MCC Tucson Lectures
Muslim Community Center of Tucson
←This Week
May 15, 2026·Dhuʻl-Qiʻdah 28, 1447 AH·4:57 AM·14m·Friday-Fajr

How Do We Actually Remove Ritual Impurity?

Principles of Removing Ritual Impurities (Najasaat) - Al-Wajeez Lecture

najasaatritual purityIslamic jurisprudencepurification methodstanning hidesfiqh principlescleanlinessIslamic law
▶ Watch on YouTube
✦

Summary

This lecture continues the study of Al-Wajeez, focusing on the chapter regarding najasaat (ritual impurities) and how to remove them. The instructor establishes two foundational principles: first, that cleanliness is relative and depends on context (what is clean for the floor differs from what is clean for clothing or the body); second, that removing najasaat does not require a specific intention, meaning purification is valid by any means necessary as long as the impurity is effectively removed. The lecture emphasizes that while the Prophet taught specific methods of purification, these represent the minimum standard, and any effective method of removal is acceptable according to Islamic jurisprudence. The discussion includes practical examples such as tap water filtration and introduces the first type of najasah discussed: the hide of dead animals and how it becomes pure through tanning.

Transcript

Note: This transcript was generated using YouTube's automatic captioning, with AI-assisted cleanup for readability. It may contain inaccuracies due to background noise, audio quality, or limitations of the transcription software — particularly during Arabic recitation. Listener discretion is advised; please refer to the original video for precise wording.

So, continuing in Al-Wajeez in the chapter regarding najasaat, the various types of najasa, the various types of filth. And those filth which are things that if they are on your body or your clothing or your place of salah, then they must be removed in order for the prayer to be valid. A najasa is a type of filth that compromises the validity of a person's prayer. Now, yesterday and we are now starting to get into the chapter regarding kayfiyat izalat al-najasaat. How we are to clean and remove these filth. How do we purify ourselves from these filth. Now,.

[Arabic recitation]

Principles that are going to help us to understand the coming chapter. Two principles. Does anyone remember what the first one is? Huh? Relativity. Very good. That cleanliness is relative. Cleanliness and purity is relative. Meaning what is considered clean for the floor is different than what is considered clean for the clothing, is different than what is considered clean for the body, is different than what is considered clean for the bottom of the shoe, or the tail of the dress, or the bottom of the clothing, or the top of the clothing, correct? So, it is relative. This is number one. Number two. Anyone remember number two? That purifying a najasa is not need an intention. And this is very important because what this means is that by any means it is purified or removed, it is valid. Okay? If there is an act of worship or something that we have been commanded to do, it needs an intention. That means that it has to not only be done, but done in the way that Allah has commanded. Here as well, we have the way that the Prophet Sallallahu alayhi wasallam told the companions and taught them how to clean themselves from these various types of filth. However, the purification or the removal of a filth is not in itself an act of worship in the sense that it does not need a specific intention. Therefore, we can summarize the principle as removing any filth is by any means necessary. Whatever achieves the goal of the filth being removed, it is valid. It is acceptable. This is such an important point. Because for instance, the water we drink, the water we drink from the tap water, from the faucet. This water, where did it originally come from? From the ground, from a cement. Yes, yes, but I mean, how does it reach our faucet? Where does it go through? Filtration, right? It was once sewage, wasn't it? It was once sewage. But then it is what? Filtered. And one of the methods of filtration is using chemicals to fil- filter it. Correct? Because essentially, when we want to purify some kind of filth, we need to add more water to it. If we have a bucket of water that is contaminated, how do we purify that bucket of water? We add more water to it. We add so much water that it becomes diluted, right? That's one way. But but this is not how the filtration is done. This is not how most of this filtration is done. The water that comes out of the faucet, it is filtered, and then it is treated by various chemicals and various things that it's exposed to to make it return to its original nature. So, after it goes through this process, the end result, if you were to test it in a lab, chemically, there's no trace of filth in it anymore. Is that valid? Is that acceptable? Yes, that's acceptable. It's by any means necessary. We look at a narration such as the statements of the prophet Sallallahu alayhi wasallam, where he said that the woman asked She asked about the menstrual blood on the clothing. And what did he say to do? He said, she is to scrub it, and then wring it out, and then rinse it, correct? Okay. So, that's one way. What about if a person had a power washer? And were to power wash it out of the clothing. Would that be valid? But she didn't scrub it. Is that valid still? Huh? It's valid. Why? Because we said by any means. By any means. Okay? A person is supposed She is supposed to he said to take it, to scrub it, to wring it out, to rinse it. What about if she forgot it on the clothesline outside, and for 3 months it was subject to the sun and the rain and the wind and so on and so forth. When you come and find it, it is what? It's completely gone. There's no trace of it. Does she still need to find the spot even though there's nothing there? And scrub it and ring it and rinse it? No. Right? Because if it needed an intention and if it was an act of worship on its own, even if it wasn't there, you would still go through with the motions. But the point is to remove the najasa. That's the only point. Right? So, two principles. I really need you to memorize these. Number one, najasa cleanliness is what? Relative. Cleanliness is relative. What's considered clean for the floor is different than what's considered clean for the counter, is different than what's considered clean for your plate. Correct? Number one. Number two, cleaning the najasa by any means necessary, by any means that secures the goal for us. Once the najasa is removed, that's all that is is needed. These are the ways that the prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam told the companions during his time how to do it, meaning the the bare minimum of what is considered acceptable. But this doesn't mean that a najasa can only be cleaned in this particular way. This is the bare minimum of how a najasa is to be cleaned, right? So, for instance, when we see the narration that if a dog drinks or licks from the plate or from the cup, how are we supposed to clean it? Seven times, once with dirt. What about if you use soap, dish soap? Is that acceptable? How do we know? Which one of the two principles? By any means. Understand? By any means. This is the point here. This is an issue which the scholars of filth have debated intensely, and this is the final point of that. the author says, "Number one, the first type of najasa and purifying it is the carcass, the skin, the hide of a dead animal. The hide of a dead animal. So, a sheep, a cow, something that is dead, any dead animal, how do we purify its skin and salvage it? Is it salvageable? Says, "The first is purifying the hide of a dead animal by way of tanning." Tanning. Right? It's a type of curing process. You use the a kind of chemical or salt they use on it, and it's put out to dry in the in the sun until the hide turns from hide to leather. Right? That's what leather is. It's It's cured. This process is called tanning. In Arabic, it's called ad-dibaagh.

[Silence]

He says on the authority of Ibn Abbas who narrates that I heard the messenger of Allah say any hide that has been tanned has been made pure. So, notice the word here. Any hide any animal hide that has been tanned has been made pure. Right? So, when you go to the store, leather belt, leather shoes, leather whatever, this has been made pure. How is it been made pure? By tanning. Now, is this only for animals which are permissible to eat or is it for any animal? It is a difference of opinion amongst the scholars. The majority of scholars of the say only animals permissible to eat. However, a very strong opinion is that it is any animal. And this is what the heart feels most fond of. It is closer to that it is any type of animal. However, if a person wanted to be safe and as we said before, just because something is pure or just because something is permissible doesn't necessarily mean that it is what? Appropriate, right? Not everything that is permissible is necessarily appropriate. We will end with that inshallah.

[Silence]

Salatul Fajr again tomorrow will be at 4:30 inshallah.