The Impurities

The Islamic doctrine takes into consideration all the aspects of the human life, the little and the great ones. It orders with everything that brings about the welfare of the mankind and forbids, warns from, and shows the bad consequences on the body and the soul of everything that results in the corruption, harm, and destruction of the mankind.

From the issues in which the Islamic doctrine is concerned a lot is that of impurity. Consequently, it orders the human being to turn away from it and to avoid it in his worships, food, and drinking, so that he will be far away from its corruption and close to the yard of purity before his Most Glorified and High Creator and before the people. So that we will be able to keep purity, it is indispensable to get acquainted with the impurities.

First and Second: Urine and Feces

The details which are related to urine and feces are going to be clarified in the following chart:
 

Note

By the animal whose blood pours out forcefully, it is meant the animal whose blood, when slaughtered, flows out with gush and forcefully. It is called also the animal whose blood is hot, such as: sheep, cows, chicken, etc.

As regards the animal whose blood does not pour out forcefully, it is meant by it the animal whose blood, when slaughtered, does not flow out. It is also called the animal whose blood is cold, such as: fish, cricket, etc.

Important Judgments

- The feces and urine of the animal whose flesh is edible are pure, yet it is impermissible to take them in even if they are meant for cure.¹
- The feces of the birds, even those of the birds which are forbidden to be eaten, are pure, such as: the feces of the crow, parrot, falcon, and other birds.²

Third, Fourth, and Fifth: Blood, Semen, and Corpse

These things are impure, whether they are of the human being or of an edible or a non edible animal. The details are going to be clarified in the following chart:
 

Important Judgments

- In case the needle is inserted in the blood vein, meets blood, and then is taken out without any trace of blood on it, then it must be judged with purity.

- The blood remaining in the slaughtered animal is pure. In case the sheep, for instance, is slaughtered and the blood gets out as is customary and then the place of slaughtering is purified, then the blood seen by the religiously responsible person after that inside the slaughtered animal must be judged to be pure; still, it is impermissible to take it in.

- The blood spot inside the egg is pure, yet it is forbidden to take it in.³

* From the impurities, the following things are excluded:
- First: The corpse of the human being before it gets cold and after having been done with its wash
- Second: The martyr who martyrized in the battle and whom the Muslims did not reach while he was still alive
- Third: Every non lively part in the human being and in the animal, such as: the hair, tooth, nail, wool, fluff, horn, and other parts
- Fourth: Every part that gets separated by itself, such as: the scales from the skin of the hands and the lip blisters and others⁴

The leathers imported from the Islamic countries are judged to be pure, and it is permissible to perform the prayer while putting them on. As regards the leathers imported from the non Islamic countries, in case it is known that they are not slaughtered according to the Islamic way, then they are impure, and thus it is impermissible to perform the prayer while putting them on. But in case one doubts whether they are slaughtered according to the Islamic way or not, then they are pure, yet it is still impermissible to perform the prayer while putting them on.⁵

Sixth and Seventh: (the land not water) Dog and Pig

They are impure along with their organs, even along with the parts which are not alive, such as: the hair, fangs, and saliva.

The hunting dog is impure as all kinds of dogs are. In case it catches its prey, after having hunted it, with its mouth or body with a transmitting wetness even from its saliva, then the prey must be purified.

Eighth: The Intoxicant Which Is Liquid in Origin

The intoxicant which is liquid in origin is impure with all its parts, like the wine, bubbling beer, and all kinds of alcoholic drinks.⁶

In case the grape juice boils on the fire yet two thirds of it do not evaporate, then to drink it will be forbidden yet it will not be impure.⁷

As regards the intoxicant which is solid in origin, like the hashish, it is pure yet it is not permissible to take them in.⁸

Ninth: The Unbeliever

The unbelievers are of four parts:

- The Atheist: He is the one who denies the existence of The Most High God.
- The Declarer of Enmity: He is the one who declares enmity to the Impeccable Household (God’s prayers and peace bestowed upon them).
- The Exaggerator: He is the one who considers The Prince of the Believers (God’s peace bestowed upon him) to be God.
- The Man of a Book: He is the one who belongs to the religion of one of the prophets (God’s prayers and peace bestowed upon them and upon out Prophet and his Household) and thus is considered from this prophet’s nation like the Jews and the Christians.

Every one of these four parts is judged to be impure, except for the last part i.e. the unbeliever who is a man of Book who is considered to be pure.⁹

The sweat of the person in ritual impurity which results from a forbidden sexual intercourse is pure; still, it is a dutiful cautiousness not to perform the prayer with it.¹⁰ The impurity is not transmitted unless there is a transmitting wetness i.e. transmitting the impurity from the wet body to the other body merely at touch; yet in case of dryness, it is not transmitted.¹¹

1- Ajweebat Al-Istifta’at [The Answers to the Consultations]/ Question 279
2- Ajweebat Al-Istifta’at/ Question 278
3- Ajweebat Al-Istifta’at [The Answers to the Consultations]/ Question 268
4- Ajweebat Al-Istifta’at/ Question 271
5- Ajweebat Al-Istifta’at/ Question 274
6- Ajweebat Al-Istifta’at [The Answers to the Consultations]/ Question 300
7- Ajweebat Al-Istifta’at/ Question 301
8- Ajweebat Al-Istifta’at/ Question 306
9- Ajweebat Al-Istifta’at/ Question 312
10- Ajweebat Al-Istifta’at [The Answers to the Consultations]/ Question 312
11- Ajweebat Al-Istifta’at/ Question 289