QUESTION:
What do respected scholars say about the following issue:
A child urinates on a Masjid carpet and remains seated there for 10-15 minutes and then is sent home, the Masjid hall is quite spacious and the carpet is very large.
- In this case how do we purify this carpet, will we have to wash the entire carpet or just the affected area?
- The carpet was not washed instantly so if someone performed his prayer on it, will his prayer be valid (meaning he performed the prayer near that area not on it)?
- Is it permissible to perform prayer on the actual part the child urinated on once it has dried?
- It is possible that when the child got up and walked out of the Masjid drops of urine might have fallen on the carpet, so in case of doubt is it necessary for us to wash the entire carpet?
Questioner: (Maulana) Muhammad Shabir Siyalwi (Oldham)
ANSWER:
1) A child’s urine is impure no matter what his age is, the only part of the Masjid carpet that becomes impure is the actual part been stained by the urine, therefore this is the only part that needs to be cleaned and not the entire carpet.
Allamah Sadrul Shariah says “If any part of a cloth becomes impure and you do not remember which part of the cloth it is then it is better to wash it all, this is if you completely forget which part of the cloth was impure, but if for example you remember that it was the sleeve but do not remember which part of it then wash the whole sleeve, this will be equivalent to washing the entire shirt”.
[Bahar-e-Shariat part 2 page 54]
Therefore it is only necessary to wash the impure part of the carpet, and because this impurity is invisible therefore it must be washed three times and dried each time so that no drops drip from the carpet, even if machine washed.
Imam Ahmad Rida Khan (رحمه الله تعالى) said “If rinsing is impossible, such as washing a clay pot, or very difficult, such as a heavy carpet, then the ‘end of dripping’ or ‘drying’ is the same as rinsing”.
[Fatawa Razawiyyah vol 4 page 560]
Fatawa Hindiyyah (vol 1 page 47) states:
و ما لا ينعصر يطهر بالغسل ثلاث مرات والتجفيف في کل مرة لأن للتجفيف اثراً في استخراج النجاسة و حد التجفيف أن يخليه حتي ينقطع التقاطر ولا يشترط فيه اليبس هکذا في التبيين
Radd-ul-Muhtar (vol 1 page 221) says:
حد التجفيف أن يصير بحال لا تبتل منه اليد و لا يشترط صيرورته يابساً جداً
2) If the urine stained area of the carpet was not washed instantly and people prayed salah on other pure parts of the carpet then their salah is undoubtedly valid.
3) In fact if even the urine stained area dried up and the effect of the urine vanished then it is permissible to pray salah on it, this is if the stain was on the actual ground or something firmly stuck to the ground.
Fatawa Alamgiri (vol 1 page 49) says:
الارض تطهر باليبس و ذهاب الأثر للصلاة لا للتيمم هکذا في الکافي ولا فرق بين الجفاف بالشمس والنار والريح والظل کذا في البحر الرائق و يشارک الارض في حکمها کل ما کان ثابتا فيها کالحيطان إلي أن قال الاٰجرة إذا کانت مفروشة فحکمها حکم الارض تطهر بالجفاف
However it is more precautious to wash the impure area of the carpet and purify it before praying on it.
A thing cannot be considered impure based on doubt, because everything is originally pure:
“واليقين لا يزول بالشک”. Certainty is not removed by doubt. [Fatawa Ridawiyyah]
Therefore on the basis of doubt it is not necessary to wash the area of the carpet the child walked on as he exited, also bear in mind the child remained seated for about 10 or 15 minutes after urinating and then stood up to leave as you mentioned in your question.
Allah ta’aala is Most Knowing.
Answered by Mufti Shams ul Huda Misbahi
Translated by Mawlana Muhammad Rashid Madani
