Are Small Barriers Excused in Wudu?

Answered by Ustadh Sufyan Qufi

Question

Sometimes I find cotton threads or barriers inside the cracks on my feet. They won’t go away by washing them because they’re always stuck, and the water never achieves to wash them out. Is my wudu valid?

Also, I find small barriers like small black particles stuck behind my fingernail or sometimes even on my fingernail. Do I have to scratch them away every time I make wudu? Are small barriers excused?

Answer

In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful.

I pray this finds you in the best of states.

Cracks on Feet

No, dirt from the ground, moist or dry, on the skin does not prevent the validity of the washing of the skin. Thus your wudu was valid despite the cotton threads inside the cracks of your feet. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Rad al-Muhtar]

This is because you can be sure that water will go through this dirt and reach the skin. [Ibid.]

Nails

From previous answers by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani (may Allah preserve him):

Dirt under the nails does not prevent the validity of wudu, as it is considered not to prevent water from reaching the skin. [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah; Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

It is from the sunna, however, to keep one’s nails trim by cutting them every week (ideally on Friday before the prayer) or at least once every 15 days. It is blameworthy not to cut them beyond 15 days, and sinful if it goes past 40. The same applies to one’s armpit and pubic hair. [Tahtawi, Hashiyat al-Tahtawi ‘Ala Maraqi al-Falah]

Things without a perceptible body (such as ink and your sock’s dye) are not considered barriers preventing water from reaching the skin.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalam
[Ustadh] Sufyan Qufi
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Sufyan Qufi is an advanced seeker of knowledge, originally from Algeria, who grew up in France. He began searching far and wide for answers to the fundamental questions of life and was disappointed at the answers he found. Then he connected with various traditional teachers and gradually connected with SeekersGuidance. He embarked on his journey of learning through the various teachers at SeekersGuidance, including his mentor Shaykh Faraz Rabbani. He studied numerous texts in Islamic Law, Theology, Hadith, and other areas with Shaykh Faraz Rabbani and other teachers, including Shaykh Abdurrahman al-Sha‘ar, Shaykh Ali Hani, and others. He is an active instructor at SeekersGuidance and answers questions through the SeekersGuidance Answers Service.