Are Papers Touched with Unseen Blood Impure, and How to Clean Them?
Answered by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick
Question
I touched my academic papers with blood-stained fingers from cracked lips, leaving no visible marks; are the papers impure, will they transfer impurity to others, and how can I clean them without damage?
Answer
In the Shafi‘i School, impurity (najasa) transfers only when moisture is present and there are discernible traces transferred. Based on the situation described, we can address your concerns as follows:
Determining the Purity of Papers
If blood from your fingers seemed to touch the papers but left no visible traces (colour, smell, or taste), the papers are not considered impure. The Shafi‘i School holds that impurity must be discernible to be deemed as having transferred. Since no marks are visible, there is no need to treat the papers as impure. [Nawawi, Majmu‘]
Possibility of Impurity Transfer from Papers
If the papers are not deemed impure due to the absence of discernible traces, they cannot transfer impurity to others. Even if impurity were present, its transfer would only occur if the papers or the object/person they contact are wet, and the impurity becomes evident on the second object.
General Principle: Certainty Over Doubt
The Shafi‘i School emphasises that certainty is not removed by doubt. Since there is no visible evidence of impurity on the papers, you can consider them pure without further action.
Reminder
Allah (Most High) does not burden a soul beyond its capacity [Quran, 2:286]. Trust in the principles of the Shari‘a, which prioritize clarity and practicality over unnecessary hardship.
And Allah knows best.
[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 (Allah have mercy on him), where he taught.
Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Shaykh Muhammad Awama, Shaykh Muhammad Hasan Hitu, 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 been the Director of the Discover Islam Centre, and for six years, he has been the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town.
Shaykh Irshaad has fifteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town). He is currently building an Islamic podcast, education, 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 Prophetic living and fitness.
