Question 497: If a part of a garment becomes ritually impure, should the entire garment be washed, or can only the ritually impure part be washed?

298 13 Feb 2021
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✅Answer:

1 عَنِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ سَعِيدٍ عَنْ فَضَالَةَ عَنِ الْعَلَاءِ عَنْ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ أَحَدِهِمَا فِي حَدِيثٍ فِي الْمَنِيِّ يُصِيبُ الثَّوْبَ فَإِنْ عَرَفْتَ مَكَانَهُ فَاغْسِلْهُ وَ إِنْ خَفِيَ عَلَيْكَ فَاغْسِلْهُ كُلَّهُ.‌

📚 Al-Tahdhib, vol. 1, p. 267

In a hadith, Muhammad ibn Muslim narrated from one of the two Imams, Baqir and Sadiq (peace be upon them), about semen that gets on a garment. He said: 'If you know its location, wash that part, and if its location is hidden from you, wash all of it.'

2 عَنْ حَمَّادٍ عَنْ حَرِيزٍ عَنْ زُرَارَةَ قَالَ: قُلْتُ أَصَابَ ثَوْبِي دَمُ رُعَافٍ أَوْ غَيْرُهُ أَوْ شَيْ ءٌ مِنْ مَنِيٍّ إِلَى أَنْ قَالَ قُلْتُ: - فَإِنِّي قَدْ عَلِمْتُ أَنَّهُ قَدْ أَصَابَهُ وَ لَمْ أَدْرِ أَيْنَ هُوَ فَأَغْسِلَهُ قَالَ تَغْسِلُ مِنْ ثَوْبِكَ النَّاحِيَةَ الَّتِي تَرَى أَنَّهُ قَدْ أَصَابَهَا حَتَّى تَكُونَ عَلَى يَقِينٍ مِنْ طَهَارَتِكَ الْحَدِيثَ.

📚 Al-Tahdhib, vol. 1, p. 421

Zurarah said in a hadith: I said to the Imam (peace be upon him): 'My garment gets blood from a nosebleed or other sources, or semen...' until he said: 'I know that ritual impurity has reached it, but I do not know its location to wash it.' The Imam said: 'Wash the part and the area of the garment that you see has been affected, until you are certain of its purity...'

3 عَنْ عُثْمَانَ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ سَمَاعَةَ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُهُ عَنْ بَوْلِ الصَّبِيِّ يُصِيبُ الثَّوْبَ فَقَالَ اغْسِلْهُ قُلْتُ فَإِنْ لَمْ أَجِدْ مَكَانَهُ قَالَ اغْسِلِ الثَّوْبَ كُلَّهُ.

📚 Al-Tahdhib, vol. 1, p. 251

Sama'ah said: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about the urine of a child that gets on a garment. The Imam said: 'Wash that part.' I said: 'What if I do not know its location?' He said: 'Wash the entire garment.'

✅ It is clear from the above narrations that if a garment becomes ritually impure, washing only the part that has become ritually impure is sufficient. Or if its exact location is not known, we wash the area that we know has become ritually impure. And if its area is also not known, we wash all of it in a way that we become certain of its purity from the ritual impurity.

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