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Fatwa CenterTaking vitamin D injection for skin tan
Question
Assalaamu alaykum. There is an injection that makes a person more tanned if exposed to sunlight (in a halal place, of course, where nobody can se me but Allaah.) The doctor told me to be in the sun because my body is in much need of vitamin D. I wear the niqab by the way. This injection is very common for people who have a deficiency of vitamin D and need to be in the sun. It not only does make the tan get darker, but it also protects the skin from skin damage. Is it ok for me to take this injection, according to Islam, given that it makes the tan darker? Even sunlotions make the tan darker nowadays. I live in a hot country, and since I need to be in the sun a lot because of vitamin D deficiency, the injection will be a protection from the hot sun.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
We did not find any statement from contemporary scholars about the ruling on taking this injection. It seems – and Allah knows best – that there is no objection to taking it as a protection from the sun's harmful rays provided that it has no harmful side effects.
However, the problematic aspect is whether it changes the skin color or not. If it changes the color of the skin permanently, then it is impermissible to take it, but if it causes a temporary skin color change and then the skin restores its original color, there is no objection to using it.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen 
was asked, "What is the ruling on whitening creams for the skin? Is there anything wrong with using them for women?"
He replied, "If the whitening is permanent, then it is not permissible because this is similar to (permanent) tattooing and filing the teeth. However, if it whitens the face for a specific length of time and is removed when it is washed it, then there is nothing wrong with it." [Fataawa Noor ‘ala Ad-Darb]
Allah knows best.
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