Fatwa ID: 03974

Answered by: Alimah Nasima Umm Hamza

Question

Hello,

I have a question regarding uncertainty about impurity.

Will my hand become najis if I touch meat/food/an object which I don't know is impure?

I am in doubt and very uncertain about what I touched with my hand. I, therefore, don't know if I should clean everything that has been touched by my hand.

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيْم

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

Answer:

There is a principle in Islam which states that certainty is not removed by doubt. Therefore, you should not play to mere doubts, as they are waswas from Shaytan.

The fact that you don’t know, are in doubt or are very uncertain all indicate that you do not have certainty.

However, when you are certain that you have touched an impurity, then you should wash your hands. If you were certain that you touched filth, then naturally the next action would be to clean your hands, hence stopping the cycle of spreading filth or having doubts. Any other place will become pure again by drying unless you see physical filth which you will need to remove.[1]

Again, all this is based on certainty, and not mere doubts.

Only Allah knows best

Written by Aalimah Nasima Umm Hamza

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham