How Do I Confirm That All Traces of Filth Are Gone After Istinja?


Shafi'i Fiqh

Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad

Question: I read on one of this site’s answers that istinja’ is complete when no trace of najis remains. But how should I find out whether traces (I assume it is smell, color, and taste) remain? It is hard to look at the area and smell it.  For taste, does it mean the feeling it? Or actual taste? Does bringing the hand up after istinja’ and checking for najasa traces suffice? Kindly help as I have bad waswasa about this.

Answer

Assalamu alaykum,

Thank you for your question. Please don’t let waswasa (baseless misgivings)  get the better of you. Washing oneself should be a simple matter that doesn’t cause any confusion, pain, or difficulty.

Removing filth

You are not obliged to smell the area, nor look at it, nor feel for filth. Once you have washed the area, you should dry the area, especially if you are a woman, to reduce the chance of irritation and then move on. There is no need to wipe with tissue again to see if any filth remains. According to the links below, you do not need to be 100% certain that the filth is gone, but rather you are obliged to take the means for removing the filth. Please see these answers for details:

https://seekersguidance.org/answers/shafii-fiqh/removing-filth-from-private-parts-in-the-shafii-school/
https://seekersguidance.org/answers/shafii-fiqh/how-to-deal-with-waswas-regarding-purity-according-to-the-shafii-school/

May Allah give you the best of this world and the next.

[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria, for two years, where she studied aqidah, fiqh, tajweed, tafseer, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her Masters in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan, where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She recently moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.