Q. I would like to know what is the fatwa regarding the ‘halaal’ nail polish that has become the latest buzz among muslim women. (There may be grammatical and spelling errors in the above question. Questions are published as received)
A. To date, the Jamiat has not approved any nail polish that is suitable for Wudhu. It is a condition that water reaches the surface of the finger nails and toe nails for Wudhu to be valid. Nail polish prevents water from reaching the surface of the nail and it is therefore necessary to remove before making Wudhu. The Wudhu will not be valid if the nail polish remained on the nail at the time of making Wudhu.
The requirements for Wudhu is to WASH the hands and not for the water to permeate (merely as a minimum) and the evidence is as follows:
Wash both hands up to the wrists three times.
أوس بن أبي أوس رضي اللّه عنه قال: رأيت رسول اللّه صلى الله عليه وسلم توضأ، فاستوْكف ثلاثاً. رواه أحمد، والنسائي،
Aus ibn Aus al-Thaqafi who said, “I saw the Messenager of Allah make ablution, and he washed his hands three times.” [Ahmed, Nasai]
Jamiat (South Africa) tested it and found that the water DOES NOT permeate and reach the nails
There have been concerns raised about a certain nail polish product claiming to be water permeable, thus allowing water to reach the surface of the nails. Due to this claim, some people have been misled into assuming that this nail polish is Halaal (in the sense that it is suitable for Wudhu without the need to remove it).
Due to the numerous requests from concerned Muslim sisters, the Jamiat looked into this particular product and conducted multiple tests. The results turned out to be negative and it was concluded that the nail polish is not water permeable and it prevents water from reaching the surface of the nail.
Hence, this particular type of nail polish that is being marketed as Halaal nail polish is not acceptable for Wudhu.
And Allah Knows Best
Mufti Suhail Tarmahomed
Fatwa Department Jamiatul Ulama (KZN)