Impurities refer to all foul materials. It should be removed by washing it off. In case of dogs impurities it should be washed 7 times one of them with dust. Other rules apply on different sources of impurities.
Impurities and how to remove them
The Arabic term, najasah, i.e. impurity, applies to every foul material thing Islam requires to be avoided.[1]
Removing impurities
1-Impurities that are on the ground or the floor are removed by washing them off once, ensuring that the impure matter is gone. When a Bedouin urinated in the mosque,
‘the Prophet (peace be upon him) ordered that a pail of water be poured over the urine.’
Related by al-Bukhari, hadith No. 220; Muslim, hadith No. 284
2-Impurities that are not on the ground, such as being on clothes or utensils or some other container.Such impurities must be washed until they are removed.
If the impurity is that of a dog which licked a utensil or ate from it, it is removed by washing it seven times, one of which should be with using soil.
:The Prophet (peace be upon him) said
‘If a dog licks your plate, you should wash it seven times, and mix the first with soil.’
Related by Muslim, hadith No. 279; al-Nassa’i, hadith No. 338
This ruling applies to utensils, Other materials such as clothes or furniture items would only be washed once.
As for the impurity of the pig, it is the correct view that it is like other impurities and its removal requires washing it off once only, provided that the wash leaves no trace of the impurity. It is not required to be washed seven times.[2]
If the impurity is urine, faeces, blood, or the like, it is washed, rubbed and squeezed until no trace of it is left. One wash is enough if it leaves no trace. The impurity of the urine of a male infant who has not eaten normal food may be removed by sprinkling water over it,
:as the Prophet (peace be upon him) said
‘The urine of a female child should be washed while that of a male child should be sprinkled with water.’
Related by Ahmad, hadith No. 757; Ibn Majah, hadith No. 525; al-Hakim, vol. 1, p. 270
The hide of carrion becomes free of impurity when tanned,
:as the Prophet (peace be upon him) said
‘Any hide that is tanned is free of impurity.’ If menses stains a woman’s garment, it is washed with water; a woman came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said: Menstrual blood may get onto the clothes of any one of us; what should she do with it? He said: “She should scratch it, then rub it with water, then wash it, then pray in it.’
This has been related by al-Bukhari (227) and Muslim 291
It is important to take the necessary care to remove any impurity, whether it falls on one’s body, clothes or the place where one prays, because to be free of impurity is essential for the validity and acceptance of prayer.
references
- Al-Nadawi, Al-Fiqh al-Muyassar, p. 35.
- Al-Nadawi, Al-Fiqh al-Muyassar, p. 37; Mawsu'at Masa’il al-Jumhur fi al-Fiqh al-Islami, vol. 1, p. 122.