❖ 8 Islamic Rulings Regarding Mud from Rain ❖
Taken from: Fatawa ad-Deen al-Khalis, Volume 1, Page 333
❖ Question:
Do clothes become impure due to the mud caused by rain? Is it obligatory to wash or change clothes that are affected by such mud, or are such splashes excused?
If there are no apparent signs of impurity on a person’s clothing, and the mud is not definitely contaminated with filth (najāsah), then it is not necessary to wash the clothes if such mud gets on them.
Narrated from ʿĀ’ishah (رضی اللہ عنہا) that a woman said to her: Her garment is long and she passes through impure places.
She replied that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
"The part that comes afterwards will purify it."
(Referenced in: Mālik 1/71, Aḥmad, Abū Dāwūd 1/77, Dārimī, al-Mishkāh 1/53)
This narration is authentic due to supporting evidence.
In Tirmidhī (2/47) and Ibn Mājah (1/87), it is narrated that a woman from Banū ʿAbd al-Ashhal asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ:
“The path to the mosque is smelly. What should we do in the rain?”
He ﷺ replied:
“The path that comes afterward is not better than the one before.”
The woman said: “Yes, it is better.”
He ﷺ said: “Then it is in exchange for that.”
(Abū Dāwūd 1/77, with a sound chain, Mishkāh 1/53, Ibn Mājah 1/87)
The default ruling for things is purity, unless impurity is definitively proven.
Muwaṭṭā commentary states:
“The mud of the pathways is pure unless it is contaminated with impurity.”
al-Mirqāt (2/76) mentions:
“If this ḥadīth is interpreted to mean that the mud of the road is pure or excused due to widespread occurrence, then it is a good explanation.”
Radd al-Muḥtār (1/216) mentions:
“Roadside mud is excused in situations of necessity, even if it fills the clothes. Even if it is mixed with filth, the prayer is still valid.”
Some scholars, by analogy on the statement of Imām Muḥammad, have even opined that dung and manure are pure.
If there is no visible trace of impurity on the clothing, the principle of excuse applies.
Fatḥ referencing Tajnīs mentions:
“In such a case, considering it impure is irrational.”
Qahṭānī has also affirmed this view as correct.
Taniyyah mentions two opinions, and both have been preferred.
Abū Naṣr ad-Dabbūsī said:
“This mud is pure unless impurity is visibly seen.”
This view is closest to both narration and textual evidence.
Some jurists have said:
When water and soil are mixed, and one of them is impure, the ruling follows the dominant element.
Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah (رحمه الله) writes in Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā (21/18):
“If there is doubt about pure things mixing with impure ones, then both must be avoided.”
However, if something is known to be ḥalāl and untouched by impurity, then it is considered pure.
If impurity is not confirmed at a place and the praying person does not know of any impurity, then the prayer is valid, since the default ruling is that the place is pure.
If mud from the roadside splashes onto one’s clothing, and its impurity is not certain, then it is excused.
This is similar to the case of doubt in identifying a non-maḥram woman.
Some scholars recommend sprinkling water in such cases:
Imām Mālik (رحمه الله) and others have emphasized this.
Anas (رضی اللہ عنہ) would sprinkle water while using mats over long periods.
ʿUmar (رضی اللہ عنہ) also sprinkled water over his clothes.
ھٰذا ما عندي، والله أعلم بالصواب
Taken from: Fatawa ad-Deen al-Khalis, Volume 1, Page 333❀ Issue of Clothing Becoming Impure Due to Rainwater Mud
❖ Question:
Do clothes become impure due to the mud caused by rain? Is it obligatory to wash or change clothes that are affected by such mud, or are such splashes excused?
✔ Ruling on Mud Making Clothes Impure
If there are no apparent signs of impurity on a person’s clothing, and the mud is not definitely contaminated with filth (najāsah), then it is not necessary to wash the clothes if such mud gets on them.
Narrated from ʿĀ’ishah (رضی اللہ عنہا) that a woman said to her: Her garment is long and she passes through impure places.
She replied that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
"The part that comes afterwards will purify it."
(Referenced in: Mālik 1/71, Aḥmad, Abū Dāwūd 1/77, Dārimī, al-Mishkāh 1/53)
This narration is authentic due to supporting evidence.
✔ Purity in Smelly Paths and During Rain
In Tirmidhī (2/47) and Ibn Mājah (1/87), it is narrated that a woman from Banū ʿAbd al-Ashhal asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ:
“The path to the mosque is smelly. What should we do in the rain?”
He ﷺ replied:
“The path that comes afterward is not better than the one before.”
The woman said: “Yes, it is better.”
He ﷺ said: “Then it is in exchange for that.”
(Abū Dāwūd 1/77, with a sound chain, Mishkāh 1/53, Ibn Mājah 1/87)
✔ Principle: Original Purity of Things
The default ruling for things is purity, unless impurity is definitively proven.
Muwaṭṭā commentary states:“The mud of the pathways is pure unless it is contaminated with impurity.”
al-Mirqāt (2/76) mentions:“If this ḥadīth is interpreted to mean that the mud of the road is pure or excused due to widespread occurrence, then it is a good explanation.”
✔ Hanafi Fiqh on Roadside Mud
Radd al-Muḥtār (1/216) mentions:“Roadside mud is excused in situations of necessity, even if it fills the clothes. Even if it is mixed with filth, the prayer is still valid.”
Some scholars, by analogy on the statement of Imām Muḥammad, have even opined that dung and manure are pure.
✔ Further Jurisprudential Details
If there is no visible trace of impurity on the clothing, the principle of excuse applies.
Fatḥ referencing Tajnīs mentions:“In such a case, considering it impure is irrational.”
Qahṭānī has also affirmed this view as correct.
Taniyyah mentions two opinions, and both have been preferred.Abū Naṣr ad-Dabbūsī said:
“This mud is pure unless impurity is visibly seen.”
This view is closest to both narration and textual evidence.
Some jurists have said:
- If impurity dominates, the mud is impure.
- If the mud dominates, it is pure.
→ The author holds the latter view to be correct; opponents do not.
✔ Rulings on Mixed Water and Soil
When water and soil are mixed, and one of them is impure, the ruling follows the dominant element.
Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah (رحمه الله) writes in Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā (21/18):“If there is doubt about pure things mixing with impure ones, then both must be avoided.”
However, if something is known to be ḥalāl and untouched by impurity, then it is considered pure.
✔ Suspected Impurity and Its Ruling
If impurity is not confirmed at a place and the praying person does not know of any impurity, then the prayer is valid, since the default ruling is that the place is pure.
If mud from the roadside splashes onto one’s clothing, and its impurity is not certain, then it is excused.
This is similar to the case of doubt in identifying a non-maḥram woman.
Some scholars recommend sprinkling water in such cases:
Imām Mālik (رحمه الله) and others have emphasized this.
Anas (رضی اللہ عنہ) would sprinkle water while using mats over long periods.
ʿUmar (رضی اللہ عنہ) also sprinkled water over his clothes.
ھٰذا ما عندي، والله أعلم بالصواب
