| Author: Ahmad | Date: 2019-05-25 |
I have a question about washing ritually unclean (najis) clothes in a washing machine. Nowadays, washing machines and steam cleaners are commonly used. If a garment has become ritually unclean due to urine—but no physical trace of the impurity remains because it has dried—does washing it in a washing machine render it pure? If so, under what conditions?
Typically, a washing machine works by opening a solenoid valve to let water into the drum containing the clothes. The valve then closes, the clothes are spun, and, finally, the water is drained by a pump. This cycle usually repeats several times.
Does washing such clothes with steam remove the impurity caused by urine?
What about clothes that have become ritually unclean due to other types of impurities?
| Answer to question: 8 | Date: 2019-05-29 |
The purpose of washing ritually impure clothes is to remove the impurity, and this can be done by any method and with any intention. This is because removing impurity is not a devotional act that requires a specific method or the intention of seeking closeness to Allah; rather, it is an act in which such an intention is not a condition, and it is fulfilled simply by removing the impurity itself and its traces. Therefore, if washing with a washing machine removes the impurity itself and water passes over the ritually impure clothes once, purification is achieved. However, in the case of urine, it is recommended that water pass over the clothes twice, based on narrations from the Ahl al-Bayt—such as the narration of Muhammad ibn Muslim, in which it has been stated: «سَأَلْتُ أَبا عَبْدِ اللّهِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ عَنِ الثَّوْبِ يُصِيبُهُ الْبَوْلُ قالَ: اغْسِلْهُ فِي الْمَرْكَنِ مَرَّتَيْنِ، فَإِنْ غَسَلْتَهُ فِي ماءٍ جارٍ فَمَرَّةً واحِدَةً»[1]; “I asked Imam al-Sadiq 
about a garment that has come into contact with urine. He said: ‘Wash it twice in a basin, and once if you wash it in running water,’” and also the narration of ibn Abi Ya‘fur, in which it has been stated: «سَأَلْتُ أَبا عَبْدِ اللّهِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ عَنِ الْبَوْلِ يُصِيبُ الثَّوْبَ، فَقالَ: اغْسِلْهُ مَرَّتَيْنِ»[2]; “I asked Imam al-Sadiq about urine that comes into contact with a garment. So he said: ‘Wash it twice.’”
However, does washing ritually impure clothes with something other than water—such as steam or chemical liquids—purify them? If it performs the same function as water, then yes; because in the removal of impurity, water is not inherently required, but serves merely as a means to achieve the outcome. This is the view of Abu Hanifah and Dawud al-Zahiri, one of the two transmitted reports from Ahmad, the view of some of the Ahl al-Hadith, and the view of Shaikh al-Mufid and Sayyid al-Murtada from among the Shias. However, washing ritually impure clothes with water is certainly better, considering that Allah has said: ﴿وَأَنْزَلْنَا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً طَهُورًا﴾[3]; “And We sent down from the sky purifying water,” and: ﴿وَيُنَزِّلُ عَلَيْكُمْ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً لِيُطَهِّرَكُمْ بِهِ وَيُذْهِبَ عَنْكُمْ رِجْزَ الشَّيْطَانِ﴾[4]; “And He sends down upon you water from the sky to purify you with it and to remove from you the defilement of Satan.”
Yes, if the operating method of certain types of washing machines—or machines that wash clothes with something other than water—is unknown, one should exercise caution; because, based on the ruling of the intellect, definite impurity requires definite purification.
| Appendix Number: 1 | Appendix Author: Ibrahim | Appendix Date: 2025-06-30 |
I have three questions regarding washing clothes contaminated with urine in a washing machine with flowing water.
1. We are unsure whether the flowing water reaches all parts of the najasa (i.e., impurity); because the door to washer remains locked as it runs, although it is likely it will reach but it is not certain. Is this enough to consider cloths pure?
2. As machine fills with flowing water, there is detergent mixed in. Does this effect the nature of its purification?
3. After the machine stops filling with flowing water after some time, the wash cycle begins to wash the clothes by pushing the water up and down before squeezing the water out. During that phase, the water level reaches a higher level than the flowing water reached during the initial fill. So, Does this make that part of the washer a mutanajis at that point, since it was not squeezed immediately after the flowing water stopped flowing?
| Answer to appendix: 1 | Date: 2025-07-16 |
Please pay attention to the following points:
1. For something impure to be purified, it is necessary that water reaches it and removes both the impurity itself and its moisture. It is essential to be sure that this condition has been met; because definite impurity requires definite purification. Therefore, if you are unsure whether this condition is met in the washing machine, you must purify the impure area by hand before placing the garment into the machine. This is done as follows: pour water over the impure area and squeeze it once or twice—and if the exact location of the impurity is unknown to you, rinse the entire garment with water and squeeze it once or twice; then, if you intend to clean the garment, place it in the washing machine to be washed with detergent.
2. If it is certain that water reaches the impure item and removes both the impurity itself and its moisture, then the presence of detergent in the water poses no problem; because the amount of water is greater than the amount of detergent, and the determining factor in purification is the removal of the impurity.
3. Any part of the washing machine that comes into contact with impure water is considered impure until clean water flows over it. However, you are not obligated to meticulously check or inspect where exactly the impure water has reached inside the washing machine; because meticulous checking and inspection in such cases often lead to hardship or obsession, neither of which is religiously legitimate.