Question
Is it permissible to fix the unibrow or monobrow? When the eyebrows join together in the middle above the nose, is it permissible to shave or trim the hair in the middle to split the eyebrows again? I have heard mixed opinions about this, as some say it is not considered part of the eyebrows when referring to the hair above the nose.
Answer
Alhamdulillah, wassalatu wassalamu ala rasulillah, wa ala alihi wa sahbihi ajmain.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
«لعن الله الواشمات والمستوشمات، والنامصات والمتنمصات، والمتفلجات للحسن، المغيرات خلق الله»
— “Allah has cursed the women who do tattoos and those who seek them, and those who perform nams (plucking) and those who have it done, and those who file their teeth for beauty, those who change the creation of Allah.” (Bukhari, Muslim)
The question concerns the hair between the two eyebrows, above the nose:
- If it is the eyebrow itself: Altering it falls under nams, which is prohibited.
- If it is excess hair outside the eyebrows’ line (such as between the brows): Scholars differentiated this from the eyebrow itself. Removing it is not considered nams, but rather removing extra hair like that on the forehead or cheeks.
By analogy, just as it is permitted to remove unwanted hair from other parts of the face or body that cause discomfort or are not part of the eyebrow, the same applies to the hair between the brows.
Scholarly Views
- The majority of contemporary scholars, including the Permanent Committee (Saudi Arabia), permitted removing hair between the eyebrows, since the curse of nams applies specifically to changing the eyebrows, not to removing extra facial hair.
- This is consistent with the maxim: “The ruling is attached to what is described.” Here, nams describes altering the eyebrows, and does not apply to what is outside of them.
Final Ruling
It is not permissible to pluck or reshape the actual eyebrows for beautification, as this falls under the curse mentioned in the hadith.
It is permissible to remove the hair in the middle that causes a unibrow, because this hair is not part of the eyebrows but extra hair, and removing it is like removing other unwanted facial hair.
And Allah knows best.