[Q 713] Tattoos in Islam

Question

What is the Islamic ruling why we can’t have any tattoos on our body?

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
الجواب بعون الملك الوهاب اللهم هداية الحق والصواب

Answer

Getting tattoos of various designs on the body is Islamically impermissible (Najayaz) and prohibited (Mamnoo’). This act involves altering the natural creation of Allah عزوجل, which is explicitly forbidden in Islam. Unnecessary modifications to the body have been disallowed, and tattooing involves inflicting pain, something also prohibited by Shari’ah.
If someone has already had tattoos, such as names or designs, it is obligatory (Wajib) to remove them if it can be done without causing harm or substantial alteration to the body. Alongside this, the person must repent (Tawbah) and seek forgiveness (Istighfar). If removal is not possible, the person should leave the tattoos as they are while continuing to repent and seek Allah’s forgiveness.

Allah عزوجل states in the Qur’an:

وَلَآمُرَنَّهُمْ فَلَيُغَيِّرُنَّ خَلْقَ اللَّهِ

Translation (Kanz-ul-Irfan):
And I shall indeed command them, and so they will certainly change the creation of Allah.

(Surah An-Nisa, Ayah 119, Para 5)

Explanation in Khaza’in-ul-Irfan:
“This includes practices such as tattooing designs on the body by embedding substances like antimony (surmah) or lead into the skin, as well as adding false hair to create thick braids.”

(Tafsir Khaza’in-ul-Irfan, Surah An-Nisa, Ayah 119, Page 175, Zia-ul-Qur’an Publications)

The Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم also prohibited such practices. As narrated in Sahih Bukhari:

لَعَنَ اللَّهُ الْوَاشِمَاتِ وَالْمُسْتَوْشِمَاتِ، وَالْمُتَنَمِّصَاتِ، وَالْمُتَفَلِّجَاتِ لِلْحُسْنِ، الْمُغَيِّرَاتِ خَلْقَ اللَّه

Translation:
“Allah عزوجل has cursed those who tattoo and have tattoos made, those who pluck eyebrows, and those who create gaps in their teeth for beauty, thereby altering Allah’s creation.”

(Sahih Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Libas, Bab Al-Mustawshima, Vol. 2, Page 880, Karachi Edition)

Explanation in Umdat-ul-Qari:

والواشمات جمع واشمة، من الوشم، وهو غرز إبرة أو مسلة ونحوھما في ظھر الكف أو المعصم أو الشفة وغیر ذلك من بدن المرأة، حتى یسیل منه الدم، ثم یحشى ذلك الموضع بكحل أو نورة أو نیلة.

(Umdat-ul-Qari, Kitab Tafsir-ul-Qur’an, Surah Al-Hashr, Ayah 7, Vol. 13, Page 388, Multan Edition)

Fatwa by A’la Hazrat Imam Ahmad Raza Khan:
When asked about tattooing, A’la Hazrat عليه الرحمة stated:
When asked about tattooing, A’la Hazrat عليه الرحمة stated:
“This process likely involves causing blood to flow and then stopping it, similar to traditional tattooing. If this is the case, there is no doubt about its impermissibility. If removing it is impossible, then repentance (Tawbah) and seeking forgiveness (Istighfar) remain the only recourse. Allah عزوجل accepts repentance.”

(Fatawa Razawiyya, Vol. 23, Page 387, Raza Foundation, Lahore)

Answered by: Usman Madani (Ask Mufti Scholar)
Verified by: Mufti Sajid Attari
Translated answer
Date: 7th December 2024