Q.| If after wiping off makeup or glue we are not sure whether anything remains on the skin, can we perform the ablution of wuḍū?

A.| In performing ablution, one must ascertain that the water reaches the skin. The only exception to this rule is if one is affected with obsessive-compulsive disorder (waswās),^[1] in which case one must ignore one’s doubt and refrain from ascertaining the presence of any obstructive element.

[1] Obsessive-compulsive disorder in this context is the abnormal and impulsive tendency to frequently doubt the correctness of one’s devotional actions and consequently feel compelled to repeat them out of an unhealthy wariness of possibly flawed performance.