Fatwa ID: 02981

Answered by:  Mufti Eunus Ali

Question:

Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah

After doing istinja for the back passage with water I thought I cleaned up properly, however, when performing salah I then had a physical feeling that some impurity remained, so I used the principle that certainty is not removed by doubt, but after salah I checked using my fingers to smell and found a smell and therefore rewashed to remove the traces of smell, therefore, I doubted whether my salah was valid.

However, after doing research on a Hanafi website I found that impurity that is not more than 2.75 cm is not obligatory to clean but I am unsure whether the impurity was greater than 2.75cm or not and whether smell is a factor, therefore, was my salah valid and also I think I am being affected by waswasa and does giving into waswasa knowingly entail kufr?

Answer:

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

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

If there is more than the amount of one dirham of impurity on one’s body or clothing, to pray salah without cleaning it will be invalid. If it is less than that amount it will be valid.

Imam Al-Kasaani has stated that the size of a dirham is approximately the size of the inner palm.[1]

In regards to your question, as there was no physical impurity on your clothing or body inshallah the salah will be valid.

As for waswasah, this is from Shaytan. If the waswasah entails kufr then to act on it will be kufr such as denying Allah or the Quran etc.

It is narrated by Abu Huraira: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Allah has accepted my invocation to forgive what whispers in the hearts of my followers, unless they put it to action or utter it."[2]

Furthermore, the Prophet has prescribed a solution for us whereby it is narrated by Uthman bin Abu al-'As that he came to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and said: Allah's Messenger, the Satan intervenes between me and my prayer and my reciting of the Qur'an and he confounds me. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said:, That is (the doing of a) Satan (devil) who is known as Khinzab, and when you perceive its effect, seek refuge with Allah from it and spit three times to your left. I did that and Allah dispelled that from me.[3]

Only Allah knows best

Written by Mufti Eunus Ali

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham