Issues relating to Physical Purification
Question
Please bear with me with the following long list of questions. What exactly does washing mean? Does it mean as the dictionary says "to rub off the area with water". Does washing mean to rub the area while water is flowing over it, or does it mean to let water flow over a certain area? what exactly does removal of an impurity means? does it mean to remove all traces of the impurity from the effected area i.e. the stain, the smell and taste? How to remove a liquid impurity? when it is wet? Would it suffice to run water over it and the effected area will be clean? If there is liquid impurity on a part of human body where water CANNOT be flowed over, how to remove the impurity then? when it is dry? Would if suffice to pass wet hand over it? or would it suffice to flow water over it? or would if suffice to rub it while water is flowing over it? If i rub it with wet hand, would the liquid impurity spread or be removed? if a liquid impurity falls on a non-porous surface and dries out and i pass my wet hand over that point, will the impurity get over my hand or not? if a liquid impurity falls on a non-purous surface and dries out and then becomes wet again and i pass my dry hand over that point, will the impurity get on my hand or not? How to remove solid impurity from human body? Would it suffice to wipe it off? so that no visible stains are left? In the case of Istigmaar, we cannot see the area where the impurity (human excrement) is? how can one make sure that the area is clean? If i do istigmaar with wet/dry tissue, wont the impurity still remain there? More if the back if the human body is still wet, wont it make the clothes worn after doing istigmaar become impure as well by transfer of solid impurity? I do istibraa after urination, but when at the end of the day, i take off my undergarment, it give off a smell like that of uric acid, even though the whole day I did not feel any kind of excrement coming out of the front organ? What to do then to get pure again? there is liquid impurity over certain body part, if i run water over it, the water would take the impurity with and thus become impure. The impure water on its way, would touch other body parts below the impure part and would also make them impure? How to clean liquid impurity off one's body then? Run water over the parts below the impure part (which has now become pure) as well? When ever there is liquid impurity over my body i try to run water over and try to make sure that water does run over each and every part of the affected area? If the liquid impurity is on the area inbetween the front and the back organ, it becomes extremely difficult to run water over it, I therefore take about more than one and a half hour to take a bath and purify my self. Prophet Muhammad did not have that much water that we have today, how could he then remove impurity (liquid and solid) between his front and back organs? I pray to Allah Almighty, Most Wise and Most Merciful, to help you answer me in the way that I may understand and my problem goes away. Wasalam, Adil Hijazi United States of America
Answer
My dear brother, I went through your question many times to familiarize myself with the exact nature of the problem that you are facing regarding Tahara (cleanliness). Needless to say that Islam supports observance with this decent value of cleanliness in every sphere of life. Your concerns about it seem genuine and I really appreciate them. However, before answering your various questions, I would like to place some facts before you that would surely be of some help in this regard. I wish to tell you that Islam is a religion of ease and not of difficulty. Whatever it demands from its followers is indeed within their limited powers. Islam never aims at making life an unbearable burden for its adherents to carry. It never demands from the believers to live an abnormal life to please their Lord. We are just required to try our level best to carry out His commandments and leave the rest upon Him. Now I come to your questions. You have classified your questions into two main categories. The first case is when the impurity is liquid and the second case is when it is solid. I have delineated some suggestions below for you to tackle the problems. But you should know that these suggestions are not a part of the Shar'iah but a way to deal with the whimsical notions of impurity that we sometimes suffer from. As far as the first case is concerned, I believe the proper way to remove the impurity is to flow water over the cloth while rubbing the affected area. You should then drain it off. To obtain full satisfaction, you may use detergent as well and carry out this procedure three times. However, when impurity is solid, you may just need to jerk or rub it off your clothes and you would not be required to wash them. However, if that does not satisfy you, you may choose to carry out the procedure delineated above. This done, you must try your utmost not to worry any further. Sometimes, you may feel tempted to repeat the process once more and then again - and again, but you should ignore this temptation and try to convince yourself that you have done what was required of you and if any problem remains even after your best efforts, God will surely make allowances for your efforts. I am saying this because if you let yourself be overcome by these whispers of Satan to carry out the task innumerably, you will find yourself in a labyrinth, without a clue of the way out. You should not make your life miserably difficult. As I said earlier, Islam makes life easier for us, not troublesome. You should remember the same principle while washing over some part of your body that is beyond your vision. You are required to undertake this job only to the extent possible. I have been quite unable to understand your logic regarding the spread of impurity to the immediate next part of your body or cloth while washing the affected area. I do accept impurity, especially when it is liquid, does spread but there is generally an observable limit to it. You should employ your sensible discretion to demarcate the area you would additionally wash, in case this sort of thing happens. You must take this decision while bearing in mind that we can all are prone to committing errors of judgment. Nevertheless, this fact should not dissuade from using our judgment in such matters. No one else can take such decisions for us. Also remember that God shall not hold us accountable for such of our errors of judgment which were unintentionally committed. Thus, while making all our judgments, we should continually invoke upon God's mercy and forgiveness for all such possible errors [1] . You have mentioned that you take more than an hour and a half to take a shower. I completely disapprove of this practice. Please remember God will only hold us responsible for those mistakes which we willfully and intentionally make. If you carefully flow water all over your body, you will not be held accountable, if in any case, a part is left untouched. Please try to make life easier for you. You need to convince yourself that you have done a job carefully and that you, under no circumstances, would repeat it. Jhangeer Hanif April 26, 2003 [1] Edited by Moiz Amjad. Answer published by Jhangeer Hanif
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