Are My Pants and Washing Machine Filthy?

Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam

Question: I have a question regarding purity. I had dog feces on the bottom of my shoes and in an attempt to remove the feces with an object, it broke and my finger came in contact with the bottom of my shoe. Regardless of whether or not my finger touched the feces, I assumed it did. I found a patch of grass near by and I rubbed my fingers on it quite thoroughly and since there wasn’t water around I walked off. As I was looking for water, I put my hand in my pocket. Eventually finding water and washing up. After washing my pant pocket 7 times with water and putting it in the washing machine I thought to myself that my pants should’ve been washed with soil first. Are my pants and washing machine both impure?

Answer: Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,

I pray that you are well, insha’Allah.

No. Your trousers are not filthy and nor is your washing machine.

If filth, which has a visible body, affects one’s person (or clothes), one simply removes the body of the filth. [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah; `Ala al-Din Abidin, al-Hadiyya al-`Ala’iyya]

Practically, if one removed the body of the filth, one’s finger is no longer filthy. Therefore, it is of no consequence whether one put one’s hand into one’s pocket or not.

As for assumptions, one assumes purity. Misgivings are from the devil.

And Allah knows best.

Wassalaam,

Tabraze Azam

Checked & Approved by Faraz Rabbani