Have I Removed the Filth in the Correct Way?

Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam

Question: Assalam alaykum

Some urine got onto a sofa. I cleaned it as follows:

First I used a tissue to absorb any dampness. It was still damp after doing this. I then put water on the area and rubbed this with a strong tissue. I then used clean tissue to absorb the wetness on the area. I didn’t wait for it to dry completely as that could take hours. I again put water on it and then used tissue to absorb it. Again didn’t wait for it to dry. And then I did it once more. Can I now consider this pure?

Answer: Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,

Yes, if you washed the area, you can consider it purified. You did the correct thing by first drying up the filth, and then washing it away.

Normally, “dry” means that the area is no longer dripping wet. It is not a condition that the area be completely and actually dry before you wash it a second and third time.

Please also see: Dog Saliva, Dog Hair, and How to Purify Impurities and: A Reader on Waswasa (Baseless Misgivings)

And Allah Most High alone knows best.

wassalam,
[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 memorised 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.