Touching things while in a state of sexual impurity
Fatwa No: 149689

Question

Asalaam alaikum. Could you shed some light on the state of janaba quoted from the quran or hadith. If a individual is wearing jewellery during intercourse, does this become impure and need to be washed. Do clothes become impure if worn during intercourse or are they pure to pray in unless they have traces of impurity on them. Can a individual touch a prayer mat in this state for e.g moving it from one place to another. Jaza khalla

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

First of all, we advise you to learn the rulings of your religion because it is not acceptable for a person to worship Allaah without learning the rulings of His Sharee’ah.

Secondly, we will try to discuss the issue of the Janaabah [being in a state of sexual impurity] in the following details:

The word Janaabah in Sharee'ah refers to the person who ejaculated or had sexual intercourse.

There are many matters that apply to a person in a state of Janaabah:

1- He is prevented from anything that requires ritual purity, like the prayer, Tawaaf (circumambulation around the Ka’bah), touching the Mus’haf [the Arabic text of the Quran], reciting the Quran, observing I'tikaaf (to reside in the mosque for the purpose of worship and devotion to Allaah for a limited period), and staying in the mosque.

2- He is obligated to purify himself from impurity as the Prophet said: “If he sat between her four limbs (i.e. inserted his private parts in hers), the Ghusl becomes mandatory, even if he did not ejaculate.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] The Prophet also said: “If you ejaculate, then you should perform Ghusl.”

3- It is permissible for a person in a state of Janaabah to mention Allaah, make Tasbeeh [i.e. saying Subhaanah Allaah 'glory be to Allaah' and all other forms of mentioning Allaah], and supplicate Allaah as ‘Aa’ishah said: “The Prophet used to mention Allaah in all his circumstances.”

4- It is desirable for a person in a state of Janaabah to wash his private parts and perform the same ablution that he performs for the prayer if he wants to sleep, eat, drink or have sexual intercourse again, for the Hadeeth that reads: “When the Prophet was in a state of Janaabah and wanted to eat or sleep, he would perform the same ablution that he performs for the prayer.”, and also for the Hadeeth that reads: “If one of you has had sexual intercourse with his wife and then he wants to have sexual intercourse with her again, then he should perform ablution between the two intercourses.”

5- It is valid for a person in a state of Janaabah to wake up in the morning while fasting and before performing Ghusl as it is confirmed that the Prophet used to wake up in the morning while in a state of Janaabah due to having sexual intercourse and not due to having a wet dream, and he used to perform Ghusl and then fast.

6- If a person in a state of Janaabah washes his entire body [with the intention of Ghusl], he becomes ritually pure.

7- The adornment [jewelry] of the woman who is in a state of Janaabah does not become impure, nor do her clothes or the clothes of her husband unless they are certainly touched with impurity, like Mathy (pre-seminal fluid) as it is impure. In which case, one should purify the clothes before praying in them. As regards Al-Maniyy (sperm), the scholars differed in opinion whether or not it is impure, and the view we adopt here in Islamweb is that it is pure.

8- It is permissible for a person in a state of Janaabah, whether it is a man or a woman, to touch the prayer mat or other items that one may use for prayer, and move it from one place to another and also to do his daily works, as his body is not considered impure due to the state of Janaabah; rather, he is pure for the Hadeeth that reads: “A believer does not become impure.”

For more benefit, please refer to Fataawa 91589, 83895, 89944 and 98794.

Allaah Knows best.

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