Am I Spreading Filth by Washing Myself?

Answered by Ustadh Sufyan Qufi

Question

If we wash ourselves from madhy and if water goes up the vagina, is that water impure? Please answer this question specifically and not redirect me to another fatwa.

Answer

In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful.

I pray this finds you in the best of states.

No, the water going into the female private part while washing pre-ejaculate (Madhi) is pure as long as you are using running water for this process, and no traces of the filth are manifested in this running water. [Shurunbulali, Nur al-Idah]

This is achieved by washing this Madhi under the shower, for example.

Running water remains pure as long as the traces of filth affecting it are not manifested in it because when water is running, the filth is moving and not staying where it was. Thus, there is no way to be sure that the filth is present in a specific part of this water, as no traces are manifested, and doubts regarding its purity do not lift the certitude of its purity. [Based on al-‘Ayni, Binaya; Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah]

This is an application of the legal principle: “Certainty is not lifted by a doubt.” [Majalla]

This principle is based on the following verse of the Quran: “Most of them follow nothing but conjectures. Surely, conjectures are of no avail in the matter of truth at all.” [Quran, 10:36] [Du‘ass, al-Qawa‘id al-Fiqhiyya]

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 for ways to learn Islam reliably and was disappointed at the answers he found locally.

Then, he connected with various traditional teachers and gradually connected with SeekersGuidance. He embarked on his journey of learning through the different 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.