Tren Flat Piercing bagi Wanita: Tinjauan Kaidah Dar’u Al-Mafāsid AwlᾹ Min Jalbi Al-Maṣāli

Flat Pearcing Trends Among Women: A Perspective on the Maxim Dar’u Al-Mafāsid AwlᾹ Min Jalbi Al-Maṣāli

Abstract

This study analyzes the Islamic legal construction of the flat piercing trend among women through the fiqh maxim dar’u al-mafāsid awlā min jalbi al-maṣāliḥ (preventing harm takes precedence over attaining benefit). Previous studies have generally focused on traditional ear piercing within classical fiqh, leaving a gap in the study of contemporary body modification trends such as flat piercing, which involve specific medical risks and social contexts. To address this gap, this study integrates normative legal and socio-legal approaches to examine the relationship between modern aesthetic trends and Islamic legal reasoning. Using a qualitative method, the study focuses on two main issues: the legal status of flat piercing for women and the recontextualization of the fiqh maxim dar’u al-mafāsid awlā min jalbi al-maṣāliḥ in determining its legal status. The findings show that, first, flat piercing is essentially permissible (mubah) as a form of adornment, provided that it does not conflict with sharī‘ah principles. Its permissibility may change if it causes significant harm, involves tasyabbuh that meets sharī‘ah criteria, or violates other Islamic legal provisions. Second, the maxim is applied by comparing aesthetic benefits with potential harms. When mafsadah is proven to be greater than maṣlaḥah, preventing harm takes precedence. Conversely, when risks are insignificant and no qualifying tasyabbuh or other sharī‘ah violation is present, flat piercing remains permissible. This study contributes to contemporary fiqh by providing a contextual framework for assessing modern body modification trends.