Back to search

Is it permissible for a married woman to shape her eyebrows with a razor or to pluck them if her husband is displeased with their appearance? And is "changing Allah's creation" specific to gender reassignment in our current era?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The Hanbalis permit removing eyebrow or facial hair by means other than plucking (such as shaving, threading, or trimming), because the prohibition was specifically mentioned for plucking. As for al-Tanammuṣ (plucking eyebrows), the majority of jurists permit it for a married woman with her husband's permission or knowledge, because it is considered an adornment desired by the husband. However, some scholars believe it is absolutely forbidden, whether the the husband permits it or not. It is not permissible to limit the prohibited "alteration of Allah's creation" solely to gender reassignment; this is baseless and contradicts the sacred texts which curse those who pluck eyebrows (al-mutanammisat) and those who alter Allah's creation.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

Read the full answer on Ftawy