Removing Impurity (Najasah)

The chapter on najasah in al-Sharh al-Mumti' addresses the physical impurities that must be removed from the body, clothing, and place of prayer before salah can be validly performed. Ibn Uthaymin defines najasah as every physical substance that is legally judged impure and whose presence on the person, garment, or prayer area invalidates the salah. This is distinct from hadath, which is a state of ritual impurity — najasah concerns tangible filth that can in principle be seen, smelled, or detected.

The primary najasaat enumerated in the Hanbali school include: urine and feces of human beings, blood in flowing quantities, pus and vomit when it reaches the quantity of filling the mouth, wine and other intoxicating liquids, the flesh of animals not slaughtered properly, dogs, pigs, and their derivatives, and carrion (with exceptions). Ibn Uthaymin reviews each category with its corresponding evidences, noting where the Hanbali school has distinctive rulings compared to other madhabs. Notably, he discusses the question of whether the saliva and sweat of dogs are najis along with their flesh, affirming the Hanbali position that they are.

The method of removing najasah varies according to the type. For most najasaat, the method is to pour or wash with water until the physical traces — color, smell, taste — are eliminated. The Hanbali school generally requires that the trace be removed, and if color or odor stubbornly remains despite thorough washing, it is excused. Ibn Uthaymin supports this with the hadith that the Prophet, peace be upon him, instructed a woman to wash menstrual blood from a garment, and if the trace remained she should rub it with her nail and sprinkle water over it — indicating that persistent staining after genuine effort is forgiven.

A special case is the purification of a vessel licked by a dog, for which the Prophet specifically commanded washing seven times, one of which is with soil. Ibn Uthaymin explains the wisdom scholars have proposed for this ruling — the biochemical properties of dog saliva being particularly resistant — while clarifying that the ruling is established by nass (explicit prophetic text) and not contingent on a discernible wisdom being found. He addresses the contemporary question of whether chemical soap can substitute for soil, noting scholarly discussion on the matter.

On doubtful cases of najasah, Ibn Uthaymin applies the principle that certainty is not removed by doubt. If a person is certain their garment is pure but then doubts whether it became najis, the original ruling of purity remains. Conversely, if najasah is certain and doubt arises about whether it was cleaned, the najasah is presumed to remain. He also addresses the ruling when one knows najasah struck their garment but cannot locate it — in this case one washes the entire garment. These principles enable practical decision-making without endless anxiety about ritual purity.