Najasah means impurity: the physical dirt that Islam asks us to keep off our body, clothes and place of prayer. Something impure is called najis. The Hanafi school puts impurities into two groups, heavy and light. If a heavy impurity reaches the size of a dirham, a patch about 5 cm across for a liquid, you must wash it off before you pray, and if it is more than that the prayer is not valid. If it is less, it is excused, although washing it off is better. A light impurity is excused until it covers a quarter of the part of the body or clothing it touched.
What is najasah (impurity), and why does it matter for prayer?
Allah says: "and purify your garments" (Surah Al-Muddaththir, 74:4), and "Allah loves those who purify themselves" (Surah At-Tawbah, 9:108). A clean body, clean clothes and a clean place are conditions for a valid prayer. This guide is about physical impurity on things. The state of being without wudu, or needing a bath, is covered in the wudu (washing for prayer) and ghusl (full bath) sheets.
The Prophet ﷺ once passed two graves and said that the two people in them were being punished, and that one of them used to be careless about protecting himself from urine (Sahih al-Bukhari, 218; Sahih Muslim, 292). That is why the scholars take cleanliness from urine seriously. But Islam is also easy. Allah has not placed difficulty on you in religion (Surah Al-Hajj, 22:78), so the school gives clear limits for what is excused.
The starting rule
Everything is clean until you know it has become impure. A wet street, a prayer mat, a friend's sofa or rain water is clean unless you actually saw or are sure of impurity on it. A passing doubt changes nothing.
Which things are impure, and which are pure?
The Hanafi books list the following. Heavy impurity (ghalizah) is stricter than light impurity (khafifah).
| Impurity | Kind | What is excused |
|---|---|---|
| Urine, stool and semen of a person; madhi (the clear sticky fluid that comes with desire) and wadi (the thick white fluid after urinating) | Heavy | Less than the hollow of the palm |
| Flowing blood, pus and the yellow fluid of a wound | Heavy | Less than the hollow of the palm |
| A mouthful of vomit | Heavy | Less than the hollow of the palm |
| Alcohol from grapes and dates (wine), pork, a carcass | Heavy | Less than the hollow of the palm |
| Urine and dung of animals we do not eat (donkey, dog, cat); dung of cows, goats and sheep | Heavy | Less than the hollow of the palm |
| Droppings of chickens, ducks and geese | Heavy | Less than the hollow of the palm |
| Urine of animals we eat (cow, goat, sheep, camel) | Light | Less than a quarter of the part touched |
| Droppings of birds we do not eat, which fly (such as a hawk) | Light | Less than a quarter of the part touched |
These are pure, and do not make anything impure:
- Sweat, tears, a person's saliva, snot and breath.
- Blood that does not flow, such as a small drop that stays on the skin.
- Droppings of pigeons and sparrows. The Hanafi position is that they are clean, although some books differ on the rarer birds.
- Fish and sea creatures that are lawful to eat, and the blood left in their meat.
- Wine that has turned into vinegar, and the skin of an animal once it is tanned (except pig and human skin).
- Mud and puddles in the street, unless you know there is impurity in them.
How much impurity is excused in prayer?
The Hanafi measure for heavy impurity is called the dirham. For a liquid, it is the width of the hollow of your palm when the liquid spreads out, a patch roughly 5 cm across. For thick matter such as stool, it is the weight of a dirham, about 4 to 5 grams. The rule has three levels:
- Less than a dirham. Prayer is valid. It is recommended (sunnah) to wash it off.
- Exactly a dirham. You should wash it off (this is required, wajib). If you pray with it knowingly, the prayer is valid but disliked.
- More than a dirham. Washing it off is compulsory (fard). Prayer with it is not valid. If you find it after praying, repeat the prayer.
For light impurity the limit is a quarter. If the splash is less than a quarter of the garment, sleeve or limb it fell on, it is excused. If it is a quarter or more, wash it off. Fine splashes of urine, as small as the point of a needle, are excused for everyone, because it is almost impossible to avoid them.
Two practical points. First, drops on one garment are added together, so many small spots can add up. Second, these limits only decide whether the prayer is valid. Unless you have an excuse, do not leave impurity on yourself just because it is within the limit.
How do you clean impure things?
- Impurity you can see (stool, blood, a lump). Remove it until the thing itself is gone. A faint stain of colour or smell that does not come out after proper washing is excused.
- Impurity you cannot see (urine that soaked in). Wash three times and squeeze or wring the cloth each time. If you cannot be sure, wash until you are reasonably sure it is clean.
- Running water or a tap. Pour water over the place until the impurity is gone and the run-off is clear. Three pourings is a good habit.
- Things you cannot wring (carpets, mattresses, thick mats). Pour water, let it drip or press out, and repeat three times. Dry between washes if that helps.
- Smooth, hard things (a mirror, glass, a knife, polished tiles). Wiping them clean is enough.
- Leather soles and shoes. Dry matter can be scraped or rubbed off once it has dried. Wet urine must be washed.
- Floors and ground. Once the ground or a wall has dried in sun or wind and no trace of the impurity remains, it is clean for prayer.
- Vessels. Wash three times. A vessel a dog has licked is washed three times in the Hanafi school.
- A baby's urine. The Hanafi school washes it off, for a boy or a girl. Sprinkling water is not enough.
The Prophet ﷺ taught this when Asma' bint Abi Bakr asked about period blood (haid) on a garment. He told her to scrape it, rub it with water, rinse it, and then pray in it (Sahih al-Bukhari, chapter on washing blood; Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Taharah). And when a Bedouin urinated in the masjid, the Prophet ﷺ told the people to leave him, then to pour a bucket of water over the place (Sahih al-Bukhari, 219).
A clean sheet laid over an impure patch is a valid barrier for prayer as long as the places where you stand and place your forehead are clean.
What about washing machines, alcohol, pets and wet clothes?
- Washing machines. First remove the visible impurity and rinse it off by hand. After that, a full wash and rinse with detergent and clean water leaves the garment clean.
- Alcohol in perfume and hand sanitiser. Many contemporary Hanafi muftis say that alcohol made from sources other than grapes and dates is not najis, so these products do not make your clothes impure. Some scholars are stricter. Follow the Mufti you trust, and ask if you are unsure.
- Dogs and cats. A dog's saliva is impure. Touching a dry dog does not make your clothes impure. A cat's leftover water or food is pure but disliked. Wash a cloth or vessel that has a visible impure mark from either.
- Wet and dry. A dry clean cloth that touches a wet impure one only becomes impure if enough wetness passes over to leave a trace. Dry on dry does not spread impurity.
How does najasah differ for brothers and sisters?
The rules are the same. What differs is the situations each one faces most.
Toilet splashes. Make sure the urine has stopped before you stand and wash. A man who leaves the toilet with a wet patch should wash it off. Splashes as fine as a needle-point are excused, and anything up to the size of a dirham does not stop the prayer, but it is not something to leave on purpose. Stand or squat in a way that keeps splashes away from your trousers. Our guide to toilet etiquette and cleaning yourself gives the details.
Trousers and hems. If your trousers drag over a wet impure floor, wash the patch. Rolling the trousers up before you go in helps. A dry hem that touches a dry floor is not a problem.
A baby or toddler. If a child urinates on your clothes, wash the place. Keep a spare shirt if you carry your child to the masjid.
Period (haid) and postnatal (nifas) stains. Blood on clothing is heavy impurity. Wash it with cold water first, because hot water can set the stain. Rub, rinse and repeat until the blood itself is gone. If a faint colour stays after proper washing, it is excused. For the rules of the period itself, see our step-by-step guide on what to do when your period starts.
Pads and underwear. Change a pad when it is full, and wash any blood that gets on the underwear. A woman whose bleeding never stops (istihadah) follows the rules for an excused person (ma'dhur), which we cover later this week.
Long dresses and abayas. If the hem drags through a wet impure place, wash the patch before praying. A dry hem on a dry floor is fine. If a baby brings up a mouthful or more of milk on your shoulder, wash the place.
What mistakes do people make with najasah?
- Treating every stain as impure. A stain you cannot name is clean until you know otherwise.
- Hot water on blood. It sets the stain. Start cold.
- Rubbing a wet impurity into the cloth instead of lifting it off. Blot or pour first, then wash.
- Washing again and again from doubt. Wash until you are reasonably sure it is clean, then stop. Repeated doubt (waswasa) is not a reason to wash more.
- Praying with more than a palm of heavy impurity because it was "only a little". Check the size.
- Forgetting the soles and the floor. If you step in impurity, clean the sole before you walk on the prayer mat.
If you want a teacher to go through these rules with you and answer your own situations, see our courses.
Sources
- The Qur'an: Surah Al-Muddaththir (74), verse 4; Surah At-Tawbah (9), verse 108; Surah Al-Hajj (22), verse 78.
- Sahih al-Bukhari, hadith 218, and Sahih Muslim, hadith 292: the two graves and protecting oneself from urine.
- Sahih al-Bukhari, hadith 219, and Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Taharah: the Bedouin who urinated in the masjid.
- Sahih al-Bukhari, chapter on washing blood, and Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Taharah: menstrual blood on a garment (Asma' bint Abi Bakr).
- Mukhtasar al-Quduri and al-Hidayah, Kitab al-Taharah: the chapter on impurities and how they are removed.
- Ibn 'Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar, Kitab al-Taharah, Bab al-Anjas: heavy and light impurity and the dirham measure.
- Maraqi al-Falah, chapter on impurities; Bahishti Zewar, Part 1: impurities and cleaning.