Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Asalamaleikum,

Thanks for your response. May God bless you. I would like to know about the purification of clothes etc , from  major or minor impurities. I know that one only needs to make an intention that she wishes to purify herself, and perform the full bath according to the Sunnah of the Prophet (saws). I have been taught that it is obligatory to wash the impure things with water until they are cleansed of the impurities and after washing we need to recite Kalma, thrice and blow the thing thrice ( like clothes or any part of body etc) .What should we do if the clothes or any other things are contaminated with impurities ,like if our clothes get dirty at public rest rooms etc. I have read  on your question archive that once a woman came to the Prophet (saws) and asked about  the way of washing clothes that are contaminated with menstrual blood and He(saws) said, "Scrape it, rub it with water, pour water over it and then pray in it. DOES PRAY IN IT mean that we have to recite kalma and blow the thing. But what if our shoes , feet etc become impure.,what should we do then, as we can't pray in such stuff. Also I would like to know how many times do we have to wash the impure stuff.  And one more thing that I want you to make clear is about sleeping  between prayers. I've seen in the Holy Kabbah that women sleep for hours in the Holy mosque and then pray without performing ablution.Doesn't deep sleep make the ablution invalid ? Thanks for providing with the benefit of islamic knowledge.The Almighty will indeed reward you, insha-Allah.

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Answer:

Blow and recite kalima for purification

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Your Question: I have been taught that it is obligatory to wash the impure things with water until they are cleansed of the impurities and after washing we need to recite Kalma, thrice and blow the thing thrice ( like clothes or any part of body etc) .What should we do if the clothes or any other things are contaminated with impurities ,like if our clothes get dirty at public rest rooms etc………. DOES PRAY IN IT mean that we have to recite kalma and blow the thing.

If one is absolutely certain that some impurity has touched one’s body parts or clothes, it would more than suffice if one were to thoroughly wash those parts of the body or that particular part of their clothes before they make themselves available for prayer.

There is absolutely no evidence in the authentic and established Sunnah that every time one wishes to purify themselves or their clothes one is required or obliged to recite the ‘Kalima’ and/or blow over themselves or their clothes….this is a self-invented rite and ritual and has absolutely no basis or evidence from the Sunnah.

Your Question: …..But what if our shoes , feet etc become impure.,what should we do then, as we can't pray in such stuff.

Clothes that have street mud on them need not be washed. Reported Kamyal ibn Ziyad, "I saw 'Ali ibn Abi Taalib (r.a.) wading through the mud, after which he entered the mosque and prayed without washing his legs."

Normal street mud or dust does not make one’s shoes or feet impure….but if one is absolutely certain that some impurity has touched them, it would suffice that that part of the clothing, or shoes, or the feet are washed before they make themselves available for prayer.

Your Question: Also I would like to know how many times do we have to wash the impure stuff.

One should wash the part of the body or the clothes as often as it may be required to remove the impurity…..If only one washing suffices to remove the impurity, then that one wash would more than suffice……

Your Question: …..And one more thing that I want you to make clear is about sleeping  between prayers. I've seen in the Holy Kabbah that women sleep for hours in the Holy mosque and then pray without performing ablution.Doesn't deep sleep make the ablution invalid ?

All the schools of thought in Islam are absolutely unanimous in their opinion that the following acts invalidate one’s ‘wudu’ or ablution:

1. Any release from one’s private parts (urine, any type of sexual emission, wet dream release, menses blood for women, stool, wind, etc.)
2. Sexual intercourse
3. Deep sleep

The scholars and jurists in Islam have a difference of opinion whether the following acts invalidate the ‘wudu’ or not; some have opined that these acts invalidate the ‘wudu’ while others have opined that they do not:

1. The touching of one’s private parts
2. The touching of women
3. Constant bleeding from any part of the body
4. Vomiting
5. The consuming of camel meat
6. The washing of a deceased’s body.

The scholars and jurists of all the major schools of thought in Islam are absolutely unanimous in their opinion that ‘deep sleep’ indeed does invalidate and break one’s state of ‘wudu’.

But if one were to merely ‘doze-off’ or ‘nod’ their heads due to drowsiness in a sitting posture, that would not invalidate their state of ‘wudu’….

Hadrat Anas ibn Malik (r.a.) reported "The companions of the Prophet (saws) were waiting for the delayed night prayer until their heads began nodding up and down (from drowsiness and sleep). They would then pray without performing ablution."

Related by Muslim, Abu Dawud.

Hadrat Anas (r.a.) relates: ‘I have seen some of the companions of the Prophet (saws) sleeping (or dozing) to the extent that one could hear some of them snoring. But, they would stand for prayer without a new ablution." Ibn alMubarak says, "In our opinion, this happened when they were in a sitting posture."

Related by Tirmidhi.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan