Q: What is the ruling on women shaving their heads and their eyebrows?

A: All praise be to Allah Alone, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger, and his family and Companions. It is not permissible for a woman to shave her hair, unless there is a necessity for this, according to what was related by Al-Tirmidhy and Al-Nasa'y on the authority of `Aly, (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) forbade women from shaving their heads.” Also it was related by Al-Khallal according to his Isnad (chain of narrators) on the authority of Qatadah, on the authority of ‘Ikrimah, who said, “The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) forbade women from shaving their heads.” Al-Hasan said, "It is Muthlah (a distortion)," and Al-Athram said, "I heard Abu `Abdullah being asked about a woman who is unable to look after or treat her hair, and whether she could act according to the Hadith of Maymunah. He asked, "Why should she act according to it?" It was said, "Because she is unable to oil it or do what will remedy it, and it has infestation." He said, "If there is a necessity for this, I hope that there will be nothing wrong with that."As for cutting the eyebrows, shaping them by trimming the edges, shaving, or plucking them for beautification, as some women do today, this is Haram (prohibited), as it involves altering Allah’s Creation, and following Satan’s allurement of mankind into sin and his orders for them to change Allah’s Creation, Allah (Exalted be He) says (what means): Verily! Allâh forgives not (the sin of) setting up partners (in worship) with Him, but He forgives whom He wills sins other than that, and whoever sets up partners in worship with Allâh, has indeed strayed far away. They (all those who worship others than Allâh) invoke nothing but female deities besides Him (Allâh), and they invoke nothing but Shaitân (Satan), a persistent rebel! Allâh cursed him. And he [Shaitân (Satan)] said: "I will take an appointed portion of your slaves. Verily, I will mislead them, and surely, I will arouse in them false desires; and certainly, I will order them to slit the ears of cattle, and indeed I will order them to change the nature created by Allâh." And whoever takes Shaitân (Satan) as a Walî (protector or helper) instead of Allâh, has surely suffered a manifest loss. (Part No. 5; Page No. 180) It is also reported in the "Sahih (Book of Authentic Hadith)" that Ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “Allah has cursed the women who practice tattooing and the women who have themselves tattooed, the women who pluck their eyebrows and the women who have their eyebrows plucked, and the women who file their teeth for the purpose of beautification; changing Allah’s Creation.” Then he said, “Why should I not curse those whom the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) cursed and is (confirmed) in the Book of Allah: And whatsoever the Messenger (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) gives you, take it; and whatsoever he forbids you, abstain (from it). May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.