|
Answers to Questions asked are according to the FATAWA
ofAyatullah Al-Uzma Seyyid Ali-Husaini Seestani
Dama-Dhilluhu.
(Sources: Islamic
Laws,Jurisprudence Made Easy, A Code of Practice for Muslims
in the West, Cotemporary Legal Ruling in Shi’I Law and
Current Legal Issues)(unless
otherwise specified)
Paper
# 104
A well known religious law says: “Everything is ritually
pure for you unless you come to know that it is ritually
impure”. This law declares everything to be pure unless one
becomes sure that a particular item has become impure. And
as long as you are not sure that it has become ritually
impure, it is to be considered pure and you can apply all
the rules of purity to it without any hesitation or doubt
EXCEPT THAT WHICH IS INTRINSICALLY (INHERENTLY, ESSENTIALLY)
NAJIS.
Q) What are the things that are inherently najis?
A) The following ten things are essentially najis.
1. & 2. Urine and Faeces
(excrement, dung) of human beings, and animals whose meat is
haraam to eat and when slaughtered, blood gushes out from
its body.
3. Semen
of human beings, and of every animal whose blood gushes out
when slaughtered, even of the kind whose meat is halal to
consume.
4. Dead Body
of a human being and those animals whose blood gushes when
slaughtered, irrespective of whether it dies a natural death
or is killed in a manner other than that prescribed by
Islam. Those parts of a dead body which do not contain life
like, wool, hair, teeth, nails, bones and horns are pak.
Note: As the blood of a fish does not gush
forth, its dead body is pak, even if it dies in water.
5. Blood
of a human being, and of every animal whose blood gushes
forth when slaughtered. The blood of an animal like fish or
an insect like mosquito, is pak because it does not gush
forth.
Note: Even a small particle of blood falling in
the food, while it is being boiled, will make the entire
food together with its container najis, as per obligatory
precaution, and boiling, heat or fire does not make it pak.
6.&7. Dogs and Pigs
which live on land are najis, and even their hair, bones,
paws and nails, and every liquid substance of their body, is
najis. However, sea dogs and pigs are pak.
8. Unbelievers
whether alive or dead, excluding Christians, Jews and
Christians.
9. Alcoholic Liquors and beverages.
10. The sweat of an animal who persistently eats
najasat.
The perspiration of every animal which is habituated to eat
najasat is najis.
The above ten things are inherently najis. Their najasah
(impurity) will render other objects najis by any means of
contact, if there is dampness.
Paper # 105
Q) Kindly explain to me ways of proving Najasat.
A) (1) One should be certain, or satisfied that
something is najis. If one suspects that something
may be najis, it is not necessary to avoid it.
(2) If a reliable person who possesses, controls or
manages a thing, says that it is najis. For example,
if the wife, or a servant, or a maid says that a particular
utensil or any other object which she handles, is najis,
it will be accepted as najis.
(3) If
two just persons testify that a certain thing is
najis, provided that their testimony deals with the
reason for najasat.
Q) If
a person doubts whether a najis thing has become
pak or not, what is his shari’i obligation?
A) A
thing which was originally najis, and one doubts
whether it has become pak, will be considered
najis. Conversely, if a thing was originally pak,
and if one doubts whether it has become najis, it
will be considered pak. And it is not necessary
to ascertain, even if it is possible to do so.
Q) If
a person knows that out of the two glasses, one is
najis, but he does not know which one of them is
najis, what is his shari’I obligation?
A) He
should refrain from using both of them, and is required
to make pak both of them if he intends to use
them.
Q) Where does the domino effect of mutanajjis
items stop when it is no longer wet?
A) The first mutanajjis item would make the
item that comes into contact with it impure; similarly, the
second mutanajjis would make the item that comes into
contact with it impure; but the third mutanajjis can
no longer make other items impure no matter whether it is
wet or dry.
Note: An item which is impure by itself is known ‘ayn
najis’ or simply ‘najis’. The item that
becomes impure by coming to wet contact with ‘ayn najis’
is known as ‘mutanajjis’, that is impure by secondary
reason.
Paper # 106
Q) If a dog licks my body or clothes, how do I purify
it?
A) It is sufficient to wash it once. However, if the
water is qalil, it is necessary to rid it of the
water by wringing it.
Q) If the pages of the Holy Qur’an happen to become
Najis, is it obligatory to make the same Paak?
A) To make the script and pages of Holy Qur’an Najis,
and violate its sanctity, is undoubtedly Haraam, and if it
becomes Najis, it should be made Paak immediately with
water. In fact, as an obligatory precaution, it is Haraam
to make it Najis even if no violation of sanctity is
intended, and it is obligatory that it should be made Paak
by washing it with water.
Q) Can a Muslim sell or lend a Najis thing to a
fellow Muslim brother or sister?
A) To sell or lend a Najis thing which can be made
Paak, has no objection, but the buyer or the borrower must
be told about it, particularly in the following two
situations:
(i)
That if he is not informed, he might contravene the
law of Shariah, like, if he wants to eat or drink it.
(ii)
That the buyer or borrower will pay heed to the
advice. If one knows that it will have no effect, it will
not be necessary to tell him.
Note: If a borrowed object becomes Najis, the borrower
must inform the owner, provided the two situations mentioned
above is observed.
Q) If I see a fellow Muslim eat or drink something
Najis, or pray with a Najis dress, is it Wajib for me to
draw his attention?
A) It is not necessary to admonish him.
Q) If I am invited for lunch or dinner in a Muslim
house and during the meals, I become aware that a particular
food served is Najis, is it Wajib for me to bring to the
attention of other invited guests?
A) It is not necessary for you as a guest to inform
others about it. But if the host comes to know during the
meals, that that particular food served is Najis, he should
inform the guests about it.
Note: It is Haraam to eat or drink or make others eat or
drink something which has become Najis.
Paper
# 107
Q) Are there set down rules in Islamic shari'ah
applicable when using the lavatory (toilet) and on how to
wash oneself after pssing urine and stool?
A) The urine and stool of human beings are `ayn
najis (inherently najis). The Islamic
shari'ah has prescribed certain rules on how to cleanse
oneself of urine and stool.
1. The organ of
urination can be made tahir only by the pouring of
water on it at least twice. It is better to wash it three
times.
2. As far as the
anus is concerned, a person can clean himself/herself with
water, or with three pieces of papers, or three pieces of
rags or three stones. The papers, rags and stones can be
used only if the anus is not more than normally dirtied,
i.e., the excrement has not spread more than normal. If the
area dirtied is large, or the excrement is mixed with some
other najasat like blood, then only water can be used
to purify oneself.
3. In case of
cleaning oneself with three pieces of papers, rags or
stones, it is obligatory to use all the three pieces even if
the body becomes clean by one or two of them. However, if
the body is not clean even after using the three pieces,
then extra pieces must be used till the body becomes clean.
4. It is
recommended for men to do istibra' after urinating.
Istibra' means to clean something, to get rid of
something. Here it means getting rid of the remaining drops
of urine from penis. The method of istibra': Squeeze
with the middle-finger of the left hand from the anus to the
root of the penis three times; then holding the penis
between the thumb and the fore-finger, squeeze three times
from the root up to the glans; and squeeze the glans itself
three times.
The benefit of
istibra':
If a liquid
comes out of a man's penis after urinating and he doubts
whether this is urine or something else, then he can assume
it to be tahir if he has done istibra'. But if
he has not done istibra', then he must consider it
najis.
Paper # 108
5. In western
toilets, there is no water, only tissue paper is available.
As far as stool is concerned, it can be cleaned with tissue
paper as explained above. In case of urinating, would it
be enough to wipe the related part with tissue paper? No,
wiping with tissue paper would not purify the organ of
urination. Nonetheless, in such a case, one should do
istibra' and then wipe the organ with tissue paper, and
later on when it becomes possible, he or she must purify the
organ with water. The benefit of istibra' and wiping
with tissue paper is that the organ will become dry and not
make the underwear or the thighs najis.
However, in the
above case, if the person's private parts sweat, then he or
she must purify the organ, the immediately surrounding area
and the underwear with water.
6. While
urinating or emptying the bowels, it is necessary to
conceal one's private parts from the on-lookers. This
condition is easily taken care of in normal toilets, but one
must be careful while on the call of nature in an open area,
e.g., during a picnic or while travelling, etc.
7. A Muslim
should also realize that even for such a trivial thing as
using toilet, Islam emphasizes that either you must be the
owner of the washroom or you must have the permission of the
owner; otherwise, it will be haram for you to fulfill
your natural needs in that place.
8. It is
haram to face the qiblah or to keep the qiblah
on the back side while urinating or evacuating the
bowels. Qiblah means the direction of the Ka'bah
(Mecca). Therefore, a Muslim must make sure that the toilet
of his house is not built in such a way that when he sits on
the toilet, his front or back side is towards the qiblah.
If the circumstances make it necessary to use a toilet on
which a person will either be facing the qiblah or
will have his back towards it, then he should refrain from
facing the qiblah.
Q) How about the excrement of animals and birds? Are
they also to be considered najis?
A) The urine and excrement of the animals are also
najis if they belong to the group of animals (1) whose
meat is forbidden in Islam and (2) whose blood spurts
out when a blood-vessel is cut. Therefore, if these two
conditions are not found together in an animal, its urine
and excrement are not najis. For example, even
though its blood spurts out, sheep's urine and stool are not
najis because it's meat is not forbidden.
However, the
droppings of all the birds are tahir.
What should a
person do if he finds animal stool or excrement on his dress
or person and doesn't know from which type of animal it
originated? In all the cases of ignorance and doubt, one can
assume that it came from an animal whose urine or excrement
is tahir.
- Paper
# 109
Q) I understand that Semen and Urine are najis.
How about other liquid a man releases?
A) Sometimes a liquid, other than semen and urine is
discharged from man; this type of liquid is not najis.
These liquid are of three types:
1. Mazi: a whitish liquid which is
discharged from the organ of urination during fore-play.
2. Wazi: a liquid which comes out after the
discharge of semen.
3. Wadi: a liquid which comes out after
urinating.
All these
discharges are tahir.
NOTE:
As for Wazi and Wadi, they will be considered
pak if he has done istibra’. If he has not
done istibra’, then he must consider it najis.
Q) Please, advise me which type of blood is considered
najis and which type of blood is considered pak?
A) 1. Blood of human being is najis.
2. Blood of the animals whose blood
spurts out is also considered najis.
3. The blood found in an egg is also najis.
NOTE: If the blood is in the yolk (yellow portion) the
albumen (white portion) will be pak, as long as the
skin over the yolk is not torn.
4. The blood of an animal whose blood does not spurt
out is tahir, e.g., the blood of fish or the
body-fluid of a mosquito.
5. After an animal has been slaughtered and the
normal amount of its blood has flowed out, the blood
remaining in its body is tahir.
6. If there is blood on someone's dress or on his
person and he doubts whether it is of an animal whose blood
spurts out or not, then he should consider it tahir.
7. If a yellowish liquid comes out of a wound and one
doubts whether it is blood or something else, then he should
consider it tahir.
8. If a
person cannot discern whether it is dried blood under the
skin,
CORPSES – DEAD BODIES
Q) Is the
dead body of a Muslim considered najis?
A) The
dead body of a Muslim becomes najis after becoming
cold and before being washed (ghusl mayyit).
Those parts of a dead body which do not contain life, like
hair, teeth, nails and bones are pak.
If a part of a
living human being's body is cut off, it will be considered
najis. This law, however, does not apply to the dry
skin which comes off the lips or the skin which comes off
from a healing wound, or pimples, dandruff, etc.
A miscarried
fetus is also najis.
Q) How
about the dead bodies of animals?
A) "Dead body-maytah" in case of the animals
means: an animal which had died naturally or was slaughtered
in a non-Islamic way.
The dead body of
an animal whose blood spurts out is also najis with
the exception of those of its parts which have no life
(feeling) in them during life-time, e.g., hair, nails,
bones, beak, horn and teeth. Of course, these parts become
najis by being in contact with the dead body; so
after separating them from the animal's body they must be
purified.
The dead body of
the animal whose blood does not spurt out is tahir;
for example, a dead fish.
Q) How
about a belt or a wallet made of an animal’s skin?
A) If someone buys a dress, a belt, or a wallet, etc,
made of an animal's skin and does not know for sure whether
or not the animal was slaughtered Islamically, then in such
a case there are two possibilities:
1. Either he
has bought it from a Muslim or from a Muslim market, then he
can assume that the animal was slaughtered according to the
shari'ah.
2. Or he has
bought it from a non-Muslim. In such a case if there is a
probability that the skin or hide has been taken from an
animal which was slaughtered according to the shari'ah,
then he can consider it tahir and use it. However, he
still cannot use such a thing in salat
(prayers). And
if there is no such probability, then he cannot consider it
tahir, it should be regarded as najis.
Q) How
about dead bodies of dogs and pigs?
A) Dogs and pigs are najis during their
life-time and after they die or slaughtered.
All parts of
pigs and dogs, even their nails, hair, teeth and bones, and
their saliva, milk, urine and excrement are najis.
Therefore, all things made from pig's fat, skin, hair, and
other parts of its body (e.g., belt, gloves, jackets, and
shoes) are najis. Similarly, all the food items
produced from the meat and fat of pig is najis.
Paper # 111
NON-MUSLIMS
Q) What are the stands of our Mujtahids as regards to
ritual purity or impurity of non-Muslims (kafirs)?
A) The
answer requires a detailed explanation. I will quote a
passage on the subject written by Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi in
his book “The
Ritual and Spiritual Purity”.
What is the
meaning of "kafir?" Kafir (pl. kuffar) means
an infidel, an unbeliever as opposed to a Muslim, a
believer. "Muslim" is defined as a person who believes in
Oneness of God, prophethood of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.w.)
and the Day of Judgement. A person who rejects any of these
three principles is a kafir.
From Muslims'
perspective, the kuffar are divided into two main groups:
kafir dhimmi and kaf'ir harbi. "Kafir
dhimmi" is a kafir who lives under the protection
of an Islamic government. "Kafir harbi" is a
kafir who does not have such a protection. I must
also mention a third, but rare, category of kafir:
murtad. "Murtad" means an apostate; there are two
types of murtad: "Murtad fitri" a person who
was born of a Muslim parent, but then declared his disbelief
in Islam. "Murtad milli" a non Muslim who had
accepted the religion of Islam and then apostates from it.
While discussing
the ritual purity or impurity of the non-Muslims, the
mujtahids divide all the kuffar--dhimmi,
harbi, murtad fitri and milli - into two distinct
groups: mushrik and ahlu '1-kitab.
Mushrik (pl.
mushrikin) means
a polytheist, a
person who believes that God has partner(s). It is used for
the idol-worshippers also. The followers of Hinduism, of
most far eastern religions and of the tribal religions fall
in the category of mushrikin. Ahlu ' l-kitab
means the people of the Book; it is a name given to those
who believe in any of the Books revealed by Allah before the
Qur'an. Under Islamic system, the Ahlu '1-kitab have a
preferred status in comparison to other non-Muslims. The
people who are unanimously counted as Ahlu '1-kitab are: the
Jews, the Christians and the Zoroastrians.
As for the
mushrikfn, the mujtahids are unanimous that they
are najis. This is so because Allah has clearly
declared in the Qur'an that: "O you who believe! The
polytheists (mushrikun) are indeed unclean; therefore, they
should not approach the Sacred Mosque after this year of
theirs (i.e., 9 AH)." (9:28) Some Muslims try to
interpret the word "unclean" in spiritual sense only. They
are wrong because one cannot ignore the literal meaning of a
word unless the context supports the departure from a
literal to a symbolic meaning. The context of the verse does
not leave any room for an exclusively symbolic or spiritual
interpretation of the word "unclean." It immediately says
that "they should not approach the Sacred Mosque." This
reflects the physical uncleanliness. However, our
interpretation does not exclude the spiritual impurity of
the mushrikin along side the physical, ritual
impurity.
When we move on
to the Ahlu ' 1-kitab, we find that the mujtahids
disagree about their ritual purity or impurity. There are
three different views on the Ahlu 1-kitab.
(1) A
minority group says that the Ahlu '1-kitab are pure and
tahir, just like Muslims. To this group belong the late
Ayatullah al-`uzma Sayyid Muhsin al-Hakim at Tabataba'i (d.
1970) and the late Ayatullah ash-Shahid Sayyid Muhammad
Baqir as-Sadr (d. 1980).
(2) The
majority view says that the Ahlu '1-kitab have become
corrupt in their beliefs and are not different from
mushrikin; therefore, they are najis. Those who
belong to this group from the present mujtahids are:
Ayatullah al-`uzma Sayyid Ruhullah al-Musawi al-Khumayni and
Ayatullah al-`uzma Sayyid Muhammad Riza alGulpaygani.
(3) The
third group is of those mujtahids who theoretically
agree with the first view but when it comes to issuing a
fatwa for their followers, they tread on the path of
precaution and side with the majority. The most prominent
among this group is the Ayatullah al`uzma Sayyid Abu
'1-Qasim al-Musawi al-Khu'i.
--
Paper # 112
NON-MUSLIMS
Ayatullah
al-Khu'i, in his lectures on fiqh, says: "It is
apparent from what we have discussed above that the purity (taharat)
of the Ahlu '1-kitab was taken for granted by the narrators
of hadith till the end of the era of our Imams [i.
e., till the minor occultation], and whatever they asked the
Imams concerning the works of the Ahlu '1kitab was just
because of the doubts they had about external najasat
which might have affected them.
"Therefore, it is difficult to give a fatwa on basis of the
ahadith which apparently say that the Ahlu '1-kitab
are najis; however, on the other hand, to gave a
ruling on basis of the ahadith which say that they
are tahir is even more difficult because the
majority of our jurist companions, both from the early days
and the later days, believe in the najasat of Ahlu
'1-kitab. And so there is no escape from a binding
precautionary measure on this issue." And therefore we see
that while issuing the fatwa for his followers,
Ayatullah al-Khu'i writes, "As for the kiadbi (kafir),
the famous view says that he is najis; and it is
precautionarily necessary (to consider him as such)."
“Quote” from the
Islamic Laws of Ayatullah Al-Sistani Dama Dhilluhu.
As regards the
people of the Book (i.e. the Jews and the Christians) who do
not accept the prophethood of Prophet Muhammad bin Abdullah
(peace be upon him and his progeny), they are commonly
considered najis, but it is not improbable that they
are pak. However, it is better to avoid them.
There are three
other groups - ghulat, nawasib, and
khawarij - who are also considered kafir and
najis by the Shi`ah fiqh, in spite of the fact
that these groups were off shoots of Muslims during the
early stage of the Islamic history.
Ghulat
(s. ghali)
are those who
declare their faith in Islam but exaggerate in their beliefs
about some prophets or Imams, e.g., those who believe that
an Imam is an incarnation of God. This is against the
fundamental belief of Islam that God cannot incarnate into
anyone or anything.
Nawasib (s. nasibi)
are those who
declare their faith in Islam but display enmity toward the
Ahlu'1-bayt (peace be upon them). This goes completely
against the Qur'anic order which says, "(O Muhammad) say,
`I do not ask from you any reward for it (i.e.,
conveying the message) except the love for my near ones."
(42:23) The Prophet has said, "Whosoever dies in enmity
to the family of Muhammad, dies as an unbeliever (kafir).
Whosoever dies in enmity to the family of Muhammad, will not
smell the scent of Paradise." However, one must realize that
if a person is not a Shi'ah Muslim it does not automatically
follow that he also hates our Imams. There are many Sunnis
who do not believe in our Imams as the leaders and the
caliphs after the Prophet, but neither do they hate
them---on the contrary many of them respect and even love
the Imams of the Ahlu '1-bayt.
Khawarij (s.
khariji) are those who rebelled against Imam 'Ali
bin Abi Talib in the battle of Siffin. Finally, Imam 'Ali
had to fight against them in the battle known as Naharwan.
They believed that Imam 'Ali had become a kafir by
accepting the intermediaries during the battle against
Mu`awiyah. The verse and the hadith mentioned above
is equally applicable to the khawarij, and therefore, they
are also kafir and najis.
There is one
more category of a kafir. The person who rejects the
unanimously accepted tenets of Islam (for example, the
obligation of salat or haj), is also regarded
as a kafir and najis. Such a person will
become kafir provided he realizes that rejecting such
Islamic tenets amounts to believing that the Qur'anic verses
on salat and hajj are not part of Allah's Book, and this in
turn means that Prophet Muhammad had not been faithful in
fulfilling the mission of Allah. In short, such a person
becomes a kafir only if he realizes the consequence
of his rejection of the unanimously accepted tenets of
Islam. However, one must note that negligence and rejection
are two different things; so if a person believes in the
unanimously accepted tenets of Islam but neglects them, he
is not a kafir, he is only a sinner.
Paper # 113
ALCOHOLIC LIQUOR (INTOXICATING LIQUIDS)
Q) Are all alcoholic
liquids considered najis and haraam to
consume?
A)
Every
intoxicating liquid is najis.
Allah says in
the Qur'an:
"O you
who believe! Surely intoxicants, games of chance, idols and
azlam are unclean (and) work of Shaytan, so shun it; may be
you will prosper." (5:90)
The word "unclean" in this verse, at least as far as the
intoxicants are concerned, has a spiritual as well as a
ritual connotation to it. And ritual uncleanliness is
another word for najis.
Beer is also
najis. But all non-intoxicating drink made from barley
are tahir.
The non-liquid
intoxicants are haram (forbidden) but not najis.
Methyl alcohol
(also known as wood alcohol or wood spirit) is tahir;
it is mostly used for industrial solvents, and for making
synthetic rubber, chemicals, rubbing alcohol, inks, dyes and
stains, antifreeze and other similar products.
Q) Kindly provide general rules in relation to trading
in najis and/or haraam commodity?
A) Buying or selling the following najasat
is haraam:
All types of
intoxicating liquids, dead bodies, pigs and dogs (except the
dogs used for hunting).
However, one is
allowed to buy or sell the other najasat if there is
any lawful benefit in them, e.g., buying or selling
excrement for manuring.
It is also
permitted to buy or sell those parts of a dead animal's body
(other than dog and pig) which have no feeling in them
during life-time, ie horn, nails, teeth, hair, etc..
It is haram
to sell grapes or dates to a person who purchases it for
producing wine.
The medicines,
perfumes, soap and waxes purchased from a non-Muslim country
can be considered tahir unless one becomes sure that
they are najis.
WAYS OF PROVING
NAJAASAT
Q) What
are the ways of proving Najaasat?
A) There
are three ways of proving Najaasat.
a] One should be certain, or satisfied that something
is najis. If one suspects that something may be
najis, it is not necessary to avoid it.
B] If a reliable person who possesses, controls or
manages a thing says that it is najis. For example,
if the wife, or a servant, or a maid says that a particular
utensil or any other object which she handles is najis,
it will be accepted as najis.
C] If two just persons testify that a certain thing is
najis, provided that their testimony deals with the
reason for najaasat.
Q) If a thing which was originally paak, later a
doubt arises as to whether it has become najis or
not, should it be considered najis or paak?
A) A thing which was originally paak, and one
doubts whether it has become najis, will
be considered paak. On the other hand, if
a thing was originally najis, and if one doubts
whether it has become paak, it will be considered
najis.
NOTE: It is not
necessary to ascertain, even if it is possible to do so.
Paper
# 114
WAYS OF PROVING
NAJAASAT
Q) If a person does not know whether a certain thing is
paak or najis. What is his shari’i
obligation?
A) If he does not know because of ignorance, for
example, if he does not know whether the droppings of a rat
is paak or not, he should enquire from those who
know. But, if he knows the rule, and doubts the nature of a
particular thing, like when he doubts whether a thing is
blood or not, or if he does not know whether it is the blood
of a mosquito or a human being, the thing is paak,
and it is not necessary to make investigation or enquiry
about it.
Q) If a person knows that out of his two dresses, one
has become najis, but he does not know which of the
two has become najis, what is his shari’i duty?
A) He should refrain from using both them. He is
required to make paak both them if he wants to use
for prayers.
Q) Does a paak thing become najis if it
comes in contact with a najis thing but there is a
doubt if either or both of them were wet or not?
A) The paak thing does not become najis.
THE MUTAHHIRAT
(THE PURIFYING AGENTS)
Mutahhirat is
plural of mutahhir. It means a thing or a process
which can ritually purify the najis things and the
a'yan najisah (the plural of `ayn najis).
"Mutahhirat" can be translated into English as "the
purifying agents."
Q) What
are the purifying agents?
A) The mutahhirat are twelve in number.
These mutahhirat can be divided into three groups:
THE NATURE:
1.
water;
2.
the earth;
3.
the sun;
PHYSICAL
CHANGE:
4.
istihalah
(chemical
change);
5.
inqilab
(change in properties);
6.
intiqal
(change in place);
7.
zawalulI-`ayni
n-najasah
(disappearance
of the najasat);
8.
istibra'
(quarantining);
SPIRITUAL CHANGE:
9.
Islam;
10.
taba`iyyah
(to
follow);
11.
ghaybatu ' 1-muslim
(disappearance
of a Muslim).
12. Draining of the usual quantity of blood from the
slaughtered body of an animal.
Paper # 115
THE MUTAHHIRAT
(THE PURIFYING AGENTS)
1]
WATER
Q) Kindly explain to me how to go about purifying Najis
things with water?
Please, also
include the various types of water and the various types of
objects involved.
A) First
among the mutahhirat is water.
Water is indeed
the most common and widely used purifying agent. However,
the way water can purify a najis thing depends on its
type and quantity. So first we will describe the various
types of water and then explain the rules of purification.
According to the
shari'ah, water can be of two types: mutlaq
and muzaf.
Mutlaq
means pure water, water which is not mixed with any other
liquid. When we use the term pure, in the present context,
we do not mean scientifically pure water, i.e., H20,
a liquid compound consisting of 2 part of hydrogen and 16 of
oxygen. By mutlaq we mean water which people in
general would consider pure, without putting it to a
scientific test.
Muzaf
is opposite of mutlaq, it means a water which is mixed
with some other liquid, e.g., orange juice, tea, etc.
Muaf water, however large its quantity may be, becomes
najis when even a small particle of Najasat
falls in it. A najis thing cannot be made pak
with mixed water nor are Ghusl and Wudhu valid
when performed with muzaf water.
For the purpose
of purifying a najis thing, only the mutlaq
water can be used. Therefore, muzaf water is not one of the
mutahhirat.
The
mutlaq water can be found in five different forms:
1.
Rain.
By rain is
meant a sufficient downpour, and not scanty shower or
droplets.
2. Well
water.
3.
Running or flowing water, e.g., river, stream. The water
running from the pipes in the houses is treated as `running
water' as long as it is running.
4.
Kur water: a body of water which is still (not moving).
It must be at least 388 litres. To determine kur by
weight is not free from ishkal. Examples of kur
water: a swimming pool, a pond, a lake, a sea or an ocean.
5. Less
than kur. A body of still water which is less than
the kur.
The first four
types of pure water are known as Kathir water, and
the last one is known as qalil water. Kathir
means abundant or plentiful; qalil means less.
Water can make a
najis thing tahir on the following conditions:
1. it must be mutlaq;
2. it must be tahir;
3. it must not become muzaf by coming in contact with
the najasat;
4. the najasat must be washed away from the
najis thing, but there is no harm if the color or smell
of the najasat remains in it.
Because of its
quantity, the Kathir water is immune from becoming
najis by contact with a najasat except when the
najasat is so strong or so much that it changes the
taste, or the colour or the smell of the water. When
cleaning a najis thing with the Kathir water,
it is enough to wash it just once after removing the
najasat.
Unlike the
Kathir water, qalil water becomes najis as soon
as it comes into contact with a najasat. When
cleaning a najis thing with qalil water, it is
necessary to wash it twice. However, it is better to wash
three times.
Paper # 116
THE MUTAHHIRAT
(THE PURIFYING AGENTS)
1]
WATER
Q) How
do I make pak a najis thing using kur
water, less than kur water and running water? Is
there any difference in making pak various types of
articles, i.e. thing, household utensils, dress, carpet,
etc.?
A)
Before making anything pak it is necessary to remove
any oily or greasy substances which would prevent water from
reaching the thing to be made pak.
A najis
thing does not become pak unless the essential
najasat like urine, blood, etc. is removed from it. In
other words, any particles of essential najasat
should not remain behind in a najis thing after it
has been washed. But there is no harm if the color or smell
of the najasat remains in it. So, if blood is
removed from a cloth, and the cloth is made pak with
water, it will become pak even if the color or smell
of blood remains in it. But if, on account of the smell or
color, it becomes certain or seems possible that some
particles of najasat are still present in the cloth,
etc. it will remain najis.
i] HOUSEHOLD UTENSILS
a)
The interior of a najis vessel or utensil must be
washed three times if less than kurr water is used,
and as per obligatory precaution, the same will apply if
kurr or running water is used.
b) A najis utensil
can be made pak with less than kurr water in
two ways.
(i)
The utensil should be filled up with water and
emptied three times.
(ii) Some quantity of
water is poured in it, and then the utensil is vigorously
shaken, so that the water reaches all najis parts
before it is spilled. This should be done three times.
c) If a dog drinks
any liquid from a utensil [or licks it and something remains
in it] it should first be scrubbed with pak earth,
and after washing off the dust, it should be washed twice
with kurr water or less than kur water.
d) If the saliva
of a dog falls into the vessel, as per obligatory
precaution, it should be scrubbed with pak earth, and
after washing off the dust, it should be washed three
times. If the mouth of a utensil which a dog has licked is
narrow, dust should be thrown into it and after adding some
quantity of water, it should be shaken vigorously, so that
the dust may reach all parts of it. Thereafter, the utensil
should be washed in the manner mentioned above.
e) If a utensil is
licked by a pig, or if it drinks any liquid from it, or in
which a field-mouse has died in it, then it should be washed
seven times with running water, kurr or less than
kurr water.
f) If a utensil
becomes najis with alcoholic beverage, it should be
washed three times with kurr, less than kurr
or running water.
ii] THINGS
a) If a najis
thing, after removing the najasat, is immersed
once in Kurr or running water, in such a way that
water reaches all its najis parts, it becomes pak.
b) If a thing
becomes najis with najasat other than urine it
can be made pak with less than kurr water by
first removing the najasat and then pouring under
kurr water once, allowing it to flow off.
c) When a thing
has become najis with urine, it can be made pak
with less than kurr water by pouring less than
kurr water once on it, and as the water flows off
eliminating all the traces of urine, the thing will become
pak.
Some
more qa from Ayt Sistani.org on Najasat
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