The Law of Plastic Surgery According to the Indonesian Ulema Council

Currently, plastic surgery as a result of the development of medical technology and beauty is widely practiced by the public with a variety of purposes, tools used, and impacts caused. In practice, plastic surgery can be performed for reconstructive purposes and for aesthetic purposes. For this practice in the community, questions arise about the law of plastic surgery, both reconstructive and aesthetic.

The word of Allah SWT, among others:

“Indeed We have created man in the best possible form”. (QS. Al-Tin [95]: 4).

“Verily, Allah has only forbidden to you carrion, blood, pork, and animals which (when slaughtered) are called by names other than Allah. But whoever is compelled to eat them and does not desire to do so, nor does he transgress the limits, there is no sin on him. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving, Merciful” (QS. al-Baqarah [3]: 372).

1. Plastic Surgery is a medical procedure that aims to reconstruct or repair parts of the human body through surgery.
2. Reconstructive plastic surgery is a surgical procedure to improve the function and anatomical shape that is not normal to be close to normal.
3. Aesthetic plastic surgery is a surgical procedure to change the normal anatomical shape to be more harmonious, more attractive or more beautiful according to the perception of the patient, people around the patient and the patient’s family.
4. Al-Dharurah is a condition of compulsion that can threaten human life.
5. Al-Hajah is a condition of urgency that can cause difficulty, severe illness or disability to a person (al-masyaqqah).
6. Al-Tahsiniyyah is a condition to increase beauty (aesthetics) and appropriateness in normal limbs.

Legal Provisions

1. Reconstructive plastic surgery to correct abnormal anatomical functions and shapes to become close to normal, such as cleft lip, contracture, keloid, tumor, digiti replantation, post-tumor breast reconstruction, skin lesions, hypospadias, and genital abnormalities, is a type of medical action that falls into the category of al-dharurat or alhajat, the law is permissible with the following conditions: 1) the actions taken have real benefits based on the judgment of competent and trustworthy experts; 2) safe and not harmful; and 3) performed by competent and trustworthy experts.
2. Aesthetic plastic surgery to change the creation and is permanent, such as turning up the nose, changing genitals, changing fingerprints, and/or for purposes that are prohibited by shar’i not included in the category of al-tahsiniyat, the law is haram.
3. Aesthetic plastic surgery which is a type of al-tahsiniyat, such as removing excess fat, excess skin, tightening muscles so that they do not wrinkle, is permissible under the following conditions: 1) it is not for a purpose that is contrary to Shari’ah. 2) using halal and pure materials; 3) the action taken is guaranteed to be safe; 4) does not cause harm, either to self, others, or the environment; and 5) carried out by competent and trustworthy experts.
4. Aesthetic plastic surgery as referred to in number 3 that results in harm (dlarar), deception (tadlis), dependence (idman), or things that are forbidden is haram, saddan li al-dzari’ah.

May it be useful

Halal is Our Need, Our Quality and Our Choice!

Source: Fatwa of the Indonesian Ulema Council Number 11 of 2020 on Plastic Surgery