I got married and my wife does not like my hair on my chest and back, she says she gets put off by it. Can I remove my hair on my chest and back to please her? The only method is laser which is permanent!
ANSWER
In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,
Generally, it is permissible for men to remove hair from the chest and back, although it is against proper manners and Adab.
Allama Ibn Abidin (may Allah have mercy on him) states:
“To shave the chest and back is against proper manners (adab).” (Radd al-Muhtar ala al-Durr al-Mukhtar, 6/407)
It is stated in the famous Hanafi reference work, al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya:
“Shaving the hair of the chest and back is contrary to proper manners, as mentioned in al-Qunya.” (5/358)
Therefore, it is permissible for a man to remove unwanted hair from the chest and back, although it is undesirable. If there is no need, then it should be avoided. However, if there is a need, such as the wife dislikes it (as is your case), then there is nothing wrong in removing the hair.
Now, this removing of hair may be carried out by using the various means available, such as a razor, cream, powder, wax or any other means, as the main objective is to remove the hair, and not the means used. There also seems no hindrance from permanently removing the hair, as the aim is to remove unwanted hair, whether temporarily or permanently.
However, this is subject to the condition that there is no potential harm to one’s self, for inflicting harm on one’s self is also impermissible.
And Allah Knows Best
[Mufti] Muhammad ibn Adam
Darul Iftaa
Leicester , UK