Fatwa ID: 07686

 

 

 

Answered by Moulana Sarfraz Mohammad

 

 

Question:

 

As-salamu alaykum,

 

I hear flowing water is pure even after contact with impurity as long as no traces of impurity (smell, colour, etc) is apparent. Then I hear that the “first washing” or water that washes away impurity is impure regardless if there is no traces of impurity. I asked someone about these two and whether after washing my mouth/pouring water over impurity, the splashes that come from it hitting the sink and onto me are impure. I was told “flowing water means river, while what I am referring to means water falling off after contact with najis which is different”. I don’t know what that means because multiple sources have told me as long as something is in a state of flow, it can get that special ruling. For example that;

 

1. If there is impure water in a container, then water is poured on it until it flows out of its sides and it becomes pure

2. Draining impure water from pool/hole into a hole dug next to it, the accumulated water is pure

3. If one impure jug of water was poured at a height with a pure jug of water so that they mix in the air, all of it is pure (which I don’t understand, because by the other rulings, they would just need to make it flow, no need to mix?)

 

Are those correct? If so, how does impurity on “first washing” and its splashes be any different to all that? Or is flowing water only for rivers? Do they mean as in not the start of flow but the middle of flow where water flowing from start and end of something like clothes dipped into it? And not like immediately stopped “flowing”/flow broken up as soon as it touched impurity? But I feel like water would have a flowing property before and after directly touching impurity while washing, for example, any impurity from skin? How does that ruling make sense with the other ones?

 

Someone else DID tell me that the water I spit out after rinsing an impure mouth is considered flowing therefore as long as there is no traces, it is pure so its splashes or the splashes from water poured onto my closed impure mouth is pure regardless if it was “first washing”. Is this true?

 

Please tell me the criteria to be considered flowing water and have the “as long as traces dont appear, it is pure” ruling that it possesses.

 

 

 

﷽

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

 

Answer:

 

Wa Alikumus Salaam

 

The definition of running water given in the books of fiqh is;

 

• That water which flows and is generally considered running water.
• Running water is that water which flows and has the force to move dry grass etc with its flow.

 

The minimum depth of running water is that it is so deep that if a person takes both of his hands and scoop up some water it will not raise the dust from the bottom.

 

The examples given in the question are not examples of running water since they do not fall under the definition of running water.

 

 

Allah تعالي Knows Best

 

Written by Moulana Sarfraz Mohammad

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham

 

 

 

References:

 

«الفتاوى العالمكيرية = الفتاوى الهندية» (1/ 17):

“الأول الماء الجاري) وهو ما يذهب بتبنه. كذا في الكنز والخلاصة وهذا هو الحد الذي ليس في دركه حرج. هكذا في شرح الوقاية وقيل ما يعده الناس جاريا وهو الأصح. كذا في التبيين وفي النصاب والفتوى في الماء الجاري أنه لا يتنجس ما لم يتغير طعمه أو لونه أو ريحه من النجاسة. كذا في المضمرات..وفي بعض الفتاوى قال مشايخنا: المطر ما دام يمطر فله حكم الجريان حتى لو أصاب العذرات على السطح ثم أصاب ثوبا لا يتنجس إلا أن يتغير

“والمعتبر في عمقه أن يكون بحال لا ينحسر بالاغتراف هو الصحيح.”

«حاشية ابن عابدين = رد المحتار ط الحلبي» (1/ 187):

«وَ) الْجَارِي (هُوَ مَا يُعَدُّ جَارِيًا) عُرْفًا، وَقِيلَ مَا يَذْهَبُ بِتِبْنَةٍ، وَالْأَوَّلُ أَظْهَرُ، وَالثَّانِي (وَإِنْ) وَصْلِيَّةٌ (لَمْ يَكُنْ جَرَيَانُهُ بِمَدَدٍ) فِي الْأَصَحِّ»

(قَوْلُهُ: وَالْأَوَّلُ أَظْهَرُ) أَيْ وَأَصَحُّ كَمَا فِي الْبَحْرِ وَالنَّهْرِ، لِتَعْوِيلِهِ عَلَى الْعُرْفِ وَلِجَرَيَانِهِ عَلَى قَاعِدَةِ الْإِمَامِ مِنْ النَّظَرِ إلَى الْمُبْتَلِينَ ط، لَكِنْ اُسْتُشْكِلَ بِأَنَّهُ لَا يَتَعَيَّنُ أَصْلًا لِتَعَدُّدِهِ وَاخْتِلَافِهِ بِتَعَدُّدِ الْعَادِّينَ وَاخْتِلَافِهِمْ.

(قَوْلُهُ: وَالثَّانِي أَشْهَرُ) لِوُقُوعِهِ فِي كَثِيرٍ مِنْ الْكُتُبِ حَتَّى الْمُتُونِ. وَقَالَ صَدْرُ الشَّرِيعَةِ وَتَبِعَهُ ابْنُ الْكَمَالِ: إنَّهُ الْحَدُّ الَّذِي لَيْسَ فِي دَرْكِهِ حَرَجٌ، لَكِنْ قَدْ عَلِمْت أَنَّ الْأَوَّلَ أَصَحُّ وَالْعُرْفُ الْآنَ أَنَّهُ مَتَى كَانَ الْمَاءُ دَاخِلًا مِنْ جَانِبٍ وَخَارِجًا مِنْ جَانِبٍ آخَرَ يُسَمَّى جَارِيًا وَإِنْ قَلَّ الدَّاخِلُ