3 Conditions that Allow Muslim Women to Wear Perfume

Dream - The desire for women to look beautiful is common. Especially as time goes by, there are more and more beauty tools and techniques offered to women.

Aside from skincare and makeup, many women use perfume with various aromas to enhance their appearance. In fact, most women feel more confident in front of many people when their bodies emit a pleasant fragrance.

However, there is a hadith (narration) that prohibits women from using perfume. Like the following hadith:

"Any woman who wears fragrance and then goes out and passes by men, and they smell some of her fragrance, then she is an adulteress. And every eye that looks at her is also an adulteress." (HR. Abu Daud and At Tirmidzi)

Through the above hadith, is it true that Muslim women are completely forbidden to use perfume or are there specific conditions? To find out the explanation, here is what Dream has gathered from various sources.

The Prophet Muhammad Liked Fragrances

Quoted from tebuireng.online, the hadith that contains the prohibition of women using perfume above is interpreted as a warning about healthy social interaction and not leading someone to engage in actions forbidden by Allah SWT. However, when something good is done for other purposes, it becomes forbidden.

The Prophet Muhammad himself actually liked fragrances or perfume. Even fragrances are considered good and recommended in Islam. It is explained in a hadith:

"Allah SWT likes beauty and loves beauty."

Regarding the use of fragrances or perfume, if the purpose is to seduce or engage in other bad deeds, then it will bring sin and become forbidden. This applies not only to women but also to men.

Conditions that Allow Women to Wear Perfume

There are several conditions that allow women to wear perfume. Here is the explanation according to Ustadz Firanda Andirja, who is an alumnus of the University of Madinah:

Perfume Used at Home

In Islam, a woman is allowed to show her beauty only to her husband or to her mahram (close relatives). This includes when using perfume, so it is allowed to wear it while at home. In fact, wearing it in front of the husband is highly recommended.

The Scent Does Not Spread from the Body

Another condition that allows women to wear perfume is when the scent does not spread from the body and is not smelled by others. For example, using a perfume with a mild aroma or to eliminate body odor.

The prohibition for women to go out of the house wearing fragrance or perfume is a prohibition that has a reason. If the reason is gone, then the prohibition is also gone.

"The law is based on its reason. If the reason exists, then the law applies, and if the reason is gone, then the law is also gone."

Not Passing by Non-Mahram Men

The third condition that allows women to wear perfume is when they do not pass by non-mahram men. It is better if Dream's friends choose a light fragrance that does not spread strongly.

This is also beneficial when meeting other women, so as not to emit body odor that makes others uncomfortable. Especially when the weather is hot and the body is more prone to sweating.

Those are several conditions that allow women to use fragrances or perfume. So, Islam itself does not prohibit the use of perfume. In fact, the Prophet Muhammad himself liked fragrances. As long as the usage is not excessive and a light aroma is chosen.