Fatwa ID: 08461
Written by Alimah Maryam Badshah
Question:
I have been dealing with some sort of OCD in regards to cleanliness. I have a s sister and when ever my mother changes her diapers with urine, she just throws it onto the ground in the living room. Sometimes they land on my sisters toys and other items. I have told her that she shouldn’t do that but she doesn’t stop saying that I am just being doubting. But its extremely hard for me to feel pure and clean when my sister touched those toys that the diaper had landed on and then touches me or other things. I’m tired of washing her hands, my hands and other household things due to this. Islamically what is the best and correct course of action for this? Today she touched a tou that I clearly saw a diaper on and then touched me phone, jacket and me along with other things in the house. I washed my hands one, but then she touched me again. It doesnt seem practical to wash my hands, phone and jacket again so I didnt ( im also feeling tired of washing them many times due to this) But im feeling a sense of uneasiness.
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]
Cleanliness is an important part of our faith and a prerequisite to key acts of worship. It is a source of reward and forgiveness, and a quality that separates us from the disbelievers. According to the Hanafi Madhab, urine is considered impure regardless of the age of the child, and anything wet with impurity transfers onto anything it touches until it has dried. If the diapers/nappies had been placed in a bag before being thrown on the floor, you can assume the urine to be contained in the bag, and the bag to be clean so long as the bag itself was not handled with soiled hands.[2]
However, from what has been stated in your message, it seems to be the case that a bag was not used and the diaper was thrown uncontained. In this case, if the urine was still wet and it directly touched the floor or toys, then the impurity would have transferred onto them and they would be considered impure. If the urine on the diaper had dried it would not be considered to have transferred onto the carpet or toys. When it comes to most commercial diapers, if they fit correctly and the child has not overly soiled itself, the outer part usually does not contain urine, as the water-resistant back sheet prevents the urine from passing through to the baby’s clothing.[3]
To purify clothing, it should be washed and squeezed three times. Permeable objects that cannot be squeezed should be washed and “dried” three times, with drying being until the water stops dripping. If the surface is smooth and non-porous, like metals and plastics, wiping with water would be enough. If an impurity has dried up without a trace, you would still need to clean those surfaces by wiping the areas at least once since you know the impurity transferred to those places.[4]
Narrated from `Aisha (ra): The Prophet (saw) took a child in his lap for Tahnik (i.e. he chewed a date in his mouth and put its juice in the mouth of the child). The child urinated on him, so he asked for water and poured it over the place of the urine. (Sahih Bukhari) [5]
It was narrated that Lubabah bint Harith (ra) said: “Husain bin ‘Ali urinated in the lap of the Prophet (saw) and I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, give me your garment and put on another garment.’ He said: ‘Water should be sprinkled on the urine of a baby boy, and the urine of a baby girl should be washed away.'” (Ibn Majah) [6]
If it is the case that your mother does not consider the urine of a baby to be impure, it may be the case that she is misunderstanding the above hadeeth. According to the Hanafi Madhab this was a reference to light cleaning and not literally sprinkling water.[7]
Some measures you can take are to keep a bin where your mother usually cleans your sister for the diapers to be placed in easily, or suggest for your sister to be cleaned away from where other items may be contaminated as a compromise. Your sister could also be changed on a mat, and nappy sacks/diaper bags can be used to dispose of the soiled diapers. Perhaps talk about your situation with someone you trust, or kindly broach the topic with your mother, discussing why she considers the diapers to not be impure in order to get to the root of the problem.
References:
[1]
حَدَّثَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ مَنْصُورٍ، حَدَّثَنَا حَبَّانُ بْنُ هِلاَلٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبَانٌ، حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى، أَنَّ زَيْدًا، حَدَّثَهُ أَنَّ أَبَا سَلاَّمٍ حَدَّثَهُ عَنْ أَبِي مَالِكٍ الأَشْعَرِيِّ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم “ الطُّهُورُ شَطْرُ الإِيمَانِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ تَمْلأُ الْمِيزَانَ . وَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ تَمْلآنِ – أَوْ تَمْلأُ – مَا بَيْنَ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَالصَّلاَةُ نُورٌ وَالصَّدَقَةُ بُرْهَانٌ وَالصَّبْرُ ضِيَاءٌ وَالْقُرْآنُ حُجَّةٌ لَكَ أَوْ عَلَيْكَ كُلُّ النَّاسِ يَغْدُو فَبَائِعٌ نَفْسَهُ فَمُعْتِقُهَا أَوْ مُوبِقُهَا ”.
Sahih Muslim 223 (Bk.2, ch1, sunnah.com)
[2]
كُلُّ مَا يَخْرُجُ مِنْ بَدَنِ الْإِنْسَانِ مِمَّا يُوجِبُ خُرُوجُهُ الْوُضُوءَ أَوْ الْغُسْلَ فَهُوَ مُغَلَّظٌ كَالْغَائِطِ وَالْبَوْلِ وَالْمَنِيِّ وَالْمَذْيِ وَالْوَدْيِ وَالْقَيْحِ وَالصَّدِيدِ وَالْقَيْءِ إذَا مَلَأَ الْفَمَ.
Al-Fatāwa al-Hindiyyah (Vol.1, pg.46, Dār Al-Fiqr)
[3]
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
Al-Fatāwa al-Hindiyyah (Vol.1, pg.42, Dār Al-Fiqr)
[4]
وَإِنْ كَانَتْ غَيْرَ مَرْئِيَّةٍ يَغْسِلُهَا ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ. كَذَا فِي الْمُحِيطِ وَيُشْتَرَطُ الْعَصْرُ فِي كُلِّ مَرَّةٍ فِيمَا يَنْعَصِرُ وَيُبَالِغُ فِي الْمَرَّةِ الثَّالِثَةِ حَتَّى لَوْ عَصَرَ بَعْدَهُ لَا يَسِيلُ مِنْهُ الْمَاءُ وَيُعْتَبَرُ فِي كُلِّ شَخْصٍ قُوَّتُهُ وَفِي غَيْرِ رِوَايَةِ الْأُصُولِ يَكْتَفِي بِالْعَصْرِ مَرَّةً وَهُوَ أَرْفَقُ. كَذَا فِي الْكَافِي وَفِي النَّوَازِلِ وَعَلَيْهِ الْفَتْوَى. كَذَا فِي التَّتَارْخَانِيَّة وَالْأَوَّلُ أَحْوَطُ…
…وَمَا لَا يَنْعَصِرُ يَطْهُرُ بِالْغَسْلِ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ وَالتَّجْفِيفُ فِي كُلِّ مَرَّةٍ؛ لِأَنَّ لِلتَّجْفِيفِ أَثَرًا فِي اسْتِخْرَاجِ النَّجَاسَةِ وَحَدُّ التَّجْفِيفِ أَنْ يُخَلِّيَهُ حَتَّى يَنْقَطِعَ التَّقَاطُرُ وَلَا يُشْتَرَطُ فِيهِ الْيُبْسُ
Al-Fatāwa al-Hindiyyah (Vol.1, pg.42, Dār Al-Fiqr)
وَلَوْ أَصَابَتْ النَّجَاسَةُ شَيْئًا صُلْبًا صَقِيلًا، كَالسَّيْفِ وَالْمِرْآةِ وَنَحْوِهِمَا يَطْهُرُ بِالْحَتِّ، رَطْبَةً كَانَتْ أَوْ يَابِسَةً؛ لِأَنَّهُ لَا يَتَخَلَّلُ فِي أَجْزَائِهِ شَيْءٌ مِنْ النَّجَاسَةِ، وَظَاهِرُهُ يَطْهُرُ بِالْمَسْحِ وَالْحَثِّ
Badā’i’ Al-Ṣanā’i’ (Vol.1, pg.85, Dār Al-Kutub Al-’Ilmiyyah)
وَإِزَالَتُهَا إنْ كَانَتْ مَرْئِيَّةً بِإِزَالَةِ عَيْنِهَا وَأَثَرِهَا إنْ كَانَتْ شَيْئًا يَزُولُ أَثَرُهُ وَلَا يُعْتَبَرُ فِيهِ الْعَدَدُ. كَذَا فِي الْمُحِيطِ فَلَوْ زَالَتْ عَيْنُهَا بِمَرَّةٍ اكْتَفَى بِهَا وَلَوْ لَمْ تَزُلْ بِثَلَاثَةٍ تُغْسَلُ إلَى أَنْ تَزُولَ
Al-Fatāwa al-Hindiyyah (Vol.1, pg.41-2, Dār Al-Fiqr)
[5]
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى، حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، عَنْ هِشَامٍ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي أَبِي، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَضَعَ صَبِيًّا فِي حِجْرِهِ يُحَنِّكُهُ، فَبَالَ عَلَيْهِ، فَدَعَا بِمَاءٍ فَأَتْبَعَهُ.
Sahih al-Bukhari 6002 (Bk.78, ch.21, sunnah.com)
[6]
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الأَحْوَصِ، عَنْ سِمَاكِ بْنِ حَرْبٍ، عَنْ قَابُوسَ بْنِ أَبِي الْمُخَارِقِ، عَنْ لُبَابَةَ بِنْتِ الْحَارِثِ، قَالَتْ بَالَ الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ فِي حِجْرِ النَّبِيِّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ فَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَعْطِنِي ثَوْبَكَ وَالْبَسْ ثَوْبًا غَيْرَهُ فَقَالَ “ إِنَّمَا يُنْضَحُ مِنْ بَوْلِ الذَّكَرِ وَيُغْسَلُ مِنْ بَوْلِ الأُنْثَى ” .
Sunan Ibn Majah 522 (Bk.1, ch.77, sunnah.com)
[7]
وَلَا يَنْبَغِي ذِكْرُ نَضْحِ بَوْلِ الصَّبِيِّ الصَّغِيرِ بِالْمَاءِ؛ لِأَنَّهُ لَيْسَ مَذْهَبَنَا.
Raddul Muhtār (Vol.1, pg.314, Dār Al-Fiqr)
أخرجه ابْن مَاجَه عَنْهَا أَن رَسُول الله صلى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسلم قَالَ: (بَوْل الْغُلَام ينضح وَبَوْل الْجَارِيَة يغسل) ، وَمذهب أبي حنيفَة وَأَصْحَابه وَمَالك أَنه لَا يفرق بَين بَوْل الصَّغِير وَالصَّغِيرَة فِي نَجَاسَته، وجعلوهما سَوَاء فِي وجوب غسله مِنْهُمَا…
وَأَجَابُوا عَن ذَلِك بِأَن النَّضْح هُوَ صب المَاء لِأَن الْعَرَب تسمي ذَلِك نضحاً، وَقد يذكر وَيُرَاد بِهِ الْغسْل، وَكَذَلِكَ الرش يذكر وَيُرَاد بِهِ الْغسْل.
‘Umdah al-Qāri (Vol.3, pg.130, Dār Al-Fiqr)
Only Allah (عز و جل) knows best.
Written by Alimah Maryam Badshah
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
