He has hyperhidrosis and feels that there are traces of shampoo and soap on the skin; are his wudoo’ and ghusl valid?

Question: 377679

I have a problem called hyperhydroisis where my hands can become very sweaty and I dont feel the tempature of the water on my skin and I also don't know if water is reaching the skin but I don't think so. and like right below my fingernails I dont think the water reaches there and after putting on shampoo or soap and washing I feel something on my palm like my skin feels very soft and I think the shampoo and soap might be putting a barrier but that might be due to the condition I have so what should I do? and can this not be put on your guys website?

Answer

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah and his family.

When doing wudoo’ and ghusl, it is required to remove anything that could prevent the water from reaching the skin, so that the part may be washed properly, as enjoined by Allah.

Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):

{ O you who have believed, when you rise to [perform] prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles } [al-Maa’idah 5:6].

The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said to Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him): “When you find water, let it touch your skin, for that is better.” Narrated by Abu Dawood (332); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.

If someone does wudoo’ and there is something on any part of the body that must be washed in wudoo’ that prevents the water from reaching his skin, it cannot truly be said that he has washed that part or that the water has touched his skin.

The guideline in that regard is:

Whatever has substance, meaning thickness that prevents the water from reaching what is beneath it, such as nail polish and some creams, must be removed.

Whatever does not have a substance – rather what is left is its colour or an oily trace, such as olive oil, shampoo and soap – does not have to be removed. In fact, in most cases shampoo and soap do not leave any trace; rather it is only softness that results from them.

An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said in al-Majmoo‘ (1/456): If there is wax, dough, henna and the like on one of his limbs, which prevents water from reaching any part of it, then his taharah (purification) is not valid, whether the amount is large or small. If there are traces of henna and its colour left on the hand or elsewhere, without there being any solid material left, or traces of liquid grease whereby water flows over the limb but does not stay there, his tahaarah is valid. End quote.

Ibn Shata al-Bakri (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

Traces of ink or henna do not matter. What is meant by a trace is mere colour, so that it is not possible to scratch it off, for example. End quote from I‘aanah at-Taalibeen (1/35).

For more information, please see the answer to question no. 240518 .

Based on that, no attention should be paid to what you feel of softness of the skin, and you should not think that it results from a barrier; rather, even if we assume that it is the traces of the shampoo or soap, it does not form a barrier.

There is no difference in that regard between one who sweats a great deal and anyone else.

You should beware of waswasah (whispers from the Shaytaan; intrusive thoughts) regarding purification and other matters.

Allah knows best.

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