What is the ruling on bodily hairs

Bodily Hairs

Sheikh Ibn Bāz raḥimahullāh said:

“The hair on the body is divided into THREE TYPES, and it has three conditions in the case of men and women: 

The first type: Hair that is impermissible to pluck, cut or shave, such as a man’s beard and a woman’s eyebrows. 

A woman does not have the right to remove her eyebrows, whether by cutting or otherwise, and she is also not allowed to remove any customary facial hair; because Allāh's Messenger ﷺ cursed the Nāmiṣah and the Mutanammiṣah; An-Namṣ refers to removing the hair from the eyebrows as well as the face; i.e. the usual customary hair. But if it is abnormal (hair), such as a beard and a mustache in the case of women, then there is no objection to removing it because it is a type of disfigurement. 

Similarly it is not permissible for a man to remove his beard. He is neither allowed to shave nor cut it; because the Prophet ﷺ commanded the beards to be left, let loose and kept uncut, and he instructed to trim and shorten the mustache. 

The second type: Hair that must be removed in the case men and women. It is Sunnah to cut this hair; i.e. armpit hair, pubic hair and the mustache. Armpit hairs should be plucked. The Sunnah is to pluck the armpits for both men and women, but if it is removed through other than plucking, there is nothing wrong with that.  

Likewise it is legislated to remove pubic hair; this may be done with a machine or using a razor; and this is the best, but it's also permissible to remove it using other means, such as using hair removal medicines; it's okay to use that for both men and women. 

And it is Sunnah for men to trim the mustache, as the Prophet ﷺ instructed: “Trim the mustache and grow the beards, remain distinct from the polytheists.” It is also prescribed for men and women to clip the nails, and this should be done within forty days. Men and women must not leave armpit and pubic hair, and nails to grow for more than forty days. Also, a man must not leave the mustache to grow for more than forty days. They have to cut that before forty days; i.e. they must trim the mustache, clip the nail, pluck the armpits, shave the pubic hair before the completing forty days. This is what has been legislated. 

The Third type: any other type of hair, such as the hair on the legs, upper arm, abdomen, chest, etc., there is nothing mentioned with regards to this as far as we know; whoever leaves has right to do so and whoever cuts it has right to do so...; the matter is flexible in-shā-Allāh.” 

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