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Fatwa CenterWhat is 'makeup'?
Question
In your Fatwa: 82657 you mention that a wife should not neglect her 'makeup'. Please expand upon this concept of 'makeup'. I am currently under the understanding that beautification of one's self with makeup is not allowed if it is displayed to the general public and is considered a form of lewdness - a wife should only display her beauty to her husband, and this includes not wearing 'loud' perfume that can be scented from a distance or that remains in the room as a cloud after the passing of a Muslimah. I often tell my wife, and fully believe, that she is more beautiful without makeup on her face. I detest makeup in reality, and find it disgusting - like smearing mud on one's face, yet do not tell my wife this that way as to not upset her or hurt her feelings. The society we are in, America (as well as most of the western world), has bombarded our women with images of what they dictate are 'beautiful' so the woman of today has in her mind their (western culture) concept of what is 'beautiful' regardless of what their husbands believe.
I need for you to explain what you mean by 'makeup', as I feel your Fatwa may mislead people to believe that it is allowed. Or perhaps I am the one who is misled by my layman's understanding of Islamic modesty in dress and practice.
All praise is due to Allaah, and I seek only to follow the example of our Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam. Please help me in this regard.
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. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.
What we mean by 'beautification' or 'makeup' is cosmetics a woman uses or is permitted to use to beautify herself for her husband according to religious requirements. First of all, this makeup should be permissible in principle. Secondly, the woman should not be extravagant in its use. Thirdly, she should not show her makeup in the presence of marriageable men, etc. It is known that the purpose of using makeup or beautifying oneself is in order to maintain good marital relationship and to increase affection between the husband and wife; however, if this makeup or beautification causes some resentment to the husband, then her husband can prohibit her from doing so. Therefore, if you do not like your wife to wear makeup, it is permissible for you to forbid her from doing so. She might be happier when you inform her that you like her more without makeup. Nonetheless, you should not prohibit her from using some permissible makeup that she might want to apply when she is in the presence of other women.
It should be noted that encouraging a woman to beautify herself for her husband does not contradict the descent clothes and morals that you have suggested for a woman when going out of her home. Allaah says (which means): {And among His signs is this, that He created for you wives from among yourselves, that you may find repose in them and He has put between you affection and mercy.}[Quran 30:21]. Allaah further says (which means): {They are Libas [i.e. body cover, or screen, or Sakan, (i.e. you enjoy the pleasure of living with her - as in Verse 7:189) Tafsir At-Tabari], for you and you are the same for them.}[Quran 2:187].
When a woman goes out, she is ordered to do all that preserves her chastity, like wearing the Hijab and the like, and to avoid anything that could make her tempt men like exposing her beauty, applying perfume and so on. This is indeed one of the noble objectives of this religion which aims to achieve moderateness.
Finally, it should be noted that a Muslim is not prohibited from doing all that the non-Muslims are doing, as it is allowed to do what is permissible and what both Muslims and non-Muslims could do. What we are forbidden from doing is to imitate the non-Muslims in things that are peculiar to them.
Allaah knows best.
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