَمَةَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ لَعَنَ اللَّهُ الْوَاشِمَاتِ وَالْمُسْتَوْشِمَاتِ . قَالَ مُحَمَّدٌ وَالْوَاصِلاَتِ وَقَالَ عُثْمَانُ وَالْمُتَنَمِّصَاتِ ثُمَّ اتَّفَقَا وَالْمُتَفَلِّجَاتِ لِلْحُسْنِ الْمُغَيِّرَاتِ خَلْقَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ . فَبَلَغَ ذَلِكَ امْرَأَةً مِنْ بَنِي أَسَدٍ يُقَالُ لَهَا أُمُّ يَعْقُوبَ . زَادَ عُثْمَانُ كَانَتْ تَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ ثُمَّ اتَّفَقَا فَأَتَتْهُ فَقَالَتْ بَلَغَنِي عَنْكَ أَنَّكَ لَعَنْتَ الْوَاشِمَاتِ وَالْمُسْتَوْشِمَاتِ . قَالَ مُحَمَّدٌ وَالْوَاصِلاَتِ وَقَالَ عُثْمَانُ وَالْمُتَنَمِّصَاتِ ثُمَّ اتَّفَقَا وَالْمُتَفَلِّجَاتِ قَالَ عُثْمَانُ لِلْحُسْنِ الْمُغَيِّرَاتِ خَلْقَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى . فَقَالَ وَمَا لِي لاَ أَلْعَنُ مَنْ لَعَنَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَهُوَ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى قَالَتْ لَقَدْ قَرَأْتُ مَا بَيْنَ لَوْحَىِ الْمُصْحَفِ فَمَا وَجَدْتُهُ . فَقَالَ وَاللَّهِ لَئِنْ كُنْتِ قَرَأْتِيهِ لَقَدْ وَجَدْتِيهِ ثُمَّ قَرَأَ { وَمَا آتَاكُمُ الرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَاكُمْ عَنْهُ فَانْتَهُوا } قَالَتْ إِنِّي أَرَى بَعْضَ هَذَا عَلَى امْرَأَتِكَ . قَالَ فَادْخُلِي فَانْظُرِي . فَدَخَلَتْ ثُمَّ خَرَجَتْ فَقَالَ مَا رَأَيْتِ وَقَالَ عُثْمَانُ فَقَالَتْ مَا رَأَيْتُ . فَقَالَ لَوْ كَانَ ذَلِكَ مَا كَانَتْ مَعَنَا .
'Abd Allah (b. Mas'us) said: Allah has cursed the woman who tattoo and the women who have themselves tattooed, the women who add false hair (according to the version of Muhammad b. Isa) and the women who pluck hairs from their faces (according to the version on 'Uthman). The agreed version then goes: The women who spaces between their teeth for beauty, changing what Allah has created. When a woman of Banu Asad called Umm Ya'qub, who read the Qur'an (according to the version of 'Uthman) heard it, she came to him (according to the agreed version) and said: I have heard that you have cursed the women who tattoo, those have themselves tattooed, those who add false hair (according to the version of Muhammad), those pluck hairs from their faces, and those who make spaces between their teeth (according to the agreed version), for changing what Allah has created (according to the version of 'Uthman). He said: Why should I not curse those whom the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had cursed and those who were mentioned in Allah's Book ? She said: I have read it from cover to cover and have not found in it. He said: I swear by Allah, if you read it, you would have found it. He then read: What the Apostle has brought you accept, and what he has forbidden refrain from it. She said: I find some of these thing in you wife. He said: Enter (the house) and see. She said: I then entered (the house) and came out. He asked: What did you see ? She said: I did not see (anything). He said: Had it been so, she would have not have been with us. This is according to the version of 'Uthman.
[1] From Namş ; plucking the hair, the woman who does it is called Nāmişah and the one who has it done to herself is called Mutanammişah ; it is also said that it refers to plucking the eye-brows, as explained by the author after number 4170. See numbers 5094 and 5102 of Sunan An-Nasā’ī .[2] Al-Hashr 59:7.Reference : Sunan Abi Dawud 4169In-book reference : Book 35, Hadith 11English translation : Book 34, Hadith 4157
حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ السَّرْحِ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ وَهْبٍ، عَنْ أُسَامَةَ، عَنْ أَبَانَ بْنِ صَالِحٍ، عَنْ مُجَاهِدِ بْنِ جَبْرٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، قَالَ لُعِنَتِ الْوَاصِلَةُ وَالْمُسْتَوْصِلَةُ وَالنَّامِصَةُ وَالْمُتَنَمِّصَةُ وَالْوَاشِمَةُ وَالْمُسْتَوْشِمَةُ مِنْ غَيْرِ دَاءٍ . قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ وَتَفْسِيرُ الْوَاصِلَةِ الَّتِي تَصِلُ الشَّعْرَ بِشَعْرِ النِّسَاءِ وَالْمُسْتَوْصِلَةُ الْمَعْمُولُ بِهَا وَالنَّامِصَةُ الَّتِي تَنْقُشُ الْحَاجِبَ حَتَّى تَرِقَّهُ وَالْمُتَنَمِّصَةُ الْمَعْمُولُ بِهَا وَالْوَاشِمَةُ الَّتِي تَجْعَلُ الْخِيلاَنَ فِي وَجْهِهَا بِكُحْلٍ أَوْ مِدَادٍ وَالْمُسْتَوْشِمَةُ الْمَعْمُولُ بِهَا .
Narrated Ibn 'Abbas: The woman who supplies fake hair and the one who asks for it, the woman who pulls out hair for other people and the woman who depilates herself, the woman who tattoos and the one who has it done when there is no disease to justify it have been cursed. Abu Dawud said: Wasilah means the woman who adds false hair to the hair of women. Mustawsilah means the one who asks for adding the hair to her hair. namisah means a woman who plucks hair from the brow until she makes it thin; mutanammisah means the woman who depilates herself ; washimah is a woman who tattoos in the face with antimony or ink ; mustawshimah is a woman with whom it is done.
[1] This is the author's definition of the terms that have been translated as tattooing, applying hair extensions, and Namiṣah .Reference : Sunan Abi Dawud 4170In-book reference : Book 35, Hadith 12English translation : Book 34, Hadith 4158
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا شَرِيكٌ، عَنْ سَالِمٍ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ جُبَيْرٍ، قَالَ لاَ بَأْسَ بِالْقَرَامِلِ . قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ كَأَنَّهُ يَذْهَبُ إِلَى أَنَّ الْمَنْهِيَّ، عَنْهُ شُعُورُ النِّسَاءِ . قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ كَانَ أَحْمَدُ يَقُولُ الْقَرَامِلُ لَيْسَ بِهِ بَأْسٌ .
Sa`id bin Jubair Narrated from:
There is no harm in fastening the hair with silk or woollen threads. Abu Dawud said: It appears that he held the view that what is prohibited is the adding of the hair of women. Abu Dawud said: Ahmad (b. hanbal) used to say: There is no harm in tying the hair with silk or woollen threads.
[2] Meaning, silk or woolen threads braided and added to the hair.Reference : Sunan Abi Dawud 4171In-book reference : Book 35, Hadith 13English translation : Book 34, Hadith 4159
حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ حَنْبَلٍ، وَمُسَدَّدٌ، قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى، عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي نَافِعٌ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ لَعَنَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم الْوَاصِلَةَ وَالْمُسْتَوْصِلَةَ وَالْوَاشِمَةَ وَالْمُسْتَوْشِمَةَ .
‘Abd Allah Narrated from:
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) cursed the woman who adds some false hair and the woman who asks for it, the woman who tattoos and the woman who asks for it.
Reference : Sunan Abi Dawud 4168In-book reference : Book 35, Hadith 10English translation : Book 34, Hadith 4156
