View source for Religion:Najis

{{Short description|State of ritual uncleanliness in Islam}}
{{hatnote|Part of [[Biology:Islamic hygienical jurisprudence|Islamic hygienical jurisprudence]].}}
{{Fiqh |hygiene}}

{{main|Religion:Ritual purity in Islam}}
In [[Religion:Sharia|Islamic law]], '''najis''' ({{lang-ar|نجس}}) means ritually unclean.<ref name="EI">{{cite encyclopedia |last=Weinsinck |first=A.J. |editor=P.J. Bearman |editor2=Th. Bianquis |editor3=C.E. Bosworth |editor3-link=Clifford Edmund Bosworth |editor4=E. van Donzel |editor5=W.P. Heinrichs |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia of Islam Online |title=Nadjis |publisher=Brill Academic Publishers |issn= 1573-3912}}</ref> According to Islam, there are two kinds of najis: the essential najis which cannot be cleaned and the unessential najis which become najis while in contact with another najis.{{Citation needed|date=July 2018}}

Contact with ''najis'' things brings a Muslim into a state of ritual impurity ({{lang-ar|نجاسة|links=no}} ''najāsa'', in opposition to [[Religion:Ritual purity in Islam|ṭahārah]], ritual purity). Ritual purification is then required before religious duties such as regular prayers are performed.

==Islamic law==
According to the Shafi'i [[Religion:Madhhab|school]] of Sunni [[Religion:Fiqh|Islamic jurisprudence]], as systematised by Al-Nawawi in his book ''Minhadj'', the following things are ''najis'': [[Religion:Khamr|wine]] and other [[Chemistry:Alcoholic drink|spirituous drinks]], [[Biology:Dog|dog]]s, [[Biology:Domestic pig|swine]], [[Biology:Blood|blood]], [[Biology:Body fluid|excrements]], and the milk of animals whose meat Muslims are not allowed to eat. Spirituous drinks are not impure according to the Hanafi school, while living swine and dogs are not impure according to the Malikis.<ref name="EI"/> There is a difference of opinion as to whether alcoholic drinks are ''najis''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t349/e0152?_hi=7&_pos=2|title=Intoxicants - Oxford Islamic Studies Online|website=www.oxfordislamicstudies.com|language=en|access-date=2018-07-27}}</ref>

To the list of impure things enumerated by al-Nawawi, Shi’a jurists traditionally add dead bodies and [[Religion:Kafir|non-believers]].<ref name="EI"/><ref name="Lewis34">Lewis (1984), p.34</ref>

Additionally, meat of any animal which is killed in a manner other than that prescribed by Islam is najis.

''Najis'' things cannot be purified, in contrast to things which are defiled only (''mutanajis''), with the exception of wine, which becomes pure when made into [[Chemistry:Vinegar|vinegar]], and of hides, which are purified by tanning.<ref name="EI"/>

==''Muṭahhirāt'' ('purifying agents')==
It is possible to purify a thing which has become ''najis''. These ''muṭahhirāt'' agents that can purify ''najis'' can be divided into three groups:

=== The mutahirat ===

*the [[Astronomy:Earth|Earth]]
*the [[Astronomy:Sun|Sun]]
*[[Chemistry:Water|water]] - The Qur'an says: “He [Allah] is the one who sends the winds as good news before His mercy; and We send down pure water from the cloud." (25:48) According to the shari'ah, water can be of two types: ''muṭlaq'' and ''muḍāf''. ''Muṭlaq'' is pure water without putting it to a scientific test. The five forms of ''muṭlaq'' are the following: rain, well water, running or flowing water ([[Earth:River|river]] or [[Earth:Stream|stream]]), ''kur'' water ([[Earth:Lake|lake]], [[Earth:Sea|sea]] or [[Earth:Ocean|ocean]]), and less than ''kur''. ''Muḍāf'' is diluted water

=== Physical change ===

*''istiḥālah'' (chemical change)
*''inqilāb'' (change in properties)
*''intiqāl'' (change in place)
*''zawāl li-ʿayni n-najāsah'' (disappearance of the source of najāsah)
*''istibrāʾ'' (quarantining)

=== Spiritual change ===

* Islam . 
*''tabaʿīyyah'' (following)
*''ghaybat al-muslim'' (absence of a Muslim)

Not all of these agents can purify every ''najis''. However, among the agents water is the most universal purifying agent while the other agents are limited.


==Sources of law==
The notions of ritual impurity come mainly from the Qur'an and [[Religion:Hadith|ahadith]]. Swine and blood are declared forbidden food in the Qur'an.

==See also==
* [[Religion:Ghusl|Ghusl]]
* Taher
* [[Religion:Ritual purification|Ritual purification]]
* [[Religion:Wudu|Wudu]]
* [[Religion:Dhimmi|Dhimmi]]

==References==
<!--See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Footnotes for an explanation of how to generate footnotes using the <ref(erences/)> tags-->
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.religiousrules.com/Islampurity00table.htm Laws of Islam concerning ritual purity]
* [http://english.bayynat.org.lb/Fatawa/s1ch6.htm Purifying Agents (Mutahirat)]


[[Category:Islamic terminology]]

{{Sourceattribution|Najis|1}}