Fatwa ID: 08767

 

 

Answered by Alimah Saleha Bukhari Islam

 

Question:

 

Can we, as muslims hire cleaning carpet company to clean our house carpet? UK houses are mostly fully carpeted wall to wall. These cleaning companies obviously cleans other previous houses’ carpets which may have dogs as pets. They use a special suction vacuum that cleans the carpets using water and soap and vacuum all the dirt/pet hairs. Then is it okay for us to walk and pray/salah on the house carpet that has been cleaned by these cleaning companies that use the same vacuum to clean carpets in houses that have dogs as pets?

 

 

 

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

 

 

Answer:

 

It is permissible in Islam to hire a professional carpet cleaning company, even if they also service homes with dogs. The use of shared cleaning equipment does not render your carpet impure (najis) if the carpet is thoroughly cleaned using water and detergent, and no visible impurity (such as dog saliva or filth) remains.

 

 

In Islamic jurisprudence, particularly in the Hanafi madhab, only the saliva of a dog is considered Najis and not the fur or body. If there is no certainty that dog saliva has transferred to your carpet, and the cleaning process includes washing with water and soap followed by suction, then the carpets are considered pure (tahir). Moreover, the principle of removing najasa is fulfilled when the physical traces (odour, colour, or residue) of the impurity are removed through washing. Once cleaned in this manner, the carpet is permissible to walk on and perform prayer upon. [1]

 

 

In Shariah, wasawasa (doubts/whispers) are not given weight. This aligns with the legal maxim: 

 

“Certainty is not overruled by doubt.”

 

 

Certainty remains intact unless the doubt is proven true. In this case, the certainty of the carpet’s purity is not invalidated by mere doubts about najasa transferring. Simply doubting whether najasa has transferred or not, does not negate the purity of the carpet.

 

[Al-Ashbah wa al-Naza’ir, p. 60]

 

 

In summary, hiring a carpet cleaning company that also cleans homes with dogs is permissible. The flow of water through the cycles of the washing and suction will have rinsed away all impurities. After the process of thorough washing with water and detergent, your carpet is pure, and it is permissible to pray on such a carpet. Caution and cleanliness are encouraged, but unfounded doubt does not nullify purity.

 

 

 

References:

[1]  وَمَا لَا يَنْعَصِرُ كَالدُّهْنِ لَمْ يَجُزْ إزَالَتُهَا بِهِ. كَذَا فِي الْكَافِي وَكَذَا الدِّبْسُ وَاللَّبَنُ وَالْعَصِيرُ كَذَا فِي التَّبْيِينِ وَمِنْ الْمَائِعَاتِ الْمَاءُ الْمُسْتَعْمَلُ وَهَذَا قَوْلُ مُحَمَّدٍ وَرِوَايَةٍ عَنْ أَبِي حَنِيفَةَ وَعَلَيْهِ الْفَتْوَى. هَكَذَا فِي الزَّاهِدِيِّ 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

ص41 – كتاب الفتاوى العالمكيرية الفتاوى الهندية – الباب السابع في النجاسة وأحكامها وفيه ثلاثة فصول – المكتبة الشاملة

تَزُلْ بِثَلَاثَةٍ تُغْسَلُ إلَى أَنْ تَزُولَ، كَذَا فِي السِّرَاجِيَّةِ.

وَإِنْ كَانَتْ شَيْئًا لَا يَزُولُ أَثَرُهُ إلَّا بِمَشَقَّةٍ بِأَنْ يُحْتَاجَ فِي إزَالَتِهِ إلَى شَيْءٍ آخَرَ سِوَى الْمَاءِ كَالصَّابُونِ لَا يُكَلَّفُ بِإِزَالَتِهِ. هَكَذَا فِي التَّبْيِينِ وَكَذَا لَا يُكَلَّفُ بِالْمَاءِ الْمَغْلِيِّ بِالنَّارِ. هَكَذَا فِي السِّرَاجِ الْوَهَّاجِ.

ص42 – كتاب الفتاوى العالمكيرية الفتاوى الهندية – الفصل الأول في تطهير الأنجاس – المكتبة الشاملة

 

 

 

Only Allah (عز و جل) knows best.

Written by Alimah Saleha Bukhari Islam

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham