Should I Wash Possible Residual Impurities from Dog Saliva or Marital Relations?

Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam

Question

1. My inlaws have dogs in their house and because of this I hardly visit them like I should. When they come to visit, I end up cleaning the floor, beddings and any seating they used. Do I need to do this cleaning? Is it excessive?

2. Whenever I have marital relations with my wife, I wash all the beddings and blankets. Sometimes no fuild will be on the bedding, yet I end up washing  it anyway. Do I need to do this?

Answer

I pray that you are in the best of health and faith, insha’Allah.

[1] If you are sure the dog’s saliva affected something, then you should clean it. Otherwise, the basis is purity. In difficult situations, you can follow the Maliki position which doesn’t consider the saliva of a dog to be filthy. [see: Can I Pray in Clothes That Were Licked by a Dog? and: Dog Saliva, Dog Hair, and How to Purify Impurities]

[2] No, unless there is obvious filth present, you do not need to do anything.
Please see: A Reader on Waswasa (Baseless Misgivings)

And Allah alone gives success.

[Ustadh] Tabraze Azam
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Tabraze Azam holds a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Leicester, where he also served as the President of the Islamic Society. He memorized the entire Qur’an in his hometown of Ipswich at the tender age of sixteen, and has since studied the Islamic Sciences in traditional settings in the UK, Jordan, and Turkey. He is currently pursuing advanced studies in Jordan, where he is presently based with his family.