Painting and Sculpture: Is Permanent Tattooing Permissible and Does It Affect Wuḍū’ or Ghusl?

Practical Laws of Islam as per the teachings of Imam Khamenei

Painting and Sculpture: Is Permanent Tattooing Permissible and Does It Affect Wuḍū’ or Ghusl?

English:

Question #1221:

What is the view on body tattooing which is usually done by some people and it is a method of obtaining marks or designs on the skin that are not removable? And does it constitute any barrier to water, used for ghusl or wuḍū’, reaching the skin?

Answer #1221:

Tattooing is not ḥarām and the mark it leaves under the skin does not form a barrier to water reaching the skin. Thus, ghusl and wuḍū’, with a tattoo on any part of the body, are valid.

-Imam Khamenei, Practical Laws of Islam, Importance and Conditions of Painting and Sculpture