Would Salah be valid if there are animal by products/haram ingredients on your body (in lotion)? Is it permissible to use lotions whose ingredients are masbuh?
Bismillahi Ta’ala
Walaikum Assalam Warahmatullah
The ruling for animal ingredients used in lotion will depend on the source of the ingredient.
If it is derived from insects or sea creatures, for example, carmine, it will be pure. However, such lotion may not be used on lips as that may endanger its consumption.
Likewise, if it is derived from the bones of a land animal other than swine, for example, gelatin, it will also be pure. However, this is not the case for all other gelatin (including from hide). Lotions carrying these types of ingredients are permissible for external use.
If the animal ingredient has a source other than what has been mentioned above, it will be rendered najaasa ghaleeza (major impurity). Lotions with such animal ingredients within them are generally classified najasah ghaleeza (major impurity), rendering salah invalid if more than a square inch of it is applied to the body.
The only way to derive the ruling for any specific brand of lotion would be to assess its ingredients specifically and investigate any potential animal derived ingredients.
If there are any ingredients which are unknown, it is better to avoid applying that lotion in the future, but salahs offered with it on the body in the past do not need to be repeated.
Wallahu A’lam
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Maulana Taha Abdulkareem
Checked and Concurred
Mufti Faisal al-Mahmudi