The Official Website of the Office of His Eminence Al-Sayyid Ali Al-Husseini Al-Sistani

Question & Answer » Najasat

1 Question: I am living in India and I have a lot of doubts about things I am using and I eating. What is my duty about such things?
Answer: A well known religious law says: "Everything is ritually pure for you unless you come to know that it is ritually impure." This law declares everything to be pure unless one becomes sure a particular item has become impure. And as long as you are not sure that it has become ritually impure (najis), it is to be considered pure and you can apply all the rules of purity to it without any hesitation or doubt. All kinds of food with the exception of meat, fat, and their extracts are permissible for a Muslim as long as he does not know that they are najis.
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2 Question: The earth is one of the purifying agents. Following the example of a shoe's sole that can be purified by walking on the earth, would the same rule apply to car tires?
Answer: The earth cannot purify the tires (obligatory precaution).
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3 Question: Where does the domino effect of mutanajjis items stop when it is no longer wet?
Answer: The first mutanajjis item would make the item that comes into contact with it impure; similarly, the second mutanajjis would make the item that comes into contact with it impure; but the third mutanajjis can no longer make other items impure, irrespective of whether it is wet or dry.
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4 Question: If a dog licks my body or clothes, how should I purify it?
Answer: It is sufficient to wash it once. However, if the water is little, it is necessary to rid it of the water by wringing.
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5 Question: Can Muslim, who rents a fully furnished house in the West, consider everything in it to be ritually pure as long as he does not find any trace of impure things in it, even if the previous occupant was from Ahlul Kitab, i.e., a Christian or a Jew? What if the previous occupant was a Buddhist or an atheist who does not believe in God and the prophets?
Answer: Yes, he can consider everything in the house ritually pure as long as he does not know that it has become impure. Just conjecture or doubt about impurity is of no value.
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6 Question: The floor of most houses in the West is covered with carpet which is glued to the floor in such a way that it is difficult to lift it off. How can such a carpet be rendered pure (tahir), if it becomes impure with urine or blood? The water used to purify in both the cases could be qalil or kathir. Please explain the ruling in both cases.
Answer: Firstly, remove the Najis from the area, and pour little water (Qalil) on that specific area, the wipe the water off the specific area of the carpet by using a piece of cloth or a vacuum cleaner, and it will be purified with Qalil water, provided that the water is possible to be wiped off the carpet, in the process.
Conversely, after removal of the Najis from the area, it will be purified by Kathir water [i.e., by using a hose pipe connected to the tap] instantly on contact.
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7 Question: The people residing in Europe are of different faiths, nationalities and religions; and when we buy moist or wet food items, the shopkeeper may touch it with his hands. Since we do not know his religion, can we consider that food as pure?
Answer: As long as it is not known that the hands of the shopkeeper were Najis, the food is to be considered Tahir, and it is not necessary to investigate further.
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8 Question: Are alcoholic beverages pure? Is beer pure?
Answer: There is no doubt about the impurity of alcoholic drinks. As far as beer (fuqa') is concerned, it is impure on the basis of precaution; however, there is no doubt in it being haram.
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9 Question: If blood is seen in the yolk or the white part of the egg, does it make the egg impure and haram for us? Is there a solution for it?
Answer: The clot of blood inside the egg is pure, but it is haram [for consumption]. Therefore, the egg can be eaten by removing the blood from it, provided it not very minute and been absorbed in it. [In the latter case, is not removable, then the egg becomes haram.]
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10 Question: A toothbrush that contains bristles from the hair of a pig: is it permissible to buy, sell and use it? Does the mouth become impure by using such a toothbrush?
Answer: It is permissible to buy, sell and use it; however, the mouth will become impure by using it; and the mouth will become pure by taking that toothbrush out and getting rid of the remaining toothpaste from the mouth.
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11 Question: Some soaps contain pigs' fat or other animals not slaughtered Islamically. Furthermore, we do not know whether or not chemical change has taken place in the manufacturing process. Can such soaps be considered tahir? [Chemical change is a purifying agent in the sense that it purifies a najis item.]
Answer: As long as you are not sure that it is ritually impure (najis), it is to be considered pure and you can use it, applying all the rules of purity to it without any hesitation or doubt. However, If it is proven to contain those [impure] elements, it should be considered impure, except if the occurrence of chemical change is proven. Such a change is not proven in manufacturing of soaps.
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12 Question: Can the clothes washed with liquid detergent in laundry facilities owned by a non-Muslim be considered tahir while knowing that Muslims as well as non-Muslims wash their clothes there?
Answer: If you do not know that the clothes have come into contact with a source of najasah (impurity), you can consider them tahir (pure).
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