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Idhan (anointing with oil or perfume: its general ruling, the Friday and festival occasions, and the cases where it is forbidden)

ادّهان

Anointing (idhan) is smearing oneself with oil or perfume that contains no impurity. It is generally recommended for a person, and especially for the Friday prayer, the festivals and gatherings; women are excluded from it when they attend the Friday prayer, and it is forbidden or disliked in ihram, seclusion, fasting and mourning. 1 Anointing objects is permitted if they are free of impurity; an impure substance is disputed. 2

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At a glance

Era
The Prophetic Era
Region
Global / Diaspora
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Ethics and character

Meaning

Idhan (anointing) in the lexicon is smearing with oil or other grease; the wider term is ittila', which covers smearing with any substance, such as depilatory paste. The jurists keep to this lexical sense. 1

General ruling

Anointing a person with perfume or other substances that contain no impurity is in general recommended, since it is a seemly adornment for a Muslim and one of the adornments that God has permitted. Reports urge it, including a saying about anointing at intervals (one anoints, lets the oil dry, and anoints again; some say every other day); al-Nawawi judged that saying weak and Ibn al-Salah found no source for it. 1 It is especially recommended for the Friday prayer, the festival prayers and gatherings. The rule covers men, boys and slaves alike, but not women, who may not perfume or anoint themselves when they come to the Friday prayer. 1 Some cases make anointing forbidden or disliked: the state of pilgrim ihram for hajj or umra, seclusion (i'tikaf), fasting, and a widow's mourning. 1

Anointing objects

Anointing things other than people, such as a rope, a wheel, a ship or a sandal, is permitted when they contain no impurity. For anointing with an impure substance, the jurists differ according to whether using an impure thing is permitted. 2

Where the topic is discussed

Anointing has many rulings, worked out in their own chapters: anointing by one in ihram in the chapter on hajj, by one in seclusion in the chapter on i'tikaf, by a fasting person in the chapter on fasting, by a mourning widow in the chapter on the waiting period, and anointing with an impure substance in the chapter on purity and impurity. 2

People and things also explored

Ada' al-dayn (paying a debt: its ruling, the manner of payment, insolvency and the debts of the dead)· Ada' al-shahada (performing testimony: the duty on request, the excused witness, and the wording)· Manners of the Qur'an bearer· Biting and the liability for injury it causes (add)· Adha (harm of a slight kind: removing harmful things and the duty not to harm)· Justice and grace (adl wal-fadl)· Pardon (afw) in purity, worship, contracts and penalties· Covenant (ahd) and the duty to keep it; oath by the covenant of God

Sources

  1. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.2001
  2. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.2002
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Idhan (anointing with oil or perfume: its general ruling, the Friday and festival occasions, and the cases where it is forbidden)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/idhan-fiqh/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-23.

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Ada' al-dayn (paying a debt: its ruling, the manner of payment, insolvency and the debts of the dead)

Paying a debt in the form owed is obligatory by consensus. A debt due now must be paid on demand when the debtor can pay; a deferred debt is not due before its term. Payment is made in like items, with value owed where there is no like; a better payment is allowed when unconditioned. Remission, gift, assignment, set-off and settlement take the place of payment. A solvent debtor who refuses is compelled, imprisoned and his apparent property sold; the majority hold that a bankrupt is put under interdiction and his property divided among creditors, against Abu Hanifa. The insolvent is given respite, and his debt may be paid from zakat if he borrowed for himself in a lawful matter. A dead person's debt attaches to his estate and takes precedence over bequests and inheritance.