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Is adornment forbidden?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Adornment is not inherently forbidden; rather, it is encouraged, provided it adheres to Islamic guidelines and avoids extravagance. Allah Almighty says: (O Children of Adam, take your adornment at every masjid).

If the adornment is for a woman: - If she is married, she is encouraged to adorn herself for her husband to increase affection and love between them. Similarly, the husband is encouraged to adorn himself for his wife. - If she is unmarried, she may adorn herself in a way that makes her desirable to suitors and encourages marriage, such as adorning herself for an engagement purpose within Islamic guidelines, or in front of women who will describe her to men. However, it is not permissible for her to go out displaying her beauty or dressed provocatively.

A woman must avoid adornment that is forbidden by Islamic law, such as: plucking eyebrows, widening gaps between teeth, cutting hair in a way that imitates men or disbelieving women, and wearing extremely tight or transparent clothes.

It is forbidden for men to adorn themselves in ways not prescribed by Islamic law, such as: shaving beards, lengthening garments excessively (isbal), and wearing gold and silk, except for a small amount thereof.

Therefore, adornment is encouraged for both genders, provided it adheres to Islamic guidelines.

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

Read the full answer on Ftawy