This article explains the rulings of removing impurity according to the Ḥanbalī school. The rulings are summarized from Bidāyat al-ʿĀbid wa-Kifāyat al-Zāhid by Shaykh ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Baʿlī and Sharḥ Muntahā al-Irādāt by Shaykh Manṣūr ibn Yūnus al-Buhūtī.

Impurities (Najāsāt)

The following are considered impure:

• Liquid intoxicants. The relied upon position of the Ḥanbalī school is that liquid intoxicants are impure, such as wine.
• Predatory birds and beasts larger than a cat. This includes animals such as wolves, tigers, and lions. Animals smaller than a cat are not included under this ruling.
• Carrion. Every animal that dies without a valid Islamic slaughter is impure, with three exceptions:
  • Human beings.
  • Fish.
  • Locusts.
• Blood. Blood is impure, except:
  • Blood that remains within the veins and meat of a properly slaughtered edible animal.
  • The blood of fish.
  • The blood of creatures without flowing blood, such as flies, fleas, lice, and similar insects.
  • The blood remaining on a martyr who was killed in battle.
• Pus, purulent discharge (ṣadīd), and wound discharge.
• Urine and feces of humans and animals whose meat is not lawful to eat. The urine and dung of animals whose meat is lawful to eat are pure.
• The milk, eggs, semen, vomit, madhy, and wady of animals whose meat is not lawful to eat. Human semen and the semen of edible animals are pure.

Tolerated Impurities

Some impurities are excused due to hardship.

• A small amount of blood, pus, or purulent discharge on clothing or the body is excused, provided it is not from an intrinsically impure animal or from the private parts. If several small spots on the same garment together become substantial, they are no longer excused.
• The trace remaining after istijmār. A slight trace that remains at the place of relief after valid istijmār is excused, provided it has not spread beyond its normal area.
• A small amount of urine from chronic urinary incontinence, after taking reasonable precautions, is excused.
• Smoke, dust, or vapor originating from impurity is excused so long as no trace of the impurity appears on the pure object.
• Street mud. A small amount of street mud is excused if it is known to contain impurity. If there is no certainty that it is impure, it is presumed pure.

Pure Substances Commonly Mistaken as Impure

The following are considered pure:

• The sweat and saliva of every pure animal.
• Phlegm and mucus.
• A woman’s normal vaginal moisture.
• Saliva that exits the mouth during sleep.

Removing Impurities

An object that was originally pure but has become contaminated by impurity can be purified, whereas an intrinsically impure substance cannot.

The default method of removing impurity is to wash the affected area seven times with pure water. If the impurity remains after seven washes, washing continues until it is removed.

When necessary, dried impurity should be scraped away, the affected area rubbed during washing, and washable items wrung out after each wash, provided doing so does not cause damage. If an item cannot be wrung, it may instead be pressed, tapped, or turned over until most of the water has been removed.

If the impurity comes from a dog or pig, one of the seven washes must be performed with pure dust or soil mixed with water so that it covers the entire affected area. Performing the soil wash first is preferred, though it may be done during any of the seven washes. Soap and similar cleansing agents may be used in place of soil.

After washing:

• Remaining taste indicates the impurity has not been removed.
• Remaining color or smell does not affect the validity of purification if they cannot reasonably be removed.

Special Cases Related to Removing Impurities

Large or Fixed Objects

Large objects that cannot practically be washed repeatedly, such as the ground, walls, large carpets, rocks, or basins, are purified by pouring enough water over the impurity until it is removed. This ruling also applies to impurity from a dog or pig.

The water does not need to be removed afterward.

Ground is not purified merely by sunlight, wind, drying, or the passage of time.

Unknown Location of Impurity

If impurity is known to exist but its exact location is unknown within a limited area, the entire area must be washed until one is certain the impurity has been removed.

If the possible area is very large, such as open land, it is sufficient to avoid the suspected location without washing the entire area.

Urine of a Nursing Infant Boy

The urine of a nursing infant boy whose primary nourishment is breast milk does not require seven washes. It is sufficient to pour enough water over the affected area to completely cover it.

This concession does not apply once the child’s primary nourishment becomes regular food, even if he continues to breastfeed.

Purification Through Transformation

The following become pure after a complete natural transformation:

• Wine that naturally turns into vinegar without deliberate intent to produce vinegar.
• The container in which such wine transformed into vinegar.
• A blood clot during fetal development after it transforms into flesh.
• A large quantity of impure water whose change disappears naturally over time.