❖ 5 Shar'i Evidences Regarding the Purity of Sweat from a Junub (Sexually Impure) Person ❖
Taken from: Fatāwā ad-Dīn al-Khāliṣ, Volume 1, Page 325
Is the sweat of a person in the state of janābah (major ritual impurity) pure or impure?
Narrated by Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه):
“I encountered the Prophet ﷺ on a road while I was in a state of janābah. So I withdrew from him and went to perform ghusl. When I returned, he ﷺ asked:
‘O Abū Hurayrah! Where were you?’
I replied: ‘I was in a state of janābah and felt it inappropriate to sit with you while impure.’
He ﷺ said:
‘Subḥān Allāh! Verily, the believer is never impure.’
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 1/42)
Imām al-Bukhārī (رحمه الله) placed this narration under the chapter:
“Chapter: The Sweat of a Junub Person and the Statement that a Believer is Not Impure.”
In Fatḥ al-Bārī (1/310), he writes:
“The intended implication is: The ruling of a junub person’s sweat, and the affirmation that a believer is not impure.
So when the person himself is not impure, his sweat cannot be impure either.”
This ruling is also found in:
In his commentary on Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, he states:
“A Muslim—whether alive or deceased—is pure.”
Moreover, regarding non-Muslims, he writes:
“In terms of physical purity and impurity, a disbeliever is like a Muslim.
This is the view of the majority of scholars (jumhūr).”
Thus, once the person is established to be pure, whether:
◈ Muslim or disbeliever
◈ With or without wudu
◈ In a state of janābah
◈ In menstruation or postnatal bleeding
— then the following are also considered pure:
✔ Their sweat
✔ Their saliva
✔ Their tears
There is consensus among Muslims that the sweat, saliva, and bodily fluids of people in such states are not impure.
Also, the following are deemed pure:
◈ The bodies of infants
◈ Their clothes
◈ Their spit and dribble
—even without washing, unless actual impurity is visibly or certainly present.
Conclusion:
The sweat of a junub person is pure. There is no evidence to declare it impure, and multiple authentic narrations, scholarly commentaries, and unanimous agreement of scholars confirm its permissibility and purity.
ھٰذا ما عندي، والله أعلم بالصواب
Taken from: Fatāwā ad-Dīn al-Khāliṣ, Volume 1, Page 325❀ Question:
Is the sweat of a person in the state of janābah (major ritual impurity) pure or impure?
➊ Guidance from the Noble Hadith
Narrated by Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه):
“I encountered the Prophet ﷺ on a road while I was in a state of janābah. So I withdrew from him and went to perform ghusl. When I returned, he ﷺ asked:
‘O Abū Hurayrah! Where were you?’
I replied: ‘I was in a state of janābah and felt it inappropriate to sit with you while impure.’
He ﷺ said:
‘Subḥān Allāh! Verily, the believer is never impure.’
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 1/42)
Imām al-Bukhārī (رحمه الله) placed this narration under the chapter:
“Chapter: The Sweat of a Junub Person and the Statement that a Believer is Not Impure.”
➋ Commentary by Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar (رحمه الله)
In Fatḥ al-Bārī (1/310), he writes:
“The intended implication is: The ruling of a junub person’s sweat, and the affirmation that a believer is not impure.
So when the person himself is not impure, his sweat cannot be impure either.”
This ruling is also found in:
- Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ (1/49)
- Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (1/162)
➌ Explanation by Imām al-Nawawī (رحمه الله)
In his commentary on Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, he states:
“A Muslim—whether alive or deceased—is pure.”
Moreover, regarding non-Muslims, he writes:
“In terms of physical purity and impurity, a disbeliever is like a Muslim.
This is the view of the majority of scholars (jumhūr).”
Thus, once the person is established to be pure, whether:
◈ Muslim or disbeliever
◈ With or without wudu
◈ In a state of janābah
◈ In menstruation or postnatal bleeding
— then the following are also considered pure:
✔ Their sweat
✔ Their saliva
✔ Their tears
➍ Ijmāʿ (Consensus) on the Matter
There is consensus among Muslims that the sweat, saliva, and bodily fluids of people in such states are not impure.
Also, the following are deemed pure:
◈ The bodies of infants
◈ Their clothes
◈ Their spit and dribble
—even without washing, unless actual impurity is visibly or certainly present.
➎ Practical Implications in Sharīʿah
- One can pray wearing clothes that have come into contact with the sweat of a junub person.
- It is permissible to consume food that an infant has placed his hands in, as long as no confirmed impurity is present.
- These rulings are established by the Qur’an, Sunnah, and ijmāʿ.
Conclusion:The sweat of a junub person is pure. There is no evidence to declare it impure, and multiple authentic narrations, scholarly commentaries, and unanimous agreement of scholars confirm its permissibility and purity.
ھٰذا ما عندي، والله أعلم بالصواب
