Wearing nail polish

1-7-2001 | IslamWeb

Question:

Is it true that females can wear nail polish and pray with it on, if they make Wudu first then put it on?

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Answer:

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.

It is lawful to pray with nail polish if the woman has put it on after making Wudu provided that the polish itself does not contain anything impure or forbidden by Sharia. We remind you that the creams and polishes are of two kinds. The first kind sticks to the body and leaves a perceptible layer on the skin like lipstick. If this cream or polish prevents water from getting to the skin of the organs that should be washed in Wudu, it must then be removed as the Tahara (Wudu) is not possible as long as there is anything that prevents water from getting to the skin.
The second kind is a polish or a cream that does not leave any perceptible layer on the skin but only a trace like henna; it is not obligatory to remove such polish or cream before Wudu as it does not prevent water from reaching the skin.

Allah knows best.