Wearing Colored Contact Lenses

[PureLand]

Salaam all,
One of my friends wants to find out if it is Haraam to wear color contact lenses. The reason she is not sure was it changes the personal appearence. I also heard that Plastic Surgury is also not allowed.. Can somebody put more light on this issue. Please give authentic references.
TIA

[Changez_like]

I'm not a moulana, not a scholar... but a Muslim trying to practice.
In my humble opinion, you can wear contact lenses to make your face/apperance look beautiful... but this beautifying attempt shall not be to deceive anyone directly or indirectly with or without intention.

There may be opinion like, if you wear colorful contact lenses you are telling God that he didn't make her/him beautiful... but then so is by wearing make-up.

Wearing make-up has been allowed by ulema only to let a woman be appealing/attractive to her husband and NOT for public meetings of any kind (birthday, wedding, etc)

[babydoll]

If I was in that position I would buy it. When she needs to wear, why not go for the one that is most attractive one.

[Mr Partypooper]

There is nothing at all wrong with wearing contact lenses. Why should there be? Just like there is nothing wrong with wearing spectacles.

If contact lenses were outlawed then it would be a crime to comb your hair.

I don't what you mean by authentic references. I see no relation with wearing contact lenses to that of the Shari'ah. I can't really hep you there for the simple reason that there is a complete lack of any basis contrary to this issue.

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They shoot partypoopers, don't they?

[Shehzaada]

What is the Shar'ee ruling on the wearing of contact lenses for males and females?

If contact lenses are prescribed by an optometrist due to medical
reasons, it is permissible. It is permissible for a female to beautify
herself only for her husband with coloured contact lenses.

If there is a possibility of any deception by wearing contact lenses, for
example, a boy seeing a girl with the intention of marriage, then she cannot
wear coloured contact lenses. It is not permissible for a male to beautify
himself with coloured contact lenses.

and Allah Ta'ala Knows Best

Mufti Ebrahim Desai
FATWA DEPT.
www.ask-imam.com


[This message has been edited by Shehzaada (edited June 22, 2001).]

[babydoll]

Mulla Shehzadaa
The poor lady might not be able to buy 2 contact lenses, one for indoor and one for outdoor. She can only afford 1 pair. Is it permissible for her to buy colored contact lenses for general use? She does want to beautify herself for her husband but she can't afford 2 set (colored and non-colored).

[Mr Partypooper]

Originally posted by Shehzaada:

It is permissible for a female to beautify
herself only for her husband with coloured contact lenses.

...

It is not permissible for a male to beautify
himself with coloured contact lenses.

I do not understand this. Why is the female, in the honourable scholar's opinion, not allowed the privilege of the man doing exactly what would be asked of her?

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They shoot partypoopers, don't they?

[Girl from Quraysh]

Maybe its just me, but I think some of you missed one point. The question is not whether contact lenses are haram, but colored contact lenses.

I don't think one can say they are haram, but if they're worn to beautify your natural features in a setting where non mahrams can see you, then i'm not so sure it would be perfectly okay.

Anyone else want to have a go at this?

[Mr Partypooper]

Originally posted by Girl from Quraysh:

I don't think one can say they are haram, but if they're worn to beautify your natural features in a setting where non mahrams can see you, then i'm not so sure it would be perfectly okay.

Maybe. But take, for instance, the issue of hijab. Many people say that hijab makes a person beautiful. But, according to your thinking, doesn't this defeat the purpose of wearing it?

Instead, my thinking would be based along the following lines:

Firstly, we are well aware that anything that inculcates an attitude of arrogance in a person is considered reprehensible in Islam. Whether this is achieved through the use of a particular style of clothing, looks etc., the fault really lies with the intention of that person.

Coloured contact lenses are not forbidden. The issue, as should be clear through some deliberation, really lies with the intended use and abuse of such items. If a person employs the use of such an item to deliberately attract attention for the wrong reasons, then such an attitude, as expected, is not looked upon favourably in the light of Islam.

Now if the purpose of using contact lenses, whether coloured or otherwise, is to look decent, then I do not see why there should be a problem. If a person looks more graceful and decent when using such items, then looking graceful and decent is no sin. Looking decent and graceful cannot be classed as a sin. Non-mahrams, on the other hand, are directed not to stare at women. So even if a lady is wearing these coloured lenses and as a result looking graceful, Muslim men must guard their gazes and refrain from staring at her. That is their duty - the woman should not concern herself with whether they enforce that duty or not. Similarly a man cannot judge a woman's intentions and on the basis of that declare the use of the offending item to be forbidden or undesirable. A person who wears such items should not concern herself with whatever intentions others may have as long as her motives remain in the realm of which promotes dignity, decency and gracefulness. She retains the right to do what she wishes as long as her intentions are not against the basic concepts enshrined within the concept of hayaa. It is not within anybody's jurisdiction to express doubts upon another person's motives or intentions. That authority belongs only to God.

That, however, is not to say that I am not completely and utterly wrong.

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They shoot partypoopers, don't they?

[This message has been edited by Mr Partypooper (edited June 22, 2001).]

[Ahmed]

Muslim women have been ordered to hide there zeenah from non-mehram men. The argument that men should lower their gazes does not apply in this case in my opinon as it is not even relevant.
The question is if the woman should have any form of fashion/banao singhar/makeup etc. in a place where non-mehrams might be present. I think anything that attracts attention should be avoided.
There are islamic guidelines in this regard, guidelines about observance of hayaa that woman should keep a low profile around non-mehrams and do nothing to attract attention.
I would tend to agree more with the opinions of the mufti quoted by shehzaada in case of coloured contact lenses.

[Shehzaada]

Originally posted by babydoll:
Mulla Shehzadaa
The poor lady might not be able to buy 2 contact lenses, one for indoor and one for outdoor. She can only afford 1 pair. Is it permissible for her to buy colored contact lenses for general use? She does want to beautify herself for her husband but she can't afford 2 set (colored and non-colored).

Gawd sake! i'm no mullah babydoll aunty, i jus' copy n pasted it from a site

[Hinna]

Question:

I want to know the islamic view on wearing colored contact lenses.

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

There are two types of contact lenses:

Ophthalmic contact lenses: those that are used to correct long- or short-sightedness etc. There is nothing wrong with using this kind of contact lenses on the advice of a specialist eye-doctor.

Coloured cosmetic contact lenses: these come under the rulings on adornment. If a woman wears them for her husband, there is nothing wrong with it. If she is wearing them where others will see her too, then it should not cause any fitnah or temptation. There is also the condition that they should not cause any harm, and there should be no element of cheating or deceiving, such as a woman wearing them when she meets the man who is proposing marriage to her. Also, they should not be extravagantly expensive, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “… and waste not by extravagance…” [al-An’aam 6:141].

And Allaah knows best.

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"Labaik, Allahumma Labaik, Labaik La Sharika Laka Labaik, Innal Hamda Wa N'amata Laka Wal Mulk, La Sharika Lak." "Here I am at your service, O Allah, here I am. Here I am at your service and no partners do you have. Verily All Praise and All Bounty belong to you, and Yours alone is The Sovereignty. No partners do you have."

[PureLand]

Thank you GFQ for making my point more clear. And Thank you very much Hinna for the answer I was looking for.
everyone else, continue your 'gupshup' please