Is it Permissible to Wipe Over Water-Based Pomade?


Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

Is it permissible to make masah over pomade that is thick in substance before applying if it is described on the packaging as “water soluble”? Wiping over the head after applying a thick pomade that is described.

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.

Oils and creams do not prevent water from reaching the skin when washing, so a greater reason is that it does not prevent wiping. On the other hand, gel, like pomades, is very thick and may prevent the wet hand from contacting the hair. For this reason, it would be most cautious not to use thick layers of hair gel. However, water will likely reach if only a thin gel layer is applied.

Considerations

To fulfill the obligation of wiping, it is necessary to wipe one-fourth of the head. However, if someone uses hair gel to style their hair for work or another purpose, they can apply it on the top of their head and wipe the sides instead. It is important to note that the wiping must occur on any part of the head above the ear level.

[Ibn ʿAbidin, Radd al-Muhtar; ‘Ala al-Din ‘Abidin, Al-Hadiyya al-‘Ala’iyya; Tahtawi, Hashiyat al-Tahtawi ’ala Maraqi al-Falah]

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Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.