5 Proofs Why Wearing Braces is Not Haram in Islam
C.J Ahmed-02.05.2023
Braces are metal devices that are worn to straighten teeth that are protruding. Unfortunately, the stupidity of the so called “ulama” who see snakes under the bed will always give their fatwas against simple and normal things such as wearing braces stating that wearing braces for beautification is haram especially for women and doing so, changes Allah (swt)’s creation. If putting braces is changing Allah(swt)’s creation, then how come circumcision will not change Allah’s creation? The lunacy and irrationality is unspeakably stupid but unfortunately blind following is the thing nowadays for most Muslims.
One stupid fatwa is from an equally stupid website called AboutIslam.net which states the following,
“The use of braces due to need, such as setting right a defect or straightening crooked and unaligned teeth, is permitted. However, using braces purely for beautification purposes is to be avoided.”
The only thing we could do is to peity tehe idiots and laugh out loud for the entertainment they give with their stupid baseless fatwas.
The Ultimate Evidence Refuting The Nonsense
The argument against this procedure is from Muslims who do not have any understanding in Shariah and are famous for misinterpreting and misquoting verses in the Quran and hadiths.
They often quoted hadith against changing Allah (swt)’s creation is the below hadith and it is often used to forbid cosmetic procedures.,
The often quoted hadith is the hadith of Ibn Masud (rali).
The above hadith is the opinion of Ibn Masud (rali) and cannot be attributed to the prophet (sal). There are other variations as well.
“What is this news that has reached me from you that you curse those women who tattooed and those women who have themselves tattooed, the women who pluck hair from their faces and who make spaces between their teeth for beautification changing what God has created? Thereupon 'Abdullah said: Should I not curse one upon whom Allah's Messenger (sal) has invoked curse and that is in the Book also. Thereupon that woman said: I read the Qur'an from cover to cover, but I did not find that in it. whereupon he said: If you had read (thoroughly) you would have definitely found this in that (as) Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, has said:" What Allah's Messenger brings for you accept that and what he has forbidden you, refrain from that." That woman said: I find this thing in your wife even now. Thereupon he said: Go and see her. She reported: I went to the wife of 'Abdullah but found nothing of this sort in her. She came back to him and said: I have not seen anything. whereupon he said: Had there been anything like it in her, I would have never slept with her in the bed.” (Sahih Muslim)
[al-Hashr 59:7]?”
She said, “Of course.” He said, “He forbade that.” She said, “I think your wife does it.” He said, “Go and look.” So she went and looked and she did not see what she was looking for. He said, “If she had been like that, she would not be with us.”(Bukhari)
Inall of these hadiths it is narrated by bdullah Ibn Masud and he is attributing it to the prophet (sl) without narrating a narration directly stating that the prophet (sal) sai or cursed making gaps on the teeth for women. There ar other narrations in other books of hadiths which have weaknesses and let us focus on thee hadiths. The word used in these hadiths is “al-mutafallijaat” which means to make gaps between the teeth a a way to beautfy oneself and has nothing to do with filing the teeth. There is absolutely nothing to prove from the Quran or the hadths stating that fixing crooked teeth is haram.
In all of these hadiths it is narrated by bdullah Ibn Masud and he is attributing it to the prophet (sl) without narrating a narration directly stating that the prophet (sal) sai or cursed making gaps on the teeth for women. There ar other narrations in other books of hadiths which have weaknesses and let us focus on thee hadiths. The word used in these hadiths is “al-mutafallijaat” which means to make gaps between the teeth a a way to beautfy oneself and has nothing to do with filing the teeth. There is one authentic hadith indicating filing the teeth and below is that hadith,
4 Narrated Anas bin Malik:
Al-Rubayyi', sister of Anas b. al-Nadr, broke (one of) the front teeth of a woman. They came to the Prophet (sal). He made a decision in accordance with the Book of Allah that retaliation should be taken. Anas b. al-Nadr said: I swear by Him who has sent you the truth, her front tooth will not be broken today. He replied: Anas ! Allah's decree is retaliation. But the people were agreeable to accepting a fine, so the Prophet (sal) said: Among Allah's servants there are those who, if they adjured Allah, He (Allah) would consent to it.
Abu Dawud said: I heard Ahmad b. Hanbal say: He was asked : How retaliation of a tooth is taken ? He said: It is broken with a file. (Abu Dawud –Graded Sahih by Albani)
In this hadith, Ahmed ibn Hanbal gave his opinion that reataliation for breaking a tooth is to break it by filing it.
What needs to be understood is using one hadith to give umbrella fatwas and prohibiting everything from cosmetic surgery to breast implants is crazy because none of these are changing the creation because Islam does not specifically forbid them. Changing beauty is subjective and if making changes to your body is forbidden based on one hadith, then cutting the hair is also changing the cration of Allah (swt) but cutting the hair is allowed.
Narrated Muawiya: ”I cut short the hair of Allah's Messenger (sal) with a long blade” (Sahih al Bukhari)
5 Narrated Ibn `Umar:
Allah's Messenger (sal) said, "To shave the pubic hair. to clip the nails and to cut the moustaches short, are characteristics of the Fitra." (Bukhari)
Narrated `Abdullah:
The Prophet (sal) and some of his companions got their heads shaved and some others got their hair cut short. (Bukhari)
All of these hadiths proves that cutting the hair is allowed in Islam. Now, some might argue that cutting the hair is different from making gaps in the teeth but there is one hadith which is not narrated by the prophet (sal) but by Abdullah ibn Masud aho also said that even plucking the eyebrows is changing Allah (swt)’s creation.
Narrated `Abdullah:
Allah has cursed those women who practise tattooing and those who get themselves tattooed, and those who remove their face hairs, and those who create a space between their teeth artificially to look beautiful, and such women as change the features created by Allah. Why then should I not curse those whom the Prophet (sal) has cursed? And that is in Allah's Book. i.e. His Saying: 'And what the Apostle gives you take it and what he forbids you abstain (from it).' (59.7)” (Bukhari and Muslim)
Conclusion
Wearing braces is something Islam has never forbidden and what is used as hadiths to prohibit such cosmetic or dental procedures are based on speculative evidence and is only the opinion of a companion and not the prophet (sal) himself.
Braces are metal devices that are worn to straighten teeth that are protruding. Unfortunately, the stupidity of the so called “ulama” who see snakes under the bed will always give their fatwas against simple and normal things such as wearing braces stating that wearing braces for beautification is haram especially for women and doing so, changes Allah (swt)’s creation. If putting braces is changing Allah(swt)’s creation, then how come circumcision will not change Allah’s creation? The lunacy and irrationality is unspeakably stupid but unfortunately blind following is the thing nowadays for most Muslims.
One stupid fatwa is from an equally stupid website called AboutIslam.net which states the following,
“The use of braces due to need, such as setting right a defect or straightening crooked and unaligned teeth, is permitted. However, using braces purely for beautification purposes is to be avoided.”
The only thing we could do is to peity tehe idiots and laugh out loud for the entertainment they give with their stupid baseless fatwas.
The Ultimate Evidence Refuting The Nonsense
The argument against this procedure is from Muslims who do not have any understanding in Shariah and are famous for misinterpreting and misquoting verses in the Quran and hadiths.
They often quoted hadith against changing Allah (swt)’s creation is the below hadith and it is often used to forbid cosmetic procedures.,
The often quoted hadith is the hadith of Ibn Masud (rali).
- Narrated Ibn Masud:
The above hadith is the opinion of Ibn Masud (rali) and cannot be attributed to the prophet (sal). There are other variations as well.
- Abdullah reported that Allah had cursed those women who tattooed and who have themselves tattooed,
“What is this news that has reached me from you that you curse those women who tattooed and those women who have themselves tattooed, the women who pluck hair from their faces and who make spaces between their teeth for beautification changing what God has created? Thereupon 'Abdullah said: Should I not curse one upon whom Allah's Messenger (sal) has invoked curse and that is in the Book also. Thereupon that woman said: I read the Qur'an from cover to cover, but I did not find that in it. whereupon he said: If you had read (thoroughly) you would have definitely found this in that (as) Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, has said:" What Allah's Messenger brings for you accept that and what he has forbidden you, refrain from that." That woman said: I find this thing in your wife even now. Thereupon he said: Go and see her. She reported: I went to the wife of 'Abdullah but found nothing of this sort in her. She came back to him and said: I have not seen anything. whereupon he said: Had there been anything like it in her, I would have never slept with her in the bed.” (Sahih Muslim)
- It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah said: “Allaah has cursed the women who do tattoos and those who ask for tattoos to be done, those who ask for their eyebrows to be plucked, and the women ask for their teeth to be filed for the purpose of beautification, changing the creation of Allaah.” A woman from the tribe of Bani Asad whose name was Umm Ya’qoob heard of that and she came and said, “I have heard that you have cursed So and so and So and so.” He said, “Why should I not curse those whom the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) cursed and who are mentioned in the Book of Allaah?’ She said, “I have read what is between the two covers [of the Qur’aan], and I did not find anything in it like what you have said.” He said, “If you have read it, have you not read that Allaah says,
[al-Hashr 59:7]?”
She said, “Of course.” He said, “He forbade that.” She said, “I think your wife does it.” He said, “Go and look.” So she went and looked and she did not see what she was looking for. He said, “If she had been like that, she would not be with us.”(Bukhari)
Inall of these hadiths it is narrated by bdullah Ibn Masud and he is attributing it to the prophet (sl) without narrating a narration directly stating that the prophet (sal) sai or cursed making gaps on the teeth for women. There ar other narrations in other books of hadiths which have weaknesses and let us focus on thee hadiths. The word used in these hadiths is “al-mutafallijaat” which means to make gaps between the teeth a a way to beautfy oneself and has nothing to do with filing the teeth. There is absolutely nothing to prove from the Quran or the hadths stating that fixing crooked teeth is haram.
In all of these hadiths it is narrated by bdullah Ibn Masud and he is attributing it to the prophet (sl) without narrating a narration directly stating that the prophet (sal) sai or cursed making gaps on the teeth for women. There ar other narrations in other books of hadiths which have weaknesses and let us focus on thee hadiths. The word used in these hadiths is “al-mutafallijaat” which means to make gaps between the teeth a a way to beautfy oneself and has nothing to do with filing the teeth. There is one authentic hadith indicating filing the teeth and below is that hadith,
4 Narrated Anas bin Malik:
Al-Rubayyi', sister of Anas b. al-Nadr, broke (one of) the front teeth of a woman. They came to the Prophet (sal). He made a decision in accordance with the Book of Allah that retaliation should be taken. Anas b. al-Nadr said: I swear by Him who has sent you the truth, her front tooth will not be broken today. He replied: Anas ! Allah's decree is retaliation. But the people were agreeable to accepting a fine, so the Prophet (sal) said: Among Allah's servants there are those who, if they adjured Allah, He (Allah) would consent to it.
Abu Dawud said: I heard Ahmad b. Hanbal say: He was asked : How retaliation of a tooth is taken ? He said: It is broken with a file. (Abu Dawud –Graded Sahih by Albani)
In this hadith, Ahmed ibn Hanbal gave his opinion that reataliation for breaking a tooth is to break it by filing it.
What needs to be understood is using one hadith to give umbrella fatwas and prohibiting everything from cosmetic surgery to breast implants is crazy because none of these are changing the creation because Islam does not specifically forbid them. Changing beauty is subjective and if making changes to your body is forbidden based on one hadith, then cutting the hair is also changing the cration of Allah (swt) but cutting the hair is allowed.
Narrated Muawiya: ”I cut short the hair of Allah's Messenger (sal) with a long blade” (Sahih al Bukhari)
5 Narrated Ibn `Umar:
Allah's Messenger (sal) said, "To shave the pubic hair. to clip the nails and to cut the moustaches short, are characteristics of the Fitra." (Bukhari)
Narrated `Abdullah:
The Prophet (sal) and some of his companions got their heads shaved and some others got their hair cut short. (Bukhari)
All of these hadiths proves that cutting the hair is allowed in Islam. Now, some might argue that cutting the hair is different from making gaps in the teeth but there is one hadith which is not narrated by the prophet (sal) but by Abdullah ibn Masud aho also said that even plucking the eyebrows is changing Allah (swt)’s creation.
Narrated `Abdullah:
Allah has cursed those women who practise tattooing and those who get themselves tattooed, and those who remove their face hairs, and those who create a space between their teeth artificially to look beautiful, and such women as change the features created by Allah. Why then should I not curse those whom the Prophet (sal) has cursed? And that is in Allah's Book. i.e. His Saying: 'And what the Apostle gives you take it and what he forbids you abstain (from it).' (59.7)” (Bukhari and Muslim)
Conclusion
Wearing braces is something Islam has never forbidden and what is used as hadiths to prohibit such cosmetic or dental procedures are based on speculative evidence and is only the opinion of a companion and not the prophet (sal) himself.