Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
There was a wedding in my family last week and all the women (many unmarried) applied henna to their hands. When I appeared hesitant to do so because I am unmarried, all the elders reacted severely and made a big deal out of it. As a diplomatic gesture I had the simplest design (a round ball in the center of my palm and some henna on my fingertips) applied to my hands. Now the wedding is over and I am stuck with henna on my hands. Is this a sin or simply not preferred? Married women who wear henna on their hands don’t have to hide their hands from non-mahrams, so I don’t understand whether or not I would be obligated to do so. Is it enough that I try to keep my hands as much out of sight as possible, or should I wear gloves until the henna wears off?
Walaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,
It is religiously superior to avoid henna if unmarried. When it is not possible, it is best (though not obligatory) to take means to remove it soon after applying or to where gloves, as you mentioned.
Putting on henna is in itself permitted for women. As to whether it is disliked or even impermissible to display in public (especially for a young, unmarried woman), this would return to whether having such a design on the hands would be considered to draw undue attention or not.
In the West, it would not normally be considered as such, and therefore it would not be sinful, though it would be best and most religiously scrupulous to get rid of soon after the celebrations are over.
And Allah knows best, and He alone gives success.
See attached answer(s).
Wassalam.
Faraz Rabbani