Does Merely Touching Filth Render My Skin Filthy?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Ustadh Sufyan Qufi
Question
Is it necessary to wipe off clear pre-ejaculate (madhi) that has touched your skin but cannot be seen on your skin before salah? Even if the area is dry?
Answer
In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,
I pray this finds you in the best of states.
When two objects come into contact and one of them is filthy, then filth is considered to have transferred only if one of the two objects was dripping wet or a sign of the filth (color, smell, taste) is manifest on the pure object. [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah]
Thus, if you don’t see any sign of the pre-ejaculate (Madhi) on your body you can deem your body pure, even if you have touched it.
The reason for this ruling is that since this filth is not physically present on your skin, then your skin has not become filthy. [Tahtawi, Hashyat ‘Ala Maraqi al-Falah]
Related:
What Is the Ruling of Dried-Up Pre-Sexual Fluid (Madhy) on One’s Clothes?
How Does Impurity Transfer into Clothes, Utensils or Other Parts of Body?
Is My Prayer Valid If I Am Unsure about the Purity of My Body and Clothes?
Is My Prayer Valid If I Have Doubt about the Purity of My Clothes?
And Allah knows best.
Wassalam
[Ustadh] Sufyan Qufi
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Ustadh Sufyan Qufi is an advanced seeker of knowledge, originally from Algeria, who grew up in France. He began searching far and wide for answers to the fundamental questions of life and was disappointed at the answers he found. Then he connected with various traditional teachers and gradually connected with SeekersGuidance. He embarked on his journey of learning through the various teachers at SeekersGuidance, including his mentor Shaykh Faraz Rabbani. He studied numerous texts in Islamic Law, Theology, Hadith, and other areas with Shaykh Faraz Rabbani and other teachers, including Shaykh Abdurrahman al-Sha‘ar, Shaykh Ali Hani, and others. He is an active instructor at SeekersGuidance and answers questions through the SeekersGuidance Answers Service.
