Is Cosmetic Surgery Haram?
Is it permissible for Muslims to undergo cosmetic surgery?
Islamic Ruling
Permissible:
- Reconstructive surgery after illness, accident, or congenital defect (e.g., cleft palate, burn reconstruction, mastectomy reconstruction)
- Removing a disfigurement that causes genuine psychological distress
- Dental corrections that improve function
Prohibited:
- Surgery purely to alter healthy features for vanity (e.g., rhinoplasty to change a normal nose, lip augmentation)
- Permanent alteration of Allah's creation without necessity
- Face and body modification to imitate another gender
The principle: The Prophet ﷺ cursed women who requested unnecessary physical alterations for the purpose of beauty (filing teeth, plucking eyebrows excessively). Scholars apply the same principle to surgery.
Eyebrows (threading/plucking): A separate but related question — most scholars prohibit completely removing or dramatically reshaping the eyebrows but permit tidying stray hairs.
Quranic Evidence
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Quran 4:119
[The devil said:] "And I will command them so they will change the creation of Allah."
Hadith Evidence
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Sahih al-Bukhari 5931
"The Prophet ﷺ cursed those who have tattoos and those who request it, and those who pluck eyebrows and those who file their teeth for beautification — those who change the creation of Allah."
Views of the Four Madhabs
All four madhabs
Reconstructive: permissible. Pure cosmetic enhancement: prohibited. Disagreement on borderline cases (minor corrections for real distress).
Scholar's View
Sheikh Ibn Baz: "Surgery to correct a genuine defect is permissible. Surgery purely for beautification with no defect is not permissible."
This ruling is presented for educational purposes based on established scholarly sources. For matters specific to your personal situation, please consult a qualified Islamic scholar (mufti) from your madhab.
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