Can Paintbrushes Make the Paint Impure?

Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

If a wall was painted with a dirty paintbrush, some of the cloth got coated with paint. Will the cloth be regarded as pure after washing it in a washing machine on three cycle wash even if the paint does not come off?

Could there be some leeway as the paint itself was not impure but became impure because of the effects of the paintbrush?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.

I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.

The cloth was pure and clean even if it got coated with paint. There is nothing to worry about. Rest assured. Also, you have washed the cloth on three cycles.

It should be borne in mind that not all paintbrushes are made from pig hair, and not all paint is made out of pig hair. Therefore, you should avoid putting yourself into unnecessary difficulty and doubts.

There is a principle in Islamic jurisprudence: “Certainty is not lifted by a doubt.” [Ibn Nujaym, al-Ashbah Wa al-Nadhair]

If something is pure apparently, then doubting that it is impure would not lift the certainty of it being pure.

Try to move away from having doubts and work on yourself to being doubt-free.

I would like you to go through the valuable answers and links below. You will receive guidance and direction in sha Allah.

Related:
Is It Permissible to Use Brushes Made of Animal Hair Other than Pig?
A Reader on OCD and Waswasa (Baseless Misgivings)

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I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.