Question 1001: Does dry cleaning purify a ritually impure garment?

362 13 Feb 2021
Read Answer

Answer

✅Answer: Please pay attention to the following narrations:

1 عَنِ السَّكُونِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّه قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّه الْمَاءُ يُطَهِّرُ وَ لَا يُطَهَّرُ.

📚 Al-Kafi, vol. 3, p. 1

Imam al-Sadiq (peace of God be upon him) said: The Messenger of God (peace of God be upon him and his family) said: Water purifies and is not purified!

2 عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ سِنَانٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُهُ عَنْ مَاءِ الْبَحْرِ أَ طَهُورٌ هُوَ قَالَ نَعَمْ

📚 Al-Kafi, vol. 3, p. 1

Abdullah ibn Sinan says: I asked Imam al-Sadiq (peace of God be upon him) about seawater, is it a purifier? He said: Yes!

3 عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنِ الثَّوْبِ يُصِيبُهُ الْبَوْلُ قَالَ اغْسِلْهُ فِي الْمَرْكَنِ مَرَّتَيْنِ فَإِنْ غَسَلْتَهُ فِي مَاءٍ جَارٍ فَمَرَّةً وَاحِدَةً.

📚 Al-Tahdhib, vol. 1, p. 250

Muhammad ibn Muslim says: I asked Imam al-Sadiq (peace of God be upon him) about a garment that is stained with urine. He said: Wash it twice in a washing basin, and if you wash it in flowing water, once!

4 عَنْ عَمَّارٍ السَّابَاطِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ أَنَّهُ سُئِلَ عَنْ رَجُلٍ لَيْسَ عَلَيْهِ إِلَّا ثَوْبٌ وَ لَا تَحِلُّ الصَّلَاةُ فِيهِ وَ لَيْسَ يَجِدُ مَاءً يَغْسِلُهُ كَيْفَ يَصْنَعُ قَالَ يَتَيَمَّمُ وَ يُصَلِّي فَإِذَا أَصَابَ مَاءً غَسَلَهُ وَ أَعَادَ الصَّلَاةَ.

📚 Al-Tahdhib, vol. 1, p. 407

Imam al-Sadiq (peace of God be upon him) was asked about a person who has no garment other than one that is not permissible to pray in (due to its impurity) and he cannot find water to wash it. What should he do? He said: He performs tayammum and prays, and when he gets water, he washes it and repeats his prayer!

5 عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ النَّحْوِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الْبَوْلِ يُصِيبُ الْجَسَدَ قَالَ صُبَّ عَلَيْهِ الْمَاءَ مَرَّتَيْنِ.

📚 Al-Tahdhib, vol. 1, p. 249

Abu Ishaq al-Nahwi says: I asked Imam al-Sadiq (peace of God be upon him) about urine that gets on the body. He said: Pour water on it twice!

✅ In many narrations, a few of which were mentioned, the infallible Imams (peace be upon them) have established the use of absolute water, such as well water and seawater, as the way to purify an impure object. They have not established any way to purify a garment stained with urine, semen, blood, etc., other than the use of absolute water. Therefore, since dry cleaning does not use water and only removes dirt and stains from the garment with some chemical substances like perchlorethylene, if the garment is ritually impure, it is not purified and it is necessary to purify the garment with water before dry cleaning. Otherwise, it has the ruling of an impure garment and praying in it is forbidden.

اللَّهُمَّ فَصَلِّ عَلَی مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ عَجِّلْ لِوَلِیِّکَ الْفَرَجَ وَ الْعَافِیَةَ وَ النَّصْرَ