The Shariah has divided water into 4 kinds:

 

Mutlaq Water Considered pure because of its inherent purity and can be

used by an individual to purify himself/herself. It consists of the following categories:

Rain water, snow & hail – all are pureAllah says: And it is He who sends the winds as good

tidings before His mercy, and We send down from the sky pure water [Al-Furqan 25:48]

Mutlaq waterSea Water

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “Its (the sea) water is pure & its dead (animals) are lawful (i.e. they can be eaten without any prescribed slaughtering).” [Related by “the five” incl Tirmidhi & Bukhari]

Water from Zamzam well

Altered water

Water whose form has been altered because of it being in a place for a long period of time, or because of the place it is located, or because of its being mixed with a substance that cannot be completely removed from it (i.e. water mixed with algae, tree leaves etc).

Used water

Wudu or ghusl water (which drips from a person)

considered pure because it was pure before ablution

and there is no basis think it has lost its purity.

Water mixed with pure elements

Includes water mixed with substances like soap, saffron, flowers etc.

Objects considered pure by the Shariah. Considered pure as long as its not

mixed with other substances so that it is no longer considered water.

Mixed with impure objectsWater mixed with impure objects

The impure substance alters the taste, colour or odour of the water

water cannot be used for purification. The impure substance has not altered in its taste, colour or odour (still considered water) – can be used for purification.

LeftoverLeftover Water – what remains in a pot after

some of it is drunk.5 Types1. Water leftover after people have drunk

from the potWater is still considered pure, regardless

whether drunk by a Muslim, disbeliever, a person in junab or haid.

Leftover  2. Water left in a container after an

“allowable” animal (i.e. an animal whose meat is permissible to eat) has drunk from it. Considered pure as animal is permissible to consume.

3. Water remaining in a pot after it has

been drunk by a donkey, mule, beasts or birds of prey considered pure.

Leftover 4.Water remaining in a pot after a cat

has drunk from it considered pure. 

5. Water left in a pot after a pig or dog has drunk from it considered impure.

Najasah Impurities (Najasah)

Najasah refers to impure substances that Muslims must avoid and wash off if they should contaminate their clothes, body etc.

Types Types of Impurities

Dead Animals – refers to animals that die from “natural causes” (without proper Islamic slaughtering). Also includes anything that is cut off a live animal.

Exceptions The following are exceptions to this rule:

Dead animals of the sea and dead locusts.

Dead animals that have no running blood (i.e. bees, ants etc).

The bones horns, claws, fur, feathers, skin etc of dead animals.

Exception Blood – the blood that does not flow out

(from a slaughtered animal), but remains in the veins is permissible. Blood that flows out at the time of slaughtering is forbidden. Also includes menstruation blood which is impure.

Exception Pig’ Meat – According to most of the

scholars it’s permissible to knit with pig’s hair. The meat is forbidden.

Vomiting of a person, urine and excrement – impure.

However, slight amount of vomit and urine of an unweaned male baby are overlooked and pardoned - sufficient just to sprinkle with water. Urine of a baby girl is to be washed off.

Others Al – Wadi (thick white secretion discharge

after urination) – considered impure. Private parts should be washed and ablution performed. Ghusl not necessary.

Others Al-Madhi/Prostatic fluid (semen) – white

sticky fluid that flows from sexual organs due to thinking about sexual intercourse or foleplay etc. Comes from male and female sexual organs. Considered impure and must be washed off and ablution performed.

Others Al Mani or Sperm – some scholars say it is

impure, but it’s pure as recommended to wash it off if still wet and to scratch it off if dry. Ghusl needs to be performed if it is discharged owing to stimulation.

 The status of urine and stools of animals

permissible to eat – impure.

Others Al-Jallalah – refers to an animal that eats the

waste or flesh of other animals. Forbidden to drink such animal’s milk, to ride them or consume its meat. 

Alcohol – impure according to most scholars. 

Dogs – impure. Any container licked by a dog must be washed 7 times, first washing being with dirt.

Useful Points

The ground is purified by pouring water over it. Impure liquid is purified by it drying and impure solid is purified by its removal/decay.

Tanning purifies the skin and fur of a dead animal.

Doubt If liquid falls on a person and he does not

know if it was water or urine, he need not to inquire about it. The one who is asked need not to answer him even if he knows the liquid to be impure. In that case, there is no need for the person to wash his clothes.

Etiquettes of going to the bathroom:

It is not proper for one to carry something that has Allah’s name upon it (unless one fears of losing it or having it stolen) while going to the bathroom.

One should move and hide oneself from others.

Etiquette of toiletOne should mention the name of Allah and

seek refuge in Him when entering privy or removing his clothes to relieve himself.

One should not talk unless necessary.

Etiquette One should neither face nor turn his back on the

qiblah whilst relieving himself.

One may not urinate whilst standing. Permissible if can guarantee no impurities will touch him.

One should not clean himself with his right hand.

Enter bathroom with left foot and exit with right foot.

Acts that correspond to the nature of mankindThese acts distinguish Muslims from the rest of

mankind:

Circumcision – prevents dirt entering and makes it easy to keep clean.

Shaving pubic and underarm hairs

Acts of nature Clipping one’s finger nails, trimming and

shaving the moustache – preferred to be done on a weekly basis but no longer then 40 days.

Leaving grey hairs in place - not plucking them, however permissible to dye.

ABLUTION (WUDHU)Ablution means to wash one’s face, hands, arms, head and feet

with water.

Wudhu is part of Islamic Law: Wudu to clean specific limbs as prescribed by the shari’ah.

Quran – Allah says: O you who have believed, when you rise to [perform] prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles. And if you are in a state of janabah, then purify yourselves. But if you are ill or on a journey or one of you comes from the place of relieving himself or you have contacted women and do not find water, then seek clean earth and wipe over your faces and hands with it. Allah does not intend to make difficulty for you, but He intends to purify you and complete His favour upon you that you may be grateful. [Al-Ma’idah:6]

[Al-Ma’idah:6]

Wudu Hadith – Abu Hurairah reported that the

Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “Allah does not accept the prayer of one who nullified his ablution until he performs it again.” [Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud & at-Tirmidhi]

Wudu Obligatory parts of ablution – must be fulfilled for wudhu to be valid:

Intention – purely an act of the heart.

Umar related that the Prophet (pbuh) said: “Every action is based on the intention (behind it) and everyone shall have what he intended….” Related by “the group”.

Wudu

Washing the face

Washing the arms to the elbow

Wiping the head – Prophet (pbuh) used to wipe his head 3 different ways:

Wudu

a. Wiping all of his head – The Prophet (pbuh) wiped his entire head with his hands. He started with the front of his head, then moved to the back and then returned his hands to the front. (Related by “the group”)

Wiping B .Wiping over the turbun only –

Said ‘Amru ibn Umayyah, “I saw the Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace, wipe over his turban and shoes.” [Related by Ahmad, Bukhari & Ibn Majah). Bilal reported that the Prophet, upon him be peace, said, “Wipe over your shoes and headcovering.” (Related by Ahmad).

Wipng Wiping over the front portion of the

scalp and turban –

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh), made ablution and wiped over the front portion of his scalp, his turban and his socks. (Related by Muslim).

Washing the feet and the heels

Following the prescribed sequence – Allah mentioned the obligation in a specific order. The Prophet (pbuh) maintained this sequence.

The Sunan acts of the ablution

Mentioning the name of Allah at the beginning

Dental Hygiene – The Prophet (pbuh) said: “Were it not to be hardship on my community, I would have ordered them to use a toothbrush for every ablution.” (Related by Malik, ash-Shaf’I, al-Baihaqi and al-Hakim). The Prophet (pbuh) said: “

Sunan The toothbrush purifies the mouth and is

pleasing to the Lord.” (Related by Ahmad, an-Nisa’i and at-Tirmidhi)

Repeating each washing 3 times (except wiping the head)

Running one’s finger through his beard

Sunan Beginning each action with the right sideRubbing the limbs with waterClose sequence Wiping the earsElongating the streams of light –

Sunan – this refers to washing the complete

forehead and washing above the elbows and ankles. Abu Hurairah reported that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “My nation will come with bright streaks of light from the traces of ablution.” Abu Hurairah then said, “If one can lengthen his steak of light, he should do so.” [Related by Ahmad, Bukhari and Muslim]

Sunan Economising the use of water, even if

one is in front of the sea

Supplication after ablution – Umar reported that the Prophet (pbuh) said: “If one completes (and perfects) the ablution and says:

Sunan ‘I testify that there is no god except Allah, the

One who has no partner and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger” the eight gates of paradise will be opened for him and he may enter any of them that he wishes.” [Muslim]

Sunan Praying two rak’ah after ablution – The

Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “If one performs and perfects his ablution and prays two rak’ah with his heart and face (completely on his prayer), Paradise becomes his.” [Muslim, Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah]

Sunan

Notes:Supplication while performing ablution –

nothing authentic to support this.It is permissible to speak while performing

ablution – there is nothing reported from the sunnah that prohibits this.

Nullification of Ablution:

An excretion of the penis, vagina or anus Deep sleep that makes a person

completely unaware of his surroundingsLost of consciousnessTouching the sexual organ without any

“barrier” (e.g. clothes) between the hand and the organ

Does not nullifyActions that do not nullify the ablution

Touching a womanBleeding from an unusual place – this

involves bleeding due to a wound, cupping or a nosebleed and regardless of whether the amount of blood is small or large.

Does not nullify  Said al-Hassan, “The Muslims still prayed even

while wounded.” [Bukhari]. He also reported, “Ibn Umar squeezed a pimple until it bleed, but he did not renew his ablution, Ibn Abi Uqiyy spat blood and continued his prayer. Umar ibn al-Khattab prayed while blood was flowing from him. Ibbad ibn Bishr was hit with an arrow while praying, but continued his prayers.” [Related by Abu Dawud and Bukhari].

Does not nullifyVomit – regardless of whether the amount of

vomit was small or large. There is no sound hadtih that nullifies this ablution

Eating camel meat

Does not nullify Of doubts whether or not one has

released gas – this is the case where the person cannot quite recall if he is in a state of purity or not. Such a state of mind does not nullify ablution, regardless of whether the person is in prayer or not, until he is certain that he has nullified his ablution.

Does not nullify Abbad ibn Tameen related that his uncle

queried the Prophet (pbuh) about a person who feels something in his abdomen while praying. Said the Prophet (pbuh) “He should not leave (the prayer) until he hears it or smells it.” [Muslim, Abu Dawud and at-Tirmidhi]

Laughing during prayerWashing a dead person

When compulsoryActions that require ablution as a

prerequisite  

Three actions require ablution in order for them to be accepted by Islamic Law. These are:

Any type of ritual prayer – this involves only obligatory, voluntary or funeral prayers.

Compulsory

Circumambulating the Ka’bah – Ibn Abbas reported that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “Circumambulation is a type of prayer, but Allah has permitted speaking during it. Whoever speaks during it should only speak good.” [at-Tirmidhi]

Difference of opinionTouching a copy of the Quran – some

scholars says it permissible without ablution but preferred.

Actions for which a state of purity is preferred

While mentioning the name of AllahGoing to sleepTo remove a sexual impurity – if a person

in a state of post-sex impurity wants to eat, drink or have intercourse again, he should perform ablution.

Before performing ghuslBefore eating food touched by fireRenewing the ablution for every prayer

Wiping overWiping over the socks Wiping over the socks is part of the sunnah. Wiping over slippers –allowed, has been

related from many companions.Conditions for wiping over socks – one

must have put his socks on (or whatever he is using) while in a state of purity.

Wiping The place to be wiped – Islamic law

prescribes that the top of the socks is to be wiped.

The duration of the wiping- Resident – one day and night- Traveller – 3 days and nights

Wiping What invalidates the wiping

The end of the permissible time period for wiping.

Post-sex impurity.

Removal of the socks if (i) or (iii) occurs while the person was in a state of purity, he need only wash his feet.

Ghusl THE COMPLETE ABLUTION (AL-GHUSL)Ghusl means to wash the entire body with water.

Allah says in the Quran: And they ask you about menstruation. Say, "It is harm, so keep away from wives during menstruation. And do not approach them until they are pure. And when they have purified themselves, then come to them from where Allah has ordained for you. Indeed, Allah loves those who are constantly repentant and loves those who purify themselves." [al-Baraqah:222]

Actions requiring ghusl

 Such actions are 5 in number:Discharge of al-Mani owing to

stimulation while asleep or awake – the opinion of jurists in general is that ghusl is a must should one have a discharge of al-mani (sperm) owing to stimulation while asleep or awake.

Ghusl  Some points of importance:

1-If sperm is discharged without any type of stimulation (owing to illness or extreme cold) – in this case ghusl is not obligatory.

If a man squeezes his penis to prevent ejaculation – no need for ghusl. Ghusl is required if sperm can be seen.

Ghusl Sperm on the clothes during prayer –

if a man does not know how the sperm got on his clothes and he has already prayed, should he perform ghusl and repeat all of his prayers since the last time he slept? If he thinks that it happened before his most recent sleep, he should repeat all of his prayers since the supposed time of his ejaculation.

Ghusl

Touching the two circumcised parts – this refers to the penis and vagina. If one’s penis has entered his wife’s vagina, ghusl is obligatory even if there was no ejaculation.

Women on their periodDeath – when a Muslim dies it obligatory to

wash his/her body. A non-Muslim upon embracing Islam

Ghusl Actions that are forbidden to the impurePrayerCircumambulating the Ka’bahTouching or carrying the Quran – The

companions were all agreed that it is forbidden to touch or carry the Quran while one is in a state of impurity. Some jurists allow the physically unclean person, whether because of sex or menstruation, to touch or carry the Quran and see nothing wrong with this.

Ghusl Evidence used is the hadith when the Prophet

(pbuh) sent a letter to Heraclius with a verse (al-Imran:64)

"O People of the Scripture, come to a word that is equitable between us and you - that we will not worship except Allah and not associate anything with Him and not take one another as lords instead of Allah ." But if they turn away, then say, "Bear witness that we are Muslims [submitting to Him]."

from the Quran. Majority of the scholars answer this by

stating that one is allowed to touch parts of the Quran

that are used in letters, books, tafsir etc as such things

are not copies of the Quran.

Ghusl Reciting the Quran – there is ikhtilaf on

this. Some scholars say you are allowed some say that you are not allowed.

Staying in the Mosque

Actions for which ghusl is preferred

These actions involve a reward for performing ghusl and no blame for leaving it:

Ghusl Before the Friday prayer – The Prophet

(pbuh) said: “Whoever makes the ablution and perfects it and then goes to the Friday prayer and listens attentively, will have forgiveness during (the period) between the Friday and the next (Friday), and an additional three days.” [Muslim].

The time for Friday ghusl is between dawn and the time of the Friday prayer.

Ghusl 2-If one has a wet dream but does not find

any traces of ejaculation – no need for ghusl.

3-If one wakes from sleep and finds some moistness, but does not recall any wet dream, though he is sure it is sperm, what should he do? – to be safe he should perform ghusl.

Sunan timesPerforming ghusl for the Eid prayers

Ghusl for washing a corpse

Making ghusl for Hajj

Making ghusl upon entering Makkah

Making Ghusl at Mount Arafah

Compulsory actsTHE PRINCIPLES OF GHUSL

Only two things that Shariah law requires:

The intention

Washing all bodily parts