Islam, which always commands goodness and beauty, points to the necessity of spiritual and physical cleanliness as well as commanding that the heart of human beings be clean and free from sins. This is also in our innate structure. We can compare this to our desire to clean the rust formed in our hearts by our sins with repentance and to wash the mud that got on the hem of our clothes.
Being clean is mentioned in the Quran which shows us the importance of Taharah and its benefits in Islam in Surah al-Baqarah: “…Surely Allah loves those who always turn to Him in repentance and those who purify themselves.”
Starting from the verse, we can see that Allah gives importance to cleanliness in general, along with the cleanliness of the soul, and appreciates it. Also, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: “Cleanliness is half of faith…” Sahih Muslim
In that case, if half of faith is cleanliness, we, Muslims, should be aware of this issue and know the limits of spiritual and physical cleanliness determined by our religion as well as the types of Tahara.
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Types of Taharah in Islam
The word Taharah طهارة, which is mentioned quite often in the field of Fiqh, means “purity” in Arabic. We see this term especially in the science of Fiqh, which determines the Islamic criteria for the benefit or detriment of man in this world and in the hereafter. We will examine Taharah under two following headings:
1- Physical Taharah
- a. from Najasah (Taharah Hukmiyah)
- b. from Hadath (Taharah Haqiqiya)
2- Spiritual Taharah
What is physical Tahara?
Physical taharah is to keep our body, clothes, and the environment free of things that religion considers Najs or unclean. Indeed, the messenger of Allah said “The key of paradise is prayer, and the key of prayer is being purified”
So, when we learn the types of Tahara we realize that there are certain conditions of cleanliness in order for us to appear in the presence of Allah and for our worship to be accepted.
What Kind of Dirt Is Called Najasah?
- Blood, urine, menses, Nifas from women (post-natal bleeding) or post-menstrual bleeding. In short, every liquid that comes out of the private parts of the human body.
- Urine and saliva of inedible animals, feces of non-birds, and blood of all animals.
- Meat and untanned skin of self-dead animal.
- Pork, its bristles and leather.
- Khamr, intoxicating drinks.
Purification from Najasah
This purification from Najasah takes place by purifying the body, clothes, or the place where the prayer is performed from the things that are considered religiously as Najs and it can be done using water, for example, as follows:
Although purification from Najasah is possible in many ways, the most important one is water. If the dirt is cleaned from the clothes with water and the trace, smell, or color of the dirt is removed, that area is considered clean. and it does not need to be cleaned again.
Types of Water
The waters are divided into two groups in terms of whether they are natural or not, and also as stagnant and flowing in terms of determining their fluidity characteristics.
1. Mutlaq (pure) Water
These waters are waters that have not changed their smell, color, and taste, and cleanse Najs things. Such as; rainwater, spring, well water, sea, or snow water.
2. Mudhaf (mixed) Water
Mudhaf waters are mixed with pure elements such as rose water, fruit juice, or any pure element like these. These waters are purifying only if there is no normal, pure water and are only used for the purification of Najasah, not for purification from Hadath.
3. Stagnant Water
The stagnant water in a small area is no longer considered a cleanser when any dirt falls into it.
4. Flowing Water
As long as the taste, color, or smell – which are the three main characteristics of the streaming waters – do not change, it is considered cleaner.
Purification from Hadath
As we mentioned above, we have 2 types of Tahara; physical and spiritual. the physical one is divided into 2 groups; Tahara from Najasah, and Tahara from Hadath. Now, it is time to learn the purification from Hadath!
There are two types of Tahara of Hadath:
- Minor Hadath (being without wudu)
- Major Hadath (being Junub, end of menstruation, and end of Nifas)
If these people find water of suitable quality and purify it through Wudhu, Ghusl, or Tayammum with Niyyah, they are considered clean. Let’s now talk about the three methods of purification in detail and how to perform them.
1. Wudu
Ablution is an important type of worship in terms of material and spiritual cleanliness. Prophet Muhammad PBUH said: “Listen to me carefully! Shall I inform you about the deeds through which Allah eliminates mistakes and elevates your ranks? To make wudu fully and properly despite its difficulties, to go to mosque from a distant place and to wait for the next prayer after a prayer” (Nasai)
To sum up, it is to do the previous steps in order so as to wash:
- the face
- the arms with the elbows
- a part of the head by hand
- the feet with the heels… etc
As for Muslim women, check this blog out to know how to perform Wudu for females.
2. Ghusl
It is the washing of the whole body in such a way that there is no dry place. It consists of three steps:
- taking water in the mouth
- inhaling the water in the nose
- washing the whole body.
3. Tayammum
It is a type of ablution made with sand or a substance that is considered an earthen object, which facilitates purification from minor Hadath and major Hadath, where water is not available or cannot be used even if there is.
Spiritual Tahara
The second type of the types of Tahara is the spiritual one. Just as the clothes of the body are what we wear on us, the clothes of the heart are our souls. It is neither mud nor dust that defiles the garment of the soul; that dirt is Kufr, Shirk, sins, and all kinds of haram.
Water does not help to clean these impurities, the purification of the heart and mind is achieved through repentance. Allah has given good news to those who purify their hearts from diseases and their bodies from impurities: “Successful indeed are those who purify themselves, remember the name of their Lord, and pray.” Surah al-A’la
Conclusion
In summary, after covering the different types of Tahara, we can say that taharah is very important in Islam and its benefits are numerous in the following ways:
In this article, we shed a general light on the subject of the types of purification Islam or the types of Tahara. Our Fiqh of Worship Course is the perfect choice for you so that you know the limits set by our religion in this field.
Also, you can now enroll in our special Islamic Studies for Kids Course to make them apply our religious teachings to their lives consciously and learn different topics in Fiqh, Aqeedah, Seerah… and meant more!
