Quran
Hadith
Islamic Text
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In the Name of Allah Most Merciful Most Kind
Short Answer
Yes, it is correct to say that hitting the face is Haram. Although there are exceptions. In situations of necessity it is permitted to hit the face. For example, if a person is being attacked then it is not Haram to hit the face of the attacker to protect yourself.
Explanation
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: إِذَا قَاتَلَ أَحَدُكُمْ فَلْيَجْتَنِبِ الوَجْهَ
Abu Hurairah (May Allah Most High be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said: If one of you fights then he must avoid the face. (Sahih al-Bukhari, 2559).
The Hadith above establishes the general prohibition on striking the face. Therefore, it is correct to affirm that hitting the face is Haram. However, there are exceptions to this general prohibition. Namely, situations of necessity. So, whenever there is a necessity then hitting the face will be permitted. Consequently, hitting the face will not be Haram if a person is being attacked and striking the face is required to safeguard oneself.
Necessity is considered
A feature of the Islamic Shariah (law) is that something normally prohibited (Haram) becomes permissible in situations of necessity. There are many examples of this. In Surah al-Baqarah (173) permission is given to eat Haram meat in situations of dire need. Surah al-Nahl (106) permits speaking words of Kufr in situations of extreme necessity. Although, one can never accept Kufr in the heart.
The actual question is what constitutes a necessity? The question is not, can necessities permit something that is normally Haram. This is something many Muslims get wrong. They deem something a necessity when it is actually not the case. For example, they think it is necessary to own your own house and thus take Haram mortgages. This is clearly erroneous, since renting a home is possible.
Hanafi scholars
In the Hanafi Madhab, it is made clear that hitting the face is Haram. However, there is a recognition that the prohibition on striking the face has limitations or exceptions. In the following text (Nass), Imam Ibn Humam mentions one such exception in his commentary upon al-Hidayah.
حَدِيثِ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَنْهُ – صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ – قَالَ «إذَا ضَرَبَ أَحَدُكُمْ فَلْيَتَّقِ الْوَجْهَ وَالْمَذَاكِيرَ» وَلَا شَكَّ أَنَّ هَذَا لَيْسَ مُرَادًا عَلَى الْإِطْلَاقِ؛ لِأَنَّا نَقْطَعُ أَنَّ فِي حَالِ قِيَامِ الْحَرْبِ مَعَ الْكُفَّارِ لَوْ تَوَجَّهَ لِأَحَدٍ ضَرْبُ وَجْهِ مَنْ يُبَارِزُهُ وَهُوَ فِي مُقَابَلَتِهِ حَالَةَ الْحَمَلَةِ لَا يَكُفُّ عَنْهُ، إذْ قَدْ يَمْتَنِعُ عَلَيْهِ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ وَيَقْتُلُهُ. (فتح القدير)
In the Hadith of Abu Hurairah that he (the Prophet) ﷺ said: If one of you strikes, then he must avoid the face and the private parts. There is no doubt that this is not intended to be absolute. Since we affirm that in the context of war with disbelievers, if anyone were able to strike the face of the person he is duelling, whilst confronting him, he must not refrain from it. As otherwise he may become difficult to subdue after that and then kill him. (Imam Ibn al-Humam, Fath al-Qadeer).
Other leading Hanafi Imams conveyed and reiterated the points made by Imam Ibn Humam. For example, Imam Ali al-Qari quoted from Imam Ibn Humam in his commentary on Mishkat al-Masabeeh.
قَالَ: «إِذَا ضَرَبَ أَحَدُكُمْ، فَلْيَتَّقِ الْوَجْهَ وَالْمَذَاكِيرَ». وَلَا شَكَّ أَنَّ هَذَا لَيْسَ مُرَادًا عَلَى الْإِطْلَاقِ ; لِأَنَّا نَقْطَعُ أَنَّ فِي حَالِ قِيَامِ الْحَرْبِ مَعَ الْكُفَّارِ لَوْ تَوَجَّهَ لِأَحَدٍ ضَرَبَ وَجْهَ مَنْ يُبَارِزُهُ وَهُوَ فِي مُقَابَلَتِهِ حَالَةَ الْحَمْلَةِ لَا يَكُفُّ عَنْهُ. (مرقاة المفاتيح شرح مشكاة المصابيح)
He (the Prophet) ﷺ said: If one of you strikes, then he must avoid the face and the private areas. There is no doubt that this is not intended to be absolute. Since we affirm that in the context of war with disbelievers, if anyone were able to strike the face of the person he is duelling, whilst confronting him, he must not refrain from it. (Imam Ali al-Qari, Mirqaat al-Mafateeh).
General rule
Whenever a person is not compelled to react suddenly. But has time and opportunity to select where to strike, then hitting the face is Haram. Imam Abu Yusuf mentioned the prohibition on striking the face in the context of Hadd punishments. These are prescribed punishments for particular crimes. When the judge is required to mete out such punishment, it is not a situation of hurried reaction. Therefore, hitting the face remains Haram.
وقال أَبو يوسف مثل ذلك، ثم رجع فقال: أضرب الرأس ولا أضرب الوجه ولا الفرج. (الأَصْلُ)
(Imam) Abu Yusuf said: I would strike the head but not the face or private parts. (Imam Muhammad al-Shaybani, Kitab al-Asl).
«إذَا ضَرَبَ أَحَدُكُمْ فَلْيَتَّقِ الْوَجْهَ» وَأَنَّهُ فِي نَحْوِ الْحَدِّ فَمَا سِوَاهُ دَاخِلٌ فِي الضَّرْبِ. (فتح القدير)
If one of you strikes, then he must avoid the face. This is regarding things like the Hadd punishments. So, everything else is permissible to strike. (Imam Ibn al-Humam, Fath al-Qadeer).
Conclusion
Generally speaking, hitting the face is Haram in Islam. However, it is not Haram in a situation of necessity. For example, if one is being attacked. This is why many scholars consider certain martial arts or combat sports to be Haram. For example, boxing. They argue that there is too much of a focus on striking the face.
This does not mean that Muslims should not learn self defence or martial arts. Rather that is encouraged. But it does mean that the Muslim must select the correct martial art or combat sport. In recent times many Muslims have inclined towards BJJ. This is a good idea, since there is no significant focus on striking the face in BJJ.
And Allah Most High Knows Best.
–Answered by Shaykh Noorud-deen Rashid (01.04.24)
