If someone has a tattoo on his hand, is his prayer accepted, given that he wants to remove it but this requires surgery in his country of residence, and he cannot afford the procedure for its removal using lasers found in neighboring countries due to the high cost? Thank you.

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, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

Tattooing (Al-Washm) – which is forbidden to do and the one who does it is cursed according to the words of the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam – is the insertion of a needle or something similar into the back of the hand or the wrist or any other part of the man or woman's body until blood flows, then that location is filled with kohl or something else until it turns green. The tattooist is called (in Arabic) "Waashimah" and the one being tattooed is called "Mawshoomah". The one who seeks a tattoo is called "Mustawshimah."

It is an obligation upon the person who received the tattoo to remove it as soon as possible and to repent to Allaah for having had it done. If he/she fears receiving a hideous lesion (or scar) by removing it or he/she is financially incapable of doing so, then repentance is sufficient and the prayer (in this condition) is valid.

An-Nawawi said in Al-Majmoo‘: "Similarly, if he opened a place of his body and put blood or another impurity therein or he tattooed his hand or another part of his body, then he becomes impure by that insertion and he bears the same ruling as the one who sets a bone with another impure bone, and this is the established and verified opinion."

Ar-Raafi‘i said: "In the comments of Al-Farraa’, that the tattoo can be removed through treatment, then if it is not possible to do so except by surgery, then he should not do so and there is no sin upon him after he repents."

According to the established and verified opinion, just as it is in the issue about the impure bone, he should attempt to remove the tattoo as long as he does not fear any lasting damage.