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Fatwa CenterHaving artificial nails
Question
is it possible to have artificial nails put on your hands and still pray and do wudu
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
If the artificial nails prevent the water from reaching your real nails or part of them when performing every ablution, then in this case the ablution is not valid, because it is a condition in ablution to make water reach the place which must be washed, but if these nails do not prevent the water from reaching the place that must be washed, then the ablution is correct. The prayer is also valid if these nails are pure. This is the ruling about ablution and the prayer with these nails.
The Sunnah is not to keep them long. The Prophet said: "There are five acts of Fitrah (natural disposition upon which Allaah created mankind), among which he mentioned cutting the nails." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
Therefore, wearing such nails is disliked because this would be imitating the act of women who contradict the Fitrah (natural disposition upon which Allaah created mankind) by keeping the nails long.
However, if using such nails is overwhelmingly widespread among the non-Muslim and dissolute women in a way that it is only a woman who is influenced by them would do that, then in this case, no person with a sound reasoning would doubt the prohibition of this act.
If the intention is to wear these nails for beautifying yourself, then you may polish your nails instead but you should remove the polish before every ablution.
For more benefit, please refer to Fatwa 83035.
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