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Fatwa CenterTattooing and Islam
Question
If a tattooed male wanted to convert to Islam and promised not to get anymore tattoos would he be accepted as a follower of Islam?
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. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.
Tattoos do not prevent a person from embracing Islam. If a person had tattoos before embracing Islam and then utters the two testimonies of faith, [saying: "Ash-hadu allaa Ilaaha Illallaah Wa Ash-hadu Anna Muhammadan Rasoolullaah" (I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped but Allaah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His Messenger], his becoming a Muslim is acceptable. However, tattoos are forbidden, so after embracing Islam he should not get himself tattooed. As long as a person becomes a Muslim, he is forgiven for the tattoos that he had done before embracing Islam. The Prophet 
said: "Islam wipes out all the previous sins." [Muslim]
To conclude, the tattooed person should try to remove the tattoos if he can as long as he does not fear a greater harm because in such a case he is not obliged to do so.
Allaah knows best.
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