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Question Regarding Dr. Irfan Shahzad's Comment On Dirt Under Nails
Asalamualaikum,
In this thread (Discussion 59667), Dr. Irfan Shahzad says that dirt under nails should be removed during ghusl (and wudu), but that it’s presence does not invalidate ghusl or wudu. Is that to say that it is *better* to remove this dirt, but if a person ignores it altogether, then there’s no problem even in the case that there is no hardship?
Similarly, what constitutes dirt? I’ll be doing wudu and notice many things on my body even after washing, such as small strands of hair, strings from clothes, etc. In my opinion, this is not dirt, but even if it is, it seems really hard to remove it all.
JazakAllah
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40 Replies
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Question Regarding Dr. Irfan Shahzad's Comment On Dirt Under Nails
updated 2 years, 1 month ago
3 Members
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40
Replies
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I’ll notice these small specks and hairs under not just my nails but other body parts like face, feet, etc.
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Asalamoalaikum! I’m just bumping this thread in case there are any answers.
JazakAllah
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You have to revert back to our old discussions where we discussed this topic from a principal stand-point.
For instance, what you see under nails is clearly dirt, then you can remove it, not necessarily while doing ghusal. You can also remove it when you trim your nails. The ultimate objective of religion being tazkiya (purity), we need to be extra-conscious with respect to the matters of bodily purity. However, if you somehow were unable to remove such dirt, this will not invalidate you Ghusl, Wuzu and Salah.
As far as matter of small specks and hair on other body parts is concerned, you need to stick to the same principle as discussed above (and in previous threads as well), because mere presence of specks and hair do not necessarily mean impurity.
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JazakAllah Mr. Umer Qureshi,
Yes, I understand the points about acting off of certainty and not being obliged to remove secretions, etc. during wudu/ghusl. I just want to clarify two points.
1.) Based off your answer and what Dr. Irfan Shahzad wrote here Discussion 59667, I understand that one should remove dirt under their nails during wudu/ghusl (and on other parts of the body), but even if they do not, this does not invalidate their wudu and ghusl, as well as salah. Is this correct? And even in the case that a person is being lazy and it’s not a case of them finding it difficult to remove this dirt?
However, in keeping in mind the objective of religion, one should – at some point – remove dirt on their body.
2.) So when we say dirt, are we specifically referring to the dirt that is found outside underneath grass? This means that hair, air particles, clothing strings, dead skin, etc. do not fall under this definition? I had the impression that all of these things fall under dirt.
JazakAllah
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1.) That is correct, as long as one has performed thorough Ghusl and proper Wuzu.
2.) No one calls hair and clothing strings as dirt, dirt has a very specific form and is quite discernible from other things.
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JazakAllah Mr. Umer Qureshi. But it still is kind of consuming for me in the case of skin cells? Like sometimes a person will scratch themselves and these will accumulate under their nails. Is that dirt?
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You don’t need to bother too much about dirt under your nails, as in most cases, it automatically gets removed when you trim your nails.
Removing such dirt is not a requirement for Wuzu and Ghusal, but an extra mile to acheve Tazkiya better.
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JazakAllah Mr. Umer Qureshi,
Okay, this makes sense! I just to ask you the same follow-up questions I asked Dr. Irfan Shahzad. I know we’ve covered them already mostly, but just so that I have a direct response.
1.) So it is the same for any other part of the body, correct?
2.) Also, I understand that the requirements of body if fulfilled even if dirt is remaining. Does this mean that even if I avoid removing dirt due to being lazy and not due to hardship, then there is still no issue? However, I will do wudu and ghusl thoroughly, but I’m avoiding digging under my nails or some other part of the body due to laziness.
JazakAllah
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Asalamualaikum Mr. Umer Quershi,
I was wondering if you also have updates for this question?
JazakAllah
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1) Correct
2) Doing ghusl thoroughly means that main body parts need to be washed properly and with care. Cleaning of dirt under nails do not fall in that category.
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JazakAllah Mr. Umer Qureshi.
I understand now. And just to clarify, in an earlier thread we discussed bodily secretions like nasal mucus, etc. So it is to be treated the same way as dirt, right? Because I wouldn’t need to remove these things for prayer. However, they should eventually be removed for tazkiya purposes.
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Nasal mucus is mostly removed during wuzu when we wash our nose, but if it still remains, then yes it can be removed later at some point.
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But the thing is that sometimes I don’t wash my nose during wudu, and when I do, I don’t tend to dig out solid nasal mucus from the nose. This is all fine based off what we’ve discussed, right?
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This is fine as long as validity of your Salah is concerned.
The directive of Wuzu in Quran is very clear and if one fulfils those requirements, the Wuzu will be considered complete. However, cleaning of the nose, the mouth and the teeth has been initiated as separate Sunnah by the Prophet (sws) under ‘Customs and Etiquettes‘; therefore, prophet’s (Sws) Uswa combined this Sunnah of rinsing nose and mouth while washing face during Wuzu. If you don’t clean your nose during wuzu, you should clean it afterwards.
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JazakAllah.
I usually clean my nose out in the morning when I wake up and use the washroom, or when I feel it is full enough. And I brush my teeth in the morning and night. You’re not saying that these should be done every time after wudu, right? I don’t think that’s what you were saying, but I just want to clarify whether my routine is fine. And some days I don’t clean my nose out when I don’t feel that it’s very full.
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Yes, you’re right.
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JazakAllah!
And as long as I clean my nose out frequently enough, I don’t need to bother cleaning it every day?
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Yes, as long as you clean it frequently.
Bottomline is that It is upto the person, how many times cleaning their nose a day keeps it clean for them. It can vary from individual to individual.
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Okay, got it. JazakAllah.
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To do tazkiay and to be able to perform prayer can be in some cases two different things. For prayer just washing is required and minor details doesn’t matter, as we have discussed before. Hands with dirt are still hands to be washed in wudu.
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JazakAllah Dr. Irfan Shahzad,
Do you mind clarifying your final sentence?
“Hands with dirt are still hands to be washed in wudu.”
Are you saying that hands with dirt remaining on them after the wudu are still considered to have been washed during wudu? Or are you saying that hands with dirt have to be washed during wudu until dirt is fully removed?
JazakAllah
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After washing hands Yiu see dirt or any other thing on your hands, still you have fulfilled the requirement of washing hands.
Don’t bother about details.
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JazakAllah Dr. Irfan Shahzad,
Okay, that makes sense. So it is the same for any other part of the body, correct?
Also, I understand that the requirements of washing hands is fulfilled even if dirt is remaining. Does this mean that even if I avoid removing dirt due to being lazy and not because of facing hardship, then there is still no issue?
And all of this applies to ghusl too, correct?
JazakAllah
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I hope my answer is self explanatory. You are advised to not to dig to deep, it just makes things hard without any demand from God.
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Yes Dr. Irfan Shahzad, it makes sense. JazakAllah. And all the points you discussed are the same for ghusl, is that correct?
JazakAllah
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Dr. Irfan Shahzad,
I was just reading your answer again here. And when you said that I’m “advised to not to dig to deep”, you mean that I should refrain from thinking too hard about this?
I mean to say that you’re not referring to digging into nails for dirt, correct?
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Yes
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JazakAllah Dr. Irfan Shahzad. I will avoid thinking too hard about this. But do you mind confirming if everything you discussed applies to ghusl too?
JazakAllah
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of course. washing is washing.
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Asalamualaikum Dr. Irfan Shahzad and Mr. Umer Qureshi,
One thing I’ve been wondering is if I ignore specks, dirt, bodily secretions, etc., am I ignoring Ghamidi’s Sahab’s stance on washing during wudu in the case that these things prevent water from reaching the skin. Because Ghamidi Sahab says that one should perform wudu first and then apply nail polish, so I get the impression that he is saying that water must reach every part of the skin?
JazakAllah
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It is in the first case that one should not apply such thing as may prevent water to wash that part. Secondly, dirt or human secretion is not water resistant. Thirdly, a thing like hard paint is attached to a body part and hard to remove, still it does not affect wudu, as the body part is washed anyway. moreover, hardship rules is applied and concession is given for such matters. because in the matters of worship the rule of concession is Easiness (tayseer)
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JazakAllah Dr. Irfan Shahzad,
So, you said that one should not apply anything that might prevent water from washing a particular part of the body. Does this mean that I have to be certain that the cream or product I apply on myself is not water resistant? Or when we say the body part is washed anyway, we mean something else?
Also, you once told me that we are obliged to wash the body part, but reaching every part of skin is not necessary. Can you explain this a little bit in terms of your answer above. And on this basis, why is nail polish a concern and why does one need to perform wudu before applying nail polish?
JazakAllah!
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It is not good to apply some water resistant unnecessarily before wudu, but once it is applied after wudu you need not to remove it to wash it, just the way we do with our feet, we wash them and then wear socks and then it is allowed to masah them instead of washing.
but if some water resistant is already there, and it is hard to remove it, the rule of easiness in worship matters is applied. you can just wash it and all is done.
Cream or lotion are not water resistant.
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JazakAllah Dr. Irfan Shahzad,
So, in this thread (Discussion 61665), I mentioned to you that I noticed that some creams are thicker. Some chunks of that cream will be visible on my body in its original form even after I have washed myself without rubbing any body parts with the cream. Since you mentioned here that it “is not good to apply some water resistant unnecessarily before wudu”, should I avoid applying these creams?
However, in the linked thread, you also mentioned “they are not water resistant, and even they are, still it makes no difference, as you wash your body part and it is washed.” Can you please clarify this matter and both statements?
JazakAllah
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For context, Dr. Irfan Shahzad, this is what I mean:
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Stay calm and enjoy your life. Religion is easy.
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JazakAllah Dr. Irfan Shahzad,
Yes, you are right. I am ignoring this matter right now until I have a clear answer from you so that I don’t make life difficult for me.
But I’m just worried that if the cream looks like that on my hand (in the picture), then it will be water resistant. Because I don’t rub these creams during ghusl or wudu, I am worried that my ghusl or wudu will not be valid because you said it “is not good to apply some water resistant unnecessarily before wudu”. But you also said about such creams that “they are not water resistant, and even they are, still it makes no difference, as you wash your body part and it is washed.” Please can you clarify? It will make me feel relieved.
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I would rather invite you to make your own opinion in the light of our discussions. It will help you to have confidence in your opinion about the matters which are very clear and normal.
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I’m really not sure, Dr. Irfan Shahzad.
I feel as though such creams are not water-resistant. Even if they leave behind large chunks, then it is like bodily secretions. If bodily secretions are not water resistant, then the creams should not be water-resistant either.
I don’t think it is an obligation to remove these creams before performing wudu/ghusl even if the creams are water-resistant. I also don’t think it is necessary to rub the body parts with these creams while washing these body parts during wudu/ghusl. Even if the chunks from such creams are water-resistant, It is difficult to remember that they are on the body. Even if one notices these chunks, they can probably be considered to be like the specks we discussed. You told me that it does not matter if specks prevent water from reaching the skin. And you also told me that it is not necessary that water reaches every part of the body. So probably, even if these chunks are water-resistant, they are negligible due to having minimal affect on water reaching the skin. In the event that these creams are a considerable barrier to water entering the skin, they can still be ignored completely due to hardship in having to remove them.
In the case of nail polish or makeup, it is better that such things are removed. It is more acceptable to remove such things before as they form large barriers to water and affect the thoroughness with which one washes themselves. However, due to ease in religion, removing even these things is not necessary before performing wudu or ghusl. It is merely recommended.
Only when one is certain that a substance might prevent water from reaching the skin, should they consider removing it. Otherwise, they do not need to bother themselves. However, this is not necessary, but only recommended so that they can be as thorough as possible in washing themselves and preparing themselves for prayer. There is no issue even if one applies such a substance before wudu or ghusl.
These are my thoughts! I’m not sure if I was able to summarize your points or if I understood them correctly. Do you have anything to add, Dr. Irfan Shahzad? Do I have the right ideas?
JazakAllah
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good.
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