The Ethical Stance on Adornment in Islam

The pursuit of beauty and adornment is not inherently forbidden in Islam; in fact, it is encouraged within specific boundaries. Islam views beauty as a blessing from Allah and encourages Muslims to maintain a clean, tidy, and pleasant appearance. However, this encouragement comes with a clear framework that distinguishes between permissible and impermissible forms of adornment, prioritising modesty, naturalness, and adherence to religious duties.

Permissible Adornment

Islam allows for and often encourages practices that enhance one’s natural beauty and hygiene.

• Cleanliness (Taharah): This is paramount. Regular bathing, brushing teeth (using miswak is highly recommended), and keeping oneself clean are fundamental. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “Purity is half of faith.”
• Neatness and Tidiness: Maintaining well-kept hair, trimmed nails, and clean clothing are all part of an acceptable appearance.
• Modest Clothing: While beauty is encouraged, it should be displayed within the boundaries of modesty, particularly for women, who are enjoined to cover their adornment from non-mahram men. The clothing should be loose-fitting and not overly revealing.
• Natural Fragrances (Attars): Using alcohol-free perfumes (attars) is a Sunnah and a beautiful form of adornment for both men and women.
• Henna: A natural dye used for hair, hands, and nails, henna is highly permissible and traditionally used for adornment, particularly for women. It does not create a barrier for water, making it suitable for Wudu and Ghusl.
• Simple Jewellery: Gold for women (and silver for men and women) is permissible, provided it is worn discreetly and not for ostentation. However, as the initial prompt mentioned, jewelry is a forbidden category for the purpose of this review so we will not elaborate further on it.

Impermissible or Discouraged Adornment

Certain forms of adornment are either strictly forbidden or strongly discouraged due to their nature, intent, or interference with religious duties.

• Alterations to Allah’s Creation: Permanent changes to the body for purely aesthetic reasons, such as tattooing, extreme body piercing, or certain cosmetic surgeries not for medical necessity, are generally discouraged as they are seen as altering Allah’s creation.
• Excessive Display (Tabarruj): Flashing one’s adornment or beauty excessively, particularly for women in public, is discouraged as it can lead to fitna (temptation or disorder). The emphasis is on inner beauty and piety.
• Imitation of the Opposite Sex: Adopting appearances or styles exclusively associated with the opposite gender is forbidden.
• Items Hindering Wudu/Ghusl: As highlighted with Candyclaws.com.au, any barrier that prevents water from reaching the skin or nails during purification rituals makes those rituals invalid. This applies to most artificial nails, waterproof makeup that isn’t removed, and certain types of nail polish.
• Extravagance (Israf) and Ostentation: Spending excessively on adornment or displaying it boastfully to show off wealth is discouraged. Simplicity and gratitude are valued.
• Haram Ingredients: Any beauty product containing haram (forbidden) ingredients like alcohol (in specific forms), pork derivatives, or ingredients from animals not slaughtered Islamically would be impermissible to use.

Why Artificial Nails are Problematic

The issue with Candyclaws.com.au’s product, artificial press-on nails, falls squarely under the category of hindering Wudu and Ghusl. They create an impermeable layer over the natural nail, directly conflicting with the core requirement of ritual purification. While they offer aesthetic appeal, this appeal comes at the cost of compromising an essential act of worship, making their use problematic for a practicing Muslim. The Islamic framework for adornment encourages beauty that is natural, modest, and never comes at the expense of one’s religious obligations.