Fatwa ID: 07903

Answered by Aalimah Saleha Bukhari Islam

Question:

Since recently, we have two dogs. The dogs bite in clothes and my family aren’t Muslim, so they don’t wash their clothes with soil and water. Does this mean that when their clothes are being washed in the washing machine, I should wash my own clothes separately? Or do my clothes remain pure when they are being washed alongside with those najis-stained clothes?

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

Answer:

We tend to wash our clothes when they become unclean or are soiled by tangible or intangible impurities (najasah). In this case, the saliva of the dog is the impurity in question.

Dogs are not in and of themselves najas and so brushing past a dog or being afflicted by splashes from a dog’s body will not affect one’s purity. However, the fear is due to the dog’s saliva which is deemed impure. If the saliva transfers to clothing, then this needs to be washed away as it is najas.

It is narrated from Abu Hurairah (ra)that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“If a dog licks the vessel of any one of you, let him wash it seven times, the first time with dust.”[1]

Scholars have said that if the dog’s saliva was not impure, the Prophet ﷺ would not have commanded us to spill water from a vessel which the dog has drank from. Spilling the water would otherwise be considered as wasting water.

Irrespective of whether your family are Muslim or non-Muslim, any impurities on clothing will be treated the same. Therefore, washing your clothes together will not be an issue, since the washing machine process will wash away any impurities from the clothes. The flow of water through the cycles of the washing machine will have rinsed away all impurities.[2]

Only Allah knows best.

Written by Aalimah Saleha Bukhari Islam

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham

[1]  عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رضي الله عنه قَالَ: إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ:

«إِذَا شَرِبَ الْكَلْبُ فِي إِنَاءِ أَحَدِكُمْ فَلْيَغْسِلْهُ سَبْعًا». ولمسلم: « أولاهُنَّ بالتُراب».

[صحيح] – [متفق عليه] – [صحيح البخاري: 172]

[2]  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 وَلَوْ لَمْ

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