Can Flies or Similar Insects Transfer Filth? – Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
Can a flea/fly or similar insect transfer filth? e.g., flies often land on feces and then can land on clothes/prayer mats/towels, etc. – do these areas need to be cleaned if you can see them land on a filthy are and then a clean area?
Answer
I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.
Flies and other similar insects cannot transfer filth. The areas will be clean Islamically, as the amount is very little. However, one may clean and wipe it as it is germs and bacteria nonetheless and disliked by sound temperaments.
The following, however, are cases in which the blood is not impure:
- that which remains in the meat and blood vessels of an animal slaughtered according to Sacred Law (dhabh)
- blood in the liver,
- spleen,
- and heart;
- blood that does not nullify one’s wudu’ (i.e., by surfacing without flowing):
blood or any fluid of bugs, mosquitos, or roaches; and blood of fish
[Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah; `Ala al-Din `Abidin, al-Hadiyya al-`Ala’iyya]
Filth (Najasa) is of two types: Heavy (Mughalladha) and Light (Mukhaffafa)
Heavy filth includes the following:
Spilled blood,
Urine of humans
Feces
Wine (khamr),
Sperm or sexual fluid (mani).
Light Filth includes the following:
- urine of animals whose meat is permissible to eat,
- urine of horses,
- droppings of birds whose meat is not permissible to eat.
The excused amount of liquid filth in the Hanafi school is approximately 5cm in diameter. One’s prayer in clothing affected by filth, which is less than 5cm in diameter, would be valid.
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I pray this helps with your question.
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied within UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan and Turkey.
He started his early education in UK. He went onto complete hifz of Qur’an in India, then enrolled into an Islamic seminary in UK where he studied the secular and Alimiyyah sciences. He then travelled to Karachi, Pakistan.
He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for a number of years. He has taught hifz of the Qur’an, Tajwid, Fiqh and many other Islamic sciences to both children and adults onsite and online extensively in UK and Ireland. He was teaching at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences.
He currently resides in UK with his wife. His personal interest is love of books and gardening.
