What Islam Says on Tattoos

Question:    As-Salamu `alaykum. I just want to know if it is haram (prohibited) to tattoo our bodies.

consultant:    Yusuf Al-Qaradawi

Answer
Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Dear brother, we commend your eagerness to become well acquainted with Islam and its teachings, which is the way Allah has chosen for the welfare of His servants.
As for your question, you have to keep in mind the fact that body piercing, tattooing, branding, etc. all fall in the category of unnecessary interference, alteration and mutilation of Allah’s creation. Therefore, no Muslim, who is conscious of his religion, should ever contemplate such activities.
In his well-known book, The Lawful and the Prohibited in Islam, the prominent Muslim scholar, Sheik Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, states,
Islam denounces excesses in beautifying oneself when it alters the physical features that Allah created him with. The Glorious Qur’an considers such alterations as inspired by Satan, who “…will command them (his devotees) to change what Allah has created…” (An-Nisa’: 119)
Tattooing is one of those excesses. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) is reported to have cursed the tattooer and the tattooed. (Reported by Muslim)
Tattooing permanently disfigures the face and other parts of the body with colored pigment and repulsive designs. Some Arabs, especially women, are in the habit of tattooing large areas of their bodies. People of certain religious sects tattoo pictures of their deities or religious rituals on their hands and chests. The pain and agony that the person experiences from the needles piercing skin add to these images. Because of all of this, both the tattooer and the one who is tattooed have been cursed.
Allah Almighty knows best.

Source: OnIslam