Guidelines for Using Makeup

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Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam

Question: Assalamu-alaykum, I am a nonmarried woman and I love beauty, and its a big part of who I am. I don’t wear makeup to provoke the lust of men. I wear light natural-looking makeup, it makes me feel better and more confident. Is it permissible?

Answer: Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,

Using makeup is not intrinsically impermissible. But the permissibility of the extent of its usage depends on the circumstance at hand.

Makeup: Limits and Guidelines

In private settings, such as when a lady, married or otherwise, is in the company of the same gender or members of her unmarriageable kin (mahram), it is permitted for her to wear makeup as she likes provided the environment is safe from improper gazes. Similarly, it would be praiseworthy for a married lady to adorn and beautify herself with makeup or otherwise for her spouse whilst in the privacy of her home or the like.

In public settings, makeup usage needs to be restrained, unassuming, and restricted, if required, to what maintains reasonable presentability alone, such as covering up blemishes and the like. What this means is that it should not be plain and obvious that you are wearing makeup. Usually, the sign of an amount of makeup that is not impermissible is that which would not normally attract the undue attention of the opposite gender. But if it is more than the minimum required amount, it would appear to enter into the realm of impropriety and offensiveness (karaha), depending on the amount used.

Note that what counts is the reality of how you are perceived by the opposite gender, even if your intention is not to attract such attention. Of course, things are not easy and times are difficult, particularly given the constant barrage of idealism pumped out by the fashion and cosmetic industries, but the reward of obedience is in accordance with the difficulty borne by each person. Ask Allah for steadfastness and do your best.

The Centrality of Modesty

The Blessed Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Modesty is from faith.” (Bukhari) Believers should strive to be colored by their modesty, namely, an inward trait of reserve which drives one to leave that which is ugly and unbecoming, such as disobedience and wrong. This subsequently manifests on the limbs and outer body in dignified, gracious comportment and uprightness in following the Sacred Law (shari‘a). Both genders are called upon to uphold such modesty, seeking thereby Allah Most High’s eternal grace and bounty in this world before the next.

Finally, it’s important to be aware that some may resort to makeup as a blanket to cover insecurities in confidence, appearance or otherwise. This is unhelpful and can be damaging to a person’s self-esteem and general emotional health in the long term, so it is wise to be honest with oneself and seek some counsel, even professionally, if needed. It may also be helpful to keep the company of a religious group of sisters in such circumstances because you can sometimes do in a group what you cannot do alone. As a community, we need to work on having strong faith, recognizing and appreciating our worth, as we are, before our Ever-Loving Lord, and having a principled outlook in living life governed by religious values and ethics.

Please also see: Is It Permissible to Have Semi Permanent Eyebrows Done? and: Is It Permissible to Use Cosmetics and Body Care Products That Contain Animal Ingredients?

(Tahtawi, Hashiyat al-Tahtawi ‘ala Maraqi al-Falah, quoting Ibn al-Humam (1.154); Jurdani, al-Jawahir al-Lu’lu’iyya Sharh al-Arba‘in al-Nawawiyya)

And Allah Most High knows best.

Wassalam,

[Ustadh] Tabraze Azam

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Tabraze Azam holds a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Leicester, where he also served as the President of the Islamic Society. He memorized the entire Qur’an in his hometown of Ipswich at the tender age of sixteen and has since studied the Islamic Sciences in traditional settings in the UK, Jordan, and Turkey. He is currently pursuing advanced studies in Jordan, where he is presently based on his family.

Is It Permissible to Just Read the Qur’an Until I Learn How to Pray?

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Answered by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Question: Assalamu ‘Alaykum, I just converted to Islam. Is It Permissible to Just Read the Qur’an During the Prayer Time until I Learn how to pray?

Answer: Wa ‘alaykum assalam wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh.

I pray you are well. Congratulations! I pray Allah makes your faith thrive and that He makes you embody the beauty of this religion such that you are pleasing to Him.

Start Now

You should pray the five daily prayers in their time. This is quite simple as you only need to do the bare minimum of actions for the obligatory prayers (2 units for fajr, 4 for Zuhr, 4 for ‘Asr, 3 for Maghrib, 4 for ‘Isha, 3 for witr). This can be learned in five minutes.

You should get someone who prays to help you with the following, but it is fairly straight forward. Start a minimal wudu: wash you face, arms up to the elbows, and feet unto the ankles once; and wipe a moist hand over a 1/4 of your head,

Then, face the Qibla, intend the prayer you are praying, and say ‘Allahu Akbar’. If you do not know the Arabic pronunciation you can say ‘God is the greatest.’

Then recite just one verse in Arabic – which shouldn’t be difficult to learn (try ‘Allah-us-Samad’). Then bow (ruku’) and stay there for a couple of seconds, stand for a second, and go down in to the prostration (sujud). Sit up, and then do another sujud.

This is one unit complete. Stand for the next. For fajr, sit for about 30 seconds after the second unit, then look at your shoulders and say ‘salam’ to end the prayer.

For the rest of the prayers, you will sit after the second unit and then stand for the third or the last unit. Repeat what you did earlier to end when the number of units for the prayer are done.

One last thing – in the witr prayer, in the third unit, after reciting a verse, raise your hands and say ‘Allahu Akbar’ once more before bowing.

Doing the above will give mean that your prayers are valid, and as you learn the elements of the prayer you can add to the above formula as you go. Learning the above is not difficult, and you’ll find it very easy with the help of another.

Go Slow

The prayer is a great source of benefit for a believer, and a means of showing gratitude to Allah for what He gives us. Getting it going will aid you in strengthening your faith – but take it easy. Learning about the details of the religion can be overwhelming, and sometimes adding new practices is very tempting too.

Please take our course on the Absolute Essentials of Islam. It will help you build your practice in a balanced way.

May Allah grant you the best of both worlds.

[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began his studies in Arabic Grammar and Morphology in 2005. After graduating with a degree in English and History he moved to Damascus in 2007 where, for 18 months, he studied with many erudite scholars. In late 2008 he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continued his studies for the next six years in Sacred Law (fiqh), legal theory (Usul al-fiqh), theology, hadith methodology, hadith commentary, and Logic. He was also given licenses of mastery in the science of Qur’anic recital and he was able to study an extensive curriculum of Qur’anic sciences, tafsir, Arabic grammar, and Arabic eloquence.

What Is Belief and What Is Disbelief?

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Answered by Ustadh Mohammed Tayssir Safi

Question: Assalamu ‘Alaykum, My question is regarding a person who seems to affirm the theory of evolution concerning humans and some beliefs that contradict the Islamic creed. What is ruling on a person who makes such statements? Is he still considered a Muslim or is he an apostate?

Answer: Wa Aleykum Salam

Questions revolving around the belief or disbelief of a specific individual are serious and should be handled with the utmost care. These types of questions should be handled by specialists of law and theology and should not be a topic for open conversation and contemplation. They should also not be engaged from a distance, rather, these types of discussions should be had face to face using the wisdom, gentleness, and mercy that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) always employed.

Furthermore, even an expert’s determination does not actually mean that a person is a believer or a disbeliever before God, rather, it is merely an educated attempt at applying general principles derived from revelation to a given circumstance. Only God truly knows who is a believer and who is a disbeliever, since only God can see the reality of our hearts and only He knows the detailed circumstances in which we live. I preface with all of that to say: We should not be inquiring about the belief status of other people. In fact, we should generally avoid it at all costs.

However, given that the question has been posted, we can use it as a teachable moment. We will address your question specifically, but we can also use this question to address the question of belief and disbelief more broadly. The hope is that the reader can get an idea about how these questions are generally understood in the tradition and the great care we should take to avoid declaring anyone a disbeliever.

But before we move on to addressing the larger issue, let’s first address your question directly. Given the scenario that you have laid out, the person would still be considered a Muslim. One does not leave Islam unless they reject or deny certain matters that are delineated below

What is belief and what is disbelief?

Belief is to submit your heart to what you know to be certainly a part of the religion of the Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace). And disbelief is to not submit, or to reject, or to deny what is certainly a part of the religion. In fact, it is more specific than that: It is to deny that which God has commanded us to believe in that is certainly part of the religion. Thus in order for a person who is Muslim to disbelieve (Allah protect us all from such an end), they essentially must reject what we were commanded to believe in and is certainly part of the religion. [See Ghazali’s Iqtisad as well as his Faysal al-Tafriqa and Taftazani’s Sharh al-Aqa’id]

However, the matter is actually more complicated and nuanced because some matters are known to be certainly part of the religion by the average person and other matters are only known to be certainly part of the religion by experts. The non-expert is not held to the standard of an expert. Rather, he/she only disbelieve if they reject what the average person would certainly know is a part of the religion. An example of this would be the five prayers. If someone were to reject the five prayers, they are rejecting what everyone knows is a part of Islam and as such have disbelieved. But a person might reject one of the laws of inheritance that are certainly part of the religion and are often taken directly from the Qur’an but for a non-expert to reject that would not render them a disbeliever because that is not common knowledge.

In the scenario you asked about, the individual in question does not seem to be denying that which God has commanded us to believe in that is certainly part of the religion. In some of the cases you mentioned, it isn’t even clear whether he is even denying outright or not. In other cases, the matter in question is not certainly known by common knowledge. Perhaps the only exception to what I have just mentioned would be your characterization of him bluntly pronouncing disbelief. It would really matter what he said, specifically, and even then his repeating the testimony of faith thereafter would enter him back into the fold regardless. His not believing that statements might cause one to disbelieve is not one of those commonly known certain parts of the religion and so his rejecting that would not render him a disbeliever.

Given the complexity of what was described above, what is the best step forward?

How should we respond in such cases?

As mentioned at the beginning of this answer, it is best not to inquire about the belief status of another person. However, if one is doing it out of the general concern and wanting to impact the person positively then that is acceptable. In that case one should abide by the following:

Generally, such cases should be left to scholars of the religion to respond to. If you have individuals in your life that can help advise you and advise the person in question, then great! However, one should not debate, call out, or get into an argument with someone over such matters. These are delicate issues that require knowledge, wisdom, and experience. Therefore, non-experts are much better off involving experts unless they believe that it is highly likely that they can advise someone in a good way and that said person will take it in a good way. Otherwise, we risk pushing the person further out which is not the intended outcome.

In addition to what is mentioned above, the scholar should engage the person privately and not publicly. People will generally respond negatively to public criticism or any type of public challenge. It is much more beneficial for the scholar to engage the person and counsel them in private, presenting all proofs in a wise, intelligent, and kind way. The only exception might be someone who is publicly calling to corrupt beliefs, then it is incumbent on someone who is an expert to address it in a wise manner, publicly, so that others will not be impacted by those false beliefs.

In conclusion, disbelief is a ruling of the Sacred Law

Disbelief is not something that we can wield against people we disagree with. Rather, disbelief is the most weighty charge anyone can be accused of and it is only delineated by God and not anyone else. The implications of disbelief are enormous and as such should never be rushed to and in fact should be avoided unless absolutely necessary. [See Ghazali’s Iqtisad and his Faysal al-Tafriqa] Therefore, we must take the utmost care not to rush to such judgments or push people in that direction. This religion is not ours to decide who is in and who is out. Rather, it is up to scholars to extract from revelation what God asks of us and implement it with the wisdom, mercy, and gentleness that the Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace) employed.

I strongly advise you, all readers, and myself to be very cautious when it comes to such matters.

Allah knows best,
I leave you in Allah’s care,

[Ustadh] Mohammed Tayssir Safi

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Mohammed Tayssir Safi was born in Dubai, and moved to the United States six months after he was born. He graduated from the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor in 2006 as a double major in Political Science and Middle Eastern and North African Studies. He spent the next 3 years of his life traveling the Middle East, completing the Arabic program, CASA, in Egypt, and pursuing private studies in Arabic linguistics and introductory Islamic sciences. His brief introduction to Islamic studies continued for another year at the Dar al-Mustafa Institute in Tarim, Yemen. Mohammed also teaches Arabic at the University of Michigan. Apart from classes at the University of Michigan, Mohammed studies at the hands of Muslim scholars privately in multiple sciences including linguistics, law, and theology.

What Is the Ruling of the Prophetic Family Accepting Any Form of Charity?

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Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch

Question: Assalamu Aleykum, What is the ruling of the Prophetic Family accepting zakat or any form of charity?

Answer: Wa Aleykum Selam,

The basis is that the Prophetic Household, which comprises of the progeny of Ali, Abbass, Jafar, Aqil, and Hatith bin Abdul Muttalib does not accept any forms of charity. This is because Allah, Most High has forbidden for them the filth of the people (i.e. the impure wealth) and gave them one-fifth of the war spoils instead. [al-Lubab fi Sharh al-Kitab]

Since there is no longer any war spoils for the Prophetic Household to get a share of, many scholars have given a legal ruling (fatwa) that it is permissible for those of the Prophetic Household to accept charity if there is a necessity.

Those Who Permitted The Accepting of Charity for the Prophetic Household

Abu Isma who narrates from Imam Abu Hanifah (may Allah have mercy of them) that in his time it is permissible to give (charity) to the Prophetic Household. This is because the alternative, which is war spoils, does not reach them due to the negligence of people in giving of the war spoils to those who deserve it. Thus if the alternative does not reach them, then the original should be given, once again. [Hashiyah Ibn Abidin]

Also, Abu Yusuf (may Allah have mercy on him) is narrated to have permitted the Prophetic Household to give and accept charity from one another. This is also a narrated opinion from Imam Abu Hanifah. [Hashiyah Ibn Abidin]

The Cautious Stance

With that being said, there is expansiveness in the matter. If one, however, wanted to take the cautious stance of either taking charity only from those of the Prophetic Household or not taking it at all, that is their right and their cautiousness is praiseworthy.

In such a case, one should respectfully ask whether the one giving the money, intends it as charity or as a gift. If done with kindness and wisdom most would not take offense.

May Allah bless you
Allah A’alam

[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a graduate from Tarim; a student of Habib Umar and other luminaries; and authorized teachers of the Qur’an and the Islamic sciences.

What Are the Things That Nullify Someone’s Islam?

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Answered by Ustadh Farid Dingle

Question: What are the things that nullify someone’s Islam?

Answer: Dear questioner,

Thank you for your valued answer.

No one leaves Islam except by willingly and actively rejecting Islam. Imam al Tahawi tells us, ‘And nothing takes a slave out of faith except rejecting that which brought him into it.’ (Al Aqida al Tahawiyya)

No sin takes one out of Islam. (Al Aqida al Tahawiyya)

Please also read:

Waswasa, Apostasy and Pure Faith
I Think I’ve Committed Apostasy. How Do I Repent?

I pray this helps.

[Ustadh] Farid Dingle

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Farid Dingle has completed extensive years of study in the sciences of the Arabic language and the various Islamic Sciences. During his studies he also earned a CIFE Certificate in Islamic Finance. Over the years he has developed a masterful ability to craft lessons that help non-Arabic speakers gain a deep understanding of the language. He currently teaches courses in the Arabic Language

Is It Licit to Go to a Snooker Lounge That Doesn’t Have Gambling and Betting?

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Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad

Question: Is it halal to go to a snooker lounge that doesn’t have gambling and betting?

Answer: Assalamu alaykum,

Thank you for this excellent question. Playing snooker, also known as pool or billiards is permissible in the type of lounge that you mention. Although it isn’t prohibited, I must mention some detail.

Wasting time has become far too common among our youth and boys. They don’t perceive that the reason for the absence of blessings (barakah) in our lives as a nation (ummah) is because of how much time is wasted. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and give him peace, said, “Take advantage of five matters before five other matters: your youth before you become old; your health, before you fall sick; your wealth, before you become poor; your free time before you become preoccupied, and your life, before your death.” [Musnad Imam Ahmad]

This hadith is sufficient to indicate to us that our days and nights are meant to be valued as precious. Our youth should be pre-occupied with learning obligatory and beneficial knowledge, serving the poor, elders, and the needy, seeking to build skills to acquire halal provision, seeking to strengthen one’s body with fresh air and exercise. Building relationships with neighbors and family and not forgetting one’s duties are of utmost importance.

The lifestyle that comes along with snooker lounges is not appropriate for a person who spends his day thinking it could be his last. A Muslim may not enter into an activity that might cause him to miss a prayer, neglect his duties at home, ignore his children and forget about their upbringing, fall short in helping his parents, etc. Ponder this last hadith and I leave the decision up to you. Please see the related links for clarification on wasting time.

The Prophet, may Allah bless him and give him peace, said, “The feet of a servant will not touch the ground until he is asked about his life and how he spent it; his knowledge and how he acted upon it; his wealth and how he acquired it and spent it and his body and how it was used.” [Tirmidhi]

Do make time for leisure, but with the right intention. Have a picnic with your family, connect with friends for sport, food, worship, or other quality time. Fill your time with beneficial activities and service, you will see the blessings rain down, near and far in sha Allah.

The Blameworthy Trait Of Wasting One’s Time and Its Cure

On Using Time Appropriately

[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria for two years where she studied aqidah, fiqh, tajweed, tafseer and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her Masters in Arabic. Afterwards, she moved to Amman, Jordan where she studied fiqh, Arabic and other sciences. She recently moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.

Nearness To Allah

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Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch

Question: What should one do if they desire to excel in their Deen but find distractions holding them back?

Answer: In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

May Allah bless you for your sincerity in seeking guidance.

The feeling or desire to gain nearness to Allah, Most High is one of the greatest blessings anyone can attain. These impulses toward good and to fulfill life’s purpose are from Allah, Most High. Once they come, Imam Abdullah bin Alawi al-Haddad mentions, in his book, The Etiquettes of the Seeker, that one (1st) should protect that impulse, (2nd) strengthen that impulse, and (3rd) respond to that impulse.

Protecting the Urge to Gain Nearness to Allah

One should seek to protect the urge to come closer to Allah, Most High by trying to keep in a constant state of remembrance of Allah. This should be with both tongue and heart. Included in this is a recitation of the Qur’an, seeking Sacred Islamic Knowledge, learning more about the Beloved Messenger of Allah (may Allah be pleased with him), etc…

Strengthening the Urge to Gain Nearness to Allah

One should make an effort to strengthen this drive by keeping the company of righteous believers. Good companionship is a great way to keep one’s focus and determination to become better servants of Allah. Allah, Most High says, “O’ you who believe, be mindful of Allah, and be with the truthful ones.” [Qur’an; 9:119] At the same time one should try to distance themselves from sinful and/or heedless people, for this will certainly endanger one’s relationship with Allah, Most High.

Responding to the Urge to Gain Nearness to Allah

Allah, Most High says, “O’ you who believe. Respond to the call of Allah and His Messenger, when He calls you to that which will give you life.” [َQur’an; 8:24]

Responding to this urge can be done by taking any opportunity to do good deeds and to abandon procrastination. Our lives are short and we must take advantage of the time that we have been allotted.

Practical Steps

The ways to Allah, Most High are many. So much that one may become bewildered trying to figure out how to gain the good pleasure of Allah. I would advise seeking Islamic Knowledge from a qualified scholar, who is a person of mindfulness of Allah (taqwa) and Prophetic Character.

The above-mentioned author, Imam Abdullah bin Alawi al-Haddad (may Allah shower him is mercy) has a book called, The Book of Assistance. This is a good book to strive to implement. One should take one chapter at a time and strive to implement its teachings before moving on to the next chapter.

May Allah bless you and assist you in attaining His good pleasure

Allahu A’alam

[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a graduate from Tarim; a student of Habib Umar and other luminaries; and authorized teachers of Qur’an and the Islamic sciences.

Conversion And Abusive Mother

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Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch

Question: How do I deal with the difficulties I face from my non-muslim mother?

Answer: In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

May Allah bless you for embracing Islam and may He make easy your relationship with your mother and soften her heart toward Islam.

Your responsibility to your mother is to treat her with good character and the utmost respect. At the same time, if she demands from you anything that is against your faith, refuse with kindness and dignity.

The Challenges a Convert Faces

Dealing with non-muslim relatives is one of the main challenges for the convert. It proves much more difficult when that relative is one’s mother. This is not something new. The Companions [may Allah be pleased with them] – many of whom were converts – faced very similar issues, sometimes far worse.

Obtaining the Pleasure of Allah

Islam is a relationship with Allah, Most High, in which we seek to obtain His divine pleasure. That is achieved by doing what Allah wants from us, in whichever situation He puts us in. We are all tested in different ways and your test is your relationship with your mother. Although challenging this may be how you obtain the pleasure of Allah, Most High, it may be your ticket to Jennah, per se.

Islam commands us to be righteous to our parents while holding to our principles. We are commanded to be humble, respectful, and not to utter any words on disrespect. If they ask of us, that which is permissible in our faith, we strive to fulfill that request. But if they ask of us that which is displeasing to Allah, we refuse with respect and kindness.

Allah, Most High, says:

And We have enjoined upon man [care] for his parents. His mother carried him, [increasing her] in weakness upon weakness, and his weaning is in two years. Be grateful to Me and to your parents; to Me is the [final] destination. But if they endeavor to make you associate with Me that of which you have no knowledge, do not obey them but accompany them in [this] world with appropriate kindness and follow the way of those who turn back to Me [in repentance]. Then to me will be your return, then I will inform you of what you used to do. [Qur’an: 31.15]

In matters such as these, one should turn themselves to Allah, Most High, in supplication. Allah, Most High is the possessor of the hearts. If He wishes, He can change your mother’s heart. Allah, Most High, says:

Perhaps Allah will put between you and those you have enmity with, from them, love. And Allah is All-Able. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful [Qur’an: 60.7]

May Allah make easy your affairs

Allahu A’alam

[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a graduate from Tarim; a student of Habib Umar and other luminaries; and authorized teachers of Qur’an and the Islamic sciences.

Waiting Period After A Miscarriage

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Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam

Question: Salams, I was 24weeks pregnant and had a sudden delivery and my baby died. I want to ask how many days should I wait for praying to make my Prayer?

Answer: Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,

I’m deeply sorry to hear that your baby passed away shortly after birth. May Allah Most High increase you in steadfastness and facilitate your healing and recovery. Insha’Allah, you shall be reunited with your baby in the next life where you will find an infinite reward for your sincere faith and submission. It’s moving to see somebody so concerned about their relationship with their Lord after such a tragic event.

The blood which exits from the uterus after the birth of a child is legally considered to be lochia (nifas). The maximum period of such bleeding is forty days, but keep an eye on it to see if it stops before then. If it does, you should perform the full, ritual bath (ghusl) and then begin praying your prayers as usual. Similarly, you may fast, recite the Qur’an and engage in other acts of devotion after your bath.

Marital Relations After Childbirth

If you have a lochial habit, that is to say, you have had a child before and the lochia lasted a certain length of time, then it would not be permitted to engage in sexual relations with your spouse until the completion of this period. For example, if your bleeding lasted thirty days last time, and this time it stopped after twenty-five, you would need to avoid such relations until you reach thirty days.

Note that you can still be intimate with your spouse at any point during your lochia, yet without any direct, skin-to-skin contact between your navel and knee.

However, if the bleeding continues and reaches forty complete days, you may not engage in any sexual relations during this time and up to this point, even if your lochial habit finished much earlier. Further, you would consider all blood after your lochial habit to be irregular (istihada). Accordingly, you would need to perform a ritual bath and then make up the prayers from the end of your habit and until day forty, and then continue to consider yourself ritually pure thereafter.

If there are issues in calculation or any other problem arises, it’s worth reaching out to a reliable scholar to ask for assistance.

(Birgivi, Dhukhr al-Muta’ahhilin wa al-Nisa’; Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah, with Tahtawi’s Gloss)

Please also see: How Can I Know the End of My Menstrual Period? and: When to Resume Prayers After Having a Child

And Allah Most High knows best.

Wassalam,

[Ustadh] Tabraze Azam

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Tabraze Azam holds a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Leicester, where he also served as the President of the Islamic Society. He memorized the entire Qur’an in his hometown of Ipswich at the tender age of sixteen and has since studied the Islamic Sciences in traditional settings in the UK, Jordan, and Turkey. He is currently pursuing advanced studies in Jordan, where he is presently based on his family.

Purity And Gas Issues

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Answered by Ustadh Farid Dingle

Question: Gas sometimes exits my vagina and it really troubles me. Should I make wudu every time I think may have happened?

Answer: Dear questioner, Thank you for your valued and important question.

May Allah make your situation easier and give you clarity in your worship of Him.

You should only make wudu when you are absolutely certain that gas has come out of your vagina. Otherwise, you should completely ignore it.

It is normal to occasionally get a little OCD about religious practice. You should just ask a scholar about it, and ignore the thoughts.

Certainty and doubt

The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) was asked about someone with uncertain sensations of passing wind in the prayer. He replied, ‘Let him not leave the prayer unless he hears something or smells something.’ (Bukhari and Muslim)

The ulema had deduced from this hadith, among countless others, a very important and useful principle: ‘Doubt shall not remove certainty.’ (al Ashbah wa al Nadhair, Suyuti) As long as you are certain about something, just ignore doubts about it.

So, if you think that you pass gas, but are not sure, you just assume that it was nothing and ignore it.

Going Overboard

In another version of the hadith above, these thoughts are actually ascribed to the Devil. (Talkhis al Habir, Ibn Hajar al Asqalani). This tells us that not only are these thoughts wrong, but they are actually sent by the very one who is trying to ruin us.

This is very useful to know because it means that just ignore them completely and go on applying Islam as we have properly learned to do so. It also tells us that our iman must be quite high because otherwise, the Devil wouldn’t occupy himself with us so much.

So we should just thank Allah for faith in Him, and for knowledge of how to apply Islam properly, and just completely ignore these thoughts.

Please also see: A Reader on Waswasa (Baseless Misgivings)

I pray this helps.

[Ustadh] Farid Dingle

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Farid Dingle has completed extensive years of study in the sciences of the Arabic language and the various Islamic Sciences. During his studies he also earned a CIFE Certificate in Islamic Finance. Over the years he has developed a masterful ability to craft lessons that help non-Arabic speakers gain a deep understanding of the language. He currently teaches courses in the Arabic Language.