What is the meaning of "altering Allah's creation," and does this include the use of nail polish (manicure), removing body hair, or cosmetics that change a girl's appearance? Are these actions considered imitating the disbelievers?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
There has been a detailed explanation of the criterion for dispraised alteration of Allah's creation. As for cosmetics, nail polish, and a woman removing hair from her body—excluding the eyebrows and head—the default ruling is that all of this is permissible and does not fall under the dispraised alteration of Allah's creation. The forbidden imitation of disbelievers applies only to practices exclusive to them. As for practices that have become widespread among Muslims and are not distinctive to disbelievers, they do not fall under that prohibition.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/128682
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- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 128682
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- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy