Should I Consider Scattered Filth on My Clothing Together for Excused Amount?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Ustadh Sufyan Qufi
Question
If fluid najasa is scattered over many places of the body and clothes, what affects the validity of the prayer total when all of it is gathered together or the amount of najasa in each location?
Answer
In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,
The total amount of filth is what is considered when determining whether or not the prayer is valid. [Shurunbulali, Nur al-Idah]
If one has been affected by several stains of blood, for example, then if the total surface of these stains exceeds a circle of 5 cm in diameter, then the prayer is invalid, even if each of these stains is smaller than this circle when considered individually. [ibid]
The reason for this ruling is that whether the filth is scattered over your clothes or gathered in one place, when the total amount is beyond the excused amount of filth, we have no choice but to accept that it is now obligatory to remove this filth in order to ensure the validity of the prayer.
Allah, Most High, says: “Purify your garments.” [Quran, 74:4], i.e., in the prayer. [Laknawi, Hashiya ‘Ala al-Hidaya]
Related: Will the Prayer Be Accepted If the Body Has an Impurity?
And Allah knows best.
Wassalam
[Ustadh] Sufyan Qufi
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Ustadh Sufyan Qufi is an advanced seeker of knowledge, originally from Algeria, who grew up in France. He began searching far and wide for answers to the fundamental questions of life and was disappointed at the answers he found. Then, he connected with various traditional teachers and gradually connected with SeekersGuidance. He embarked on his journey of learning through the various teachers at SeekersGuidance, including his mentor, Shaykh Faraz Rabbani. He studied numerous texts in Islamic Law, Theology, Hadith, and other areas with Shaykh Faraz Rabbani and other teachers, including Shaykh Abdurrahman al-Sha‘ar, Shaykh Ali Hani, and others. He is an active instructor at SeekersGuidance and answers questions through the SeekersGuidance Answers Service.
