Fatwa ID: 08081

Answered by: Mawlana Abdurrahman Mohammad

Question: 

I used an antibacterial wipe to clean a leather seat, but I read in a Fatwa that says cleaning agents that cause harm do not remove Najasah and must be washed again. These wipes said they may cause an allergic reaction, avoid contact with eyes, and are also harmful to aquatic organisms. Also, when I wiped the seat, I just wiped it with the wet wipe and left it. Was this right? Is it now pure?

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيْم

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

Answer:

It is permissible to use any liquid as a means of purification as long as the liquid is in itself pure. Fatāwā Hindiyyah states:

«مَا يَطْهُرُ بِهِ النَّجَسُ عَشْرَةٌ: (مِنْهَا) الْغُسْلُ يَجُوزُ تَطْهِيرُ النَّجَاسَةِ بِالْمَاءِ وَبِكُلِّ مَائِعٍ طَاهِرٍ يُمْكِنُ إزَالَتُهَا بِهِ كَالْخَلِّ وَمَاءِ الْوَرْدِ وَنَحْوِهِ مِمَّا إذَا عُصِرَ انْعَصَرَ. كَذَا فِي الْهِدَايَةِ.»

“The things by which najasah is purified are ten: (among them) washing. It is permissible to purify najasah with water and any pure liquid that can remove it, such as vinegar, rose water, and the like, which if squeezed, would yield liquid. This is mentioned in Al-Hidayah.” (Al-Fatāwā Al-Hindiyya, vol. 1, pg. 41, Al-Maṭba’ah Al-Kubrā Al-Amīriyyah)

As long as the wipes do not contain impure substances like alcohol derived from dates and grapes or animal products (which is generally the case for most antibacterial wipes), they can be used to purify impure surfaces. The potential harm mentioned on the packaging (allergic reaction, harm to aquatic organisms) relates to their usage and disposal but does not inherently affect their purity as a cleaning agent.

Therefore, if the antibacterial wipe is itself a pure liquid and you have used it to remove the traces of the impurity from the leather seat, you may consider the cleaned surface pure. The act of simply wiping the seat with the wet wipe and leaving it is sufficient as long as the impurity has been effectively removed. There is no requirement to wash it again with water after using a pure cleaning agent that removes the najasah.

Only Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) knows best.

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