Does Compost Made with Manure Become Pure After Decomposing?

Answered by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick

Question

Does compost made with manure become pure after decomposing, and how can one determine when it has reached that state?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Especially Merciful. May Allah alleviate our difficulties and guide us to what pleases Him. Amin.

Merely decomposing or changing in form does not render impurities (najasa) pure according to the Shafi‘i School. Once something is ritually impure (najis), it remains so unless it undergoes a purifying process (tahara) defined by Sacred Law, such as washing and removing traces of impurity.

Istihala – Total Transformation

However, the Hanafi School recognizes istihala (complete transformation) as a valid means of purification, whereby an impure substance entirely changes its properties and becomes something else in essence. Please read this answer for more details.

In the Shafi‘i School, this concept is generally not applied to substances like compost or manure. Even if the physical signs of impurity (odor, color, or taste) disappear, the original impurity ruling remains.

Buying & Selling Compost

Scholars permit the sale and use of manure or compost despite its impurity due to widespread necessity (haja), as farming and fertilization would be severely restricted otherwise. The Jordanian Fatwa Department notes that selling filthy manure is permitted as an exception recognized by scholars due to genuine need. Please consult the full details here. [Bayjuri, Hashiyat al-Bayjuri, 1:441]

Therefore, compost made with manure does not become pure after decomposition in the Shafi‘i School, though its sale and use are permitted for necessity.

Allah says: “Allah does not intend difficulty for you, but He intends to purify you and complete His favor upon you so that you may be grateful.” [Quran, 5:6]

I pray this is of benefit and that Allah guides us all.

[Shaykh] Irshaad Sedick
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Irshaad Sedick was raised in South Africa in a traditional Muslim family. He graduated from Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah in Strand, Western Cape, under the guidance of the late world-renowned scholar Shaykh Taha Karaan (Allah have mercy on him), where he taught.

Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Shaykh Muhammad Awama, Shaykh Muhammad Hasan Hitu, and Mawlana Abdul Hafeez Makki, among others.

He is the author of the text “The Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: A Hujjah or not?” He has been the Director of the Discover Islam Centre, and for six years, he has been the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town.

Shaykh Irshaad has fifteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town. He is currently building an Islamic podcast, education, and media platform called ‘Isnad Academy’ and has completed his Master’s degree in the study of Islam at the University of Johannesburg. He has a keen interest in healthy Prophetic living and fitness.