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Fatwa CenterPretending to pray without ablution to keep makeup
Question
A woman who prays five times a day since many years once went to an Iftaar (breaking the fast) party at school. There were mostly girls there, but there were also some male professors. She was fully adorned with makeup. When her friend told her about the prayer, she felt that she could not perform ablution as she would have to wipe the makeup off, so when her friends went to pray, she went and pretended to pray with them although she was not in a state of ablution. She did not now that was disbelief at the time, so if she adorns herself now, is that considered 'disbelief in love' (by loving someone/something equally or more than Allah) for her and will she thus be a disbeliever?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
This girl has committed two prohibited acts: firstly, she wore makeup in the presence of non-Mahram (permanently unmarriageable) men, and the second – which is graver – is that she performed the prayer without ablution. We have previously underlined in fatwas 91576 and 27613 that this is prohibited. Therefore, it is obligatory on her to repent to Allah for all of this.
The majority of the scholars held that when a Muslim performs the prayer without ablution knowingly, he is not declared a disbeliever, contrary to the opinion of the Hanafis. The view of the majority of the scholars is sounder, Allah willing, and it is the one adopted at Islamweb.
This girl did well by observing the obligation of prayer; however, she must repent to Allah of her past sins.
Her wearing makeup has nothing to do with committing Shirk (disbelief) of love, and she is not a disbeliever by doing so. She should beware lest the devil afflicts her with obsessive doubts (Waswaas) about Shirk and disbelief.
The Muslim woman is allowed to wear makeup provided that the Shariah conditions are met, one of which is that she must not wear it before non-Mahram men, as we have previously underlined in fatwa 84562.
Allah knows best.
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