Fatwa ID: 08199

Answered by: Mawlana Abdurrahman Mohammad

Question:
When doing Istinjah wearing a half-sleeved shirt, I see splashes of water that come from the Muslim shower from my private parts come on my hand.

Or my hand touches the flush, or I feel water getting into my eyes or my lips, but I don’t know if it’s pure water from the Muslim shower or water jumping from the toilet seat to my mouth or eyes.

My question is: do I need to wash my hands with soap or is just water sufficient? And what will be the ruling for hand touching flush or water droplets touching the lips or eyes? Kindly answer in detail.

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Answer:

Introduction
It is best to lower the pressure of the water to reduce splashback and avoid having these doubts altogether. In your situation, apply the principle “certainty is not lifted by doubt” (Al-Yaqeenu Laa Yazoolu Bisk Shakk). Generally, these splashes are pure as the water bounces off the hand or the already washed private part. If you are certain that the splashes came from the toilet or notice traces of filth in the droplets, you must clean the splashes and the affected area.

Excused Amount of Najāsah Ghalīdhah
Another important principle is that Najāsah Ghalīdhah is excused if it is less than the size of a Dirham.

It [impurity] is of two types: (The first) is the heavy type, and the amount of a dirham is exempted from it.

If there are no other impurities on the body, and the splashes of impurity, when combined, do not exceed the size of a Dirham, then this amount of filth would be excused.

(And urine that spurted like the heads of needles)…
(His statement: like the heads of needles)… The heads of needles is a metaphor for minuteness as in Al-Qahistani from Al-Talaba, but it is also in it from Al-Karmani that this is what is not seen on the garment, otherwise it is obligatory to wash it if it becomes, in total, more than the size of a dirham.

The size of a Dirham is roughly the size of the hollow part of your palm. This is roughly the size of a 50-pence coin (GBP) or a half-dollar coin (USD).
Then it is narrated that the dirham is considered in terms of area, which is the width of the palm in the Sahih.

It is safe to assume toilet seats and flushes are clean unless you see visible traces of impurity on them. Washing hands with water after Istinjah is sufficient, but you may use soap when you think it is appropriate. Do not let your doubts overpower you and cause undue hardship.

Conclusion
It is safe to assume that the splashes, flush, and toilet seat were pure unless you noticed and were certain of visible traces of impurity. Do not give in to unfounded doubts. If there were visible traces of impurity, then the splashes are forgiven if they do not add up to the size of a Dirham.

Only Allah (عَزَّ وَجَلَّ) knows best.

Written by: Mawlana Abdurrahman Mohammad
Checked and approved by: Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham

References:

[1] [الْفَصْلُ الثَّانِي فِي الْأَعْيَانِ النَّجِسَةِ]

وَهِيَ نَوْعَانِ (الْأَوَّلُ) الْمُغَلَّظَةُ وَعُفِيَ مِنْهَا قَدْرُ الدِّرْهَمِ

(Al-Fatāwā Al-Hindiyyah, vol. 1, pg. 45, Al-Maṭba’ah Al-Kubrā Al-Amīriyyah)

[2] (وَبَوْلٌ انْتَضَحَ كَرُءُوسِ إبَرٍ) …

(قَوْلُهُ: كَرُءُوسِ إبَرٍ) بِكَسْرِ الْهَمْزَةِ جَمْعُ إبْرَةٍ احْتِرَازٌ عَنْ الْمِسَلَّةِ كَمَا فِي شَرْحِ الْمُنْيَةِ وَالْفَتْحِ. (قَوْلُهُ: وَكَذَا جَانِبُهَا الْآخَرُ) أَيْ: خِلَافًا لِأَبِي جَعْفَرٍ الْهِنْدُوَانِيُّ حَيْثُ مَنَعَ بِالْجَانِبِ الْآخَرِ، وَغَيْرُهُ مِنْ الْمَشَايِخِ قَالُوا: لَا يُعْتَبَرُ الْجَانِبَانِ وَاخْتَارَهُ فِي الْكَافِي حِلْيَةٌ؛ فَرُءُوسُ الْإِبَرِ تَمْثِيلٌ لِلتَّقْلِيلِ كَمَا فِي الْقُهُسْتَانِيِّ عَنْ الطَّلَبَةِ، لَكِنَّ فِيهِ أَيْضًا عَنْ الْكَرْمَانِيِّ أَنَّ هَذَا مَا لَمْ يُرَ عَلَى الثَّوْبِ وَإِلَّا وَجَبَ غَسْلُهُ إذَا صَارَ بِالْجَمْعِ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ قَدْرِ الدِّرْهَمِ

(Radd Al-Muhtār, vol. 4, pg. 221, Darul Fikr Beirut)

[3] ثُمَّ يُرْوَى اعْتِبَارُ الدِّرْهَمِ مِنْ حَيْثُ الْمِسَاحَةُ وَهُوَ قَدْرُ عَرْضِ الْكَفِّ فِي الصَّحِيحِ، وَيُرْوَى مِنْ حَيْثُ الْوَزْنُ وَهُوَ الدِّرْهَمُ الْكَبِيرُ الْمِثْقَالِ وَهُوَ مَا يَبْلُغُ وَزْنُهُ مِثْقَالًا.

(Al-Fath Al-Qadeer, vol. 1, pg. 203, Maṭba’ah Mustafā Al-Bābī Al-Halabī)