What should I do, if I fear that I have spread impurities all over the house due to my addiction of masturbation?

Question Summary

What should I do if I fear that I have spread impurities all over the house due to my masturbation addiction?

Question Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

See the following links for help and tips to overcome your addiction:

https://seekers.flywheelstaging.com/answers/living-religion/how-can-i-overcome-my-habit-of-masturbation/

https://seekers.flywheelstaging.com/answers/general-counsel/a-reader-on-pornography-and-masturbation/

The Transference of Impurities

Your fear that you have spread impurities throughout your house is contrary to the legal rulings related to the spreading of impurities. Impure substances such as semen or others are only considered to have transferred to another object/surface if (a) they are wet or liquid, (b) they are dry but contact a wet surface, and the traces of the impurity are clearly perceptible on the wet surface.

See the following examples for more clarity:

If liquid impurities, such as semen or urine, come in contact with any object, that object is impure. If one has semen on their hand and the hand dries, although the hand is still impure, the impurity will not transfer to anything dry which the hand touches.

If the impure dry hand comes into contact with something wet, that thing will only be considered impure if traces of the original semen can be detected on it. Detectable traces of impurity are its color or smell. If no trace of the impurity is found on the object – the object remains pure. [al-Shurunbulali; Maraqi al-Falah]

Allah Most High has not to burden anyone beyond their capacity. He, Most High, says, “And Allah has not put, upon you, in the religion, any undue hardship.” [Qur’an; 22:78]

Apply the principle ‘Everything is pure until proven otherwise.’ Thus, until and unless you have near certainty that impurities have transferred – according to the conditions above – assume its purity. One should not allow the Shaytan to place misgivings in their heart. [Ibn Nujaym, al-Ashbah wa al-Nazair]

These types of misgivings are all too common in regards to matters of purification. Shaytan plays on people’s sincerity in their religion and incites them toward false caution.

True caution is to follow the Sunna of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace).

For the one who is constantly in doubt, abandoning caution is often the best cure.

“As for the one who is often inflicted with waswasa, it is necessary for them to sever the cause of the waswasa and not to give it any consideration. This is because it is the doing of Shaytan, and we have been commanded to oppose him.” [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

The long-term cure for these constant doubts is to seek a deeper understanding of the Sacred Law. With knowledge, Shaytan can not deceive you with his whispers and plots.

I would advise that you find authentic scholars in your area and study with them a basic text in Islamic Jurisprudence. SeekersGuidance offers courses in the Islamic Legal Tradition at various levels, from beginners to advanced. The Islamic Studies Curriculum is a great place to start.

Hope this helps
Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a teacher of Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he then completed four years at the Darul Uloom seminary in New York, where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences. He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he stayed for three years studying in Dar Al-Mustafa under some of the greatest scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib. In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Qur’an and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Quranic exegesis, Islamic history, and some texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.