Does Impurity from Contaminated Water on Shoes Transfer to Other Areas or Shoes?


Answered by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick

Question

If my shoes become impure from stepping on contaminated water, does the impurity transfer to the places I walk, and would it affect other shoes if they touch those areas?

Answer

In the Shafi‘i school, impurity (najasah) transfers if there is wetness involved. If your shoes step on contaminated water and become impure, the impurity will only transfer to the places you walk if those areas are wet or your shoes are still wet from the impurity. [Nawawi, Majmu‘]

If the shoes or the surface are dry, impurity does not transfer. For example, if you step on impure water and then walk on a dry surface, the impurity will not affect the dry areas unless there is visible traceable residue. [ibid.]

As for other shoes touching those areas, the same principle applies—impurity transfers only when both the contaminated surface and the other shoes are wet. If one or both are dry, the impurity does not transfer.

How to Purify Shoes

To purify your shoes, wash off the impurity until no trace (color, smell, or taste) remains. Once purified, you may walk without concern of spreading impurity.

Allah says: “…And He sent down rain from the sky to purify you, free you from Satan’s whispers, strengthen your hearts, and make ˹your˺ steps firm.” [Quran, 8:11]

Key Principle

Impurity requires wetness to transfer; otherwise, it remains localized and does not spread through dry contact. [Misri, ‘Umdat al-Salik]

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.