Fatwa on the Permissibility of Nail Polish - Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl

In an excerpt from the Usuli Institute Ramadan Q&A with Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl on 16 May 2020, Dr. Abou El Fadl answers the following question regarding the permissibility of wearing nail polish and prayer: "This may not be the most pressing question today but it is important to me and to so many women. I've read and heard many different responses to this that I don't know what to believe. My question is regarding the permissibility of nail polish and prayer. Does it matter if it’s artificial or just a paint? I’ve heard some say that if someone has polish on (prior to ablution), one should still make ablution and pray without necessarily having to remove it while others have went as far as to say that prayer is completely rejected if one has nail polish on prior to performing ablution. I know that Muslim businesses are capitalizing on this idea of breathable polish. Does it matter if it is breathable but not permeable. Is there something to this concept?! I am asking for myself and for my friends who feel at times, a little anxious to be seen with manicured nails in muslim spaces especially in the mosque." To see the full Q&A, see: Part 1: https://bit.ly/UsuliPt1RamQA51620 Part 2: https://bit.ly/UsuliPt2RamQA51620 For more, visit www.usuli.org!