Answered by Shaykh Yūsuf Badāt
Question:
Last year I had an operation to achieve weight loss. This involved part of my stomach being removed. I had this procedure done because I was very overweight and was finding it difficult to lose weight naturally. Was having this operation permissible for me? Is surgery to look good allowed in Islam, such as plastic surgery for my nose? What about botox and cosmetic injections?
Answer:
In the Name of God, Most Merciful, Most Kind.
Jazāk Allāh Khayr/ Thank you for asking your question.
In general circumstances, where there is no pressing necessity, such as disfigurement due to a fatal vehicle accident or a severe disability, it is generally prohibited to have cosmetic surgery, cosmetic procedures and or artificial fillers, simply for beautification, due to the islamic prohibition of tampering with the natural God given body.
The body is a trust given to us by God, and we can only use and treat it according to His instructions and guidelines. The devil will do his best to swerve us away from God’s directives as described by the related Qur’ānic verse below;
“He (the Devil) said, “Surely I will take an appointed share from Your slaves, and I will lead them astray, and I will tempt them with false hopes, and I will command them, whereby they shall slit the ears of cattle, and I will command them, whereby they shall alter the natural creation of God.” “Whoever takes the Satan for a friend, instead of God, incurs an obvious loss.” (Qur’ān 4:119)
And Allāh Knows Best.