Does My Towel Become Impure from Vaginal Discharge?

Answered by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick

Question

I have regular vaginal discharge. Sometimes when I wipe my private part after showering, there seems to be a thick discharge on the towel. I used to clean the discharge and wash my hand, but not the towel. Now I’m doubting the status of the towel because I use it to clean other parts of my body too.

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate. May Allah guide us to that which pleases Him, Amin.

This type of moisture (mucus) from a woman’s private part is considered pure. Allah knows best.

Vaginal Discharge

Ibn Hajar Al-Haythami classified vaginal moisture/discharge as follows:

1. Pure – The moisture (mucus) that sometimes exits a woman’s private part is usually whitish between madhy and sweat. If it exits from an area of the vagina that must be washed in a purificatory bath (ghusl), in other words, the area that becomes exposed when a lady squats, it is pure.
2. Impure – If it exits from an area of the vagina that does not require washing in a purificatory bath, it is impure (najis). 
3. Differing Views – If the moisture exits from an area between the areas mentioned in 1 & 2 above, there are differing views, but the official view of the school is that it is pure (not najasa). [Hashiyat Al-Jamal  ‘ala Sharh Al-Manhaj]

Even though the moisture from deep within the female private part is considered najis upon exiting the vagina (number 2 above), any “contamination” would be overlooked (ma’ fuw  ‘anhu). Therefore, the male private part is not considered to be contaminated after intercourse. Similarly, the lady’s finger, should she require inserting it for a valid reason, and Allah knows best. [Al-Jamal, Futuhat al-Wahhab bi Tawdih Sharh Manhaj al-Tullab (Hashiyat al-Jamal  ‘ala Sharh Al-Manhaj)]

I pray this is of benefit.

[Shaykh] Irshaad Sedick

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

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. 

Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Mawlana Yusuf Karaan, 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 served as the Director of the Discover Islam Centre and Al Jeem Foundation. For the last five years till present, he has served as the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town.

Shaykh Irshaad has thirteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town). He is currently building an Islamic online learning and media platform called ‘Isnad Academy’ and pursuing his Master’s degree in the study of Islam at the University of Johannesburg. He has a keen interest in healthy living and fitness.