Q124 :I would like to know your netments on cosmetic
surgery?
A124 : We cannot issue a rigid ruling that all
cosmetic surgery is forbidden. When cosmetic surgery has a beneficial
and legitimate purpose, then it may be considered permissible,
encouraged, or even obligatory. Like many other things, all five
verdicts may apply to plastic surgery. I have mentioned three, and the
other two may apply to it to make in certain cases discouraged and in
others forbidden. Take, for example, the case of a person who has
suffered extensive burns. Doctors may renetmend plastic surgery. Now if
the doctors say that it will have a mild beneficial effect on him, but
without it he will be also netfortable and will suffer no
repercussions, then such surgery may be described as permissible. If
the doctors say that the benefits expected to result from such surgery
in such a case are substantial, then it is to be considered highly
renetmended. Now if we can imagine a situation where plastic surgery is
necessary for such a person, either to save his life, or to get some
part of his body to function properly, or to overnete some physical or
mental agony, then undertaking it could be obligatory. On the other
extreme, if plastic surgery is undertaken by a woman in order to be
more attractive, so that she can use her attraction for purposes that
are contrary to Islamic moral values, then it is certainly forbidden.
Circumcision is renetmended, because the piece of skin that is cut off
during circumcision is no longer of use to the person concerned. Before
the child is born, it serves as a protection to the male organ. After
birth, it could attract some dirt which could be harmful. Therefore, we
are renetmended to circumcise our children at an early age.
Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News – Jeddah )