Is it permissible to get a tattoo on the body?

In ancient Greece and Rome, slaves and criminals were identified by specific tattoos. In Asia, Africa, and the Americas, various tribes and peoples living in primitive conditions would decorate their bodies with different patterns and images. Today, tattooing—using needles to insert ink into the skin—has become a widespread trend among young people.

A tattoo is a design or inscription made by injecting pigments under the skin. In Islam, tattooing the body is prohibited. This is based on a hadith narrated by Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him):

"The Prophet (ﷺ) cursed those who attach hair extensions and those who have them done, and those who tattoo and those who get tattooed," (Bukhari, Muslim).

Furthermore, modern scientific research has clearly shown the undeniable harm of tattoos. For example, if the needles used for tattooing are not sterile, or if the tattoo studios do not meet sanitary standards, this can lead to various infectious diseases.

Secondly, tattoo inks often contain lead, arsenic, and other toxic substances. These can expose a person to dangerous cancers. Harmful pigments may even gradually damage a person's genetic system. People with tattoos are more likely to suffer from skin cancer, eczema, and allergies.

Therefore, tattooing not only contradicts our national values and worldview, but also poses a serious risk to individual health. In our Sharia, every conscious person is obliged to take great care of their own well-being and health.

However, according to some scholars, tattooing or drawing on the body may be permitted only in the following cases:

1. The design or image must not be permanent and should be removable over time;

2. The writing must not prevent water from reaching the skin;

3. There must be no indecent words or images;

4. The image must not contain negative slogans, false ideologies, or symbols of deviant groups;

5. The design must not depict living beings;

6. Allah’s names or Qur’anic verses must not be written on the body;

7. The writing must not be applied to the private parts (Fatawa Shar‘iyyah, Shaykh Ahmad Sharif an-Nasahan).