Is My Entire House Impure?


Question: Assalamualikum, I was careless about washing or preventing impurity like semen and prostatic fluid from spreading to other things. Now everything in my house has become impure, and this impurity is spreading to other places where I go what should I do. 

Answer:

In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,

Assalam’aleykum, I pray this finds you in the best of states.

Jazakum Allah khayr for your question!

 

What Should I Purify?

First, you need to know that you do not have to live in a fully purified house.

What you legally need to achieve is the purity of your body, the clothes you are praying in, and the place you are offering your prayer on. You do not need to purify anything more than that to be able to offer a valid prayer. [Nur Al-Idah]

 

How To Deal With a Filthy House?

Every part of your house which are directly attached to the ground (including walls, sinks, doors,  water taps and toilet seats, and even a carpet glued to the ground) become pure simply by drying as long as no traces (color, smell, taste) of the filth remain on them. [ Tahtawi, Maraqi Al-Falah’s Gloss]

I confirmed this understanding personally with Shaykh Ashraf Muneeb.

As for the other items in your house, there are only two possibilities:

-first possibility: you are not sure if this item has been affected by filth. You can deem this item pure because the basis of things is purity, and certainty is not lifted by doubts.

Please see: https://seekersguidance.org/answers/hanafi-fiqh/key-principles-relating-to-certainty-doubt-and-baseless-misgivings-waswasa/

-Second possibility: you are sure that this item has been affected by filth. To purify this item you need to wash it three times.

For details regarding this process please see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Or54k-nFfE8

 

How Can I know If a Transfer Of Filth Has Really Happened?

When two objects come into contact and one of them is filthy then filth is considered to have transferred only if one of the two objects was dripping wet or a sign of the filth (color, smell, taste) is manifest on the pure object. [Maraqi Al-Falah]

And Allah knows best.

I hope that the above answers your question. If something is unclear please do not hesitate to ask again.

May  Allah Most High grant you the best of this world and the next. Please keep us in your du’as!

Wassalam

[Ustadh] Sufyan Qufi

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani