Is the Dead Skin Flakes without Proper Cleaning Considered to Be Clean?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
My legs and bum have a lot of flaking dead skin that I didn’t get rid of in a quick shower. So it was present while I used the lavatory and wiped myself clean before going to bed, but I’m having anxious doubts. Is it impure to have flaky skin on my trousers? I’ve slept in my bed and sat in other places, so I feel obligated to clean it all, including my sheets, but I’m still trying to figure out what I’d do with my bed cushion. Because these flakes are white and small, I won’t be able to locate and remove them.
I’ve had OCD for a few months, and these things keep happening. I consider how I doubt it’s impure, but I feel like I’m making excuses because I wasn’t doing Istinja at the time, just wiping. Is this negligible?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.
These dead skin cells are negligible and of no consequence in your daily cleaning, showering, and Istinja. You don’t have to worry about anything. Rest assured.
There is nothing wrong with asking in this way. Allah Most High relieves you from intrusive thoughts in your daily worship and tasks, and may you overcome these thoughts and compulsions, amin. Please read the links below and follow the guidance.
Related:
A Reader on OCD and Waswasa (Baseless Misgivings)
The Application of Islamic Psychotherapy for the Treatment of OCD
The Islamic Workbook for Religious OCD [Book]
Why not begin your search for knowledge by signing up for a course on SeekersGuidance?
I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.
