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Can You Do Wudu with Makeup on?

23 February, 2023
Q Must I remove nail polish, paint, glue, lotion, oil, hair dye, a ring, a watch, or makeup before performing wudu?

Answer

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.

In this fatwa:

If anything prevents water from reaching a place that needs to be washed, then wudu or ghusl will be invalid.

Answering your question, Sheikh Mustafa Umar, President of California Islamic University, states:

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If anything prevents water from reaching a place that needs to be washed, then wudu or ghusl will be invalid.

For example, glue, paint, or nail polish are all examples of something which prevents water from reaching underneath.

Things like oil, lotion, hair dye, and petroleum jelly does form a barrier but does not usually prevent water from reaching the skin or hair.

Some makeup consists of a perceptible barrier which prevents water and other types of makeup does not.

If a ring or watch is very tight, it will prevent water from getting underneath to the skin. These things may be slightly moved while washing to ensure water reaches underneath.

If there is a need for that thing to be there, such as someone having braces on their teeth or a permanent wig on their hair, then water flowing over that thing suffices.

If you prayed without wudu because you didn’t notice something like glue or paint was blocking the water, you must repeat the prayers you did with that wudu.

Almighty Allah knows best.

Source: AsktheScholars.com

About Sheikh Mustafa Umar
Sheikh Mustafa Umar is the President of California Islamic University.