Q: Is it permissible for a Muslim woman to leave her home in order to go to a beauty parlor or salon to style her hair or wax the hair on her body? What is the Shar’ee ruling in regard to this issue?

A: In Deen, the most important obligation after Imaan is salaah. In regard to this obligation, the Hadith emphatically encourages women to perform their salaah within the confines of their homes. In fact, the Hadith explains that the salaah which they perform in the innermost portion of their homes- most distant from the gazes of strange men- is more rewarding than the salaah which they perform in any other part of their home. This clearly highlights the extent to which Islam advocates concealment in the life of a woman.