# Are tattoos haram?

*Tattoos: haram when disfiguring, at most discouraged when small*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/opl3bf6wzas/s/1/
- Date: 2018-03-05 · Kind: lesson · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Fatwa on Tattoos - Mufti Abu Layth al-Maliki (0:00–0:55)
- Status: general teaching
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Opl3bF6wzAs&t=0s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/opl3bf6wzas/

**Topics:** Dress and appearance

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** Small tattoos for beautification are not haram, at most discouraged. Tattoos that disfigure, such as gang face tattoos, he considers haram.

**Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth says he inclines to the view that tattoos are not haram as long as they are not entirely disfiguring, small ones being at most discouraged.

**Evidence, his words at 0:00:** “that's probably the way I inclined that I don't feel that they're Haram as long as they're not entirely disfiguring” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Opl3bF6wzAs&t=0s)

## Longer summary

In a clip from a weekly live session Mufti Abu Layth recalls having answered about tattoos before. He says most scholars held them to be haram, while some Maliki scholars, whom he names as al-Mazari [?] and al-Qarafi [?], argued they could not be haram but perhaps discouraged. He says that is probably the way he inclines: tattoos are not haram as long as they are not entirely disfiguring. He gives gang face tattoos as an example of disfigurement he would consider haram, while small tattoos seen as enhancement or beautification he does not believe to be haram, at most discouraged.

## Sources and names cited

- haram
- makruh
- Maliki school
- al-Mazari [?]
- al-Qarafi [?]

## Transcript (machine tier, 0:00–0:55)

[0:00] answered about tattoos previously that most of the scholars felt it was Haram some Oh Lamar felt that it was discouraged amongst them I believe it was people like it mister yet and curavi from the Maliki matter who argued that how could it be Haram but perhaps discouraged and that's probably the way I inclined that I don't feel that they're Haram as long as they're not entirely disfiguring so I'm I would feel that the way you get some of these gangs that kind of disfigure their faces with tattoos I would feel that is Haram but small kind of tattoos here or there that are seen as enhancement not as a kind of

[0:39] disfiguring or seen as just to kind of beautify your or women get sometimes small tattoos I don't believe that to be Haram Asst Imam karate argued I believe that to be perhaps at most discouraged

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment Opl3bF6wzAs/s/1. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/opl3bf6wzas/s/1/

Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.