Authentic. It is fully referenced in Ādāb al-Zifāf (p. 123), with the wording: “Allah has cursed women who tattoo and women who have themselves tattooed, women who pluck facial hair and women who have it plucked, and women who create gaps between their teeth for beauty—women who alter Allah’s creation.”

95—(The Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—cursed the woman who plucks facial hair and the woman who has it plucked. Narrated by Abū Dāwūd with a sound chain of transmission, as stated in al-Fath. In the authentic narration, it reads: “He cursed women who have their facial hair plucked.” p. 88)

Authentic. Abū Dāwūd (4170) narrated it through Usāmah, from Abān ibn Sālih, from Mujāhid ibn Jabr, from Ibn Abbas, who said:

“The woman who attaches hair extensions and the woman who has them attached, the woman who plucks facial hair and the woman who has it plucked, and the tattooist and the woman who has herself tattooed are cursed when this is not necessitated by illness.”

I say: This chain of transmission is sound, as al-Hāfiz stated. It is corroborated by the hadith of Aisha, who said: “The Prophet of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—would forbid the tattooist, the woman who attaches hair extensions and the woman who has them attached, and the woman who plucks facial hair and the woman who has it plucked.”

Ahmad narrated it (6/257). It has another corroborating report in the hadith of Ibn Mas‘ūd, with the wording: “Allah has cursed . . . women who pluck facial hair and women who have it plucked . . .” Narrated by al-Bukhārī and Muslim; it is the preceding hadith.

96—(Al-Tabarī narrated from the wife of Abū Ishāq that she visited Aisha. She was a young woman fond of beauty, and she asked, “May a woman remove the hair from her forehead for her husband?” Aisha replied, “Remove from yourself whatever causes harm, as much as you can.” Fath al-Bārī, commentary on the hadith of Ibn Mas‘ūd in the “Chapter on Women Who Pluck Facial Hair” in the “Book of Dress.” p. 88).