Tattoos are so in right now, that it is not even a big deal when you see someone who has tattoos; they become so common, and they have become so versatile, that it is completely normal to have at least one small, or many small, or to be entirely covered with tattoos, now it is ok to be the case, as they are part of our daily lives.
There is virtually no one who does not have either an obvious or hidden tattoo.
From directors to models, to teachers, it is so common that is not abnormal anymore.
Most often, people want dragons and skeleton heads imprinted on their bodies forever, while an angel is the most popular regardless of the wearer’s gender.
Angel tattoos are usually large and are usually done on the back or upper arm, less often smaller forms on the forearm, chest, and ankle.
Now, even in some more rigid countries, there is a tendency that people have started doing smaller tattoos, but still in the Muslim tradition, based on the rigid Islam laws, there is a strict rule that people should not tattoo themselves.
But our question is – is this rule has some exceptions of its own, and what are those situations that allow it, and what is the ruling when it comes to the removal of tattoos?
Does Allah Almighty allow it?
Are Tattoos Haram or Halal In Islam?
Some would say that in the Quran it is seen that Allah has allowed people to dress nicely, both men and women, to wear decorations, and to be beautiful.
It was said that Allah Almighty adores seeing trails of His mercy on the servants of His.
But, there is something regarding fake things, and artificial Beauty that is distorted, deformation, cheating, and false appearance are not allowed based on Islamic law.
So, tattoos are haram in Islam, as it is not permitted for Islamic believers to mutilate themselves and to change what Allah has given to them, for deception and duplicity.
It is seen as Satan’s assignment because Satan has promised to convince people to violate Allah’s design.
Thus, the one who has already done it, we here mean if a person has already modified his or her body, then one more thing is relevant according to Islamic law.
It is said that the place of the tattoo is unclean due to the existence of blood and consequently it should be cleared, even if it is by a surgical operation if it will not have any detrimental outcomes, and then one should repent from it.
This law is something that is in the same way applicable equally to men and women alike.
But, as Islamic scholars notice all those who see themselves as people who want to be respected and valued in this world as it is, but follow the Islamic faith, must be honest with themselves and know that it is a somewhat strange moment to be alive, but at the same time, it is not to moment to abandon the rules of the Islamic faith.
The fact that it s somewhat a strange time is best seen in the fact that at this moment and in everyday life, Muslim youth, through many actions, try to mimic some of the players, singers, actors, or models, and want to do things that are not by Islamic rules.
One of the things through which the replication of those people is displayed is the tattooing of the body.
Unfortunately, there are many Muslims, especially the youth, who, ignorant of how Islam views this activity, encounter such an action.
So, they should know that is strictly forbidden to put a tattoo on a body, as it is haram and an incredible sin.
All Musli believers must avoid it by all means, and the next logical question is this – are there any times when such action is maybe allowed?
Like for medical reasons?
Can I tattoo verses and hadiths?
Some Muslim believers and this is particularly true when it comes to Islamic youth is their need to look like some of their role models, even those that do not belong to their faith.
They are wondering is allowed to tattoo verses and hadiths, as they will complement the Islamic faith and tattooing, and the answer is not, it is a major haram.
This is something that is even more wrongful than a simple tattoo, because by doing so Allah’s expressions are noted with an unclean substance, and in that way, they are denigrated.
And the fact is that the tattoo cannot be cleared when defecating, it is something that is forever, imprinted into the skin.
So in all cases, we must say that putting a tattoo on a body, is something that is seen as rigorously haram in Islam.
The Prophet prohibited it and expressed that Allah has condemned both those who tattoo and those who ask to get the tattoo on their bodies.
A tattoo is deemed as a significant sin, and the person who tattoos and who is tattooed is condemned until the point they repent to Allah after they regret they quit being condemned.
And those who have maybe done that sin at some moment in the past can repent and they can even remove a tattoo from their bodies as there are numerous ways to successfully remove a tattoo.
You must know that the earliest removal is done – one year after tattooing, except for – surgical and radio wave removal where all skin layers changed by tattooing are excised.
Tattoo removal is possible in several ways, depending on the localization, size, and depth at which the pigment is located.
Most often they are surgical removal of the tattoo, laser tattoo removal, ultrasonic tattoo removal, radio wave tattoo removal, and abrasive tattoo removal.
And as time passes, there are more and more ways how to do it.
But the fact is that all of these procedures are too expensive and require what is even worse they can be extremely painful.
So, for example, in a case, when a Muslim believer, male or female, gets a tattoo in a period when he did not know that it is haram or a person gets a tattoo before receiving Islam, then they are in an obligation to remove it when they find out about the banning of tattooing.
But, the removal of the tattoo, as we have said before, tends to be challenging, especially painful, or damaging for them, then it is sufficient for them to repent and request to be forgiven by Almighty Allah.
And, just in the case of any repentance, they also require a strong determination not to commit that sin ever again.
One more thing is relevant here it is what Allah Almighty has said, and this is important to remind all believers – that he does not allow anything hard for a man.
More about tattoos
The history of skin tattooing is almost as old as the human race itself.
It arose from the need to emphasize, distinguish, emphasize, mark and beautify.
The anthropological view is that this necessity is inherent in the human race and manifests itself in many different ways, skin tattooing being one of them.
With the advancement of technology and the cultural-sociological “relaxation” of society, tattoos have become more permanent, more beautiful, more acceptable, and available to an increasing number of people of both sexes.
In recent decades, a large expansion of tattooing has been noticeable around the world, especially in the countries of Europe and North America.
It is estimated that in Western countries 10% of people have at least 1 tattoo, which is a huge increase compared to the situation 20 years ago. With the advancement of technology and the appearance of more and more beautiful tattoos, this skill has been given an appropriate name – Body art or Permanent makeup (both of them are strictly forbidden by Islamic laws).
In the early days, tattoos were largely interchangeable with shady personalities, like for example sailors or later on bikers.
Tattoos convey a lifestyle for some, brief for some, endless for some, ornament for some, and tradition or ceremony for others.
Although there is endless discussion about the harmfulness of tattoos they are expanding by the day.
They have not been seen just as decorations but as the formation of presentation and conservation of memories.
The word “tattoo” means to draw something in the widest possible sense.
Tattooing is the process of mechanically introducing a pigment of a certain granulation into the skin. The depth of introduction of the pigment is different, and on average it is about 2 mm when the color is introduced into the deeper layers of the dermis.
The ancientest proof of a tattoo was seen on the so-called Iceman, and he had 57 tattoos.
It is a frozen corpse that is old 5,200 years. It was located in 1991.
Since the examination of his body showed that he had arthritis, it is believed that he was tattooed for medicinal reasons.
Egyptian mummies were heavily tattooed.
It was also then associated with medicine and the process of healing.
Also; in Polynesian civilization, tattooing has significant historical value and is regarded as the most engaging art in the old world.
In Ancient Rome, only offenders and slaves were tattooed and thus characterized and isolated from others for the entire century, while, for instance, Tahitian tattoos had notes about the life, that is, critical times of the person on whose body they were tattoed.
In China and Japan, yakuza and triads were shielded and “dressed” in tattoos, and after they died, their skin was shown and sold, also as an embellishment.
America was a bit more fun in doing tattoos so inked people first emerged in the circus where they introduced themselves as an interest to the audience just because of their tattoos.
Today, they are very common and most still have a similar purpose – to demonstrate belonging to a group, to express an attitude, and to an essential occasion, although many say that they get a tattoo just because they simply love it, and that none of the stated motives are concealed under the tattoo.
The only thing that appears to have visibly transformed since the invention of this art is the method of work and the fact that there are no longer any rules – anyone can get tattooed, as much as they want and on whatever part of the body they want.
Over time, due to a change in attitudes or some other social reasons, a decision is made to permanently remove a tattoo, and among the most common explanations we find the need to replace it with a more attractive tattoo, richer in motifs, color, and details.
Age-related changes in the skin are also accountable for the difference in the appearance of the tattoo because relaxation of collagen fibers, failure of elasticity, firmness, and wrinkling – greatly influence the difference in its actual form.
Conclusion
Modern tattoos are made by injecting color into the skin with needles fused to a holder.
The needles move up and down, like a sewing machine, making 50 to 3,000 stitches per minute, and pierce the skin about 1 to 1.5 millimeters.
What is observable on the exterior is the color left on the skin after tattooing.
The color is not in the surface layer that we see with the eye, which is consistently varying but stays in the deeper layer, the cells of the dermis, are extremely stable, and allow the sketch to last for life with very nominal fading or smudging.
Under normal cases (without the consumption of alcohol, or drugs…) there is almost no blood.
While for some it represents a sin, for many, especially among young Muslims, adorning the body with different tattooed images or news is becoming more and more widespread.
Tattooing has always been one of the ways to beautify the body, which some heartily rejected – while others were great admirers.
However, morally aesthetic reasons are not always the only ones.
Some Muslims, for instance, argue that their religion forbids them from getting tattoos.
But while some still adhere to the rule that “real” Muslims must not be tattooed, tattooing is evolving more and more popular among young people that belong to this religion.
Either way, it is a known fact that the Muslim faith strictly forbids tattoos and it is deemed a great sin in Islam.
Authentic hadiths strictly forbid tattooing, and also haram on tattoos applies equally to men and women.
Also, being a tattoo artist is a great sin in the Islam faith, as it is said that money made from tattooing others is haram.
The money given for the tattooing service was spent in a haram way.
But those who have already done this sin according to the Islamic faith, like any other, can repent of getting a tattoo.
A person who regrets the sin of tattooing, if he can clear the traces of the tattoo, should do so, if he cannot remove them, only repentance, with all the requirements for the repentance to be concluded, is enough!
As far as Islam is involved, according to Islamic instructions, a person has strictly prohibited to tattoo the body, anyhow of what is being tattooed on the body.
It is said that the woman who put a tattoo on her body will be cursed.
All the hadiths we have quoted are spoken in the feminine gender, but this in no way means that this procedure is prohibited only for women but applies equally to men, and the reason for saying the mentioned hadiths in the feminine gender is that they were in that period were made exclusively by women and that was characteristic of them at the time.
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