Abu Dawud

376. Commentary:
No statement or legal verdict of any member of the Ummah can be accepted in opposition to the established command of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). Therefore, the urine of a girl must be washed, and for the urine of a boy, it is sufficient to sprinkle water.

305. Commentary:
Here as well, the restriction from Sunan an-Nasa'i hadith: [303] with the condition «لم يأكل الطعام» is valid, meaning that the boy has not yet started eating.

Lexical Explanation:
«مِنْ بَوْلِ الْجَارِيَةِ» Here, «مِنْ» is for the reason ('illat). The meaning is: due to the girl's urine coming into contact with clothes, body, etc.
«اَلْجَارِيَةِ» means girl, female child.
«يُرَشُّ» is derived from «رَشّ» and is in the passive form. Its meaning is "to sprinkle." That is, wherever the urine has touched, water should be sprinkled there to the extent that the affected area is covered and the water overcomes the impurity, but there is no need to sprinkle so much that the water flows away and drips down in drops.

Benefits and Issues:
➊ This hadith proves that the legal ruling regarding the urine of a boy and a girl is different.
➋ Washing the garment when soiled by a girl's urine and sprinkling water for a boy's urine applies as long as both are exclusively breastfed. When they begin to eat food other than milk, the ruling regarding the impurity of their urine becomes the same for both.
➌ Sprinkling water on the boy's urine does not mean it is pure. The hadith only provides evidence that the Shariah has given some leniency in purifying the boy's urine. [سبل السلام]
➍ In summary, there is a difference between the urine of a girl and a boy. During infancy, a girl's urine is considered more impure than a boy's. After infancy, there is no difference between the two.
➎ According to Imam Shafi'i, Imam Ahmad, Ibn Wahb, Hasan al-Basri, Ishaq ibn Rahwayh rahimahumullah, and Sayyiduna Ali radi Allahu anhu, sprinkling water on the boy's urine is sufficient. Imam Malik and Imam Abu Hanifah rahimahumullah consider washing necessary, which is not correct.

Narrator of the Hadith:
SR Abū al-Samh radi Allahu anhu ER: The "sīn" has a fatḥah and the "mīm" is sakin. "Abu al-Samh" is his kunyah. His name is Iyad (with a kasrah under the hamzah). Some people believe that the name and kunyah are the same. He was a freed slave and servant of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. Allamah Ibn Abd al-Barr rahimahullah says that according to one opinion, he went missing. It is not known where he died. Only this one hadith is narrated from him.

«والنجاسات هي غائط الإنسان وبوله إلا الذكر الرضيع»

“And the impurities are these: absolutely, the urine and feces of a human being. Except for the urine of a nursing infant (which is not impure).”

As the following evidences indicate:

➊ It is narrated from Abu al-Samh radi Allahu anhu that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said:
«يُغْسَلُ مِنْ بَوْلِ الْجَارِيَةِ، وَيُرَشُّ مِنْ بَوْلِ الْغُلَامِ»
“The garment soiled by a boy’s urine should be washed, and the garment soiled by a girl’s urine should have water sprinkled on it.” [أبو داود 376] 1

➋ In this meaning, there is also a marfu‘ narration from Ali radi Allahu anhu: «بول الغلام الرضيع ينضح و بون الجارية يغسله» [أبو داود 378] 2

➌ It is narrated from Umm Qays bint Mihsan radi Allahu anha that she brought her small child, who had not yet eaten food, to the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. The child urinated on his garment, so he sallallahu alayhi wa sallam called for water and «وفنضحه ولم

يغسله» sprinkled water on the garment and did not wash it. [بخاري 223] 3

➍ In the hadith narrated from Umm Fadl radi Allahu anha, it is mentioned that Hasan radi Allahu anhu urinated in the lap of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and he sallallahu alayhi wa sallam did not wash it (rather, he sufficed with sprinkling water). [أبوداود 375] 4

➎ It is narrated from Aisha radi Allahu anha that a child was brought to the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and he urinated on him. So the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam called for water and poured it over the spot «ولم يغسله» “and did not wash it.” [بخاري 222] 5

In this issue, the scholars have adopted three positions.

➊ (Ali radi Allahu anhu, Ahmad rahimahullah, Ishaq rahimahullah, Zuhri rahimahullah) Their position is in accordance with the apparent meaning of the hadith. This is also narrated in one report from Umm Salamah radi Allahu anha, Imam Thawri, Imam Nakha‘i, Imam Dawud, Imam Ata, Imam Ibn Wahb, Imam Hasan, and Imam Malik rahimahumullah ajma‘in. [شرح زرقاني على مؤطا 129/1] 6

➋ (Awza‘i rahimahullah) For both a boy and a girl, sprinkling water alone is sufficient. A similar report is also narrated from Imam Malik rahimahullah and Imam Shafi‘i rahimahullah. [المجموع 548/2] 7

➌ (Hanafis, Malikis) Washing is necessary for the urine of both (boy and girl). [الدر المختار 293/1] 8

(Preferred Opinion) The first position is the preferred one.
Those who hold the third position have argued from those hadiths in which, in general, urine is mentioned as impure. However, “it is obligatory to interpret the absolute in light of the restricted,” and likewise, “it is obligatory to interpret the general in light of the specific.” Furthermore, making an analogy between the urine of a girl and that of a boy is invalid, because it is contrary to the clear text, and the aforementioned explicit hadiths refute the last two positions. [فتح الباري 390/1] 9

(Ibn Hazm rahimahullah) is unique in his view that for any male (even if he is grown), it is sufficient to sprinkle water on his urine. (Whereas the hadith mentions only the nursing infant.) [نيل الأوطار 95/1] 10

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1 [صحيح : صحيح أبو داود 362، كتاب الطهارة : باب بول الصبي يصيب الثو ب، أبو داود 376، نسائي 158/1 ابن ماجة 566، ابن خزيمة 283، بيهقي 415/2، دارقطني 130/1، حاكم 166/1]

2 [صحيح : صحيح أبو داود 364، كتاب الطهارة : باب بول الصبي يصيب الثوب، أبو داود 378، ترمذي 610، ابن ماجة 020، أحمد 76/1، شرح معاني الآثار 92/1، دارقطني 129/1، حاكم 160/1، بيهقي 415/2، ابن خزيمة 284، ابن حبان 247]

3 [بخاري 223، كتاب الوضوء : باب بول الصبيان، مسلم 287، أحمد 355/6، أبوداود 374، ترمذي 71، نسائي 157/1 ابن ماجة 524، حميدي 343، ابن الجارود 139، ابوعوانة 202/1، ابن خزيمة 144/1، شرح معاني الآثار 92/1، بيهقي 414/2، شرح السنة 284/1]

4 [صحيح : صحيح أبوداود 361، كتاب الطهارة : باب بول الصبي يصيب الثو ب، أبوداود 375، ابن ماجة 522، شرح معاني الآثار 92/1، حاكم 166/1، بيهقي 414/2 ابن خزيمة 282، شرح السنة 385/1، طبراني كبير 5/3]

5 [مسلم 286، كتاب الطهارة : باب حكم بول الطفل الرضيع و كيفية غسله، بخاري 222، ابن ماجة 523، احمد 52/6]

6 [شرح زرقاني على مؤطا 129/1، الكافي 91/1، قوانين الأحكام الشرعية ص/ 47، مغني المحتاج 84/1، كشاف القناع 217/1، المهذب 49/1]

7 [المجموع 548/2، مغني المحتاج 84/1، شرح زرقاني على مؤطا 129/1]

8 [روضة الطالبين 141/1، شرح المهذب 409/2، بداية المجتهد 77/1، فتح القدير 140/1، الدر المختار 293/1]

9 [نيل الأوطار 96/1، تلخيص الحبير 37/1، فتح الباري 390/1، عون المعبود 33/2، فقو الأثر 62/1، الفقه الإسلامي وأدلته 311/1، سبل السلام 69/1]

10 [نيل الأوطار 95/1، الروضة الندية 76/1]
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