Excused Liquid Filth and Ignoring Baseless Doubts About Purity

Answered by Sidi Tabraze Azam

Question: when i went to the toilet today, a small amount of urine went on my shoes, which i washed off. I also think a small amount got onto my trousers. This was about the size of a grain of sugar and now is dry and is in a difficult place to wash in the office so can i now say that as it is dry, i can carry on with my day. My main concern is that if i put my jacket on top of the trousers the filth will transfer to my jacket also – am i right in thinking it doesn’t? also, is the filthy area small enough to be able to go ahead and read namaz in the clothing? this is a real problem for me and wastes lots of time per week for me so any help is appreciated.

Answer: Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,

I hope you are in the best of health and spirits insha’Allah.

According to the Hanafi school, the extent of approximately 5cm, in diameter, is excused in liquid filth.

Under normal circumstances, if filth, less than the aforementioned amount, affects one’s clothing, it would be recommended to remove; therefore, one’s prayer is valid without removing such filth.

As for the case in question, it is mentioned explicitly in the books of our school that such minute amounts of urine splashes are excused; therefore one simply ignores it completely.

Furthermore, one’s jacket will not become filthy by wearing it above such trousers. It is as if there is no filth, so one need not act with such undue caution. [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah; `Ala al-Din Abidin, al-Hadiyya al-`Ala’iyya]

A Note on Excessiveness in Caution

We have a principle in our school: Certainty is not lifted by (subsequent) doubts. Imam Khadimi (Allah be pleased with him) in his commentary of the Tariqa al-Muhammadiya, al-Bariqa al-Mahmudiyya, mentions that strong doubts are *not *acted upon.

Purity is the default state for matters.There is no need to “check” the area; one assumes purity and continues with one’s day. The answer to the question “did the urine splash onto me?” is: No.

One of the major jurists (fuqaha) of our school, Imam Sarakhsi (Allah be pleased with him) said, “ignore doubts and don’t turn to them”. Why? Doubts and misgivings are from the devil and this is one of the wisdoms in reciting the supplications when entering and leaving the washroom.

Rather, let one’s focus be the prayer and the Majesty of He whom one will be addressing.

“Verily this religion is ease; and none make this religion difficult except that it overwhelms them.” [Bukhari]

And Allah knows best.

wassalaam,

Tabraze Azam

Checked & Approved by Faraz Rabbani