Were My Ears Impure?
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
I remember considering itching one of my ears, and I had impure hands, which I’m not even sure were impure now. However, they touched my ear wax, which would get off, and there was still a sticky residue in the ear when I tried to purify it.
Is my ear pure? I’m unsure what ear it was now as a couple of days passed. I poured water on it multiple times and wiped the inside with ear wax that I itched with a tissue twice each ear, but it was still sticky, and my hair had also been in contact with it.
When I do wudu, I do my ears and legs in sequence. Are my legs impure, too?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate
If your hands were impure and touched your ear wax, you didn’t have to worry as the wax was inside the ear, which would not be considered. As you mentioned anyway, you were unsure. Just take this as a doubt due to your misgivings. Do not worry about the past and also about the future.
“Certainty is not lifted by a doubt.” [Ibn Nujaym, al-Ashbah wa’l Nadha’ir; Majallat al-Ahkam al-‘Adiliyya]
Below are some guidelines about misgivings:
Keep a regular prayer and wudu, buddy, be it your wife, brother, or friend who supports you in doing wudu and helps you in prayer to perform it at its normal time and procedure.
Try to perform your prayers in congregation, and when you cannot go to the masjid, then at home with your household folk, be it one person.
Perform two Rakats of Prayer of Need (Salat al-Haja) regularly and pray to Allah Most High to remove misgivings.
Knowledge
The long-term cure for these constant doubts is to seek a deeper understanding of Islamic Knowledge. With knowledge, Shaytan cannot deceive you with his whispers and plots. I would advise you to find authentic scholars in your area and study a basic text in Islamic Jurisprudence with them. SeekersGuidance.org has classes available in Islamic Jurisprudence and many other subjects.
I would like you to go through the valuable answers and links below. You will receive guidance and direction in sha Allah.
Check the related links:
A Reader on OCD and Waswasa (Baseless Misgivings) (seekersguidance.org)
Devil’s Tricks – The Path of Muhammad: Birgivi’s Manual of Taqwa Explained – Sh Faraz Rabbani – YouTube
Mental Health Workshop: An Islamic Guide to Dealing with Depression (seekersguidance.org)
Doubts – IPD Session #3 | COJ – an ISIP Youth Chapter Initiative
The Application of Islamic Psychotherapy for the Treatment of OCD
Key Principles Relating to Certainty, Doubt, and Baseless Misgivings (waswasa) – SeekersGuidance
(1) The Application of Islamic Psychotherapy for the Treatment of OCD~Dr. Hooman Keshavarzi – YouTube
How to Handle Constant Waswasa
Why not begin your search for knowledge by signing up for a course on SeekersAcademy (seekersguidance.org), like from the Islamic Studies Curriculum (seekersguidance.org) or Youth Islamic Studies Curriculum (seekersguidance.org), building your way up doing each course?
I pray this helps answer your question.
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel has received traditional education in various countries. He started his schooling in the UK and completed his hifz of the Quran in India. After that, he joined an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied secular and Aalimiyya sciences. Later, he traveled to Karachi, Pakistan, and other Middle Eastern countries to further his education. Mawlana has served as an Imam in the Republic of Ireland for several years and taught the Quran and other Islamic sciences to both children and adults. He also worked as a teacher and librarian at a local Islamic seminary in the UK for 12 years. Presently, he lives in the UK with his wife and is interested in books and gardening.
