When Impurity Falls into Ghee or Food
Author: Imran Ayyub Lahori
If impurity (najāsah) falls into a liquid, it is not permissible to consume it. If it falls into a solid, only that part and the surrounding area should be removed, and the remainder can be used.
Evidence from Hadith
① Hadith of Maymūnah (RA):
"ألقوها وما حولها فاطرحوه وكلوا سمنكم"
"Remove it (the dead mouse) and what is around it, throw them away, and eat your ghee."
(Bukhārī 235, Muwaṭṭaʾ 2/971, Abū Dāwūd 3841, Nasāʾī 7/178, Tirmidhī 1798, Dārimī 1/188, Aḥmad 6/329, Musnad Ḥumaydī 1/149, Bayhaqī 9/353)
② Hadith of Abū Hurayrah (RA):
"إذا وقعت الفأرة فى السمن فإن كان جامدا فألقوها وما حولها وإن كان مائعا فلا تقربوه"
"If a mouse falls into ghee, and it is solid, remove it and what is around it; but if it is liquid, do not go near it."
(Abū Dāwūd 3842, Nasāʾī 4260, Ibn Ḥibbān 2/335, no. 1389 – classified as shādh and weak in Ḍaʿīf Abī Dāwūd no. 827)
Scholarly Opinions
- Imām al-Shawkānī: No valid opposing evidence exists against these narrations; the rulings in the Ahadith should be followed as they are. (al-Sayl al-Jarrār 4/110)
- Imām Abū Ḥanīfah: If a mouse falls into ghee, one may remove it and still benefit from the rest, even selling it.
- Imām Ibn Ḥazm: Benefiting from or selling such ghee is ḥarām. If declared permissible, it would imply — God forbid — that the Prophet ﷺ commanded waste of wealth without reason, which is unacceptable. (al-Muḥallā bil-Āthār 1/147–148)
Summary of the Ruling
- Solid ghee/food: Remove the impurity and the surrounding area; the rest is permissible.
- Liquid ghee/food: Not permissible to consume at all.
هٰذَا مَا عِندِي وَاللهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَاب
