Question:
Explan about Najasah (impurity). What are the types of Najasah? If Najasah is present, how to purify it? Which acts of worship cannot be performed if Najasah is present?
Answer:
Regarding Najasah, Islam has declared some things impure. The entire issue of impurities concerns only the prayer (Salah). Understand this. If cow dung gets on your body, you can still eat. It might be disgusting, but it’s a different matter. It does not prevent eating. You can fast with cow dung on you. It does not prevent it.
What does it prevent? It prevents prayer. Whatever we call Najasah should not be on the body or clothing during prayer. That’s all. During non-prayer times, even if Najasah is present, it’s not an issue. Does it affect other worship like Tasbeeh? If there’s a stain on your shirt, you can still say SubhanAllahﷻ.
There is no prohibition. The ruling for Najasah applies only to prayer. The Prophetﷺ said: “Prayer is not accepted without purification (Taharah).” Purification includes Wudu and also being free from Najasah on body, clothes, and the place of prayer. So, three things must be pure from Najasah: place, clothes, and body.
What is Najasah? Feces and urine are considered Najasah. For example, a Bedouin came and urinated in the mosque. The Prophetﷺ told them to pour a bucket of water over the spot. That’s in Bukhari (220). Similarly, a small boy who only drinks milk was brought to the Prophetﷺ . The boy urinated on his lap. The Prophetﷺ ordered sprinkled water on it.
For a child who eats food, they washed it. That’s in Muslim. Also, during the Prophetﷺ ‘s time, dogs used to come to the mosque and urinate. They would run around. The mosque was made of earth. They would urinate somewhere. They would not pour water; they would leave it. The sun would dry it, and it would become pure.
For the earth, if the Najasah dries up, it becomes pure. You cannot wash the earth. So, for the earth, if the moisture is gone, it’s pure. Blood that flows is impure. Because when a woman menstruates, the Prophetﷺ told her to wash the blood-stained cloth and pray (Bukhari 307).
Droppings of goats, donkeys, etc., are also impure. Even if dry, it’s impure. You cannot put dry goat droppings in your pocket and pray. It is Najasah. The Prophetﷺ went to relieve himself. In those days, they used stones to clean themselves. For those who eat bread (like wheat bread), their stool is like goat droppings, not sticky. A stone is enough.
For us who eat rice, it’s different. The Prophetﷺ used three stones. Once, only two stones were available. He used a piece of dung as the third. He cleaned himself with the two stones and threw away the dung, saying it is Rijs (impure) (Bukhari 156). Also, the saliva of a dog is considered impure. If a dog licks a vessel, the Prophetﷺ commanded to wash it seven times, one of them with earth (Muslim).
However, the Prophetﷺ also allowed drinking camel’s urine for medicinal purposes (Bukhari). So, the rulings are specific. The main point is that Najasah only matters for the validity of Salah.