Are Tattoos Haram in Islam?
In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (Peace be Upon Him) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.
Although the Glorious Quran is silent about the issue of ‘tattoos’, the Messenger of Allah (Peace be Upon Him) specifically forbade and invoked the curse of Allah on the people who applied the tattoo and the ones who had the tattoo applied.
Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 7.820 Narrated by Ibn Umar
The Messenger of Allah (Peace be Upon Him) said, “Allah has cursed such a lady as lengthens (her or someone else’s) hair artificially or gets it lengthened, and also a lady who tattoos (herself or someone else) or gets herself tattooed.”
It is the duty of every believer, who sincerely fears Allah and the Last Day, to obey every word and command of Allah and His Messenger (Peace be Upon Him). A believer must strive to do everything Allah and His Messenger (Peace be Upon Him) has commanded them to do; and must stay away from everything that Allah and His Messenger (saws) forbade them to do. The Messenger of Allah (Peace be Upon Him) forbade the believers the use of tattoos, and invoked the curse of Allah upon those who used and applied them; thus it is the duty of every believer to stay away from either applying the tattoo to himself, or anyone else.
For a believer, who sincerely believes in Allah and the Last Day, the fact that the Messenger of Allah (Peace be Upon Him) invoked the curse of Allah on those who apply tattoos, is reason enough for them to stay away from it.
Whether it can be removed by surgery or not, a true believer must abstain from doing anything which is unacceptable to Allah and His Messenger (Peace be Upon Him); and especially if the Messenger of Allah (Peace be Upon Him) has specifically prohibited it, and invoked the curse of Allah on that thing.
Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of us. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.
