Taharah in Radd al-Muhtar: Ibn Abidin's Authoritative Analysis

Ibn Abidin's treatment of taharah (purification) in Radd al-Muhtar represents the final synthesis of Hanafi purification law — a comprehensive engagement with the school's positions that incorporates centuries of commentary, the opinions of Ottoman-era muftis, and Ibn Abidin's own careful analysis of the evidence.

On the categories of water, Radd al-Muhtar presents the Hanafi school's established classification with characteristic thoroughness. Ibn Abidin discusses the legal status of water from various sources — wells, springs, rivers, rain, snow, and seawater — and clarifies the conditions under which each retains its purifying capacity. He engages with the question of heavily-used well water in densely populated areas — a practical concern in Ottoman Damascus — and provides the Hanafi school's position on when a well's water should be considered contaminated.

The question of musta'mal (used) water is addressed in Radd al-Muhtar with a survey of all the Hanafi opinions on the subject. Ibn Abidin records the established position (used water is pure but not purifying) and engages with the opinions of earlier Hanafi scholars who held more nuanced positions. He also addresses the practical question of how to determine whether water has been used or not in situations where ablution water is collected and reused — a question of genuine practical importance in household settings.

On the obligatory elements of wudu', Radd al-Muhtar presents the standard Hanafi four fara'id (washing the face, washing the arms, wiping a quarter of the head, washing the feet) with extensive engagement with the disagreements within the Hanafi school about edge cases. Ibn Abidin discusses: What constitutes the boundaries of the face for washing purposes? What is the minimum amount of head-wiping that satisfies the quarter standard? How should the hands be washed if one has long fingernails? These questions of application reflect the practical orientation that makes Radd al-Muhtar invaluable for fatwa purposes.

The section on wiping over socks and similar coverings (mash ala al-khuffayn wa al-jawrab) in Radd al-Muhtar is particularly extensive. Ibn Abidin addresses the question of wiping over cotton socks (jawrab) — a question that had become practically important as leather socks became less common. He records the positions of earlier Hanafi scholars on the minimum thickness and durability of socks that may be wiped over, and evaluates the hadith evidence for and against wiping over non-leather foot coverings. His conclusion — that wiping over thick cotton socks is permitted under the conditions of being able to walk in them without them falling — has been influential in contemporary Hanafi fatwas on the subject.

The ghusl chapter in Radd al-Muhtar addresses the distinctive Hanafi position that rinsing the mouth and nostrils is obligatory (fard) in ghusl. Ibn Abidin presents the school's reasoning and the evidential basis, and addresses practical cases: What if a person has a dental gap that makes full mouth rinsing difficult? What if nasal congestion prevents effective sniffing of water? His responses reflect the fiqh tradition's characteristic concern with facilitating religious practice while maintaining the integrity of the legal obligations.

Ibn Abidin's treatment of menstruation and postpartum bleeding in Radd al-Muhtar is among the most detailed in classical Hanafi literature. He addresses the minimum (three days) and maximum (ten days) durations for menstrual periods recognized by the Hanafi school, the rules governing irregular bleeding (istihadah), and the conditions under which a woman praying during istihadah must renew her wudu' for each prayer time.