Abu Dawud

373. Commentary:
➊ If a man's semen (madhiy) is thick, it is obligatory to remove its substance; if it is wet, it should be removed with a twig or something similar, and if it is dry, it should be scraped or rubbed off, or it may also be washed. Both actions are established from the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), but if it is fluid, then washing it is better and more virtuous. The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) did not give any such command in this regard as He gave to women concerning menstrual blood.
➋ Ibn Abbas (radi Allahu anhuma) states that semen is like phlegm; remove it, even if it is with a blade of grass.
➌ It is also established that washing only the soiled part is sufficient; the rest of the garment remains pure.

Hadith Authentication (Takhrij al-Hadith):
[165۔ البخاري فى : 4 كتاب الوضوء : 64 باب غسل المني وفركه، وغسل ما يصيب المراة 229، مسلم 289]

Understanding the Hadith:
It is understood that even if some traces of semen (mani) remain on the garment after scraping and washing, there is no harm, and prayer in such a garment is valid. This hadith is also used as evidence that semen (mani) is pure (tahir). Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas radi Allahu anhuma said that semen is like nasal mucus and saliva, and it is sufficient for you to clean it with a piece of cloth or with idhkhir grass. [صحيح موقوف : الضعيفة 948، دار قطني 124/1، بيهقي 418/2]

Imam Ibn Taymiyyah, Hafiz Ibn Hajar rahimahullah, and Shaykh al-Albani rahimahullah also hold this same opinion. [التعليق على سبل السلام للشيخ بسام 65/1، فتح الباري 332/1، نظم الفرائد 231/1]

Hadith Commentary:
➊
Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has mentioned three things in this chapter heading:
- Washing semen (mani)
- Scraping off semen
- Washing the moisture that comes out from a woman’s private part.
Imam Bukhari rahimahullah, in the previous section, brought the word “washing” (ghusl) with blood, urine, and madhiy, thereby indicating their impurity. Similarly, here too, by bringing the word “washing” (ghusl) with semen and vaginal moisture, he has pointed towards their being impure (najis).
The second point is that there are two ways to attain purity from the impurity of semen: if the soiled garment is wet, it should be washed. If the semen has dried, then it should be scraped off.
In some narrations, it is mentioned that dried semen is removed from the garment with a stick or something similar.
We will mention this later.

➋
Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has mentioned three matters in this chapter heading, but in the hadith, only the ruling of washing semen is mentioned. What is the ruling regarding the other two, i.e., scraping (fark) and vaginal moisture (rutubat farj)? No hadith is mentioned regarding these.
The commentators of Bukhari have mentioned various explanations regarding this.
However, in our view, all three components of the chapter heading are established from the hadith of the chapter.
However, the indication for each part is of a different nature: washing semen is established by the explicit wording of the text, and scraping semen is established in such a way that the non-harmfulness of the remaining trace is clearly understood from the hadith of the chapter, and in scraping, the apparent parts are removed, but a slight trace remains, which is not harmful.
And the mention of vaginal moisture is in the words of the hadith “Aghsil al-janabah” (“I wash the janabah”), that janabah refers generally to semen, whether it is from a man or a woman, and its washing is specified.
From this, its impurity is established.

➌
Hafiz Ibn Hajar rahimahullah has mentioned several ahadith regarding scraping semen:
© It is narrated from Aisha radi Allahu anha that she used to scrape off dried semen from the clothes of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam with her nail.
(Sahih Muslim, al-Taharah, Hadith: 674 (290))
A guest once stayed with Aisha radi Allahu anha, and he had a wet dream at night, so he washed the bedsheet.
Aisha radi Allahu anha said that he unnecessarily spoiled our garment; it would have sufficed if he had just scraped off the semen.
I myself used to scrape it off the clothes of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.
(Jami‘ al-Tirmidhi, al-Taharah, Hadith: 116)
It is also narrated from Aisha radi Allahu anha that she used to remove semen from the clothes of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam with stalks of idhkhir (a type of grass), and then he would pray in them.
(Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah: 1/149)
Some have held the view that the garments from which semen was scraped were sleeping garments, and it is not established that prayer was performed in them.
Hafiz Ibn Hajar rahimahullah says:
This view is not correct, because Aisha radi Allahu anha states that I used to scrape off semen from the clothes of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and then he would perform prayer in them.
(Sahih Muslim, al-Taharah, Hadith: 668 (288))
In light of these ahadith, the view is incorrect that it is not established to pray in garments from which semen has been scraped.
(Fath al-Bari: 1/434)

Explanation:
Qastallani rahimahullah said that if it is easy to remove its trace, then it should indeed be removed; if it is difficult, then there is no harm. If, along with the color, the odor also remains, then that garment will not be pure. Hazrat Imam Bukhari quddisa sirruh did not explicitly mention any impurities other than semen in this matter. Rather, he made an analogy of all of them with semen, thus declaring it necessary to wash all of them.

Hadith Commentary:
1.
Imam Bukhari rahimahullah’s intent is that if impure semen (mani) is washed thoroughly, yet its stain does not disappear, then there is no harm in that.
There is no need to wash it with any external substance.
To remove these stains is merely an affectation.
Similarly, there is also no need to dry the garment; if traces of water are visible on the garment, there is no harm in that.
The commentators differ as to whether the stains refer to water stains or semen stains. In fact, three expressions are used in the narration:
* Water stains would be present on the garment.
(Sahih al-Bukhari, al-Wudu’, Hadith: 229)
* Washing stains would be present on the garment.
(Sahih al-Bukhari, al-Wudu’, Hadith: 230)
* Then I would see stains on the garment.
(Sahih al-Bukhari, al-Wudu’, Hadith: 232)
From these last words, it is understood that after washing, stains of semen would be visible on the garment.
From the first and second expressions, water stains are indicated. In any case, the persistence of stains after washing is not harmful.

2.
Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has mentioned, along with janabah (major ritual impurity), “other than it” (ghayruha), but this is not mentioned in the hadith.
However, after knowing the ruling regarding janabah, other impurities can be analogized upon it.
It is mentioned in the hadith that Khawlah bint Yasar radi Allahu anha said to the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam:
“O Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam! I have only one garment, and during menstruation it becomes soiled, so what should I do?” He said:
“When you become pure, then wash it.”
She asked:
“If the blood stain does not go away?” He said:
“Washing it with water is sufficient.
After that, if a mark remains, there is no harm.”
(Sunan Abi Dawud, al-Taharah, Hadith: 365)
By adding the word “other than it” (ghayruha), the intent may also be that this ruling is not specific to semen; the same ruling applies to other impurities as well.
If this meaning is taken, then there is no need to search for it in the hadith of the chapter.
And Allah knows best.

Explanation:
In the chapter, there was also mention of moisture or similar substances from a woman’s private part getting onto clothing and the washing thereof. However, in the transmitted hadiths, there is no explicit mention of a woman’s moisture. Yes, in Hadith number 227, there is mention of semen (mani) getting onto clothing in general—whether it is from a man or a woman. This is how the chapter is relevant. It is also evident that semen (mani) should first be scraped off, then cleaned with water; and even if some stains or marks remain on the clothing after this, prayer (salah) can still be performed in them, because the clothing has become pure and clean.

Hadith Commentary:
➊
In view of these ahadith, Imam Bukhari rahimahullah’s inclination appears to be towards the impurity (najasa) of semen (mani), because he has established the chapter heading of “Washing Semen” over these ahadith.
Just as previously he has established the chapter headings of “Washing Urine” and “Washing Madhiy (pre-seminal fluid).”
The next chapter heading is “Washing Janabah (major ritual impurity).”
Whatever Imam Bukhari rahimahullah establishes a chapter heading for washing, in his view, that thing is impure (najis).
He has also mentioned rubbing (frak) of semen in this chapter heading.
This is because purification from semen can also be achieved by rubbing (scraping) it off.
In Islamic law (Shari‘ah), there are various forms of purification (taharah) and multiple methods for attaining it, because the things to which impurity (najasa) attaches are of different types by their nature. To say regarding them that all methods of purification other than washing are necessarily required is not correct.
The various forms of purification are as follows:
* For istinja’ (cleaning after relieving oneself), the use of stones is permissible; it is not necessary to attain purification with water.
* If shoes become soiled with impurity, rubbing them on clean earth will purify them; there is no need to wash them.
* For things in which impurity does not penetrate inside, such as glass, their purification is achieved merely by wiping (masah).
* If the ground becomes soiled with impurity, it will become pure by itself after drying.
* For a child’s urine, merely sprinkling water over it is sufficient; there is no need to wash it. From this, it is evident that there are various methods of attaining purification in the Shari‘ah.
Similarly, if semen gets on clothing, there are two ways to purify it:
Either it is washed, or it is scraped off.
Now, if rubbing (frak) alone is taken as proof of purification, then it would follow that if someone’s sock becomes soiled with impurity and he rubs it on the ground to purify it, it should be said that if rubbing it on the ground is proof of purification, then what is the ruling regarding the impurity that is on it? If rubbing semen is proof of purification from semen, then in the life of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, there should be at least one instance as a statement of permissibility of praying in soiled clothes.
Yes, praying in a garment that has been rubbed (scraped) is established, because rubbing (frak) is also a method of attaining purification from semen, which Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has mentioned in his chapter heading.

➋
Semen (mani) is impure (najis); the evidences for its impurity are as follows:
* In the Noble Qur’an, it is described as ﴿مَّاءٍ مَّهِينٍ﴾ “a despicable fluid.” (: al-Mursalat 77:20)
Such an expression is not used for something pure.
* When the cause of minor ritual impurity (hadath asghar) — urine — is impure, then the cause of major ritual impurity (hadath akbar) — semen — should, a fortiori, be impure.
* From authentic ahadith, the removal of semen is established by the words washing (ghasl), rubbing (frak), wiping (masah), scraping (hat), and scratching (hak), which are clear evidence for its impurity.
* Mu‘awiyah radi Allahu anhu asked Hafsah radi Allahu anha whether the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam used to pray in the clothes in which he had intercourse. She replied that if he did not see any trace of impurity in them, he would pray in them.
(: Sunan Abi Dawud, Book of Purification, Hadith: 366)
From this, there are two ways to deduce the impurity of semen:
* It is described as “adha” (harm), just as menstruation is called “adha.”
From this, it is understood that semen is impure.
* The fact that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam would not pray while it was present is also evidence of its impurity.
There is no authentic hadith proving that semen was left on clothing or the body and prayer was performed with it remaining.
The wording of the hadith under discussion (كُنْتُ أَغْسِلُ الْجَنَابَةَ) is also evidence for the impurity of semen.
On this, Allamah Kirmani writes that deducing the impurity of semen from this hadith is not correct, because washing semen is not due to its impurity, but because its passage is impure, or due to the mixing of the moisture of the private part.
(Sharh al-Kirmani: 2/82)
Allamah ‘Ayni says that the place of settlement of semen and the place of settlement of urine are two different things.
Similarly, their outlets are also separate.
Therefore, the claim that the passage is impure is without evidence, and the issue of the impurity of the moisture of the private part is also disputed.
Because of this, the aforementioned deduction cannot be considered weak.
(‘Umdat al-Qari: 2/639)

Explanation:
From this hadith, it is understood that after purification, if water stains remain on the garment, there is no harm in it.

Hadith Commentary:
1.
Imam Bukhari rahimahullah’s intent is that if impure semen (mani) is washed thoroughly, yet its stain does not disappear, then there is no harm in that.
There is no need to wash it with any external substance.
To remove these stains is merely an affectation.
Similarly, there is also no need to dry the garment; if traces of water are visible on the garment, there is no harm in that.
The commentators differ as to whether the stains refer to water stains or semen stains. In fact, three expressions are used in the narration:
* Water stains would be present on the garment.
(Sahih al-Bukhari, al-Wudu’, Hadith: 229)
* Washing stains would be present on the garment.
(Sahih al-Bukhari, al-Wudu’, Hadith: 230)
* Then I would see stains on the garment.
(Sahih al-Bukhari, al-Wudu’, Hadith: 232)
From these last words, it is understood that after washing, stains of semen would be visible on the garment.
From the first and second expressions, water stains are indicated. In any case, the persistence of stains after washing is not harmful.

2.
Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has mentioned, along with janabah (major ritual impurity), “other than it” (ghayruha), but this is not mentioned in the hadith.
However, after knowing the ruling regarding janabah, other impurities can be analogized upon it.
It is mentioned in the hadith that Khawlah bint Yasar radi Allahu anha said to the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam:
“O Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam! I have only one garment, and during menstruation it becomes soiled, so what should I do?” He said:
“When you become pure, then wash it.”
She asked:
“If the blood stain does not go away?” He said:
“Washing it with water is sufficient.
After that, if a mark remains, there is no harm.”
(Sunan Abi Dawud, al-Taharah, Hadith: 365)
By adding the word “other than it” (ghayruha), the intent may also be that this ruling is not specific to semen; the same ruling applies to other impurities as well.
If this meaning is taken, then there is no need to search for it in the hadith of the chapter.
And Allah knows best.

296. Commentary:
➊ By "janabah," the cause of janabah is meant, i.e., semen (mani). The fact that semen is washed from clothing indicates that semen is impure (najis), and this is the position of the majority of scholars. According to them, this view is also stronger in terms of its point of exit. The wording «أذي» in the previous hadith also supports this, because this word is used in the Noble Qur’an for menstruation (hayd), and menstruation is, by consensus, impure. However, some scholars, whose leader is Ibn Abbas (radi Allahu anhuma), consider semen to be pure (tahir). As for washing it, they argue that this is not evidence of impurity, but rather it may be washed for cleanliness, just as if filth from the nose or phlegm gets on clothing, the clothing is washed; especially since on several occasions Aisha (radi Allahu anha) considered merely rubbing and scraping the garment to be sufficient. Moreover, semen is the origin of the Prophets and the righteous. It is also free from foul odor, so according to those who hold this view, it cannot be equated with other impure substances.
➋ It is not necessary to wash the entire garment; only the area affected by the impurity should be washed.
➌ One may go to the mosque for prayer before the garment from which semen has been washed has dried.

Lexical Explanation:
«أَفْرُكُهُ» In this, the attached pronoun "ha" refers to semen. It is permissible to pronounce "ra" with both dammah and kasrah. It comes from both the «نَصَرَ يَنْصُرُ» and «ضَرَبَ يَضْرِبُ» forms.
The meaning of «اَلْفَرْك» is: to rub and clean until the mark or stain, etc., is removed.
In «أَحُكُّهُ», the attached pronoun "ha" also refers to semen. With the dammah on "ha", it is derived from «حَك», and its meaning is also to rub and scrape.
«يَابِسًا» is used as a circumstantial qualifier, meaning "dry".

Benefits and Issues:
➊ All the narrations reported on this subject indicate that it is not absolutely obligatory to wash semen from clothing, whether it is dry or wet. Rather, it is sufficient to remove it, when it is wet, by cleaning it with the hand, cloth, grass, or other items, such as wood or reed, etc.
➋ A group has argued in light of these hadiths that semen is pure. However, there is nothing in them that indicates that semen is pure. Allamah Shawkani rahimahullah has said in Nayl al-Awtar that «تَعَبُّدًا» it is established to remove semen by washing, cleaning with the hand, rubbing, scraping, or scrubbing. The command to remove something means that the thing is impure. Thus, the correct position and sound school is that semen is impure; therefore, the affected area should be purified by any of the aforementioned means of purification. However, Allamah Shawkani rahimahullah himself has declared semen to be pure in al-Sayl al-Jarrar and al-Durrar al-Bahiyyah, and has said that there is no text proving its impurity. Thus, his opinion on this matter is different.
➌ It should be clear that there is a difference of opinion on whether human semen is pure or impure. One school of thought holds that semen is pure, like nasal mucus and saliva. Among the Imams, this view is represented by Imam Shafi'i, Dawud al-Zahiri, Imam Ahmad rahimahumullah, and among the Companions, by Sayyiduna Ali, Sayyiduna Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, Sayyiduna Ibn Umar, and Umm al-Mu'minin Sayyidah Aisha radi Allahu anhum. The other school of thought is represented by the Imams Malik and Abu Hanifah rahimahumullah, but according to Imam Abu Hanifah rahimahullah, if semen is dry, scraping it off purifies the garment; washing with water is not necessary. Both schools have their evidences. The evidence for those who consider semen pure is that it is scraped off; since the garment is not washed afterward, it is pure, otherwise it would have been washed after scraping. The group that considers it impure argues that the area contaminated with semen is washed with water; if it were pure, there would be no need to wash it. Those who consider it pure respond that the garment is washed only for cleanliness, not because of impurity. Hafiz Ibn Qayyim rahimahullah has discussed this matter in detail in Bada'i al-Fawa'id, 3/119–126.

Hadith Narrator:
SR Sayyidah Aisha Siddiqa bint Abi Bakr al-Siddiq radi Allahu anhuma. The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam married her in the month of Shawwal, two years before the Hijrah to Madinah, and the marriage was consummated in Shawwal of the first year after Hijrah. At the time of consummation, she was nine years old. She is above all praise and description. She passed away on the 17th of Ramadan in the year 57 or 58 Hijri. Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah radi Allahu anhu led her funeral prayer, and she was buried in the Baqi' cemetery. She was a great scholar and jurist, narrated many hadiths, and was well-versed in Arabic poetry. Her exoneration was revealed from the heavens, as mentioned in Surah al-Nur of the Noble Qur'an. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is buried in her chamber.

Benefit:
It is clear from this hadith that it is not necessary to wash semen (mani); scraping it off is sufficient. The preferred (rajih) position is also that semen is pure (tahir). One evidence for this is this very hadith. The writer has discussed the evidences of both sides in detail in the commentary of Sahih Muslim.