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Is it valid to pray behind a Muslim who has a large tattoo on his arm, in imitation of non-Muslims?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

If it is possible to remove the tattoo without harm, its removal is obligatory; otherwise, it is not obligatory to remove it, and prayer with it is valid. The jurists have agreed that tattoos are impure. The Hanafis held that it becomes pure by washing, and the persistence of its trace does not cause harm, and his prayer and imamate are valid. The Malikis said: It is among the excused impurities, and prayer with it is valid. The Shafi'is held that its removal is obligatory unless harm is feared, and his prayer and imamate are valid. As for the Hanbalis, they said: If the removal of the tattoo does not result in harm, its removal is obligatory; otherwise, no. The tattooed person must repent to God, as tattooing is originally forbidden. And it is not befitting for one who possesses justice to be an imam for the people.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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