Washing Hands Upon Waking up

Question: If I wake up in the morning and touch something before washing my hands, does it become filthy?

Answer:

Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,

Dear questioner,

Thank you for your important question.

No, nothing will be become filthy by doing that.

It is merely offensive to put one’s hands in a small amount of water when one wakes up until one washes them three times for fear that one’s hand be filthy.

The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, ‘When one of you wakes up in the morning, let him not put his hand in a vessel of water until he washes them three times because he doesn’t know where his hand spent the night’ (Bukhari and Muslim).

Some ulema explained that this because people used to only wipe themselves when they went to the bathroom so when they sweated at night they might spread some of the filth from their private parts (Sharh Muslim, Nawawi). Others said that it only applied to people who slept after having intercourse and not making ghusl (Tafsir Gharib al Muwatta, Ibn Habib).

This is all an issue of precaution, and the water or anything one touches with wet hands is always assumed to be pure unless one’s hands are definitely filthy.

Please also see:
https://seekersguidance.org/answers/hanafi-fiqh/how-is-filth-transferred/

I pray this helps.

[Ustadh] Farid

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Farid Dingle has completed extensive years of study in the sciences of the Arabic language and the various Islamic Sciences. During his studies, he also earned a CIFE Certificate in Islamic Finance. Over the years he has developed a masterful ability to craft lessons that help non-Arabic speakers gain a deep understanding of the language. He currently teaches courses in the Arabic Language