Ritual Purity

 

Allah, the Exalted says: {And purify your clothing} (Q. 74:4). It is related on the authority of [the Prophet], peace and blessings be upon him and his progeny, that he mentioned that someone was experiencing the torment of the grave due to negligence of freeing oneself from the traces of urine.

 

All of the ritual impurities (an-najāsāt) that one is obligated to purify oneself from for the prayer are bodily, on the clothes, and in a place. It is recommended to purify oneself outside of the state of prayer.

 

[The ritual impurities] are ten:

• That which comes out from the two openings [i.e. anal and frontal canals] of a living being that is impermissible to eat and has blood;
• Intoxicants which have been processed to be that way. Natural intoxicants are pure, including hashish, narcotics, and the like.
• Dogs;
• Pigs;
• Disbelievers;
• Something separated from a living being with blood—except wool, nails, and horns—while it is still living;
• All types of carcass ((al-mayta) except fish, that which has no blood, and that which doesn’t contain life, like hair;

These seven things are binding and there is no exemption from any of them.

 

• Vomit that fills the mouth completely in one shot after being ejected from the stomach ; 
• Milk from a living thing impermissible to eat, except that of a living Muslim woman;
• Blood and its brothers, serum and pus; except that which remains in the veins after slaughtering. 

These three things are light and are exempted if the vomit doesn’t fill the mouth or if the blood and milk consist of only a drop.  

 

Characteristics of Ritual Purity

If one washes something hidden in which its traces can’t be seen, one is to wash it three times with water. If one is able to see its traces, one is to wash it until all of the traces are removed and afterwards, two more times.

 

All water is pure except four types:

• That which is next to a ritual impurity. It is adjacent to it and in proximity to it;
• That which has been changed absolutely [water] in one of the three categories: smell, taste, and colour;
• That which is afflicted by a ritual impurity, even if it is a little; insomuch that if one was to think about using that water, one would use the ritual impurity with it;
• That which is afflicted by a ritual impurity and alters its purity. Insomuch that a large amount of water would be needed to purify it. Ritual purity or impurity cannot be removed except through certainty (yaqīn) or the statement of a just witness (‘adl);

 

Relieving Oneself

It is recommended for the one reliving oneself to:

• Conceal oneself from the eyes of onlookers;
• Distance oneself from people and mosques;
• Seek refuge in Allah (at-ta’ūdh);
• Refrain from the pronouncing or wearing whatever that has Allah’s name on it, the Exalted;
• Enter the privy with the left foot first;
• Stoop while leaning upon it [the left leg] when reliving oneself;
• Exit the privy with the right foot;
• to exaggerate in covering the private parts, revealing only what is necessary. If the private parts can be seen, covering them is religiously obligatory;
• Be on guard regarding places that provoke cursing (al-malā‘in), as the poet said:

o  “The places that provoke cursing include: rivers, roads, and mosques, as well as places where fruit falls, graveyards, and sitting stoops.”

• One should avoid [urinating on] a ground with holes and a hardened surface (tašallab); 
• [One should avoid urinating in] susceptible to wind (at-tahwiyya);
• [One should avoid] standing;
• [One should avoid] speech;
• [One should avoid] looking at one’s genitals or traces and spitting on it;
• [One should avoid] eating or drinking;
• [One should avoid] using the right hand;
• [One should avoid] facing the two qiblas and the two heavenly bodies (al-qamarayn) as well as turning their backs towards them;
• [One should avoid] prolonged sitting.               

 

It is recommended that after that, one praises Allah and clean oneself with three stones.

 

It is religiously obligatory that one do the dry purification (tayammum) if one cannot cleanse oneself with water. 

 

Ritual Ablution

Ritual ablution is a part of belief. It is not sound unless the one making ablution is pure from major ritual impurity (al-janāba), menstruation, post-partum bleeding, and ritual impurities exiting the body.

 

The obligations are:

• The washing of the two openings [i.e. after removing the impurities];
• Saying Bismillahi ar-Rahmān ar-Rahīm (at-tasmiyya) at the point of remembrance;
• The intention connected to the washing of the first limb for ritual ablution;
• The rinsing of the mouth (al-mađmađa) and nose (al-instinshāq) after removing traces of food from between the teeth with a toothpick;
• The removal of crust from the nose;
• The washing of the whole face. Its boundaries are the length from the hairline to the chin and the width from earlobe to earlobe. One is to rub the water into the roots of the [facial] hair;
• The washing of the arms with the elbows;
• The wiping of the whole head from front to back as well as the inside and outside of the ears;
• The washing of the feet to the ankles;
• One must wash between the fingers and long nails, as well as any cracks.

 

The sunnah actions are:

• The washing of the hands (i.e. the palms) first;
• The washing of every limb thrice;
• The wiping of the nape;
• The use of the tooth-stick (as-siwāk);
• The reciting of the supplication;
• The renewing of it after every permissible action.

 

The ritual ablution is invalidated by:

• What exits the two openings;
• The removal of the intellect except two consecutive dozes or many occasional dozes separated between each other. “Dozing off” refers to the leaning of one’s head upon the chest but not settling.
• Vomiting to the extent of impurity, blood, and the like, if it is a drop or more;
• Every act of major disobedience outside of the persistent acts of disobedience, like lying, gossiping (an-namīma), as well as backbiting and injuring a Muslim. All of this invalidates it.
• Laughing loudly in the prayer;
• Purity or an impure occurrence (al-hadath) can only be lifted by certainty.

 

The Ritual Wash (al-Ghusl)

It is necessitated by menstruation, post-partum bleeding, the ejection of semen due to lust, and the meeting of the two circumcised parts.

 

It is prohibited for one in the aforementioned states to recite the Qur’ān with the tongue; write it, even if it is some verses; touch a copy of the Qur’ān; enter a mosque; and for a man afflicted by semen to urinate before washing.

 

The obligations are:

• The intention to remove the state of major ritual impurity;
• The rinsing of the mouth and nose;
• The running of water on the whole body and rubbing;
• The penetration of water through the hair for the man and the two types of blood for the woman; the two types of blood are the menstruation and the post-partum bleeding.

 

It is sunnah to perform the ritual wash on Friday; the two Eids; after washing the dead; the Day of Arafat; the Nights of Qadr; entering the Sanctified House, Mecca, the Ka’ba, Medina, and the tomb of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his progeny; as well as after cupping and entering Islam.

 

The Dry Purification (At-Tayammum)   

The reason that necessitates dry purification is the absence of water.

 

It is religiously obligatory after one seeks out [water] in the place where it is normally found within a mile [but can’t find it]; if one fears injury, illness, or otherwise if one was to perform ritual ablution; and if one fears that the necessary prayer time would pass. There’s no substitute for that. It is religiously obligatory to wait until the end of the prayer time.

 

It is only valid with dust that is permissible, ritually pure, and that which attaches to the hands.

 

The obligations are:   

• The mention of Allah’s Name similar to the ritual ablution;
• The intention connected to the specific dry purification;
• The striking of the dust with the two hands;
• The wiping of the face like the ritual ablution;
• Afterwards, the striking of the dust with the two hands again;
• Then, the wiping of the arms.

 

Menstruation

Menstruation is the blood the exits the uterus during the normal time or its normal judgment. Anything other than that is not the menstruation or its judgment. The minimum of its time is three days from its first occurrence. Anything less than that is not the menstruation. The maximum of its time is ten days. Anything more than that is not the menstruation. The minimum of pure days is ten also.

 

Menstruation does not apply to a small girl before reaching the age of nine, an older woman after reaching the age of 60, or a pregnant woman. In all of these three cases, there is no menstruation.

 

What is prohibited for a person in the state of major ritual impurity is prohibited for a menstruating woman. Also, vaginal intercourse is prohibited for her.

 

It is religiously obligatory for her to make up the fast but not the prayer. However, it is recommended that during the time of the prayer, she make the ritual ablution, face the qibla, and engage in the remembrance of Allah, the Exalted.

 

Post Partum Bleeding

Its judgment is the same as the judgment concerning menstruation. Post partum bleeding is only the bleeding during the delivery and after it. There is no minimum time for its limit. The maximum time is 40 days. If it ends before 40 days, one purifies oneself and performs the prayer.

 

Regarding the menstruating woman (al-mustahāđa) whose blood does not stop, its judgment is that within the limit of the time that her menstrual blood normally flows is her menstruation. She also makes the limit of the time of her normal post-partum bleeding the post-partum bleeding. Any period of time after that normal regular flow, she is considered pure. She performs the ritual washing and prays, even if her bleeding continues.