Hair rebonding and other issues
26-2-2007 | IslamWeb
Question:
(1) Is rebonding the hair (permenantly straightning) allowed? (2) Is wudu/ghusl accepted if hair is rebonded? (3) In intention of Fardh prayers, what are the important points to intend? 'I am praying 4 rakahs fard of luhar, current performance, facing the ka'ba, for Allah Most High' is correct? (4)what about the intention for Qadha prayers? 'I am praying 4 rakahs fard of Luhar, delayed performance, facing the ka'ba, for Allah Most High' is correct? (5) Further (As I have 15 years of qadha to perform), am I allowed to pray sunnah prayers (thahajjuth, luha, ishraq, witr etc) or should I perform Qadha prayers in place of these sunnah prayers? (Like qadha of fajr in place of thahajjuth etc.). May ALlah (SWT) Bless you for your work.
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.
We have already clarified in Fatwa 90630 the requirements for the permissibility of straightening the hair. It is also a condition that the method used to straighten the hair should not prevent the water from reaching the hair when performing ablution and when performing Ghusl (i.e. ritual bath).
If there is anything which prevents the water reaching the hair, it becomes obligatory to remove it in order to perform ablution and Ghusl. Therefore, if this method of straightening the hair adds a layer which prevents water from reaching the hair, then it must be removed when performing ablution or Ghusl. However, if this method of straightening the hair which you asked about does not prevent the water from reaching the hair, then there is no harm.
As regards the intention for performing the prayer, its place is the heart. If a Muslim performs ablution in order to perform the Thuhr prayer, and intends in his heart (when saying 'Allaahu Akbar' or shortly before saying it) that he will pray the Thuhr prayer, then the intention exists and it is not a condition to utter it. Rather, it is unlawful to pronounce it; for more benefit, please refer to Fatwa 88037.
Similarly, making up for a missed prayer is the same thing, if one intends in his heart to perform a missed prayer then the intention existed. With regard to the missed prayers which you failed to perform for the last 15 years, please refer to Fataawa 84403 and 86918.
Concerning offering supererogatory prayers and Sunnah prayers along with the obligatory ones for a person who missed obligatory prayers, then the scholars 
differed in opinion whether or not he may perform such optional prayers. Some of them did not allow a person who missed obligatory prayers to perform supererogatory prayers because spending time in making up for the missed obligatory prayers is better than spending this time in offering supererogatory prayers. Some other scholars did not allow such a person to offer supererogatory prayers with the exception of the Witr prayer and the Sunnah of the Fajr prayer. Whereas, some other scholars are of the view that it is permissible for such a person to perform supererogatory prayers and he should not prevent himself from the excellence and reward of doing so; this is the view of Ibn Al-'Arabi
from the Maaliki School.
To conclude, there is no doubt that spending the time in making up for missed prayers is more appropriate.
Allaah Knows best.