Removing impurity on glossy surfaces

27-2-2023 | IslamWeb

Question:

Shaykh, my question is how should I clean my glasses, which are very thin, from an impurity? Should I keep them under water or just wipe them off with a damp cloth?

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Answer:

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

If impurity has got onto the glasses, it is enough to purify them with a wet piece of cloth, with no need to wash them, in the view of some jurists. You can act upon this view, especially if you are suffering from whispers – as understood from this question and another question previously sent by you. The Fiqh Encyclopedia states, “Scholars of the Hanafi School of Jurisprudence and the scholars of the Maliki School of Jurisprudence according to one of their views narrated by Al-Baaji on the authority of Malik hold the view that every glossy substance that has no pores like mirrors, nails, bones, glass, and pained pots are purified with wiping, regardless of the fact that the impurity might have a mass or not and whether it is wet or dry. That is because no impurity could penetrate into it due to its hardness, and thus could be removed by just wiping over it. Besides, the companions of the Messenger of Allah used to kill the disbelievers with their swords and observe prayer with these swords after wiping them. That is because these swords were hard, meaning that no impurity could penetrate into them. As such, any impurity on them could be removed by wiping. However, scholars of the Shaafi'i and the Hanbali Schools of Jurisprudence are of the view that glossy items, such as swords and knives can only be purified with washing, not wiping.”

Allah knows best.