Donating hair to make wigs for girls who have hair loss due to cancer
Fatwa No: 129818

Question

Assalaamu alaikum, Is it allowed in islam to donate your hair to nonprofit organizations that make wings for girls victims of cancer such as www.wigsforkids.org Jazak Allah khair

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

First of all, we will mention the ruling of using a wig before talking about the ruling of donating hair. There is a controversy among the scholars about the use of a wig when there is no necessity or a dire need. Some scholars are of the view that it is not permissible to use it even if this was a wife who has the intention to beautify herself for her husband. However, if its use is for a necessity or dire need, like for removing a defect and the like, then this is permissible Allaah willing. This is the opinion chosen by Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen when he was asked about its use, as he said: “A wig is forbidden as it is considered as joining the hair even if this is not joining hair (in reality) because it shows the head of the woman as if it is longer than it actually is, so it resembles joining hair and the Prophet cursed the woman who joins the hair and the woman to whom the hair is joined. However, if there is no hair on the woman’s head like if she is bald, then it is permissible to use a wig in order to conceal this defect, because it is permissible to remove deficiencies. It is for this reason that the Prophet said to the person whose nose was cut in a battle to replace it with a golden nose, and this is like if someone has a curved nose and he wants to straighten it, or he wants to remove a black spot (in his skin) for example; then all this is permissible. However, if it was not to remove a defect, like performing tattoos and plucking the eyebrows, then this is forbidden. In which case, the use of a wig is forbidden even if it is with the permission of the husband and his pleasure because there is no consideration for permission or pleasure of the husband in what Allaah has forbidden.” Indeed, the view of the Shaykh is a considerable view.

Therefore, if this organization which you inquired about is trustworthy and does not give such hair except to the girls whom it is permissible to give it to, then it becomes permissible to donate the hair to it. Nevertheless, if this organization is not trustworthy, then it is not permissible to give to it, because it might use it for forbidden objectives.

Allaah Knows best.

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