Is a Septum Piercing Permissible, or Only a Nostril Piercing?
Shafi'i Fiqh
Answered by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick
Question
I got a septum piercing recently, as I thought that the same rulings apply to all types of nose piercings. But now I am not sure if it is permissible to have a septum piercing. Hence, I wanted to know about the rulings on that.
Summary Answer: In the Shafiʿi school, the later authorities permit piercing the nose for jewelry where the women of one’s community customarily wear it as adornment. In the UK, the nostril stud has that standing, while the septum ring does not, so a septum piercing falls outside the permission. You acted on a reasonable understanding, and Allah does not take His servants to account for an honest mistake. You may keep wearing the ring you already have.
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah,
May Allah reward you for stopping to check your practice.
In the Shafiʿi school, the later authorities hold a nose piercing permissible where the women of a community customarily wear it as adornment, and a septum piercing in the UK falls outside that permission. Even so, the ring you already have may stay, and Allah does not take His servants to account for an honest mistake.
Adornment Is a Blessing, and the Body Is a Trust
Allah Most High says, “Ask, ˹O Prophet,˺ ‘Who has forbidden the adornments and lawful provisions Allah has brought forth for His servants?’” [Quran 7:32; Khattab, The Clear Quran] Adornment is a gift. The body, though, is a trust, and the Shafiʿi jurists hold that one may not cause it pain without a need that the Sacred Law recognizes.
Earrings are the clearest case where the jurists judged adornment enough of a need. Imam Ibn Hajar al-Haytami permits piercing a girl’s ears because earrings are an adornment sought for women “in old times and new.” [Ibn Hajar al-Haytami, Tuhfat al-Muhtaj] Imam Ramli also holds it permissible. [Ramli, Nihayat al-Muhtaj]
Nose Piercing Turns on Custom
The nose is a narrower case. Imam Ibn Hajar held a ring through the nose impermissible, because it was an adornment only among a small group, and a small group’s custom carries no weight against the general custom. [Ibn Hajar al-Haytami, Tuhfat al-Muhtaj]
Imam Shubramallisi, commenting on Imam Ramli, added the decisive detail. Piercing the nostril is impermissible where it is not the custom, but where the people of a region wear it and count it as adornment, it takes the ruling of piercing the ears. [Shubramallisi, Hashiya ʿala Nihayat al-Muhtaj] Imam Ibn Abidin, quoting Tahtawi, sets the same test for the Hanafi school: if women adorn themselves with a nose ring, as in some lands, it is like piercing the ear for earrings. [Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]
So the real question is not about the nose in general but about whether this specific piercing is something women in your community actually wear as adornment.
Where the Septum Stands in the UK
For Muslim women in Britain, and British women in general, nostril studs have been a common type of jewelry for a long time, so they are permitted. Septum rings are different. They are a newer trend, worn by fewer people, and are still seen by many as part of certain subcultures. They are not a common adornment for women here, so they are not included in the permission the jurists gave.
What to Do Now
You thought that all nose piercings had the same ruling, which is understandable. Allah taught believers to pray, “Our Lord! Do not punish us if we forget or make a mistake.” [Quran 2:286; Khattab, The Clear Quran] In the hadith of Ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with him), Allah answers, “I have done so.” [Muslim] Your good-faith action is covered by this mercy. It is always good to turn to Allah in repentance, but you do not need to feel guilty.
You may keep the piercing. Imam Shubramallisi states that even where a nose piercing was impermissible, the one who was pierced is not forbidden from wearing the ring for adornment afterward. [Shubramallisi, Hashiya ʿala Nihayat al-Muhtaj]
It is better to keep your septum ring hidden in public. Many septum rings can be flipped up inside the nose, or a small clear retainer can be worn in its place. This helps avoid looking like you belong to certain subcultures. You can wear it openly at home or around people you are allowed to show your adornment to. If you prefer to let the hole close, that is the most cautious option, and the choice is yours.
May Allah beautify you inwardly and outwardly, and keep your heart as attentive as it is today.
And Allah knows best.
Shaykh Irshaad Sedick
Related Answers
One. If I Get My Nose Pierced, Do I Need To Conceal It From Men? — Ustadha Shazia Ahmad: Why the Shafiʿi school treats a nose ring as adornment to keep from non-mahram men, unlike the Hanafi school.
Two. Ear & Nose Piercings For Women — Shaykh Faraz Rabbani: The body as a trust, and the exception for women’s ear and nose piercings where custom accepts them.
Three. Are Nose Rings Allowed for Women? — Shaykh Faraz A. Khan: Why the Hanafi school permits women’s nose rings as a recognized adornment despite the default prohibition of piercing.
Four. Is Body Piercing Allowed for Men? — Shaykh Faraz A. Khan: Piercing as mutilation (muthla) and the body as a trust, with the hadith evidence.
النصوص · Source-Texts
[ابن حجر الهيتمي، تحفة المحتاج]
«وَيَظْهَرُ فِي خَرْقِ الْأَنْفِ بِحَلْقَةٍ تُعْمَلُ فِيهِ مِنْ فِضَّةٍ أَوْ ذَهَبٍ أَنَّهُ حَرَامٌ مُطْلَقًا؛ لِأَنَّهُ لَا زِينَةَ فِي ذَلِكَ يُغْتَفَرُ لِأَجْلِهَا إلَّا عِنْدَ فِرْقَةٍ قَلِيلَةٍ وَلَا عِبْرَةَ بِهَا مَعَ الْعُرْفِ الْعَامِّ بِخِلَافِ مَا فِي الْآذَانِ فَإِنَّهُ زِينَةٌ لِلنِّسَاءِ فِي كُلِّ مَحَلٍّ»
«لَا فِي الصَّبِيَّةِ لِمَا عُرِفَ أَنَّهُ زِينَةٌ مَطْلُوبَةٌ فِي حَقِّهِنَّ قَدِيمًا وَحَدِيثًا»
[الرملي، نهاية المحتاج]
«وَبِهَذَا يَتَأَيَّدُ مَا ذُكِرَ عَنْ قَاضِي خَانَ، فَالْأَوْجَهُ الْجَوَازُ»
[الشبراملسي، حاشية على نهاية المحتاج]
«وَأَمَّا ثَقْبُ الْمَنْخَرِ فَلَا يَجُوزُ أَخْذًا مِنْ اقْتِصَارِهِ عَلَى الْآذَانِ وَهُوَ ظَاهِرٌ حَيْثُ لَمْ تَجْرِ عَادَةُ أَهْلِ نَاحِيَةٍ بِهِ وَعَدُّهُمْ لَهُ زِينَةً، وَإِلَّا فَهُوَ كَتَثْقِيبِ الْآذَانِ»
«أَيْ وَمَعَ ذَلِكَ فَلَا يَحْرُمُ عَلَى مَنْ فُعِلَ بِهِ ذَلِكَ وَضْعُ الْخِزَامِ لِلزِّينَةِ وَلَا النَّظَرُ إلَيْهِ»
[ابن عابدين، رد المحتار]
«قُلْت: إنْ كَانَ مِمَّا يَتَزَيَّنُ النِّسَاءُ بِهِ كَمَا هُوَ فِي بَعْضِ الْبِلَادِ فَهُوَ فِيهَا كَثَقْبِ الْقُرْطِ اهـ ط»
[مسلم، الصحيح]
«رَبَّنَا لا تُؤَاخِذْنَا إِنْ نَسِينَا أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا قَالَ: قَدْ فَعَلْتُ»
Shaykh Irshaad Sedick was raised in South Africa in a traditional Muslim family. He graduated from Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah in Strand, Western Cape, under the guidance of the late world-renowned scholar Shaykh Taha Karaan. Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Mawlana Yusuf Karaan, and Mawlana Abdul Hafeez Makki, among others. He is the author of the text “The Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: A Hujjah or not?” He has served as the Director of the Discover Islam Centre and Al Jeem Foundation. For the last five years till present, he has served as the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town. Shaykh Irshaad has thirteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town. He is currently building an Islamic online learning and media platform called ‘Isnad Academy’ and has completed his Master’s degree in the study of Islam at the University of Johannesburg. He has a keen interest in healthy living and fitness.
