Is it permissible to perform istinja' with pure earth in the presence of water?
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The questioner : Is it permissible to perform istinja' with pure earth knowing that water is available?
The Shaykh : Yes, istijmar with stones, earth, or purifying rags in place of using water to remove what exits from the two passages is permissible, provided that:
it is done with three wipes or more, that it is purifying, and that the istijmar is not done with something ritually impure, nor with something respected such as food, nor with a bone or dung, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade us to perform istinja' with a bone or dung, and he explained that they are the food of our brothers among the jinn and the food of their beasts. The bones are found by them to be at their most meaty, and the dung is found by them to be fodder for their mounts. This is how it came in the hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family).
And if we are forbidden from performing istijmar with the food of the jinn and the food of their beasts, then our food and the food of our beasts is even more deserving of the prohibition.
This istijmar is permissible without using water, subject to the conditions I mentioned, even if water is present. Accordingly, the purification of the place from which the excretion exits is done by one of three things:
either with stones alone or what serves as their substitute, such as earth, clothes, or rags; or with water alone; or with both earth and water together.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : Yes, istijmar with stones, earth, or purifying rags in place of using water to remove what exits from the two passages is permissible, provided that:
it is done with three wipes or more, that it is purifying, and that the istijmar is not done with something ritually impure, nor with something respected such as food, nor with a bone or dung, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade us to perform istinja' with a bone or dung, and he explained that they are the food of our brothers among the jinn and the food of their beasts. The bones are found by them to be at their most meaty, and the dung is found by them to be fodder for their mounts. This is how it came in the hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family).
And if we are forbidden from performing istijmar with the food of the jinn and the food of their beasts, then our food and the food of our beasts is even more deserving of the prohibition.
This istijmar is permissible without using water, subject to the conditions I mentioned, even if water is present. Accordingly, the purification of the place from which the excretion exits is done by one of three things:
either with stones alone or what serves as their substitute, such as earth, clothes, or rags; or with water alone; or with both earth and water together.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.