Is it Haram to Wear Nail Polish During Your Periods? 3 Hadiths
C.J Ahmed-16.05.2023
It is not haram for a Muslim lady to wear nail polish while menstruating because there is no evidence whatsoever from the Quran or the authentic hadiths stating so. Islam is silent on this issue and silence is from the mercy from Allah(swt).
The Prophet (sal) said, “Verily Allah has obligated the obligations – so do not neglect them. And He has limited the limits – so do not transgress them. And His silence about things is from His mercy, not forgetfulness, so do not investigate them.”
(Hasan sahih-Ad-Darqutni No. 4/199 and Al-Baihaqi No. 10/122 and also graded Sahih by Sheikh Albani)
The wrong argument that putting nail polish is haram is based on the following hadiths,
Umar ibn al-Khattab (rali) reported: A man performed ablution and he left out a
spot on his foot the size of a fingernail. The Prophet, peace and blessings
be upon him, said, “Go back and perform ablution well.” The man went back
and then prayed.
(Ṣaḥih Muslim)
It was narrated from Khalid ibn Ma‘daan, from one of the Companions of the
Prophet (sal) that the Prophet
(sal) saw a man praying, and on the
back of his foot there was a spot the size of a dirham that the water had
not reached, so the Prophet (sal)
instructed him to repeat his wudu and his prayer.
(Abu Dawud-graded sahih by Albani)
The above hadith have been used as proof to argue that nail polish will prevent water to reach the skin and will invalidate the prayer. The above hadiths are only mentioning the importance of making all the necessary limbs of your body to get wet with water. The nail polish argument cannot be used with these hadiths because even if you wear nail polish the water will still wet the nails irrespective of whether there is a barrier or not. If water has to reach all the necessary parts without a barrier then why did the prophet(sal) make ablution by stroking his hands with water on his socks and kuff(leather shoes) on?
The argument that putting nail polish and taking ablution with it is haram is an argument mainly stemming from the four madhabs and wrong fatwas of scholars.
Al-Mawsoo‘ah al-Fiqhiyyah-43/329 mentions that The four madhabs of fiqh are unanimous that for wudu to be valid, it is essential to remove anything that may prevent the water from reaching
the parts of the body that are to be washed. This is an erroneous argument which is based on the erroneous understanding of the hadiths. It is unfortunate that nowadays people fiving importance to various interpretations rather than the Quran or the authentic hadiths. When making wudu it is essential for all the parts of ablution to get wet by water but stating that there should not be any barrier between the water and the skin is a baseless argument.
Hadiths to Prove That Nail Polish is Not Haram
1. Wiping Over the Socks
Ali (rali) narrated, the prophet (sal) permitted wiping over leather socks for three day and nights for the traveller, and one day and night for the resident.
(Muslim)
Al-Mughirah ibn Shubah (rali) reported: "The Prophet (sal), performed ablution by wiping over non-leather socks and sandals"
(Tirmidhi graded sahih by Imam Tirmidhi)
According to the above hadiths it is permissible to wipe your socks and sandals while taking ablution and if there should not be any barrier between the skin and water then why did the prophet(sal) permit wiping over the socks? These hadiths clearly prove that there is nothing wrong in taking ablution by having a barrier. There is no clear evidence to prove that nail polish is haram when taking ablution. Even for the sake of argument if we agree that nail polish should not be applied, now the point here is the nails in the fingers are a barrier between the skin and water. I am asking those who are against nail polish, doesn’t the nail act as a barrier between the skin and the water? Dirt can get in to your finger and toe nails and nowhere in the authentic hadiths did the prophet (sal) tell us to busy ourselves removing the dirt from our nails. Islam is a religion of mercy and ease and not hardship.
2. Wiping Over the Shoes
The prophet (sal) not only did he wipe over his socks, he wiped over his shoes too while performing ablution.
Narrated by Aws ibn Abu Aws ath-Thaqafi (rali),
"The prophet (sal) performed ablution and wiped over his shoes and feet."
Abbad (a sub-narrator) said: The Messenger of Allah (sal) came to the well of a people. Musaddad did not mention the words Midat (a place where ablution is performed), and Kazamah (well). Then both agreed on the wording: “He performed ablution and wiped over his shoes and feet."
(Abu Dawud-graded sahih by Albani)
Ali (rali) narrated,
"If the religion were based on opinion, it would be more important to wipe the under part of the shoe than the upper but I have seen the Messenger of Allah (sal) wiping over the upper part of his shoes."
(Abu Dawud-graded sahih by Albani)
Hummam (rali) reported:
"Jarir urinated, then performed ablution and wiped over the socks. It was said to him: Do you do like this? He said: Yes, I saw that the Messenger of Allah (sal) urinated, then performed ablution and then wiped over his shoes. A ‘mash said: Ibrahim had observed that this hadith was a surprise for them (the people) because Jarir had embraced Islam after the revelation of Surat al-Mā’idah"
(Muslim)
Shuraib bin Hani (rali) reported:
"I asked 'Aisha about wiping over the shoes. She said: You better go to 'Ali, for he knows more about this than I. I, therefore, came to 'Ali and he narrated from the Apostle (sal) like this"(wiping over the shoes)
(Muslim)
Ata’ bin Yasar quoting Ibn ‘Abbas (rali) said:
"Do you like that I should show you how the Messenger of Allah (sal) performed ablution? He then called for a vessel of water and took out a handful of water with his right hand. He then rinsed his mouth and snuffed up water. He then took out another handful of water and washed his face by both his hands together. He then took out another handful of water and washed his right hand and then washed his left hand by taking out another. He then took out some water and shook off his hand and wiped his head and ears with it. He then took out a handful of water and sprinkled it over his right foot in his shoe and wiped the upper part of the foot with his one hand and beneath the shoe with his other hand. He then did the same with his left foot"
(Abu Dawud-graded hasan sahih by Albani)
It is clear from all these hadiths that the prophet (sal) wiped his shoes with water over it without removing it. If water touching the skin during ablution was a must the prophet (sal) would have removed the shoes or would have forbidden his companions to do so.
3. Wiping over the Turban
Some argue that you should remove the cap or turban if you are making ablution. This argument is proven wrong by the following hadiths,
Ibn Mughirah narrated it from his father:
"The Apostle of Allah (sal) wiped over his socks and over his forehead and over his turban"
(Muslim)
Narrated Thawbaan (rali:
"The Messenger of Allah (sal) sent out an expedition. They were affected by cold. When they returned to the Messenger of Allah (sal), he commanded them to wipe over turbans and stockings."
(Abu Dawud-graded sahih by Albani)
Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami said that he witnessed ‘Abd al-Rahman bin Awf asking Bilal (rali) about the ablution of the Prophet (sal). Bilal (rali) said:
"He went out to relieve himself. Then I brought water for him and he performed ablution, and wiped over his turban and socks"
(Abu Dawud-graded sahih by Albani)
All of the bove hadiths prove that the prophet (sal) wiped over his turban while performing ablution without the need to remove it. If water reaching the skin was a must while performing ablution then the prophet (sal) would not have wiped over his turban.
It is not haram for a Muslim lady to wear nail polish while menstruating because there is no evidence whatsoever from the Quran or the authentic hadiths stating so. Islam is silent on this issue and silence is from the mercy from Allah(swt).
The Prophet (sal) said, “Verily Allah has obligated the obligations – so do not neglect them. And He has limited the limits – so do not transgress them. And His silence about things is from His mercy, not forgetfulness, so do not investigate them.”
(Hasan sahih-Ad-Darqutni No. 4/199 and Al-Baihaqi No. 10/122 and also graded Sahih by Sheikh Albani)
The wrong argument that putting nail polish is haram is based on the following hadiths,
Umar ibn al-Khattab (rali) reported: A man performed ablution and he left out a
spot on his foot the size of a fingernail. The Prophet, peace and blessings
be upon him, said, “Go back and perform ablution well.” The man went back
and then prayed.
(Ṣaḥih Muslim)
It was narrated from Khalid ibn Ma‘daan, from one of the Companions of the
Prophet (sal) that the Prophet
(sal) saw a man praying, and on the
back of his foot there was a spot the size of a dirham that the water had
not reached, so the Prophet (sal)
instructed him to repeat his wudu and his prayer.
(Abu Dawud-graded sahih by Albani)
The above hadith have been used as proof to argue that nail polish will prevent water to reach the skin and will invalidate the prayer. The above hadiths are only mentioning the importance of making all the necessary limbs of your body to get wet with water. The nail polish argument cannot be used with these hadiths because even if you wear nail polish the water will still wet the nails irrespective of whether there is a barrier or not. If water has to reach all the necessary parts without a barrier then why did the prophet(sal) make ablution by stroking his hands with water on his socks and kuff(leather shoes) on?
The argument that putting nail polish and taking ablution with it is haram is an argument mainly stemming from the four madhabs and wrong fatwas of scholars.
Al-Mawsoo‘ah al-Fiqhiyyah-43/329 mentions that The four madhabs of fiqh are unanimous that for wudu to be valid, it is essential to remove anything that may prevent the water from reaching
the parts of the body that are to be washed. This is an erroneous argument which is based on the erroneous understanding of the hadiths. It is unfortunate that nowadays people fiving importance to various interpretations rather than the Quran or the authentic hadiths. When making wudu it is essential for all the parts of ablution to get wet by water but stating that there should not be any barrier between the water and the skin is a baseless argument.
Hadiths to Prove That Nail Polish is Not Haram
1. Wiping Over the Socks
Ali (rali) narrated, the prophet (sal) permitted wiping over leather socks for three day and nights for the traveller, and one day and night for the resident.
(Muslim)
Al-Mughirah ibn Shubah (rali) reported: "The Prophet (sal), performed ablution by wiping over non-leather socks and sandals"
(Tirmidhi graded sahih by Imam Tirmidhi)
According to the above hadiths it is permissible to wipe your socks and sandals while taking ablution and if there should not be any barrier between the skin and water then why did the prophet(sal) permit wiping over the socks? These hadiths clearly prove that there is nothing wrong in taking ablution by having a barrier. There is no clear evidence to prove that nail polish is haram when taking ablution. Even for the sake of argument if we agree that nail polish should not be applied, now the point here is the nails in the fingers are a barrier between the skin and water. I am asking those who are against nail polish, doesn’t the nail act as a barrier between the skin and the water? Dirt can get in to your finger and toe nails and nowhere in the authentic hadiths did the prophet (sal) tell us to busy ourselves removing the dirt from our nails. Islam is a religion of mercy and ease and not hardship.
2. Wiping Over the Shoes
The prophet (sal) not only did he wipe over his socks, he wiped over his shoes too while performing ablution.
Narrated by Aws ibn Abu Aws ath-Thaqafi (rali),
"The prophet (sal) performed ablution and wiped over his shoes and feet."
Abbad (a sub-narrator) said: The Messenger of Allah (sal) came to the well of a people. Musaddad did not mention the words Midat (a place where ablution is performed), and Kazamah (well). Then both agreed on the wording: “He performed ablution and wiped over his shoes and feet."
(Abu Dawud-graded sahih by Albani)
Ali (rali) narrated,
"If the religion were based on opinion, it would be more important to wipe the under part of the shoe than the upper but I have seen the Messenger of Allah (sal) wiping over the upper part of his shoes."
(Abu Dawud-graded sahih by Albani)
Hummam (rali) reported:
"Jarir urinated, then performed ablution and wiped over the socks. It was said to him: Do you do like this? He said: Yes, I saw that the Messenger of Allah (sal) urinated, then performed ablution and then wiped over his shoes. A ‘mash said: Ibrahim had observed that this hadith was a surprise for them (the people) because Jarir had embraced Islam after the revelation of Surat al-Mā’idah"
(Muslim)
Shuraib bin Hani (rali) reported:
"I asked 'Aisha about wiping over the shoes. She said: You better go to 'Ali, for he knows more about this than I. I, therefore, came to 'Ali and he narrated from the Apostle (sal) like this"(wiping over the shoes)
(Muslim)
Ata’ bin Yasar quoting Ibn ‘Abbas (rali) said:
"Do you like that I should show you how the Messenger of Allah (sal) performed ablution? He then called for a vessel of water and took out a handful of water with his right hand. He then rinsed his mouth and snuffed up water. He then took out another handful of water and washed his face by both his hands together. He then took out another handful of water and washed his right hand and then washed his left hand by taking out another. He then took out some water and shook off his hand and wiped his head and ears with it. He then took out a handful of water and sprinkled it over his right foot in his shoe and wiped the upper part of the foot with his one hand and beneath the shoe with his other hand. He then did the same with his left foot"
(Abu Dawud-graded hasan sahih by Albani)
It is clear from all these hadiths that the prophet (sal) wiped his shoes with water over it without removing it. If water touching the skin during ablution was a must the prophet (sal) would have removed the shoes or would have forbidden his companions to do so.
3. Wiping over the Turban
Some argue that you should remove the cap or turban if you are making ablution. This argument is proven wrong by the following hadiths,
Ibn Mughirah narrated it from his father:
"The Apostle of Allah (sal) wiped over his socks and over his forehead and over his turban"
(Muslim)
Narrated Thawbaan (rali:
"The Messenger of Allah (sal) sent out an expedition. They were affected by cold. When they returned to the Messenger of Allah (sal), he commanded them to wipe over turbans and stockings."
(Abu Dawud-graded sahih by Albani)
Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami said that he witnessed ‘Abd al-Rahman bin Awf asking Bilal (rali) about the ablution of the Prophet (sal). Bilal (rali) said:
"He went out to relieve himself. Then I brought water for him and he performed ablution, and wiped over his turban and socks"
(Abu Dawud-graded sahih by Albani)
All of the bove hadiths prove that the prophet (sal) wiped over his turban while performing ablution without the need to remove it. If water reaching the skin was a must while performing ablution then the prophet (sal) would not have wiped over his turban.