I have thick eyebrows that come all across my face, with no partition in the middle. Is it permissible for me to cut them in the middle, or to cut unwanted thick hair?
As a young man, I am much irritated by my very thick eyebrows, which have now joined, forming a single eyebrow stretching over both eyes. When I suggest that I should remove part of the hair, my mother objects saying that this is good only for girls. Please comment.

Such a question is normally asked by a young woman but this time it is put by a young man who finds his thick hair a source of irritation. In normal situations we would give an answer that this is not permissible. The Prophet, peace be upon him, has made it clear that all types of changing one's appearance are not permissible. On eyebrow thinning, he curses the woman who undertakes the task and the one who requests it to be done for her. If this is not acceptable in the case of a woman, it is certainly less so for a man, because changing one's appearance is one way of changing God's creation, which is forbidden in Islam. In the Qur'an, God says about the unbelievers: "In His stead, they invoke only lifeless symbols", thus invoking none but a rebellious Satan, whom God has rejected, for he had said: "Of Your servants I shall indeed take my due share, and shall certainly lead them astray, and fill them with vain desires; and I shall command them and they will slit the ears of cattle (in idolatrous sacrifice); and I shall command them and they will corrupt God's creation. But all who take Satan rather than God for their master do incur a manifest loss." (4: 117-119) Here corrupting God's creation is clearly shown to be part of Satan's designs against humanity. The Prophet, peace be upon him, has warned against all aspects of such change, including removing or thinning eyebrows, trimming teeth, etc.

Having said that, a case may be made for a person who suffers from some abnormality in his or her appearance, which causes them much distress. If one has an abnormally thick hair in some part of one's face, which makes that person subject to taunts, ridicule or other forms of irritation, and if this is seen to weigh heavily on such person, then this may be a case for relaxing the restriction. [Or there may be some part of the eyebrow that outgrows the rest so as to extend to the eye lashes and obstruct one's sight, it may be permissible to clip only such extended eyebrows. This is not intended to bring some change in appearance.] However, this applies to individual cases. We cannot give a general ruling except to say that in such a case there may be room for permissibility, depending on the special circumstances of the case.
A woman who thins her eyebrows, or removes them totally or partly, in order to give herself a different appearance is strongly censured by the Prophet, peace be upon him. In fact Islam condemns any practice that gives a false appearance. Therefore, my advice to you is not to change the way you look, and to accept what God has given you.

Only in a case where something in one's appearance is abnormal, giving the person concerned much bother that modification is acceptable. Thus, if a woman grows hair in some odd places, giving her a real problem and causing people to point her out with some unkind remarks, she may remove what causes her such hurt. You will note the difference between the two situations: when it is a question of a better appearance, it is condemned; but when it is a question of sparing oneself what hurts, it is permissible.

Appearance: Wearing a Silk Necktie

I am aware of the fact that silk was prohibited by the Prophet, peace be upon him, for Muslim men, but may I ask to what extent does this prohibition apply? Is wearing a silk tie also forbidden, when most ties all over the world declare that they are made of pure silk. Surely today wearing a silk tie is accessible to people in all social strata. Please comment.

Holding silk in one hand and gold in the other hand, the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "These two are forbidden for the men of my community, permissible for women." As he did not give us the reason for these two verdicts, the prohibition applies in all situations and for all time. We certainly can make some assumptions or venture some explanations for these rulings, but we will then be liable to make an error. When a ruling by the Prophet, peace be upon him, is not explained as based on a particular cause, that ruling remains valid for all time in all situations. This is the case in this Hadith, which forbids gold and silk for Muslim men.

We need to know, however, that the prohibition applies to pure, natural silk. If the textile industry is able to produce a type of material that is very much like silk, but [not natural silk and] is manufactured by machines, then this is not the silk God has forbidden. It is lawful to use by men.
Scholars have also said that it is permissible to use silk at the bottom of one's robes or clothes, so that a robe becomes more suitable for heavy duty. They mention that it should be close to the breadth of a man's hand. Some scholars today apply this concession to the necktie and suggest that it is permissible to wear a necktie. The analogy seems appropriate, although not all scholars agree with it. I personally feel that it is infinitely better to steer away from it [any gray area], as much as one can. There are excellent neckties made of other materials. We should always prefer these.

Appearance: Wearing a Wig for Baldness

Is it permissible for a man to wear a wig to cover his baldness? Wigs are generally made of either natural hair or inorganic silicon fiber. Can we consider it in the same light as a cap? If it is permissible, how does a person wearing a wig wipe his head during ablution?

This question is normally dealt with in books on Islamic law under the general topic of the appearance of Muslim women and their makeup, etc. There is no difference among the schools of thought on this question, considering that a number of Hadiths have been authentically reported on the particular question of women adding to their hair something natural or artificial. These Hadiths leave no doubt that it is forbidden to affix anything to one's hair.

A young woman from the Ansar was about to be married, but she had suffered a great loss of hair due to illness. It was suggested that she might have affixed something to her hair. They inquired whether that was permissible, but the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "May God curse the woman who affixes and the one who seeks to have it affixed." [Related by Al-Bukhari] ~

Astronomy: Life on Other Planets

I am interested in astronomy and I read much about other planets, stars and galaxies, their formation and the possibility of life on any of them. May I ask what does Islam say about such possibility, or should we not pursue such avenue at all

You may pursue your interest as far as you wish. The Qur'an repeatedly invites us to study and try to explore the universe, because such study is bound to strengthen our faith.

As we learn more about the universe we are bound to recognize that it could not have come to existence by mere coincidence, as atheist scientists claim. We will learn that it is created by God who continues to control it and conduct its affairs. The more we know about the universe, the greater our faith in God and His power. God says in the Qur'an: "In time, We will make them see Our signs in the utmost horizons (of the universe) and within themselves, so that it will become clear to them that this (revelation) is indeed the truth. Is it not enough that your Lord is witness to everything?" (41: 53)

As for life on other planets or in other galaxies, the Qur'an does not tell us much about that. However, it only fits with God's system of creation and His power that there should be other forms of life on other planets and in other solar systems and galaxies.

If we get to know about these we will be most amazed at the extent of God's power. On the other hand, if we assume that our planet earth is the only one in the universe, which supports life, we only betray our ignorance.

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