Chapter: Washing semen and rubbing it off, and washing what comes from the woman
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The reciter: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Imam al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) said in the Book of Ablution in his Sahih:
"Chapter: Washing semen and rubbing it off, and washing what comes from the woman".
The Shaykh :"Washing semen and rubbing it off": washing it when it is wet, and rubbing it off when it is dry. So what is semen?
Semen is one of the things that come out of the penis, and four types come out: semen, pre-seminal fluid, a thick fluid passed after urination, and urine. Count them, my brother? ...
The student: Semen, pre-seminal fluid, a thick fluid passed after urination, and urine.
The Shaykh : As for semen, it is what comes out when desire is intense, in a gush. That is why it is called *mani*, which is a *fa'il* form meaning *maf'ul*, meaning it is gushed out, flowing out with intensity. Or it is a *fa'il* form meaning the doer, because *fa'il* can mean the doer, like *rahim* (merciful), and it can mean the done-to, like *jarih* (wounded). But the Qur'an indicates it means the doer, as the Exalted said:[At-Tariq 86:6] This semen does not require washing, but it is better to wash it. This is not because it is ritually impure, but to remove its appearance. One cleans the garment from it as one cleans it from mucus. The wisdom in this is that the heat that caused this gushing water to come out softened it until it was not ritually impure.
I saw in the book *Bada'i' al-Fawa'id*, where he speaks about the purity of semen and brings evidence and corrections, that a debate took place between Ibn Aqil (may Allah have mercy on him) and another man who said that semen is ritually impure. Ibn Aqil said that semen is pure. He was asked, "What is the difference between you two?" He said, "I am trying to make its origin pure, and he is trying to make its origin impure." And this is correct; this is the reality. The human being, praise be to Allah, is pure, and his origin is also pure, and this is the correct view.
As for pre-seminal fluid, it comes out after desire, without sensation, except for its wetness. People differ in this: some have a lot of pre-seminal fluid, some are moderate, some have little, and some have none. Some of my brothers told me that he has never seen pre-seminal fluid in his life. I mean pre-seminal fluid, which is between urine and semen. That is to say, its impurity is lightened, and the purification required because of it is more than what is required for urine.
As for its impurity being lightened, it came in the Sunnah that it is sprinkled. Sprinkling is pouring water on it without washing or rubbing. Perhaps the wisdom in this is from two angles:
The first angle: not getting rid of it completely, so that washing it would be difficult. Every time a man emits pre-seminal fluid, he goes to wash his clothes and what it has soiled, and that is a hardship, especially for one who frequently emits it.
The second angle: it came out from desire, so its thickness and impurity were lightened. As for its difference from urine in purification, it is because it is obligatory to wash the penis and the testicles, even if nothing of the pre-seminal fluid touches them.
The scholars mentioned among the benefits of this that washing the penis and testicles lightens the emission of pre-seminal fluid and may cut it off completely. This is one of the legal and medical benefits.
As for urine, it is well known.
As for the thick fluid passed after urination, it is the essence of urine. It is a thin, white fluid that comes out at the end of urination. It may continue with some people and become like incontinence for them. The ruling for this, I mean the thick fluid passed after urination, is the same as the ruling for urine; it does not differ from it.
And his statement (may Allah have mercy on him): "and washing what comes from the woman" implies that the moisture of the woman's private parts is ritually impure. This is one of two opinions in the issue. It was said that the moisture of the woman's private parts is not ritually impure.
And this is the correct view. Accordingly, if a man has intercourse with his wife and does not ejaculate, then he withdraws and sees wetness on his penis, this wetness is pure and does not require washing. And according to the opinion of those who consider the woman's private parts ritually impure, it is said that it must be washed, and what it touches on the garment must be washed.
The apparent meaning of al-Bukhari's words (may Allah have mercy on him) is the second or the first?
The student: The first.
The Shaykh : What is the second? The obligation of washing. The apparent meaning of his words (may Allah have mercy on him) is the obligation of washing. And according to this, it would be ritually impure in his opinion. But the correct view is that it is pure, as I indicated to you from two angles:
The first angle: hardship.
The second angle: the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not have a report from him that he made it obligatory to wash what it touched.
Imam al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) said in the Book of Ablution in his Sahih:
"Chapter: Washing semen and rubbing it off, and washing what comes from the woman".
The Shaykh :"Washing semen and rubbing it off": washing it when it is wet, and rubbing it off when it is dry. So what is semen?
Semen is one of the things that come out of the penis, and four types come out: semen, pre-seminal fluid, a thick fluid passed after urination, and urine. Count them, my brother? ...
The student: Semen, pre-seminal fluid, a thick fluid passed after urination, and urine.
The Shaykh : As for semen, it is what comes out when desire is intense, in a gush. That is why it is called *mani*, which is a *fa'il* form meaning *maf'ul*, meaning it is gushed out, flowing out with intensity. Or it is a *fa'il* form meaning the doer, because *fa'il* can mean the doer, like *rahim* (merciful), and it can mean the done-to, like *jarih* (wounded). But the Qur'an indicates it means the doer, as the Exalted said:
He was created from a fluid, ejected,
خلق من ماء دافقI saw in the book *Bada'i' al-Fawa'id*, where he speaks about the purity of semen and brings evidence and corrections, that a debate took place between Ibn Aqil (may Allah have mercy on him) and another man who said that semen is ritually impure. Ibn Aqil said that semen is pure. He was asked, "What is the difference between you two?" He said, "I am trying to make its origin pure, and he is trying to make its origin impure." And this is correct; this is the reality. The human being, praise be to Allah, is pure, and his origin is also pure, and this is the correct view.
As for pre-seminal fluid, it comes out after desire, without sensation, except for its wetness. People differ in this: some have a lot of pre-seminal fluid, some are moderate, some have little, and some have none. Some of my brothers told me that he has never seen pre-seminal fluid in his life. I mean pre-seminal fluid, which is between urine and semen. That is to say, its impurity is lightened, and the purification required because of it is more than what is required for urine.
As for its impurity being lightened, it came in the Sunnah that it is sprinkled. Sprinkling is pouring water on it without washing or rubbing. Perhaps the wisdom in this is from two angles:
The first angle: not getting rid of it completely, so that washing it would be difficult. Every time a man emits pre-seminal fluid, he goes to wash his clothes and what it has soiled, and that is a hardship, especially for one who frequently emits it.
The second angle: it came out from desire, so its thickness and impurity were lightened. As for its difference from urine in purification, it is because it is obligatory to wash the penis and the testicles, even if nothing of the pre-seminal fluid touches them.
The scholars mentioned among the benefits of this that washing the penis and testicles lightens the emission of pre-seminal fluid and may cut it off completely. This is one of the legal and medical benefits.
As for urine, it is well known.
As for the thick fluid passed after urination, it is the essence of urine. It is a thin, white fluid that comes out at the end of urination. It may continue with some people and become like incontinence for them. The ruling for this, I mean the thick fluid passed after urination, is the same as the ruling for urine; it does not differ from it.
And his statement (may Allah have mercy on him): "and washing what comes from the woman" implies that the moisture of the woman's private parts is ritually impure. This is one of two opinions in the issue. It was said that the moisture of the woman's private parts is not ritually impure.
And this is the correct view. Accordingly, if a man has intercourse with his wife and does not ejaculate, then he withdraws and sees wetness on his penis, this wetness is pure and does not require washing. And according to the opinion of those who consider the woman's private parts ritually impure, it is said that it must be washed, and what it touches on the garment must be washed.
The apparent meaning of al-Bukhari's words (may Allah have mercy on him) is the second or the first?
The student: The first.
The Shaykh : What is the second? The obligation of washing. The apparent meaning of his words (may Allah have mercy on him) is the obligation of washing. And according to this, it would be ritually impure in his opinion. But the correct view is that it is pure, as I indicated to you from two angles:
The first angle: hardship.
The second angle: the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not have a report from him that he made it obligatory to wash what it touched.