Praise be to Allaah.
We are deeply saddened by the trends in modern society
which are pushing people in general, and the youth in particular, to do
things that are of no benefit and encourage them to consume and spend
extravagantly, and cause them to ignore sublime matters and becomes
preoccupied with trivia.
In principle, it is sufficient for a man to have a little
adornment without going to extremes or being extravagant, for man has been
created to strive and work and shoulder responsibilities. That does not mean
that he should refrain from some permissible types of adornment
occasionally, so as to allow himself to rest and relax, so that he can
continue to strive and work hard.
But the main preoccupation of men and youth should not be
adornment and beautification. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) forbade going to extremes in that. Abu Dawood (4160) narrated that
the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) forbade us to be
overly concerned with our outward appearance. Classed as saheeh by
al-Albaani in Sunan Abi Dawood.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The woman is the one who needs to wear gold, silk and the
like, because she needs to beautify herself for her husband. The man is the
one who has no need of that because of his manliness and because he should
care less about his outward appearance and should focus on his religious and
worldly concerns. End quote.
Majmoo‘ Fataawa wa Rasaa’il Ibn ‘Uthaymeen
(11/60).
He also said:
Firstly: we should ask about wearing contact lenses before
anything else. There is nothing wrong with prescribed contact lenses that
are used to strengthen the vision, because that is something with which
Allah has blessed His slaves and made available for them, and they are
easier then regular glasses. This is on condition that they do not cause any
harm to the eye, even if that is in the future.
Secondly: with regard to contact lenses that are worn for
adornment, we do not recommend men to wear them, especially young men,
unless there is some defect in the pupil of the eye, in which case there is
nothing wrong with it, because this is removal of a fault and it is not done
to increase beauty. Rather it is a woman who needs beautification as Allah,
may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“…a creature who is brought up in adornments (wearing silk and gold
ornaments), and who in dispute cannot make herself clear?” [al-Zukhruf
43:18], i.e., women. There is nothing wrong with a woman wearing them
for the purpose of beautification on condition that they do not look like
the eyes of animals, such as the eyes of cats, rabbits and the like, because
resembling animals is not mentioned in the Qur’aan or Sunnah except by way
of condemnation, as in the verses in which Allah says (interpretation of the
meaning):
“So his parable is the parable of a dog: if you drive him
away, he lolls his tongue out, or if you leave him alone, he (still) lolls
his tongue out”
[al-A ‘raaf 7:176]
“The likeness of those who were entrusted with the
(obligation of the) Tawraat (Torah) (i.e. to obey its commandments and to
practise its laws), but who subsequently failed in those (obligations), is
as the likeness of a donkey which carries huge burdens of books (but
understands nothing from them)”
[al-Jumu ‘ah 62:5].
And as in the words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) concerning the one who takes back his gift: “[he is] like
the dog that vomits then goes back to its vomit.”
So she should not wear anything that looks like animals’
eyes. End quote.
Liqa’ al-Baab al-Maftooh, 182/15.