Is Ghusl Still Valid If You Use an Antiperspirant That Blocks Sweat Ducts?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
Do antiperspirants that block sweat ducts (but any residual material left on the skin’s surface can be washed away with soap and water) keep ghusl invalid? Is it necessary for water to enter the sweat ducts in order for the ghusl to be valid?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate
I pray you are in good health and faith, amin. Thank you for seeking clarity and guidance.
Although antiperspirants block the sweat ducts, one is only obliged to wash the outer skin during wudu/ghusl. Water does not have to reach the sweat ducts; it is the outer layer of one’s skin that needs to pass and wash. [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Sa‘adat]
Keep continuing to seek clarity and guidance. Why not join one of the courses offered by SeekersGuidance?
I pray this helps in your questions.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied within UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete hifz of Quran in India, then enrolled into an Islamic seminary in 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 a number of years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh and many other Islamic sciences to both children and adults onsite and online extensively in UK and Ireland. He was teaching 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 UK with his wife. His personal interest is love of books and gardening.
