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Fatwa CenterPlucking hair above and below eyebrows
Question
Assalaamu alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuhu. I have read a lot of the fatwas on this website regarding eyebrows, and I know that you mentioned in fatwa no. 136627 that what is considered deformed in eyebrows depends on the customs and traditions of people. The problem is that when I look around at the women in order to see whether my eyebrows are deformed or not, I realize, unfortunately, that most Muslim women pluck their eyebrows, and the ones who do not do so have naturally thin eyebrows. My actual eyebrows are thick but, praise be to Allaah, I like them; my problem is the hair above and below my eyebrows. This hair is not as thick as my eyebrow hair itself, but it is not as thin as it is in the people whom I see. Mine is dark and dispersed, which makes my eyebrows look thicker than they actually are and make them look like men's eyebrows. For comparison, my father's eyebrows are thick, like mine, but the hair above and below his eyebrows is not as high (for the hair above) or as low (for the hair below the eyebrow, although this in my case is not as bad as the hair above). I also searched on the internet, and the picture with eyebrows that most closely resembled mine was that of a man. Based on all of this (the hair above and below my eyebrows looking more like that of men than of women), am I allowed to shave some of this hair above and below my eyebrow? Is what I described considered deformed, considering that I cannot really compare it with other women's eyebrows because of the problem that I mentioned? So is the fact that my eyebrows are comparable to men's eyebrows enough to deem them deformed for me as a female? I am afraid that this might be just my own inclination or whisperings from the devil, so if I do think that they are deformed and shave some off, and in reality they are not, could Allaah, the Glorified and Exaltec, curse me for this (I seek refuge in Allaah)? I do not know if this makes a difference or not, but I am not married. May Allaah reward you.
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 
is His slave and Messenger.
If the hair above the eyebrows or below them is connected to the eyebrows, then it has the ruling of the eyebrows; meaning that it is not permissible to remove it unless this hair causes harm or deforms the face.
If this hair is separate from the eyebrows, then it has the ruling of the rest of the facial hair. The jurists differed in opinion about it. The majority of the scholars are of the view that the forbidden plucking of hair applies to all facial hair, so according to them, it is not permissible to take anything from it. However, some other jurists are of the view that the forbidden plucking of hair applies to the eyebrows only. According to them, it is permissible to remove the hair that is not part of the eyebrows.
As you have read in our previous fatwas, the eyebrow reaching or not reaching the extent of deformity depends on the customs. In this, it is the view of the rational people that does not contradict the Sharia that should be taken into account.
In general, the shape of the eyebrows is the same in men and women; meaning that there is no particular feature to distinguish the eyebrows of men from that of women.
So the extent of deformity is what should be taken into account in this regard.
Allah knows best.
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