Is a Food Jar That a Cat Urinated on Impure After Being Wiped and Dried?
Shafi'i Fiqh
Answered by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick
Question
According to the Shafi‘i School, is a food jar that a cat urinated on still impure after being wiped and dried? If it remains impure, does touching it transfer impurities to the hands or other objects?
Answer
In the Shafi‘i School, the urine of a cat is considered impure (najis). Therefore, if a cat urinates on a food jar, the area that was urinated on becomes impure. Impurities are spread with moist contact, but not dry contact. The only legitimate way of cleaning impurities is by using water, and allowing the water to flow over the affected area after removing the visible filth. [Shirbini, Mughni al-Muhtaj]
Cleaning the Impurity
To purify the jar, the affected area must be washed with pure water until the impurity is removed. In the Shafi‘i School, simply wiping and drying the impurity is not sufficient for purification. Washing involves using water in a manner that removes the impurity completely, ensuring there is no remaining trace of it, such as smell, color, or taste.
Transference of Impurity
If the jar has not been properly purified and is still impure, touching it with moist hands or objects would transfer the impurity to those hands or objects. However, if the impurity has dried completely and there is no wetness on the jar or the hands, the impurity does not transfer in this case. Please visit this related answer.
Practical Steps
- Identify the area where the impurity is present.
- Wash the affected area thoroughly with water until no trace of impurity remains.
- Ensure the jar is dried and clean before use.
I pray this is of benefit and that Allah guides us all.
[Shaykh] Irshaad Sedick
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Mohammad Abu Bakr Badhib
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.
Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Mawlana Yusuf Karaan, 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 served as the Director of the Discover Islam Centre and Al Jeem Foundation. For the last five years till present, he has served as the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town.
Shaykh Irshaad has thirteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town). He is currently building an Islamic online learning 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 living and fitness.