Is it Haram to Get a Tattoo to Cover Your Scars?
C.J Ahmed-21.05.2023
There is a huge controversy on whether tattoos are haram but the truth is, having a tattoo is not haram for a Muslim. Covering a scar using a tattoo is not haram as well.
Hadiths Which allows tattooing Such As Henna For Women
From the hadiths prohibiting tattooing, it is clear that the prohibition was only to women and not men and one narrator mentioned that the tattooing was prohibited on the gums of women and not on the body. Bow, the other side of what may Muslims are not looking is that women were actually also encouraged to put henna tattoo in their body.
Some sholars try to draw a line from this hadith stating that temporary tattoos is halal and permanent tattoos are haram. There is no distinction of such in the authentic hadiths and what we should understand is that the prophet(sal) forbade one thing for a reason and allowed it to someone else for another reason. The below hadiths explains this even further.
There is a hadith reported in both Bukhari and Muslim in which the prophet Muhammad (sal) ordered his companions after the battle of Al-Ahzab saying, “No one of you should pray Asr until you reach the village of Bani-Quraiza (A Jewish tribe).
The hadith is as follows,
2.Narrated Ibn Umar (rali):
“On the day of Al-Ahzab (i.e. Clans) the Prophet said, "None of you Muslims) should offer the 'Asr prayer but at Banu Quraiza's place." The 'Asr prayer became due for some of them on the way. Some of those said, "We will not offer it till we reach it, the place of Banu Quraiza," while some others said, "No, we will pray at this spot, for the Prophet did not mean that for us." Later on it was mentioned to the Prophet and he did not berate any of the two groups.”
(Bukhari)
3.Aisha (rali) narrated a similar narration stating:
”While they were on their way, the time of Asr came. Some companions said we should not pray until we reach Bani-Quraiza. Others said we should pray Asr now because the Prophet (S.A.W.) did not mean for us to leave the Asr prayer, but he wanted us to be in a hurry. So some of the companions prayed ASR, while others continued on until they reached Bani-Quraiza after sunset. When they went back to the Prophet, they mentioned to him the story; He accepted the action of all of them."
(Bukhari and Muslim)
This clearly shows that the prophet (sal) accepted both the actions of two groups of the companions because both of them prayed Asr prayer according to the sunnah of the prophet (sal). Similarly drinking or eating while standing and sitting are both in the Sunna. the correct thing to do is to follow the sunnah of prophet(sal) by reconciling all the sahih hadiths and coming to a correct conclusion.
When the prophet (sal) was given two options, he would always choose the easiest one out of the two and the following haith explains this,
Aisha (rali) narrated,
“Whenever Allah's Messenger (sal) was given the choice of one of two matters, he would choose the easier of the two, as long as it was not sinful to do so, but if it was sinful to do so, he would not approach it. Allah's Messenger (sal) never took revenge (over anybody) for his own sake but (he did) only when Allah's Legal Bindings were outraged in which case he would take revenge for Allah's Sake.” (Bukhari)
Definitely the easiest option is to get tattooed. Tre are haiths where the prophet (sal) forbade drinking while standing and he himself drank while standing. There is reason for this and based on these haiths it is clearthat having tattoes is halal in Islam.
There is nothing haram in suing tattoos to cover a scar.
There is a huge controversy on whether tattoos are haram but the truth is, having a tattoo is not haram for a Muslim. Covering a scar using a tattoo is not haram as well.
Hadiths Which allows tattooing Such As Henna For Women
From the hadiths prohibiting tattooing, it is clear that the prohibition was only to women and not men and one narrator mentioned that the tattooing was prohibited on the gums of women and not on the body. Bow, the other side of what may Muslims are not looking is that women were actually also encouraged to put henna tattoo in their body.
- Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin:
Some sholars try to draw a line from this hadith stating that temporary tattoos is halal and permanent tattoos are haram. There is no distinction of such in the authentic hadiths and what we should understand is that the prophet(sal) forbade one thing for a reason and allowed it to someone else for another reason. The below hadiths explains this even further.
There is a hadith reported in both Bukhari and Muslim in which the prophet Muhammad (sal) ordered his companions after the battle of Al-Ahzab saying, “No one of you should pray Asr until you reach the village of Bani-Quraiza (A Jewish tribe).
The hadith is as follows,
2.Narrated Ibn Umar (rali):
“On the day of Al-Ahzab (i.e. Clans) the Prophet said, "None of you Muslims) should offer the 'Asr prayer but at Banu Quraiza's place." The 'Asr prayer became due for some of them on the way. Some of those said, "We will not offer it till we reach it, the place of Banu Quraiza," while some others said, "No, we will pray at this spot, for the Prophet did not mean that for us." Later on it was mentioned to the Prophet and he did not berate any of the two groups.”
(Bukhari)
3.Aisha (rali) narrated a similar narration stating:
”While they were on their way, the time of Asr came. Some companions said we should not pray until we reach Bani-Quraiza. Others said we should pray Asr now because the Prophet (S.A.W.) did not mean for us to leave the Asr prayer, but he wanted us to be in a hurry. So some of the companions prayed ASR, while others continued on until they reached Bani-Quraiza after sunset. When they went back to the Prophet, they mentioned to him the story; He accepted the action of all of them."
(Bukhari and Muslim)
This clearly shows that the prophet (sal) accepted both the actions of two groups of the companions because both of them prayed Asr prayer according to the sunnah of the prophet (sal). Similarly drinking or eating while standing and sitting are both in the Sunna. the correct thing to do is to follow the sunnah of prophet(sal) by reconciling all the sahih hadiths and coming to a correct conclusion.
When the prophet (sal) was given two options, he would always choose the easiest one out of the two and the following haith explains this,
Aisha (rali) narrated,
“Whenever Allah's Messenger (sal) was given the choice of one of two matters, he would choose the easier of the two, as long as it was not sinful to do so, but if it was sinful to do so, he would not approach it. Allah's Messenger (sal) never took revenge (over anybody) for his own sake but (he did) only when Allah's Legal Bindings were outraged in which case he would take revenge for Allah's Sake.” (Bukhari)
Definitely the easiest option is to get tattooed. Tre are haiths where the prophet (sal) forbade drinking while standing and he himself drank while standing. There is reason for this and based on these haiths it is clearthat having tattoes is halal in Islam.
There is nothing haram in suing tattoos to cover a scar.