Mice Droppings on Sofa

Shaykh Abdul Rahim Reasat is asked if one can assume that dry mice droppings once removed from an area render the area pure.

Question:

Assalam alaykum wa rahmat Allah wa barakatuh.

We had an issue with a couple of mice in my house, which we’ve cleared out. I noticed that they had left droppings on the sofa – they were dry and slightly smaller and skinnier than dried rice. When removing them they left no trace behind. Does the area need to be washed with water?

Further, I’ve read that mice are constantly dripping urine, but I don’t see any marks on the sofa or else where, do I assume purity in this regard?

Wassalam

Answer:

Wa alaykum assaalam wa rahmat Allah wa barakatuh.

I pray you are well.

No, it does not need to be washed. Simply removing the droppings by vacuuming them will suffice. After this you can assume the area is pure and leave the matter.

The default ruling for all things is that they are pure – unless their impurity has been stated buy the fuqaha, such as wine, blood, urine, etc. (Majid ʿItr, al-Mufassal fi al-Fiqh al-Hanafi̧). In a place where mice have been you have no way of knowing where or if the mice have urinated in a particular spot. Mere possibility is not given any weight in this situation.

May Allah grant you the best of both worlds.

Abdul-Rahim

Checked and approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani.