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The different types of impurity
Impurity can be defined as a condition of dirtiness which a Muslim should remove away from himself and wash whatever comes in contact with it. There are certain substances which are essentially impure, such as urine and blood, and there are conditions which cause something to need to be purified, such as the discharge of semen. Let us consider briefly the various types of impurity.
1. Dead Animals:
All animals which die naturally, without being slaughtered in the proper way. The same applies to any limb or organ cut off from any living animal before it is slaughtered. The Prophet says: Whatever is cut off from an animal while it is alive is the same as a dead animal. (Transmitted by Abu Dawood and Al-Tir-mithi).
There are three exceptions:
a) Fish and locusts. They are considered pure. The Prophet is reported to have said: Two kinds of dead animals and two types of blood are made lawful to us. The dead are fish and locusts and bloods are the liver and the spleen. (Transmitted by Ahmad, Al-Shafie, ibn Majah and others).
b) The dead animals which do not have fluid blood, such as ants and bees. They are considered pure in the sense that if they fall into something and die, that thing remains pure. Al-Shafie, however, considers them to be impure, but if they fall into a liquid stuff, they do not make it impure unless some change occurs in the liquid as a result.
c) The bones, horns, nails, hair, feathers, skin, etc of any dead animal. There is no basis or evidence to suggest that such things are impure. Hence, they remain in their original status of purity. A servant of Maimoonah, the Prophet’s wife, was given a sheep, but the sheep died soon afterward. The Prophet passed by and saw it. He said: Why do not you take its skin, dye it and make use of it? When they said that it died naturally, he said: It is only forbidden to eat. (Transmitted by all six compilers of the Prophet’s pronouncement with the exception of Ibn Majah). Thus, only what can be eaten from an animal is forbidden to eat when its death occurs naturally. Its milk, however, is permissible to drink and all its other substances are permissible to use.
2. Blood:
Blood is impure, whether it pours out, such as in the case of slaughtering an animal, or if it is discharged by menstruation. It is, however, overlooked if its quantity is small. Blood which remains in the vein is not considered impure, which means that meat with traces of blood is permissible to eat. Aisha (ra), the Prophet’s wife, said: ‘We used to eat meat and see blood forming lines in the saucepan.” It is well known that Umar (ra), the second caliph, prayed after being stabbed and his blood was gushing forth. Moreover, it is common knowledge that Muslims used to pray after being wounded in battle, with their wounds still bleeding. Unlike blood, puss is not impure, although it should be washed away.
3. Pig meat
There is no doubt that pig meat is considered impure, on the basis of its description in the Qur’an.
4. Urine and vomiting
All scholars agree that these are impure. A little amount of vomiting is overlooked if it falls over
one’s dress or body. The urine of a baby boy who has not yet been put on ordinary food is considered to have a lesser degree of impurity. Hence, if it falls over a dress, the dress is purified by sprinkling water over it instead of washing it. If the boy is eating ordinary food, then his urine should be, washed.
5. Al-Wadi
This is a white thick liquid which is discharged after urination. There is no disagreement among Muslim scholars that it is impure. When it is discharged, one must wash one’s private part where it is discharged and have ablution. There is no need to have a bath for purification.
6. Al-Mathi
This is a sticky white fluid which is discharged when one thinks about sex or during sexual play. The person may not feel it when it is discharged. Both man and woman may discharge this type of fluid, but-it is more commonly discharged by women. All scholars agree that it is impure, and it must be washed if it falls on one’s body. Clothes are purified from mathi by sprinking water over the affected area. This is because it is very difficult for an unmarried person to protect himself and his clothes from this stuff.
7. Semen
Some scholars believe it to be impure, but the weightier opinion is that it is pure. It is, however, recommended to wash it off one’s clothes if it is still wet and to rub it away if it is dry
8. The urine and stock of animate which are not permissible to eat.
Both are definitely impure. A small amount of either is overlooked simply because it may be difficult to guard against. Malik, Ahmad and some scholars of the Safie school consider the urine and stools of such animals as are permissible to eat to be pure. Imam Ibn Taimiyyah says that no companion of the Prophet considered either stuff to be impure.
9. Al-jallalah
This is a name given to any sort of animal, whether a camel, a cow, a sheep, a hen, a goose, etc, which eats stools of other animals frequently that is smells differently. The Prophet ordered his companions not to ride such animals or eat their meat or drink their milk. If, however, such an animal is locked in a confined space where there are no animal stools and is given only pure things to eat for a period of time so that it may no longer be described as Al-Jallalah, then it is no longer impure.
10. Intoxicants
Most scholars agree that intoxicants are impure. Some leading scholars, however, consider it to be pure, although it is described in the Qur’an as evil of Satan’s work. The fact that intoxicants are forbidden does not necessarily mean that they are impure. What is impure is forbidden to handle, eat or drink. The reverse is not necessarily true: What is forbidden is not necessarily impure.
11. Dogs
Dogs are impure. If a dog drinks of any container, it should be washed seven times, the first of which should be with water mixed with dust. This is according to pronouncement of the Prophet which has been transmitted by Muslim, Ahmad and others. If it eats some solid stuff in a plate or a container the food next to the place where the dog has eaten should be removed arid the rest may be used. Dog’s hair, however, is considered to be pure.
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