Using Food for Cosmetic Purposes

Allaah The Almighty has created man in the best shape and form; He
says (what means):
· } He Created the heavens and earth in truth and Formed you and
perfected your forms; and to Him is the [final] destination. { [Quran
64:3]
· } Who Created you, Proportionedyou, and Balanced you? { [Quran 82:7]
Allaah The Exalted created everything in the universe to suit the
nature of man as well as to be in harmony with the way Allaah
assembled him. Allaah The Almighty made everything on earth able to
meet the needs of man that vary and differ according to time and
place.
Hence, man lives in an environment and climate suitablefor him. Allaah
The Almighty Says (what means): } Do you not see that Allaah Has Made
subject to you whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth
and amply Bestowed upon you His favors, [both] apparent and
unapparent? { [Quran 31:20]
One of the most important aspects of this life is food, which helps
man survive and obtain various benefits. It is the source of energy
and growth for the body and it resists diseases that weaken it. It was
proven throughmedicine and experimentation conducted throughout the
course of time that some kinds offood increase beauty and adornment
and help to remove defects that may afflict the body and affect its
beauty, or hide it.
There are two aspects of types of food that are involved in beauty:
The basic purpose for using themis treatment, and then other
beneficial uses evolved from this.
Examples of this are the following:
· Using honey to remove freckles that appear on the face.
· Using black seed to treat Alopecia and leprosy.
· Using lemon juice to remove thespots that surround the eyes, or any
spots on the face.
There is no doubt that this kind of treatment is lawful as long as it
is within the limits of Sharee'ah as these types of food are used as a
kind of treatment. The Prophet, , said: "Allaah has sent down both
disease and cure and appointed a cure for every disease. So treat
yourselves medically, but use nothing that isprohibited." [Abu
Daawood]
The second aspect is to use thesetypes of food for the sake of
beautification. Examples of these uses are the following:
· Using cucumbers to remove rough skin and wrinkles.
· Using parsley to help in purifyingthe skin and the face.
· Activating the skin by using strawberry.
This category is included in the general benefits that Allaah The
Almighty made lawful. This is according to the Fatwa that was issued
by the Permanent Committee for Islamic Research and Issuing of Fatwas,
as proven by the following:
First: Allaah The Almighty created everything on earth and made them
subject to us in all forms, whether for a necessary or a complementary
benefit, or a benefit that man uses to relax and renew his activity
and power for the best of this worldly life and the Hereafter.
There is no doubt that using these permissible types of food inseeking
beauty and adornment isone of the benefits that Allaah The Almighty
has created for us; He Says (what means):
· } It is He who Created for you all of that which is on the earth.
Then He Directed Himself to the heaven, [His being above all
creation], and Made them seven heavens, and He Is Knowing of
allthings. { [Quran 2:29]
· } Do you not see that Allaah has Subjected to you whatever is on the
earth and the ships which run through the sea by His command? And He
Restrains the sky from falling upon the earth, unless by His
permission. Indeed Allaah, to the people, is Kind and Merciful. {
[Quran 22:65]
Whoever contemplates upon these verses will find that this creation
and subjugation are not restricted to a certain aspect or one creature
alone, but they are general as they include everything that is of
benefit, as is indicated in the phrase which means } to you { .
Second: Beautification and adornment are among man's basic instincts
and are innate in the sons of Aadam. Thus, it is oneof the needs that
man seeks to fulfill. The Prophet, said: "The one who has in his heart
the weight of a mustard seed of pride will not enter Paradise." A man
said, "O Messenger of Allaah,everyone of us likes that his dressshould
be fine, and that his shoesshould be fine." The Prophet, , responded:
"Indeed, Allaah is Beautiful and He loves beauty." [Muslim]
The Prophet, , liked wearing perfume and had a bottle of perfume that
he would use. He would say: "Three things are rendered beloved to me
in the present life: women and perfume- and the coolness of my eyes
lies in performing prayer." [Ahmad]
The Prophet, , also had a Kohl (antimony) container for his eyes. He
used to oil his head and beard and comb them. He also used to have
certain clothes for meeting prominent persons and the chiefs of the
tribes. This is also required under Sharee'ah within the limits that
Allaah has set. Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): } And it is He
who Subjected the sea for you to eat from it tender meat and to
extract from it ornaments which you wear. And you see the ships
plowing through it, and [He Subjected it] that you may seek ofHis
bounty; and perhaps you will be grateful. { [Quran 16:14]
Moreover, Allaah The Almighty has disapproved of prohibiting anything
of this without evidence; He says (what means): } Say, 'Who has
forbidden the adornment of Allaah which He has Produced for His
servants andthe good [lawful] things of provision?' Say, 'They are for
those who believe during the worldly life [but] exclusively for them
on the Day of Resurrection.'Thus do We Detail the verses for apeople
who know. { [Quran 7:32]
At the same time, however, the following should be borne in mind:
· Using these things should be according to the need that achieves
what is needed. A person should not be extravagant while using them as
Allaah The Almighty has forbidden this.
· It is better to use other means that are, by default, used for
cosmetic purposes, as these types of food were not originally created
for cosmetic purposes. This is so as to not indulge in wastefulness.
Beautification and Adornment
The Sharee'ah has approved of this as indicated by the following:
· Advising man to look after his body and cleanliness, which is
considered one of the aspects of adornment. The Prophet, , said: "Five
acts are from Fitrah[natural disposition]: circumcision, shaving the
pubic hair, clipping the nails, plucking the hair under the armpits
and cutting the moustache short." [Muslim]
· The Prophet, , forbade the traveler who returns at night from
surprising his wife, so as not to see her in a bad condition. The
Prophet, , said in this regard: "[Do not return] until the woman
removes the pubic hair and combs her hair." [Muslim]
· The Prophet, , urged us to purify ourselves and made this
purification a reason for being forgiven by Allaah The Almighty in
some cases. For instance, the Prophet, , said: "Whoever takes a bath
on Friday, purifies himself as much as he can, then uses his [hair]
oil or perfumes himself, then proceeds [for the Friday prayer] and
does not separate two persons who are sitting together [in the
mosque], then prays as much as he can according to what was
predetermined by Allaah and remains silent while the Imam is
delivering the Khutbah, his sins between the present and the past
Friday would be forgiven." [Al-Bukhaari]
Third: The basic rule for adornment and beautification is
permissibility unless something that is prohibited under Sharee'ah is
used like impurities and alcohol that is part of the perfume industry
with a high percentage. Also, gold and silk for men and the use of
perfume for women at a time that she willpass by non- Mahram men.