Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad
Question:
I have done permanent hair straightening, assuming that it was halal. Then, I have seen a fatwa saying it prevents water from reaching the hair, so a fard shower would be invalid. From that time, I’m suffering waswasa. I have asked two hairstylists about it, and they assured me, but I keep researching about the chemical. I can’t ignore it; I feel like I might have created a layer and invalidated my whole life’s prayers. I tried to shave my hair, too. What can I do? I cry all day.
Answer:
Assalamu alaykum,
Thank you for your question. I understand that you must be feeling very upset and stressed about this, but there is no need to get all wound up about it.
Permanent wave or straight perm
In a standard “cold” perm, hair is put into curlers, and the reducing agent ammonium thioglycolate is added. The disulfide bonds break, and keratin molecules are now free to move around and adjust to the shape of the curl. Then a “neutralizer,” such as hydrogen peroxide, is added to reverse the effect of the reducing agent. New disulfide bonds form, so the keratin molecules are locked into the shape of the curls.
Discernible barrier
The process, as I was taught by my teacher, does not cause a discernible barrier on the hair, so water does reach it, as it does when there is oil on the hair. Your worship is in no way invalidated, and you should not give it another thought. Rather focus on your worship and seek guidance on how to improve your inward and how to practice the religion in the way that Allah wanted it to be practiced.
Waswasa
Strengthen your faith and worship by ignoring these doubts and know that Allah has not made Islam difficult or burdensome. Your only job is to learn or review your personally obligatory knowledge and apply it to the best of your ability. Fight your doubts with dhikr, Sacred knowledge, and dua. Please see the excellent answers below for more tips:
https://seekersguidance.org/answers/general-counsel/how-to-handle-constant-waswasa-in-acts-of-purification-and-worship/
https://seekersguidance.org/answers/general-counsel/satanic-whisperings-waswasa-as-a-trial-from-allah-punishment-or-blessing/
https://seekersguidance.org/answers/general-counsel/a-reader-on-waswasa-baseless-misgivings/
May Allah give you the best of this world and the next.
[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria, for two years, where she studied aqidah, fiqh, tajweed, tafseer, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her master’s in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan, where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She recently moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.