Short answer
Permanent tattoos are haram for men and women in all four schools. The Prophet ﷺ cursed the person who tattoos and the person who asks for it, and scholars explain it as changing Allah's creation for show, with needless pain and harm to the body. Henna and stick-on designs are not tattoos, though men should avoid henna designs.
Making or getting a tattoo (washm) is haram and a major sin. A Muslim who already has one should repent; removing it is not required if removal would cause harm, and washing the area is enough for purity.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- The tattooed place is treated as impure because of the blood trapped under it, so it must be removed if this can be done without real harm.
Explanation
The Prophet ﷺ cursed the woman who tattoos and the woman who has it done, along with those who join hair. The Companion Ibn Mas'ud added that such people "change the creation of Allah", echoing the Quran's description of Satan's promise to make people alter what Allah made. A curse in a hadith marks a major sin, which is why the four schools agree on the ruling.
The reasons scholars give. A tattoo permanently changes the body for appearance alone, without any medical need. It involves pain and the risk of infection. The body is a trust from Allah, not property to decorate as we please.
What counts. Any ink or pigment put under the skin to stay: traditional tattoos, small "minimal" tattoos, microblading of the eyebrows, permanent eyeliner and lip tattoos. A tattoo of a Quranic verse or Allah's name is worse, as it exposes sacred words to impurity. A small mark needed for medical treatment, such as a radiotherapy dot, is a case of need, so discuss it with your doctor and a mufti.
What does not count. Henna stains the top layer of skin and fades, so it is not a tattoo, and it is a lovely adornment for women. Men should only use it as medicine. Temporary stick-on designs are not tattoos either, but they block water and must be removed before wudu.
If you already have one. If you got it before Islam, Islam wipes out what came before. If you got it as a Muslim, repent. Either way, your prayer and wudu are valid: see is wudu valid with a tattoo.
The evidence
Quran, Surah An-Nisaa 4:119
وَلَأُضِلَّنَّهُمْ وَلَأُمَنِّيَنَّهُمْ وَلَءَامُرَنَّهُمْ فَلَيُبَتِّكُنَّ ءَاذَانَ ٱلْأَنْعَٰمِ وَلَءَامُرَنَّهُمْ فَلَيُغَيِّرُنَّ خَلْقَ ٱللَّهِ ۚ وَمَن يَتَّخِذِ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنَ وَلِيًّۭا مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ فَقَدْ خَسِرَ خُسْرَانًۭا مُّبِينًۭا ﴿١١٩﴾
And I will mislead them, and I will arouse in them [sinful] desires, and I will command them so they will slit the ears of cattle, and I will command them so they will change the creation of Allah." And whoever takes Satan as an ally instead of Allah has certainly sustained a clear loss.
Changing Allah's creation for show is from Satan's call.
Quran, Surah Al-Anfaal 8:38
قُل لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ إِن يَنتَهُوا۟ يُغْفَرْ لَهُم مَّا قَدْ سَلَفَ وَإِن يَعُودُوا۟ فَقَدْ مَضَتْ سُنَّتُ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ ﴿٣٨﴾
Say to those who have disbelieved [that] if they cease, what has previously occurred will be forgiven for them. But if they return [to hostility] - then the precedent of the former [rebellious] peoples has already taken place.
What a convert did before Islam is forgiven.
Sahih al-Bukhari 5933
Sahih... لعن الله الواصلة والمستوصلة والواشمة والمستوشمة ...
"Allah has cursed the woman who joins hair and the one who has it joined, and the woman who tattoos and the one who has herself tattooed."
The basic prohibition of tattoos.
Sahih Muslim 2125
Sahih... لعن الله الواشمات والمستوشمات والنامصات والمتنمصات ...
"Allah has cursed the women who tattoo and those who have it done, and those who pluck the eyebrows and those who have it done."
Ibn Mas'ud links this to changing the creation of Allah.
Where the ruling is recorded
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Taharah, discussion of tattoos. Tattooing is forbidden, removal is not required when harmful, and washing purifies the place.
- al-Majmu' (Nawawi), Kitab al-Taharah, chapter on removing impurity. The Shafi'i ruling that a tattoo must be removed if possible without harm.
This answer is pending review by the scholars on our team. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.