Is Everything Impure Actually Forbidden?

Continuing in Kitab al-وجيز in the book of purification. In the second chapter, which is the chapter of the various types of filth. When we use the word filth, we're speaking about an-najasah. The word najis and najasah and najis, these are terms which come and originate in the Quran and Sunnah. And as we mentioned before, these terms have many Islamic laws built and based upon them. One of the principles with respect to an najasa, for instance, is that kullu najasatin haram.

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For instance, one of the principles that the fuqaha mention and and use and cite as evidence for their conclusions and that they take into consideration when arriving at their conclusions is that every filth is by nature haram. However, not every haram is filthy. So, every filth, okay, whatever we whatever the Quran and Sunnah has dictated, has identified as being filthy, as being najis, specifically with this word, najis, or rijis, or riks, all three of these words have a similar meaning in the Quran and Sunnah. Anything that is deemed to be najis, it is by default haram. Its consumption is haram. Its use is haram, etc. However, not everything that is haram is necessarily najis. Not everything that is haram is necessarily filthy and has the rulings of filth. So, we see that these things which are deemed to be najis, it's very important for us to identify them and to work out what is najis, what is not najis, in order us to have a strong foundation to base the remainder of this chapter on and this book, the book of purification.

[Silence]

He takes an excerpt here quote from Al-Rawdah an-Nadiyah a well-known book of fiqh that defines for us what exactly the word najis means. What does the word najis mean? He says, "Najis and as we're translating it, we're translating it as filthy or filth, right? We don't mean this in the general sense. We don't mean that filthy meaning unclean. Najis here is a ruling and we are going to quantify the list of that which is najis. It is a finite list. It is a list with certain things on it and that list is then complete and nothing else is added to that list. But linguistically, what does the word najis mean? And in the general sense, what is meant by najis in the language of the Quran and Sunnah? He says najis with najasa is anything that is considered to be disgusting and by the measure of general human decency. When a person, those who are you know, general humanity, not any of the outliers, not any of the extremes of humanity. But, general humanity will consider these things to be disgusting, revolting. He says, "And the general bulk of humanity and specifically the Arabs and in their culture at the time of revelation, they would take pains to purify themselves from this najasa, from this thing that is considered filthy. They would purify and protect their clothing from it. And this Then, he gives an example such as feces or urine. If we were to look at all cultures ever in human history, do does every single culture view urine to be filthy? No. However, the bulk and majority of moderate human culture, those who are upon more or less the fitra, they do view this to be something that is impure, something that is filthy. Filthy. He then gives us a principle, which is very important. And this principle is what he is going to base the list of an najasat on. He says, "Well, also feel as she had and he better with the heart." He says, "And the default position, the disposition of everything, everything in this world, because Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, khalaqa lakum ma fil ardhi jami'an. Allah describes this earth, and he says, "He has created for us everything that is in the earth. He has created for us everything that is in the earth. Okay? So, the default position of everything that is in the earth is that it is pure, and that it is permissible. It is pure, and it is permissible. The only thing which is not pure or not permissible is whatever the Quran and Sunnah have specifically outlined as being impure, specifically outlined as being impermissible. The general rule, the general default of everything and its ruling and its nature is that it is pure, and that it is permissible. A a a tahur.

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He says, "Faman za'ama najasata aynin ma, fa'alayhi bid dalil." He says, "And so, based on that, anyone who were to come and claim anything, or if anything is claimed to be contrary to that description anything of this earth is claimed to be impure claimed to be impermissible claimed to be filthy then there must be an evidence from the Quran and or the Sunnah There must be a clear evidence from the Quran or the Sunnah outlining that it is in fact impermissible or that it is in fact impure. He says.

[Silence]

He then mentions a very important point and of course this is also a continuation of the excerpt from Al-Rawdah an-Nadiyah. He mentions a very important point and that is that people are not guilty for that which they do unless considered guilty by Allah Subhana Wa Ta'ala. And when we say by for that which they do meaning that which they do, that which they consume of this world. Because again, remember the general description that Allah gives us is He created for you. For you obviously this term for you speaking to humanity right? Because this is a continuation of ya ayyuhannas in Surat al-Baqarah. Oh people, to all people, humankind and jinnkind, those whom the Prophet Muhammad was sent to, sallallahu alayhi wasallam. And so created for you, it is inconceivable for it to be simultaneously for us, yet impermissible at the same time. Or considered to be for us but impure simultaneously. No. The description of for you meaning that it is pure and it is permissible. Now there are exceptions to that general rule. Those exceptions have to be clear-cut from the Quran and Sunnah. And not everything that has been posited by the scholars of Islam or by some scholars of Islam as being impure or being impermissible is necessarily correct because evidence is of varying degrees of strength and weakness. Some evidence is very strong. Some evidence is very weak. Some evidence only appears to be evidence, etc. And so anything that is exempted from this very very important principle then it has to have something clear from the Quran and from the Sunnah. That Allah says he has created everything for you that is around you that which you consume, that which you wear, that which you do, that which you right? This is not in worship. This is speaking about in general life, human existence in this world. Everything is permissible except just the first story that Allah tells us right after this verse. He goes on to tell us.

[Silence]

The first story given to us not a few verses later is Allah saying, "Oh Adam, live you and your spouse in this garden and eat from anything that you desire. Enjoy all of it, any part of it, but do not come close to these tree this tree. Either a type of tree or a particular tree. And so that is exactly the situation here on this earth. Everything is for us. Enjoy everything except certain things which have been outlined that are the exception to the rule. Right? So everything is not only permissible in its original nature, but it is also it is also pure in its default nature. So then he begins the list of eight things which are considered to be najis. Eight things which are outlined by the Quran and Sunnah to be filthy, which we'll discuss.

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