Alcohol
According
to most scholars, alcohol is impure. Says Allah in the Qur’an; “Alcohol, games
of chance, idols and divining arrows are only an infamy of Satan’s handiwork.”
Some scholars say that it is pure, for they take the meaning of rajis in its
abstract sense as describing alcohol and whatever is related to it. This is not
labeled as impure in a definite, sensory way. Says Allah; “Stay away from the
impurities of idols.” Idols are impure in the abstract sense, and they are
considered impure if one touches them.
The explanation of the preceding verse is that
they are a tool of Satan, for they cause enmity and hatred and keep people away
from the remembrance of Allah and pra.yer. In Subul as-Salaam it says, “Their
origin is pure and their being prohibited does not mean that the object itself
is impure. For example, hashish is prohibited but it is pure. But, something
impure is not necessarily prohibited. Every impure thing is prohibited, but not
vice-versa. That is because of the ruling that something impure cannot be
touched under any circumstances. If a ruling says that something is impure, it
is also prohibited. This differs from a ruling that something is prohibited.
For example, it is forbidden to wear silk and gold, but they are absolutely
pure by consensus.” If one understands that, then the prohibition of alcohol
does not necessarily entail it’s also being considered impure: it needs some
other evidence to prove that it is impure. If not, then we are left with the
original position that it is pure. If one claims other than that, he must
substantiate it.
Purifying
the body and clothes
If
the clothes or body are contaminated with impurities, it is obligatory to wash
them with water until they are cleansed of the impurities. This is especially
the case if the impurity is visible, such as blood. If there are some stains
that remain after washing which would be extremely difficult to remove, they
can be overlooked. If the impurity is not visible, such as urine, it is
sufficient to wash it one time. ‘Asma bint Abu Bakr related that a woman came
to the Prophet, upon whom be peace, and said, “Our clothes are contaminated
with menstrual blood. What should we do about this?” He said, “Scrape it, rub
it with water, pour water over it and then pray in it.” (This is related by
al-Bukhari and Muslim) If impurities get on the lower portion of a woman’s
dress, it is purified by dust as she trails along. A woman said to Umm Salamah,
“I have a long dress that drags on the ground, even when I walk through places
that contain filth. What should I do about it?” Umm Salamah answered her, “The
Messenger of Allah said, ‘What comes after it purifies it.”’ This is related by
Ahmad and Abu Dawud.
Dogs
Dogs
are considered impure. Any container that a dog has licked must be washed seven
times, the first time with dirt. Abu Hurairah reported that the Messenger of
Allah, upon whom be peace, said, “Purifying a container that a dog has licked
is done by washing it seven times, the first washing being with dirt (that is,
water mixed with dirt until it becomes muddy).” This was related by Muslim,
Ahmad, Abu Dawud, and al-Baihaqi. If a dog licks a pot that has dry food in it,
what it touched and what surrounds it must be thrown away. The remainder may be
kept, as it is still pure. As for a dog’s fur, it is considered pure.
Purifying
the ground
If
there are impurities on the ground, it is purified by pouring water over it.
This is proven by Abu Hurairah’s hadith, mentioned earlier, about the Bedouin
who urinated in the mosque. The Prophet, upon whom be peace, said all that
needed to be done for purification was to pour water over it. Said; Abu
Qulabah, “The drying of the ground is its purification.” ‘Aishah said, “The
purification of the ground is its becoming dry.” (Related by Ibn Abi Shaibah.)
This, of course, refers to the case where the impurity is a liquid. If the
impurity is a solid, the ground will only become pure by its removal or decay.
Purifying
clarified butter and other similar substances
Ibn
‘Abbas relates from Maimunah that the Prophet, upon whom be peace, was asked
about a mouse that fell into a pot of clarified butter. He said, “Take (the
mouse) and what is around it out, and throw it away. Then eat (the rest of)
your clarified butter.” This is related by al-Bukhari.
Commenting
on the subject, al-Hafezh Ibn Hajr says, “Ibn ‘Abdul Barr reported that there
is agreement that if a dead animal falls into a solid matter, what the dead
animal touches and what is around it must be thrown away, provided that one can
make sure that the animal did not touch the remainder. As for a liquid
substance, there is some difference of opinion. The majority says that the
entire liquid becomes impure; az-Zuhri, al-Auza’i, and some others disagree
with that opinion.
Purifying
the skin of dead animals
Tanning
purifies the skin and the fur of a dead animal. This is based on the hadith of
Ibn ‘Abbas, in which the Prophet said, “If the animal’s skin is tanned, it is
purified.” (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim.)
A:
Purifying mirrors and similar objects
Mirrors,
knives, swords, nails, bones, glass, painted pots and other smooth surfaces
that have no pores are purified by simply wiping them and removing any impure
remains. The companions of the Prophet used to pray while wearing swords
smeared with blood, and they used to just wipe the swords to purify them.
B:
Purifying shoes
Shoes
may be purified by rubbing them against the ground, as long as the remains of
the impurity are removed. Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allah,
upon whom be peace, said, “If one of you stepped in some filth, the dirt will
purify his shoes.” Related by Abu Dawud. In another narration it states, “If
one of you steps in some filth with his shoes on, the dirt will purify them.”
Abu Sa’eed reported the Prophet, upon whom be peace, saying, “When a person
comes to the mosque, he should look at his shoes. If he finds any filth on
them, he should wipe them against the ground and pray in them.” (Related by
Ahmad and Abu Dawud.) Since shoes are repeatedly exposed to filth, it is
sufficient just to wipe them against the ground. This is similar to the case of
defecation. In fact, it is stronger than that case, as defecation usually
occurs only two or three times a day.
To
be continued
