Answered by: Maulana Mohammad Ahsan Osmani
Question:
Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah
Is it an accurate rule of thumb that a man can remove any bodily hair apart from the beard?
Answer:
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Assalamualaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakaatuh
It is permissible for a man to remove hair from his body, e.g. chest hair, hair of one’s back, and leg/arm hair; however, it is unethical to do so. Nonetheless, it is prohibited to shave off one’s eyebrows or shape them in such a way that one would look effeminate.
(Behishti Zewar: p. 300 [Darul Isha’at] Masaail of the Hair: p. 25-26 [Idara Isha’at-e- Diniyat (P) LTD.];
Raddul Muhtar: v. 9, p. 583 [Maktaba Imdadia]; Kitabul Nawazil: v. 15, p. 516-517 [Darul Isha’at]
Fatawa Darul Uloom Deoband: v. 16, p. 234 [Darul Isha’at])
Only Allah knows best
Written by Maulana Mohammad Ahsan Osmani
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham