How Can One Purify a Filthy Surface?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Ustadh Sufyan Qufi
Question
If I have impurities on my hands, such as madhy or many, and touched surfaces, can I clean these surfaces with cleaning spray and a cloth to wipe after?
This is easier for me. The spray in question contains perfume, alcohol, surfactants, water, and other ingredients, but I am not sure what the percentages of those are.
Answer
In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,
I pray this finds you in the best of states.
If a smooth surface (such as glass) is filthy, it is enough to wipe this surface with a dry cloth. [Haskafi, al-Durr al-Muntaqa]
Shaykh Khalid Kharsa, may Allah preserve him, confirms the validity of this ruling.
Caution would entail using a moist cloth. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]
The reason for these rulings is that the purification of an object is reached by removing the body of the filth. When the item is smooth, it is enough to wipe it to remove the body of the filth. [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah]
Allah, Most High, says: “Allah does not like to impose a difficulty on you.” [Quran, 5:6]
As for objects which are not smooth (such as wood), you will have to wash them with water until you are reasonably sure that the item is pure. [Shurunbulali, Nur al-Idah]
And Allah knows best.
[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.
