assalamualikum if we find ball pen marks or any other marks on our wudu parts should we repeat our wudu and prayer? please kindly answer from the shafai school of thought.jazakallah khair

Respected Brother-in-Islam

Assalaamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullaahi Wa Barakaatuhu

The rule of the Shafi`i madhhab is that when something with a corpus (a physical body) lies UPON the skin and prevents water from penetrating upto the skin, it will prevent the validity of the wudu, but when it draws INTO the skin, such as in the case of watery ink or henna which stains the skin and leaves no body, wudu will be correct despite the presence of the foreign thing. (See Tuhfat al-Muhtaj vol. 1 p. 187)

Ballpoint marks form a film upon the skin, and do not stain the skin. Evidence hereof maybe found in the ease with which most ballpoint inkmarks are removed, even with water. Ballpoint marks also prevent water from reaching the portion of skin which they cover. As such, when wudu is performed without removing such marks, the wudu is invalid. The wudu has to be repeated, and any salah performed with that wudu must also be repeated. (Shaykh Taha Karaan)

and Allah Ta'ala Knows Best

Mufti Ebrahim Desai
FATWA DEPT.