Are Splashes on the Body from Washing My Private Parts After Relieving Myself Impure?

Answered by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Question: Assalamu alaykum

Is the water that splashes on thigh/leg/feet area during istinja (while washing of private parts) impure?

I feel like im spending so much time in washroom because of this, constantly washing my leg and even sandles.

Answer: Wa ‘alaykum as-salam wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh.

I pray you are well.

Difficult-to-avoid impurities are excused

No, the splashes on the legs and feet are not impure. Impurity is a ruling given by the Sharīʿa to something. In general, when there is great difficulty avoiding impurity – such as splashes when relieving oneself – it is excused. An explicit example of this is small splashes of urine coming into contact with one’s body of clothes.

The Sharīʿa deems them to be pure in this situation, even if they come into contact with one clothes or other objects.

This is usually an issue with eastern toilets where one is required to squat. When finished you can simply pour a small amount of water over your feet and move on. The default assumption is that the floor, the sandals, and your person are all now pure. (Ibn ʿAbidin, Radd al-Muhtar).

The attitude of the Companions towards impurity

The Companions and the early Muslims did not have access to a large amount of water, toilet paper, etc. When there was a clearly visible impurity they removed it and moved on. They did not worry about remote possibilities. (Birgivi, al-Tariqa al-Muhammadiyya)

A simple solution is to learn the basic rules of purity and prayer and apply them without worrying about minute details. A great place to start is is the Absolute Essentials course we offer for free. If you are still having doubts then find a practicing Muslim who does not have these doubts and ask them to show you how they go about cleaning the house, etc, and do it the same way without any extra attention to detail.

May Allah grant you the best of both worlds.

Wassalam,
[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began his studies in Arabic Grammar and Morphology in 2005. After graduating with a degree in English and History he moved to Damascus in 2007 to study and sit at the feet of some of the most erudite scholars of our time.

Over the following eighteen months he studied a traditional curriculum, studying with scholars such as Shaykh Adnan Darwish, Shaykh Abdurrahman Arjan, Shaykh Hussain Darwish and Shaykh Muhammad Darwish.

In late 2008 he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continued his studies for the next six years, in Fiqh, Usul al-Fiqh, Theology, Hadith Methodology and Commentary, Shama’il, and Logic with teachers such as Dr Ashraf Muneeb, Dr Salah Abu’l-Hajj, Dr Hamza al-Bakri, Shaykh Ahmad Hasanat, Dr Mansur Abu Zina amongst others. He was also given two licences of mastery in the science of Qur’anic recital by Shakh Samir Jabr and Shaykh Yahya Qandil.

His true passion, however, arose in the presence of Shaykh Ali Hani, considered by many to be one of the foremost tafsir scholars of our time who provided him with the keys to the vast knowledge of the Quran. With Shaykh Ali, he was able to study an extensive curriculum of Qur’anic Sciences, Tafsir, Arabic Grammar, and Rhetoric.

When he finally left Jordan for the UK in 2014, Shaykh Ali gave him his distinct blessing and still recommends students in the UK to seek out Shaykh Abdul-Rahim for Quranic studies. Since his return he has trained as a therapist and has helped a number of people overcome emotional and psychosomatic issues. He is a keen promoter of emotional and mental health.