Fatwa ID: 04993
Answered by: Alimah Safiyya-Maryam Ahmed
Question
Are there any fatwas on lip fillers or botox treatments?
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
Beautification and looking after one’s appearance is something which is encouraged in Islam, however, Allah Azzawajjal has sent down guidelines for us to observe which help prevent us from falling into excess, distorting our bodies, and harming our mental health through the constant struggle of trying to keep up with unrealistic beauty standards. Allah Azzawajjal has created each and every one of us in “the best of forms” (Quran 95: 4) therefore it is important that we have a sense of contentment with how we look.
Lip augmentation is a cosmetic procedure to get fuller, plumper lips usually in the form of an injectable dermal filler. There are many different types and effects that typically last around 6 months. [1] Because it is a non-surgical, non-permanent method of improving one’s appearance, there may have been scope for it on a technicality with the following strict conditions- it cannot be done to imitate immoral people nor to attract attention. However, the reality is that often it is done in the imitation of immoral people who openly sin, and/or to attract the attention of members of the opposite gender or to appear more attractive to them. Furthermore, the harms of such procedures far outweigh any potential benefits. Firstly, it often stems from the dissatisfaction with how Allah Azzawajjal has created a person, and ingratitude to Allah is a sin itself [Hajj: 37], and will lead a person down a slippery slope of trying to imitate what society is making you believe is “attractive”- one procedure will never be enough, fashion trends will change faster than the seasons, and it will make a person experiment further and further in tampering with the natural beauty Allah blessed them with. Unless a person has a lip deformity, in which case it may be permitted as a medical procedure with certain criteria, injecting lip fillers as a purely cosmetic procedure should be avoided. Also, it is possible that some fillers contain impure substances rendering them completely unlawful from that angle.
Botox injections are derived from Botulinum toxin, one of the most poisonous biological substances known to man (some scientists have estimated that 1 gram of a crystalline form of the toxin could kill 1 million people and that a couple of kilograms could kill every human on the planet). It is supposed to relax the muscles in your face and to smooth out lines and wrinkles, by weakening or paralyzing muscles, such as crow’s feet and frown lines. It is not a permanent procedure – it usually lasts for around 3 or 4 months after which top-ups are necessary to maintain such an appearance.[2] Again, as mentioned above, such cosmetic procedures where people resort to potentially dangerous methods to try to reverse the signs of aging because society doesn’t deem you attractive anymore once you hit a certain age, are something not permitted. We have all seen examples of celebrities where repeated Botox has transformed their natural beauty into a completely unnatural, scary, expressionless face. Whereas Islam encourages a person to age gracefully- a Hadith mentions white hair will be the light of a Muslim on the Day of Judgement [3]- and to be content with all the phases of life Allah blessed them with.
Only Allah knows best
Written by Alimah Safiyya-Maryam Ahmed
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
[1] https://www.webmd.com/beauty/cosmetic-procedures-lip-augmentation#1
[2] https://medlineplus.gov/botox.html
[3] (أبو داود, كتاب الترجل, باب في نتف الشيب, حديث ٤٢٠٢)
