Fatwa ID: 05271

Answered by: Mufti Muhammad Adnan

Question

In the past when living at my parent’s house after sexual intercourse some semen dropped onto the carpet. To clean it what I did was first wiped it from the area with tissue. Then I soaked some tissue with water and soap and cleaned the area a few times like that. Then I soaked some more tissue With plain water and wiped the area making sure water from the tissue soaked into the carpet to clean the previous soap and water. Since then the carpet has also been washed on 2 separate occasions by a carpet washing machine where water and carpet cleaning shampoo is used and a vacuum is used to suck out the water. My question is that is all this enough to clean the carpet. When I washed it with water and tissue I was certain the impurity was removed. If it wasn’t removed then it would have when the carpet was washed. As I have now moved out there is no way for me to go back and clean it again as it would make them suspicious and I can’t remember where it was. Also when washed with carpet machine the dirty collected water was drained in the bathtub and I got no proof anyone came into contact with that water.

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

Answer

The method for purifying a carpet that is soiled by an impurity that cannot be seen after it dries up, such as urine, etc is as follows:

Pour water over the impure section of the carpet then dry the carpet with a clean sponge or cloth. You must ensure that the carpet dries at least to the extent that it does not drip water if you were to lift it up (This is for thick carpets that cannot be squeezed. If the carpet is thin and can be squeezed then it will be necessary to squeeze out the water after pouring water each time. When squeezing out the water the third time, one must squeeze hard so that it stops dripping water). 

Once the procedure above is carried out three times, the carpet will become pure. (لطحطاوي على مراقي الفلاح: ص 159)

Only Allah knows best

Written by Mufti Muhammad Adnan

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham