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Fatwa CenterAdult male with pierced ear is deemed a Faasiq until he repents
Question
can a man who pierce his ears ca be Imaam after he engaged in serious Tawba and deeply regretted ever doing that and when ahead to further his Islamic studies. What are his chances?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
First of all, we have already issued a Fatwa that it is forbidden for an adult male to pierce his ear. Although the jurists differed in opinion about whether it is permissible, disliked or forbidden to pierce the ear of a child, we did not find anyone who said it is permissible for an adult male. Without doubt, no one does that in this day and age besides people of bad moral character. Some jurists stated that it is prohibited and that if a man does it he is considered to be of bad moral character (Faasiq).
Ibn Muflih 
said in Al-Furoo‘:
“It is disliked to pierce the ear of a boy but not that of a girl; (Imaam Ahmad) explicitly stated this. However, it was said that it (piercing the ear of a girl) is forbidden; this is the view chosen by Ibn Al-Jawzi. And it was said that it is only forbidden for a male. Al-Fusool reads: A male is deemed to be of bad moral character by it.” [End of quote]
According to the opinion that it amounts to bad moral character, if a man repents from it, then there is no blame on him for leading the people in prayer; a Hadeeth reads: “A person who repents from sin is like one who has no sin.” [Ibn Maajah and At-Tabaraani; Ibn Hajar classified it as Hasan (good) in Fat-h Al-Baari]
The scholars stated that if a person of bad moral character repents, then he is no longer qualified as being of bad morality. Ar-Ramli, from the Shaafi‘i School, said: “If a person of bad moral character repents, then he is no longer qualified as being of bad morality after repentance.” [End of quote]
Therefore, it is permissible for a person who repents from his sin to lead the people in prayer. As for now, this person still has a chance, so he should strive to achieve repentance and persist in it, to exert effort to obey Allaah and stay away from sin, and be keen on seeking beneficial knowledge.
Allaah Knows best.
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