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Fatwa CenterWhether water used to remove impurity is pure or impure
Question
Shaykh, impurity that is invisible (hukmiyah) is removed by pouring water on that place once. My question, however, is the following: If my chest becomes impure but the impurity that is invisible when I pour water on it goes to different parts of my body that are pure (with the water), such as my stomach, legs, and so on. Does this water then cause my legs and stomach to become impure? And if so, then please tell me of an easy way to purify such parts of my body. I am confused about the matter of purifying things and did not find any rule of islam more difficult for me than how to purify something, and that is due to my lack of knowledge about this matter. Please help, and may Allaah increase your knowledge.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ʻalayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
First of all, we would like to point out the importance of learning the sharee'ah rulings needed in the everyday life of a Muslim. Ibn Taymiyyah 
said:
“Seeking religious knowledge is a collective obligation on the whole Muslim nation (i.e. if a group in society undertook it, then the other members of this society are absolved from it) except for that which is related to the duties required of each and every Muslim (individual obligation) such as knowing the commands and prohibitions. The Prophet, sallAllaahu ʻalayhi wa sallam, said, 'When Allaah wishes good for anyone, He bestows the comprehension of the religion upon him.'”[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
As for the question about the water with which you washed the area contaminated with an invisible impurity, if it separated from the impurity or impure area and its taste, smell, or color does not change - which usually is the case - then it is declared ritually pure. Accordingly, when such water touches the body or clothes, it does not render them impure. The Maaliki scholar Al-Hattaab wrote, “When a drop of urine is washed off the body or clothing and the water used in the purification process separates from the impurity and touches other pure body parts or clothes, and the taste, smell, or color of this water does not change, then it is declared ritually pure as well as the areas that it touches accordingly...” [Mawaahib Al-Jaleel]
Ibn Qudaamah wrote:
“Third: when the water used in washing an impurity is separated from the impurity and touches the pure body parts or clothes, and its taste, smell, or color does not change, there are two scholarly views in this regard; the most likely correct of which is that the water is ritually pure. This view was adopted by (Imaam) Ash-Shaafʻi because this water is part of the water used for the purification, which is ritually pure, and it got separated from it. Moreover, this water washed out the impurity and got separated from the pure water used in the purification, and its taste, smell, or color did not change; it is pure, just like the water that got separated from the ground.” [Al-Mughni]
The Hanbali book Haashiyat Al-Labadi ʻala Nayl Al-Ma'aarib reads, “The question remains; should the area tainted with the impurity be tasted to make sure that the taste of the impurity has been removed, or is it enough to believe that it is most likely removed? The most correct view in this regard is that it is enough to believe that the impurity has most likely been removed...”
Muhammad ibn Muhammad Al-Mukhtaar Ash-Shinqeeti wrote, “Therefore, the water poured over the impurity should be greater in quantity than the impurity in order to achieve the belief that it is most likely removed...” [Sharh Zaad Al-Mustaqni’ fi Ikhtisaar Al-Muqni’]
Allaah knows best.
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