Why purity matters

Before you pray, you must be clean. That is why every book of fiqh (Islamic rules) starts with taharah, which means purity or being clean.

Allah says: Allah loves those who turn back to Him, and He loves those who keep themselves pure¹. Nabi ﷺ said: purity is half of iman (faith)². And he said: no salah is accepted without purification³.

Being pure has two sides:

• Your body, clothes and prayer place must be free of najasa, things Islam counts as unclean, like urine or blood. See Najasa.
• You must have wudu (and ghusl when it is needed). See Wudu and Ghusl.

For both, the main tool is water. So we start here: which water can you use, and which you cannot.

Three kinds of water

Scholars put water into three groups. Do not worry: in daily life, almost all water is in the first group.

Pure and purifying water

Allah says: We send down pure water from the sky⁴. And: He sent down rain from the sky to purify you⁵.

Some people on a sea journey asked Nabi ﷺ: can we make wudu with sea water? Our fresh water is only enough to drink. He said: its water is pure, and what dies in it is halal to eat⁶. So salty water is fine too.

Water does not lose this status because it:

• has stood for a long time, or picked up a little color from its pond, pipe or tank,
• has leaves, dust or soil in it that are hard to keep out,
• is hot or cold, or comes from a heater or a fridge,
• has chlorine or minerals added by the water company.

Pure, but not purifying

This is water that has mixed with something clean so much that it is no longer just water. Nobody would call tea or orange juice "water". Most scholars say you cannot make wudu with it.

• Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali scholars say: if a clean thing mixes in and clearly changes the water's color, taste or smell, it is no longer purifying. Small changes that do not take away the name "water" do not matter.
• Hanafi scholars are a little easier. The water stays purifying as long as it is still mostly water and still runs like water, even if its color has changed a bit. It stops being purifying once it is cooked into something else, like tea or soup.

A small mix is fine. Nabi ﷺ and his wife Maimunah did ghusl from one bowl that still had traces of dough in it⁷.

When najasa falls into water

The basic rule: water is pure. It only becomes impure if najasa changes its color, taste or smell. All scholars agree on this when there is a lot of water, like a river, a lake or a big tank.

In Madinah there was a well called Buda'ah. Dirty rags, dead animals and other filth would end up in it. People asked Nabi ﷺ: can we make wudu from it? He said: water is pure. Nothing makes it impure⁸⁹. Scholars explain: as long as the water has not changed.

Nabi ﷺ was also asked about water in the desert that animals drink from. He said: when the water is two qullahs, it does not become impure¹⁰¹¹. A qullah is a large clay pot. Scholars estimate two qullahs at roughly 200 liters (some say up to 270).

What about a small amount of water?

Say a drop of urine falls into a bucket, and you cannot see, smell or taste any change. Here the schools differ:

• Maliki: the water is still pure and purifying, because it has not changed. But it is better to use other water if you have it. This is the easiest view.
• Shafi'i and Hanbali: water less than two qullahs becomes impure as soon as najasa falls in, even with no change. Two qullahs or more only becomes impure if it changes.
• Hanafi: still water that is small becomes impure, even with no change. Water counts as large if it is like a pool of about ten by ten arm lengths (about 4.5 by 4.5 meters). Running water only becomes impure if it changes.

Nabi ﷺ also told us: do not urinate in still water and then wash in it¹². Keep water that people use clean.

Water already used for wudu or ghusl

Water that has run off your body during wudu or ghusl is called used water. All scholars agree it is clean. When Nabi ﷺ made wudu, the Companions took the leftover water and wiped it on themselves¹³. Once he sprinkled his wudu water on Jabir, who was ill¹⁴.

But can you make wudu again with water that has already run off your body? The schools differ:

• Hanafi, Shafi'i and Hanbali: it is clean, but it no longer purifies. Do not use it again for wudu.
• Maliki: it still purifies, but it is disliked to use it when you have other water.

This only matters when water is very short. With a tap, it does not come up. The water left in a jug or bowl after someone made wudu from it is fine to use. Nabi ﷺ did ghusl with water left over by his wife Maimunah¹⁵.

One more thing: if you need ghusl, do not jump into still water like a small pond. Take the water out with your hands instead¹⁶.

Water that animals drank from

The water or food an animal leaves behind is called its su'r (leftover).

• People: clean, whether Muslim or not.
• Animals we eat (sheep, cows, chickens): clean.
• Cats: clean. Abu Qatadah once tipped his wudu water so a cat could drink, then used the rest. He quoted Nabi ﷺ: the cat is not unclean. It is one of those who go around among you¹⁷¹⁸.
• Dogs: Nabi ﷺ said: if a dog drinks from your dish, wash it seven times¹⁹, the first time with earth, and throw away what was in it²⁰.
• Pigs: impure by agreement.

The dog's leftover: the views

• Shafi'i and Hanbali: it is impure. Wash the dish seven times, one of them with earth.
• Hanafi: it is impure, and you wash it like other najasa, three times.
• Maliki: the water is not impure. You still wash the dish seven times, because Nabi ﷺ told us to.

More on dogs in the Najasa chapter.

When you are not sure

A big rule in fiqh: what you are sure of is not cancelled by a doubt.

Nabi ﷺ was asked about someone who feels something in his stomach during salah, and is not sure if he broke his wudu. He said: do not leave until you hear a sound or notice a smell²¹²². Scholars took a general rule from this.

So for water:

• Water is pure by default. If you are not sure whether something unclean fell in, it is still pure.
• You do not need to ask where water came from, or test it.
• Only treat it as impure if you know najasa got in, and (in a large amount) it changed the water.

Cups, bowls and containers

Gold and silver

Nabi ﷺ said: do not drink from gold or silver vessels, and do not eat from plates made of them. They are for others in this world, and for you in the Hereafter²³. He also warned that drinking from silver fills the belly with fire²⁴.

• This is haram (forbidden) for men and women alike.
• Most scholars say the same about using them for wudu or anything else.
• If you did make wudu from one, most scholars say your wudu still counts, but you did something wrong.

All other containers

Cups and bowls of glass, steel, plastic, wood or clay are all fine, even expensive ones.

Dishes of non-Muslims

Abu Tha'labah lived among Jews and Christians. He asked Nabi ﷺ: can we eat from their dishes? He said: if you can find others, do not eat from theirs. If you cannot, wash them and eat from them²⁵.

Scholars explain: the worry was dishes used for pork or wine. A cup at a restaurant or a coworker's house is clean unless you know it has najasa on it. On a journey, Nabi ﷺ and his Companions used water from the water bags of a woman who was not Muslim. They drank it and one man used it for ghusl²⁶.

Water in daily life

• Tap water: pure and purifying, hot or cold.
• Bottled and filtered water: pure and purifying.
• Rain: pure and purifying²⁷.
• Snow, ice and hail: pure. Nabi ﷺ even asked Allah to wash his sins with water, snow and hail²⁸. For wudu, melt it first, so that the water flows over the parts you wash.
• Sea water: pure and purifying²⁹.
• Swimming pools: a large amount of water with chlorine added. It is pure and purifying.
• Zamzam: pure and purifying. You may use it for wudu. Many scholars say do not use it to clean najasa, out of respect.
• Recycled and treated water: many scholars today say water that has been fully treated, with no color, taste or smell of najasa left, is pure again.

For how to make wudu step by step, see the wudu page. If you have no water at all, see Tayammum.

Common questions

Can I make wudu at the sink in a public toilet?

Yes. The tap water is pure. Try not to let splashes from the floor touch you. If you are not sure whether a splash was dirty, it is clean.

There is a little soap in the water. Can I still use it?

Yes, if it is still clearly water. Soapy water that has turned thick or foamy is no longer plain water, and most scholars say do not use it for wudu. Hanafis are more relaxed about this.

We are at the beach. Can I make wudu with sea water?

Yes. Nabi ﷺ said sea water is pure³⁰. You can rinse the salt off afterwards if you like.

The cat drank from my glass of water.

The water is clean. You may drink it or use it for wudu³¹. If you do not want to drink after the cat, that is a personal choice, not a religious rule.

A friend's dog drank from my water bowl.

Pour the water away and wash the bowl seven times, the first time with earth or soil³². Hanafis say washing three times is enough.

I am a new Muslim and my family uses the same dishes for pork.

Wash a dish well with soap and water before you use it. Once it is clean, it is clean. You can also keep a few dishes just for yourself if that is easier.

The hotel tap water smells of chlorine. Is it still fine?

Yes. Chlorine is clean and is added to keep the water safe. Only najasa makes water impure.