When Can I Deem to Have Removed Filth from My Body?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Ustadh Sufyan Qufi
Question
If my hand is affected by an impurity, and I wash it with soap until the impurity is eradicated, is it pure even if the soap’s aroma remains because when I run soap on the impurity, the impurity is mixed with the soap?
Answer
In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,
I pray this finds you in the best of states.
Your hand is pure after this washing because you have removed the traces of filth from your hand. The remaining traces of soap are of no consequence. [Shurunbulali, Nur al-Idah]
The reason for this is that your hand is deemed filthy because of the presence of filth. When the filth has been removed your hand is deemed pure. [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah]
In fact, the matter is more expensive than you think.
If you were to use only cold water without soap to wash your hand and it is difficult to remove fully the traces of filth (color, smell, taste) from your hand you are allowed to consider your hand pure despite the remaining traces of the filth. You would not be obligated to use hot water or to use soap to remove the remaining traces. [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah]
Allah, Most High, says: “Allah does not like to impose a difficulty on you.” [Quran, 5:6]
Thus there are no doubts that in your case, your hand is legally pure.
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 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.
