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Fatwa CenterMeaning of Tahaarah
Question
A comprehensive meaning of At-taharat
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.
Tahaarah in the Arabic language means cleanliness, and according to the jurists 
it means the act of removing ritual impurity, or an act that legally means the same thing or that is similar to it, and removing physical impurity.
This means that Tahaarah according to them [jurists] means four things:
1- Removing ritual impurity whether it is minor ritual impurity that necessitates ablution or major ritual impurity that necessitates Ghusl, so performing Ghusl due to being in a state of sexual defilement is Tahaarah because it removes the state of major ritual impurity and ablution is Tahaarah because it removes the state of minor ritual impurity [due to urinating, defecating, or passing wind and the like]. It is known that ritual impurity is a state of the body that prevents the person from the prayer and all other acts that necessitate ritual purity.
2- Matters that legally mean the same as removing ritual impurity, like Tayammum according to the view of the scholars who are of the opinion that it does not actually remove ritual impurity.
3- That which is similar to the act of removing ritual impurity but it is not meant to remove it, like renewing one’s ablution [for someone who is still in the state of ablution]
4- Removing physical impurity, i.e. from one’s body or clothes. For instance, Istinja‘a (cleansing oneself with water) or Istijmaar (cleaning oneself with stone, wood or tissue and the like) after relieving oneself is Tahaarah because it is removing physical impurity, and washing impure clothes is Tahaarah as this is removing physical impurity. For more benefit, please refer to Fatwa 85947.
Allaah Knows best.
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