her husband, knowing that she will not pass on men? If she has an
accident or any urgent matter, will she be sinful if a man smells her
perfume?.
Praise be to Allaah.
When a woman wears perfume, the ruling depends on the situation:
1 –
Using perfume for the husband.
This is mustahabb and recommended, because it is part of treating him
kindly, and it helps to increase love between the spouses, when each
of them pays attention to what the other likes.
Al-Mannaawi said in Fayd al-Qadeer (3/190):
As for putting on perfume and adorning herself for her husband, it is
required and is something that is liked. One of the wise men said: For
a woman to adorn herself and put onperfume for her husband is one of
the strongest causes of love and affection between them, and wards off
dislike and disdain, because the eye is the pioneer of the heart; if
the eye looks at something attractive, the message will reach his
heart and love will be created, but if it looksat something ugly or
that it does not like of outfits or garments, that that message will
reach the heart and dislike anddisdain will be created. Hence the
advice that Arab women gave to one another was: Beware of letting your
husband see anything that does not please himor letting him smell
anything from you that he finds off-putting. End quote.
2 –
Putting on perfume and going out with the aim of letting non-mahram
men smell it. This is haraam, and is a major sin.
It was narrated from AbuMoosa (may Allaah be pleased with him) that
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "If a
woman puts on perfumeand passes by people so that they can smell her
fragrance, then she is such and such," and he spoke sternly - meaning
an adulteress. Narrated by Abu Dawood (4173) and al-Tirmidhi (2786);
classed as saheeh by Ibn Daqeeq al-Eid in al-Iqtiraah (126) and by
Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi.
al-Mannaawi said in Fayd al-Qadeer (1/355):
"She is an adulteress" means: because of that she is exposed to zina,
and implementing the means that lead to it andcalling those who seek
it. Hence she is called an adulteress in a metaphorical sense, because
desire may prevail and real zina may take place. Her passing by men is
likened to her sitting in their path so that they pass by her. End
quote.
3 –
If she puts on perfume and goes out, and thinksit most likely that she
will pass by a group in which there will be men who will smell her
perfume and fragrance, this is also haraam, even if she does not
intend to tempt men and that is not her aim, because thisaction is a
fitnah (temptation) in and of itself. There is also an indication in
sharee'ah that it is haraam and notallowed.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And tell the believing women to lower their gaze (from looking at
forbidden things), and protect their private parts (from illegal
sexualacts) and not to show offtheir adornment except only that which
is apparent (like both eyes for necessity to see the way, or outer
palms of hands or one eye or dress like veil, gloves, headcover,
apron), and to draw their veils all over Juyoobihinna (i.e. their
bodies, faces, necksand bosoms) and not to reveal their adornment
except to their husbands, or their fathers, or their husband's
fathers, or their sons, or their husband's sons, or their brothers or
their brother's sons, or their sister's sons, or their (Muslim) women
(i.e. their sisters in Islâm), or the (female) slaves whom their right
hands possess, or old male servants who lack vigour, or small children
who have no sense of feminine sex. And let them not stamp their feet
so as to reveal what they hide of their adornment. And all of you beg
Allaah to forgive you all, O believers, that you may be successful"
[al-Noor 24:31]
So women are forbiddento show their adornments to non-mahram men, and
perfume is undoubtedly one of the woman's adornments, so it is
included in this prohibition.
And it was narrated that Zaynab, the wife of 'Abd-Allaah ibn Mas'ood,
said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said to us: "If one of you attends the mosque, let her not put on
perfume." Narrated by Muslim (443).
If the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade
women to go out to the mosque wearing perfume, because men will
usually smell some of the fragrance becauseof close proximity and
there being no barrier between men and woman, then it is more likely
that women are not allowed to go out to the marketplace and gatherings
wearing perfume, although it is not regarded as a major sin, rather it
is something that is clearly haraam.
Ibn Hajar al-Haytami saidin al-Zawaajir 'an Iqtiraab al-Kabaa'ir (2/71-72):
The ahaadeeth which count it as a major sin should be interpreted as
meaning that this applies if the fitnah is certainly there; when there
is merely the fear of fitnah, then it is makrooh, or when she thinks
it will cause fitnahthen it is haraam but is not a major sin, as is
obvious. End quote.
See also the answer to question no. 7850
4 –
When she puts on perfume and thinks it most likely that her fragrance
will not reach people and that men willnot smell any of it, such as if
she is going out in her husband's car on a trip to an isolated place,
or to visit her family, or she is going out in her husband's car to a
gathering for women only, or she is going to the mosque in the car and
she is going to get out at the entrance to the prayer-hall that is
forwomen only and is completely separate from the men, then she is
going to come straightback in the car without walking in the street,
and other such situations where the woman does not expect to pass
through the streets and her aim in putting on perfume is to keep
herself clean in general as enjoined by sharee'ah. In that case there
is nothing wrong with her using perfume, because the reason for the
prohibition, which isthat the fragrance mightreach other men, does not
apply.
The evidence for that is as follows:
(i) The apparent reason for the prohibition in the
evidence quoted above does not apply in this case, so there is no
fitnah and there is no provocation of desire.
(ii) In Sunnah there is an indication that the womenfolk
of the Sahaabah used to use perfume when they thought it most likely
that it would not be smelt by men.
It was narrated that 'Aa'ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said:
We used to go out with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) to Makkah, and we would apply perfume to our foreheads when
entering ihraam, then if one of us sweated it would run down her face,
and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would see
it but he would not rebuke her.
Narrated by Abu Dawood (1830) and classed as hasan by al-Nawawi in
al-Majmoo'(7/219) and as saheeh byal-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.
This is to be understood in the light of the conditions that were
known in earlier times, when the caravan of women was separate from
that of men, or the woman would be in her howdah and did not mixwith
men or pass by the places where they were.
Shaykh 'Abd al-'Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in
Majmoo' al-Fataawa (10/40):
It is permissible for her to apply perfume if she is going out to a
place ofwomen and is not going to pass by men in the street. End
quote.
It says in Jalasaat Ramadaaniyyah (1415/al-Majlis al-Khaamis/Majmoo'at
As'ilah tuhimm al-Usrah) by Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allaah have
mercy on him):
But if the woman is going to ride in the car and her fragrance will
only be apparent to those before whom she may show the fragrance,and
she will exit the car and go straight to her workplace without
therebeing any men around her, then there is nothing wrong with it,
because there is nothingharaam involved. When she is in her car it is
as if she is in her house. But ifshe is going to pass by men then it
is not permissible for her to wear perfume. End quote.
If an emergency arises inwhich some men happen to smell the perfume of
this woman, because of a car accident, for example, ora sudden illness
because of which she is taken to the hospital and the like,then this
is something that is forgiven, in sha Allah, because Allaah does not
burden any soul beyond its scope and the shar'i ruling is tobe
followed in cases where one has the choice, not in cases of necessity.
And Allaah knows best.
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