Fatwa ID: 08540
Answered by: Alimah Maryam Badshah
Question:
In 2022 sometimes when I would wash and other things impurity would splash and sometimes this would go on top of the sink handle and etc – ( the water which splashed on top would be clear but most probably contaminated by impurities )
I usually also wipe the handle when that happens however once I forgot to and someone most probably touched that same area when closing the tap after washing their hands
I’m not sure if there was a hand towel to dry their hands then or not
As if not they would have touched other things with that wet hands including their phone which would mean their prayers would be invalid with that phone on them
Also if someone has semi wet najasah on their hands eg blood or clear liquid from a pimple which was sticky not actually wet and they accidentally rub it on couch is that place impure even if there’s no trace of impurity ?
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
The Messenger of Allah (saw) said: “Cleanliness is half of faith…” (Sahih Muslim)(1)
As you were washing your hands from impurity when the water splashed on the tap, we can safely say that the impurity had been mixed with water. In the situation where a person is splashed with water that is mixed with impurity, their salah is not invalid even if this was a large amount (which is unlikely for a tap handle), and the salah only becomes invalid if traces of the impurity (i.e. a stain) is found. If a trace is found, the salah would only be invalid if the impurity is more than the size of a dirham. If the impurity is less than a dirham it would be makhruh (disliked) but the salah will be accepted.[1]
The rule regarding the purity of flowing water is that it is to be considered pure until proven otherwise. This means that unless the colour, taste or smell of the water had changed, it would not have been considered impure when it splashed onto the tap whilst you were washing your hands, since it still looked like water and not anything else. This would not be overruled by doubts or suspicions. You can clean these surfaces as a precaution, but it would not invalidate salah, since you could have been mistaken.[2]
However, as this event occurred many years ago and you are uncertain as to whether the water was really contaminated or not, you are not required to act upon this doubtful situation until you become sure that the water was fully contaminated. The basic principle is that a person should act upon what they are certain of and not what they suspect and are in doubt regarding. As for the blood or pus from a spot, you can assume it was dry enough that it did not transfer since you could not find any trace of it on the sofa.[3]
Only Allah (عز و جل) knows best.
Written by Alimah Maryam Badshah
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
References:
[1]
حِمَارٌ بَالَ فِي الْمَاءِ فَأَصَابَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ الرَّشَّاشِ ثَوْبَ إنْسَانٍ لَا يَمْنَعُ جَوَازَ الصَّلَاةِ وَإِنْ كَثُرَ حَتَّى يَسْتَيْقِنَ أَنَّهُ بَوْلٌ وَكَذَا لَوْ رُمِيَتْ الْعَذِرَةُ فِي الْمَاءِ فَخَرَجَ مِنْهَا رَشَّاشٌ فَأَصَابَ ثَوْبًا إنْ ظَهَرَ أَثَرُهَا فِيهِ يَتَنَجَّسُ وَإِلَّا فَلَا هَذَا هُوَ الْمُخْتَارُ وَبِهِ أَخَذَ الْفَقِيهُ أَبُو اللَّيْثِ سَوَاءٌ كَانَ الْمَاءُ جَارِيًا أَوْ رَاكِدًا.
وَعَنْ أَبِي بَكْرٍ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْفَضْلِ إذَا كَانَ فِي رِجْلِ الْفَرَسِ نَجَاسَةٌ فَمَشَى فِي الْمَاءِ وَأَصَابَ مِنْهُ رَشَاشٌ ثَوْبَ الرَّاكِبِ صَارَ نَجِسًا سَوَاءٌ كَانَ الْمَاءُ رَاكِدًا أَوْ جَارِيًا وَالْأَصَحُّ هُوَ الْأَوَّلُ لِلْقَاعِدَةِ الْمُطَّرِدَةِ أَنَّ الْيَقِينَ لَا يَزُولُ بِالشَّكِّ. هَكَذَا فِي شَرْحِ مُنْيَةِ الْمُصَلِّي لِإِبْرَاهِيمَ الْحَلَبِيِّ.
Al-Fatāwa al-Hindiyyah (Vol.1, pg.47, Dār Al-Fiqr)
عَنْ عُمَرَ أَنَّهُ سُئِلَ عَنْ الْقَلِيلِ مِنْ النَّجَاسَةِ فِي الثَّوْبِ فَقَالَ: إذَا كَانَ مِثْلَ ظُفْرِي هَذَا لَا يَمْنَعُ جَوَازَ الصَّلَاةِ … أَنَّ غَسْلَ الدِّرْهَمِ وَمَا دُونَهُ مُسْتَحَبٌّ مَعَ الْعِلْمِ بِهِ وَالْقُدْرَةِ عَلَى غَسْلِهِ، فَتَرْكُهُ حِينَئِذٍ خِلَافُ الْأَوْلَى، نَعَمْ الدِّرْهَمُ غَسْلُهُ آكَدُ مِمَّا دُونَهُ، فَتَرْكُهُ أَشَدُّ كَرَاهَةً…
وَالْحَاصِلُ أَنَّ مَا جَاوَزَ الْمَخْرَجَ إنْ زَادَ عَلَى الدِّرْهَمِ فِي نَفْسِهِ يُفْتَرَضُ غَسْلُهُ اتِّفَاقًا…
Raddul Muhtar (Vol.1, pg.316-7 & 339, Dār Al-Fiqr)
[2]
فَالنَّجَسُ… فَإِنْ وَقَعَ فِي الْمَاءِ، فَإِنْ كَانَ جَارِيًا، فَإِنْ كَانَ النَّجَسُ غَيْرَ مَرْئِيٍّ كَالْبَوْلِ وَالْخَمْرِ وَنَحْوِهِمَا لَا يَنْجَسُ، مَا لَمْ يَتَغَيَّرْ لَوْنُهُ أَوْ طَعْمُهُ أَوْ رِيحُهُ، وَيَتَوَضَّأُ مِنْهُ مِنْ أَيِّ مَوْضِعٍ كَانَ مِنْ الْجَانِبِ الَّذِي وَقَعَ فِيهِ النَّجَسُ أَوْ مِنْ جَانِبٍ آخَرَ، كَذَا ذَكَرَهُ مُحَمَّدٌ فِي كِتَابِ الْأَشْرِبَةِ لَوْ أَنَّ رَجُلًا صَبَّ خَابِيَةً مِنْ الْخَمْرِ فِي الْفُرَاتِ، وَرَجُلٌ آخَرَ – أَسْفَلَ مِنْهُ – يَتَوَضَّأُ إنْ تَغَيَّرَ لَوْنُهُ أَوْ طَعْمُهُ أَوْ رِيحُهُ لَا يَجُوزُ، وَإِنْ لَمْ يَتَغَيَّرْ يَجُوزُ…
Badā’i’ Al-Ṣanā’i’ (Vol.1, pg.71, Dār Al-Kutub Al-’Ilmiyyah)
[3]
… وَالْعُضْوُ وَالثَّوْبُ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا كَانَ طَاهِرًا بِيَقِينٍ فَلَا يَتَنَجَّسُ بِالشَّكِّ.
Badā’i’ Al-Ṣanā’i’ (Vol.1, pg.65, Dār Al-Kutub Al-’Ilmiyyah)
أَنَّ مَا ثَبَتَ لَا يَبْطُلُ بِالشَّكِّ، وَغَيْرُ الثَّابِتِ لَا يَثْبُتُ بِالشَّكِّ،
Badā’i’ Al-Ṣanā’i’ (Vol.1, pg.123, Dār Al-Kutub Al-’Ilmiyyah)
إذَا لَفَّ الثَّوْبَ النَّجِسَ فِي الثَّوْبِ الطَّاهِرِ وَالنَّجِسُ رَطْبٌ فَظَهَرَتْ نَدَاوَتُهُ فِي الثَّوْبِ الطَّاهِرِ لَكِنْ لَمْ يَصِرْ رَطْبًا بِحَيْثُ لَوْ عُصِرَ يَسِيلُ مِنْهُ شَيْءٌ وَلَا يَتَقَاطَرُ فَالْأَصَحُّ أَنَّهُ لَا يَصِيرُ نَجِسًا وَكَذَا لَوْ بَسَطَ الثَّوْبَ الطَّاهِرَ عَلَى الثَّوْبِ النَّجِسِ أَوْ عَلَى أَرْضٍ نَجِسَةٍ مُبْتَلَّةٍ وَأَثَّرَتْ تِلْكَ النَّجَاسَةُ فِي الثَّوْبِ لَكِنْ لَمْ يَصِرْ رَطْبًا بِحَالِ لَوْ عُصِرَ يَسِيلُ مِنْهُ شَيْءٌ وَلَكِنْ يُعْرَفُ مَوْضِعُ النَّدْوَةِ فَالْأَصَحُّ أَنَّهُ لَا يَصِيرُ نَجِسًا. هَكَذَا فِي الْخُلَاصَةِ.
وَلَوْ وَضَعَ رِجْلَهُ الْمَبْلُولَةَ عَلَى أَرْضٍ نَجِسَةٍ أَوْ بِسَاطٍ نَجِسٍ لَا يَتَنَجَّسُ وَإِنْ وَضَعَهَا جَافَّةً عَلَى بِسَاطٍ نَجِسٍ رَطْبٍ إنْ ابْتَلَّتْ تَنَجَّسَتْ وَلَا تُعْتَبَرُ النَّدَاوَةُ هُوَ الْمُخْتَارُ كَذَا فِي السِّرَاجِ الْوَهَّاجِ نَاقِلًا عَنْ الْفَتَاوَى.
Al-Fatāwa al-Hindiyyah (Vol.1, pg.47, Dār Al-Fiqr)
