Fatwa #474426 March 2021United Kingdom
Removing Pubic and Armpit hair
Question
Alhamdulillah for giving me the opportunity to be able to ask your assistance in this difficult situation i find myself in. Regarding the removal of pubic and armpit hair, there are 2 factors that have stopped me from doing so in recent years. the first and most debilitating being that everytime I shave, the areas become incredibly irritated. I find myself scratching and tugging at the areas at all times, even during salaah. Most of the time some very painful pimples and ingrown hairs form. The second reason so that my wife has expressed that she enjoys the feeling of hair during our relations.
I would like to mention that I ENSURE that the pubic and armpit areas are ALWAYS CLEAN, and no bad smells come from them as a result of me constantly cleaning these areas throughout the day.
Am I allowed to leave the hairs due to these reasons? Am I sinful if I do? If not allowed, would I be able to just trim the hairs using a machine to maybe 2mm long - instead of shaving it?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
Brother in Islam,
Islam places great emphasis on every form of cleanliness be it internal or external, spiritual or physical. Allah Taʿālā says in the Noble Quran:
إن الله يحب التوابين ويحب المتطهرين ؛ البقرة 222
Translation: Surely Allah loves those who are most repenting, and loves those who keep themselves pure.
Nabī (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) said:
عن أبي هريرة عن النبي صلى الله عليه و سلم قال: الفطرة خمس ( أو خمس من الفطرة ) الختان والاستحداد وتقليم الأظفار ونتف الإبط وقص الشارب
Translation: Five things are from amongst the fitra (nature of mankind) circumcision, shaving the pubic region, clipping the nails, plucking the armpits and trimming the moustache”. (Bukhari 5889 Muslim 620)
It is clear from the above narration that a person should remove his moustache, hair under the armpits, and the below the navel. A person also should clean himself on a weekly basis or at least every forth night. It is a sin and Makruh-Tahrimi to let forty days pass by without cleaning oneself. It is not permissible to leave the unwanted hair to please your wife.
Brother, if shaving causes the area to become irritated you may consider using hair removal creams or a trimming machine to remove the hair.[1]
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Usaamah Dadipatel
Student Darul Iftaa
Eshowe, South Africa
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
[1] رد المحتار على الدر المختار 6/407
(قوله وكره تركه) أي تحريما لقول المجتبى ولا عذر فيما وراء الأربعين ويستحق الوعيد اهـ
فتاوی محمودیۃ 19/446
احسن الفتاوی 8/77