Is Delaying Prayers/Salah Because of Makeup Permissible?
A common question raised by a lot of our Sisters’ in this day and age. We come across some people saying ‘I read somewhere that if I have make up on, I am allowed to delay salah’. Although it is tempting to find a fatwa which permits this (and I’m sure we can probably come across some articles on the internet that perhaps permit this), the simple answer is NO..
Salah is the first thing Allah will ask you about in the day of judgement, surely we can use a little common sense to determine if it’s ok to go against the Islamic teachings. Salah is the time where we have a one to one with Allah swt and do we really want to do something petty to ruin this relationship with our creator?
Make up is not something that is mandatory for you to wear. Yes you have to impress your spouse or look good when attending a special occasion but it shouldn’t be a means of distraction and so forth.
Special Occasion Scenario
Common questions/thoughts that coming into the minds of some Sisters.
I spent £200 or so on making up my face, so can I delay my salah? Or How can I attend that wedding which is in the afternoon and has 3 salahs during it? (can’t keep Wudhu for too long perhaps)
We have to be real and think about our actions. Are we seriously going to sell our relationship with Allah for the sake of money?
You sold your relationship with Allah for £200. SubhanAllah may Allah forgive us! And Keep us in the straight path.
One of the reasons behind these thoughts is that how will someone make wudhu for Salah whilst there makeup is on. Is there such thing as a special type of making where you can wash your face on top so wudhu is valid? Unfortunately not, no matter how convincing some brands may sound when they market their product. This even includes nail polish.
We came across a Mufti Ismail Menk lecture where he told an interesting story:
“Someone came across a lady who kept on repeating wudhu several times in one session. One person thought that they had OCD or something and therefore the repetition. However the person replied that they were in fact making wudhu 10 times, because if one breaks then another will cover them. She really believed this concept was valid subhanAllah. May Allah guide us all.”
The best Salah is the one that’s offered on time. So no matter what, we should try to avoid delaying the salah if possible and worse, not miss it at all. We don’t even know if Allah will even accept our Salah’s that are on time, let alone the ones we try to make up for afterwards. In addition we must offer salat with our full concentration, without any dunya distractions getting in the way.
What you should do?
Because your makeup was expensive doesn’t mean you can dis-count you salah. We can beautify ourselves artificially with all the cosmetics available in this day and age. However we should be proud of Allah has made us and giving us natural inner and outer beauty.
One may feel that they are ‘ugly’ but this is a trick of the Shaytaan, don’t let it get to you. All of Allah’s creations are beautiful and if you think otherwise than you will surely go against Allah. We need to be careful in this instance.
We have to learn to strike a balance for Allah swt. One day it will be your last opportunity and if you didn’t read salah in the past, you most likely won’t be able to do it then.
Think about health – A time will come when you health with deteriorate, so make the most of it while you can. Make effort as much as you can for the sake of Allah. One day you won’t even care about how you look as you may have reached a certain age and feel no make-up can make you look better.
What Allah has to offer you?
We must consider Allah will offer us something much for beautiful than makeup with noor and natural beautification when we prostrate for him.
Man hasunat salatuhu fil layl hasuna wujuhu fin-nahar
“Whoever’s Salah is beautified in the night in the darkest hours of the night perhaps their face will be beautified during the day”
For us, we cannot fulfil the basic duties to Allah, because we are lazy to fulfill it. We make up excuses and feel we cannot perform the salah on time or even at all. Because of Make up for example as per this topic.
If you cannot read standing, you can read sitting, or on your side if you have to lie down. Salah is made so easy for us and this is the beauty of our Deen.
We can surely put in more effort to improve ourselves. What is our duty? it’s the Fardh. So we shouldn’t miss this opportunity at all. Even better if we can read the Sunnah and Nafl. It will help develop a closer relationship with Allah swt.
The Call to prayer (Adhan)
This is something so powerful that even the Shaytaan runs away due to its power. If you also run away after the call then what does that make you?
It seems that as he rushes to get away, we rush with him, and we should in fact be doing the opposite. A true believer does not run away..
Say for example you are in a haram relationship (may Allah protect us from this) and your ‘boyfriend’ calls you come when they need you, and you go to them.
What about the most powerful relationship that exists? When Allah calls you when he doesn’t even need you, but still invites you to come to prayer. You may think what is in this prayer for me to rush to.
Before you can answer it, the adhan has the answer in the very next words of ‘come to success’, so we know our answer already but yet we choose to make up excuses to avoid attaining this success for materialistic things.
May Allah give us all the ability to act upon these words and avoid getting trapped in this fitnah.
