Nail Polish Revisited
Angelica said...
I was wondering: You know how ur allowed to wear socks for 24 hours after Wudu and so you dont have to wash the feet over and over if u keep the socks on....well, wouldnt the same thing apply for nail polish? if you clean the nails while making Wudu, then immediatley put on polish to seal in the cleanliness, couldnt you also keep this on for 24 hours? I know we are not supposed to adorn ourselves with bright colored polishes, but i feeel happy and femenine when i have nice clear polished shiny nails. What do u think?Answer from Amaana03:
Dear Angelica...
I just got back from a lesson and the Sheikh made a simple point about socks and nail polish. The point was...we have to wear socks to keep our feet warm or to wear our shoes...it is something needed. Making wudu (ablution) on the socks makes it easier for a person to sustain their wudu and keep warm at the same time. However, wearing nail polish is not something that we must do to sustain ourselves - it is something extra that we like to do. I thought I'd share what I learned today...and I really hope it helps!
Please stay tuned for the answer to robotic prayer :)
w/salam
~Amaana03
Good answer! Nice and clear.
ReplyDeleteActually, according to the Hanafi fiqh, you are not allowed to do wudu over the socks---the wiping only applies to special type of footwear made of leather which is water impermeable.
ReplyDeleteSo, you advise against using nail polish becaue it is not something we must do to sustain ourselves. The Prophet Mohammed dyed his hair with red Henna (Bukhari, Vol. 167). Was this dye necessary to sustain the Prophet? Let's face it, he had a streak of vanity, too.
ReplyDeleteI just realized that there was still a question about this issue. Henna is not the same as nail polish. Henna permeates the hair...it actually goes into the hair or skin...it does not cover it. Nail polish is a covering over the nail. It stops water from getting to the nail...henna does not.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree with the "streak of vanity" comment however. There is a reason and a purpose to everything in Islam...just b/c we don't know what it is all the time, it doesn't mean we can draw our own conclusions. Ask questions of ppl of knowledge.
As salaamu alaikum sisters!
ReplyDeleteI really don't see the confusion with the issue of nail polish. I henna my nails a few times a year if I want them colored. But when I'm in my menstruation, because we don't have to pray, I wear nail polish. It's a little treat for me during that time. When I'm praying again I don't use nail polish because it would be too tedious for me to remove it for wuduu...who has time for that anyway. I also let my girls wear it during their periods, they're pre-teens and understand that they may not wear it because of interference with salaat, but know that if they want to they can wear it during that time.