Purity: Validity of Ghusl with Soap or Chalk Traces on Nails

Practical Laws of Islam as per the teachings of Imam Khamenei

Purity: Validity of Ghusl with Soap or Chalk Traces on Nails

English:

Question #177

In some cases it is observed that after ghusl there remain traces of soap or chalk around the fingernails and toenails that were not visible in the bathroom; however, after coming out from the bathroom the whiteness of soap becomes visible. Some people do ghusl and wuḍū’ without knowing this rule or paying attention to it. What is one’s duty in such cases, as it is uncertain whether water has reached the skin under the white trace or not?

Answer #177

The mere presence of a layer of chalk or soap, that becomes visible after the body dries up, does not harm the validity of wuḍū’ or ghusl, except when it makes an obstacle that prevents water from reaching the skin.

-Imam Khamenei, Practical Laws of Islam, Rules of Ghusl Janābah