Explanation of the author's statement: "If a large amount of pure water, other than soil or the like, is added to impure water, or if the change caused by the impurity in a large amount of water disappears on its own, or if water is drained from it and a large amount remains that is not changed, it becomes pure."
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The Shaykh : The author said: "If a large amount of pure water, other than soil or the like, is added to impure water, or if the change caused by the impurity in a large amount of water disappears on its own, or if water is drained from it and a large amount remains that is not changed, it becomes pure." Here there are three ways to purify impure water. The first way is to add a large amount of pure water to it, other than soil or the like. This means adding pure water to it, but the author stipulated that the added water must be a large amount. Why did he stipulate this? Because if we add a small amount, it becomes impure due to its contact with the impure water. Imagine you have a container with impure water in it, but this container is large and holds more than two qullahs. The water in it is half a qullah. Imagine you put water in a large pot that holds three qullahs, but the amount of water in it is half a qullah, changed by impurity. How do we purify it? We answer: take two qullahs and pour them over the half qullah. Now we have added a large amount of water to it. It becomes pure if the change disappears. It becomes pure because we added a large amount of water to it. If we add only one qullah and the change disappears, it does not become pure; it remains impure because a small amount of water contacted it, so it becomes impure. This is if water is added to it.
The questioner : What if we repeat the pouring?
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : What if we add half a qullah, then another half qullah, then another half qullah?
The Shaykh : It does not help unless it is continuous, because if you add half a qullah and then go to get the first one, it has become impure. So, if a large amount of water is added to it, it becomes pure, whether the impure water is small or large. Is that right or not? ... By the removal of the impurity, yes. Because the author said, "If a large amount of pure water is added to impure water." He did not say "a small amount of impure water." Imagine you have a pot with two qullahs of impure water in it, but it holds four qullahs, and you add two qullahs to it, and the change disappears. Does it become pure or not? It becomes pure, even though the impure water was two qullahs. He said: "Or if the change caused by the impurity in a large amount of water disappears on its own." Look at the change: "The change caused by the impurity in a large amount of water disappears on its own." What is a large amount? It is what reaches two qullahs. If its change disappears on its own, imagine you have water in a pot that reaches two qullahs, and it is impure, but it stays for two or three days, and its smell disappears. The smell that was there is gone, and no trace of the impurity remains, and you did not add anything to it or do anything to it. What happens to this water? It becomes pure. Why did they say that? Because a large amount of water is capable of purifying other things, so purifying itself is even more so. Is that right or not? So, this large amount of water that reaches two qullahs, whose change disappeared on its own, we say it has now become pure. We did not do any work on it, so it becomes pure and purifies by addition as well. Does it purify or not? If it is two qullahs, it becomes pure by two means: by adding a large amount of pure water, and by the disappearance of its change on its own. Is that right or not? So, "Or if water is drained from it and a large amount remains that is not changed." "Drained from it" means from the large amount of water. Water is drained from it, and after the draining, a large amount of water remains. In this case, the impure water must be more than two qullahs. It must be more than two qullahs because the author stipulated that two qullahs must remain after the draining. So, this is the third issue: if a person has a pot with four qullahs in it, and it becomes impure, and something is drained from it, and two qullahs remain, but this remaining water has not become impure, it becomes pure. It becomes pure. Now, if the change in these four qullahs disappears on its own, it becomes pure. If we add two qullahs to these four qullahs, it becomes pure. If it does not exceed two qullahs, it can be purified by three ways. The first way is addition, the second way is the disappearance of its change on its own, and the third way is that water is drained from it, and a large amount remains after the draining, meaning two qullahs or more, so it becomes pure. If the water is less than two qullahs, how many ways are there to purify it? One way, which is addition, that a large amount is added to it. If its change disappears on its own, it does not become pure because it has not reached two qullahs. It does not become pure because it has not reached two qullahs. Do you understand now? We ask: What is impure? We said there are three types: it was not changed by impurity, or it contacted impurity while it was small, or it separated from a place of impurity before the impurity was removed. How is this impure water purified? By which way? We say: if it is more than two qullahs, it has three ways. First, that a large amount of pure water is added to it. Second, that its change disappears on its own. Third, that some water is drained from it, even if it is a small amount. Do not look at the amount drained; just that something is drained from it and a large amount remains. If it is exactly two qullahs, neither more nor less, it has two ways to be purified. Two ways. The first way is that a large amount of pure water is added to it, and the second way is that its change disappears on its own. And if it is less than two qullahs, there is only one way to purify it, which is that a large amount of water is added to it. Do you understand? The author made an exception in the issue of addition, saying: "Other than soil or the like." If we add soil to it, we add soil, and with its mixing with the soil, the soil settles, and the smell disappears. Does it become pure according to the madhhab or not? It does not become pure, even though soil is one of the purifiers. Soil is one of the purifiers, but they say that the purification by soil is not physical but conceptual. So, when a person performs tayammum, he does not become physically pure, but he becomes conceptually pure. So, if water does not have a physical effect, then even if the effect of the impurity in the impure water disappears by it, it does not have an effect. What is like soil? What if we add cement, or plaster, or soap, or something else to it? It does not become pure because there is nothing that purifies except by water. There is no purification except by water. This is what the author followed, and it is the madhhab. But the correct view is that if the change in the water caused by the impurity disappears by any means, it becomes pure. This is because when a ruling is established for a cause, it disappears when the cause disappears. Since we have preferred the view that water does not become impure except by change, we say that if this change disappears, it becomes pure. What is the difference between it being a large amount and a small amount? The cause is one. When it disappears, it is the root of the impurity, so it becomes pure and purifying. This view is correct. You will find it easier to understand and easier to practice. It does not require us to go and get, for example, a large amount of clean water. It does not require us to say: when the impurity is gone, and there is no smell, no color, and no taste, it becomes pure. Know that this ruling is for water only, not for other liquids. Other liquids become impure by mere contact, even if they are a hundred qullahs. If a person has a large container with liquid honey in it, and a hair from a mouse falls into it, what happens to it? It becomes impure. It is not permissible to eat it, sell it, or buy it. If he has a large jar of liquid oil, and a hair from a mouse falls into it, as we said, the synonym for mouse in the context of carrion, if we say that hair is impure. But the correct example that applies even to the madhhab is that a hair from a dog falls into this large jar, and it does not change and is not affected. One hair, like an eyelash. This large amount of oil becomes impure. Is it permissible to sell it or not? According to the madhhab, it is not permissible to sell it, as we have passed through: impure oil is not permissible to sell. It is not permissible except for use as lamp oil, in things other than water. And the correct view is that all ... as long as it has not changed by impurity, it is pure. If it changes, it becomes impure.
The questioner : Even for liquids other than water.
The questioner : What if we repeat the pouring?
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : What if we add half a qullah, then another half qullah, then another half qullah?
The Shaykh : It does not help unless it is continuous, because if you add half a qullah and then go to get the first one, it has become impure. So, if a large amount of water is added to it, it becomes pure, whether the impure water is small or large. Is that right or not? ... By the removal of the impurity, yes. Because the author said, "If a large amount of pure water is added to impure water." He did not say "a small amount of impure water." Imagine you have a pot with two qullahs of impure water in it, but it holds four qullahs, and you add two qullahs to it, and the change disappears. Does it become pure or not? It becomes pure, even though the impure water was two qullahs. He said: "Or if the change caused by the impurity in a large amount of water disappears on its own." Look at the change: "The change caused by the impurity in a large amount of water disappears on its own." What is a large amount? It is what reaches two qullahs. If its change disappears on its own, imagine you have water in a pot that reaches two qullahs, and it is impure, but it stays for two or three days, and its smell disappears. The smell that was there is gone, and no trace of the impurity remains, and you did not add anything to it or do anything to it. What happens to this water? It becomes pure. Why did they say that? Because a large amount of water is capable of purifying other things, so purifying itself is even more so. Is that right or not? So, this large amount of water that reaches two qullahs, whose change disappeared on its own, we say it has now become pure. We did not do any work on it, so it becomes pure and purifies by addition as well. Does it purify or not? If it is two qullahs, it becomes pure by two means: by adding a large amount of pure water, and by the disappearance of its change on its own. Is that right or not? So, "Or if water is drained from it and a large amount remains that is not changed." "Drained from it" means from the large amount of water. Water is drained from it, and after the draining, a large amount of water remains. In this case, the impure water must be more than two qullahs. It must be more than two qullahs because the author stipulated that two qullahs must remain after the draining. So, this is the third issue: if a person has a pot with four qullahs in it, and it becomes impure, and something is drained from it, and two qullahs remain, but this remaining water has not become impure, it becomes pure. It becomes pure. Now, if the change in these four qullahs disappears on its own, it becomes pure. If we add two qullahs to these four qullahs, it becomes pure. If it does not exceed two qullahs, it can be purified by three ways. The first way is addition, the second way is the disappearance of its change on its own, and the third way is that water is drained from it, and a large amount remains after the draining, meaning two qullahs or more, so it becomes pure. If the water is less than two qullahs, how many ways are there to purify it? One way, which is addition, that a large amount is added to it. If its change disappears on its own, it does not become pure because it has not reached two qullahs. It does not become pure because it has not reached two qullahs. Do you understand now? We ask: What is impure? We said there are three types: it was not changed by impurity, or it contacted impurity while it was small, or it separated from a place of impurity before the impurity was removed. How is this impure water purified? By which way? We say: if it is more than two qullahs, it has three ways. First, that a large amount of pure water is added to it. Second, that its change disappears on its own. Third, that some water is drained from it, even if it is a small amount. Do not look at the amount drained; just that something is drained from it and a large amount remains. If it is exactly two qullahs, neither more nor less, it has two ways to be purified. Two ways. The first way is that a large amount of pure water is added to it, and the second way is that its change disappears on its own. And if it is less than two qullahs, there is only one way to purify it, which is that a large amount of water is added to it. Do you understand? The author made an exception in the issue of addition, saying: "Other than soil or the like." If we add soil to it, we add soil, and with its mixing with the soil, the soil settles, and the smell disappears. Does it become pure according to the madhhab or not? It does not become pure, even though soil is one of the purifiers. Soil is one of the purifiers, but they say that the purification by soil is not physical but conceptual. So, when a person performs tayammum, he does not become physically pure, but he becomes conceptually pure. So, if water does not have a physical effect, then even if the effect of the impurity in the impure water disappears by it, it does not have an effect. What is like soil? What if we add cement, or plaster, or soap, or something else to it? It does not become pure because there is nothing that purifies except by water. There is no purification except by water. This is what the author followed, and it is the madhhab. But the correct view is that if the change in the water caused by the impurity disappears by any means, it becomes pure. This is because when a ruling is established for a cause, it disappears when the cause disappears. Since we have preferred the view that water does not become impure except by change, we say that if this change disappears, it becomes pure. What is the difference between it being a large amount and a small amount? The cause is one. When it disappears, it is the root of the impurity, so it becomes pure and purifying. This view is correct. You will find it easier to understand and easier to practice. It does not require us to go and get, for example, a large amount of clean water. It does not require us to say: when the impurity is gone, and there is no smell, no color, and no taste, it becomes pure. Know that this ruling is for water only, not for other liquids. Other liquids become impure by mere contact, even if they are a hundred qullahs. If a person has a large container with liquid honey in it, and a hair from a mouse falls into it, what happens to it? It becomes impure. It is not permissible to eat it, sell it, or buy it. If he has a large jar of liquid oil, and a hair from a mouse falls into it, as we said, the synonym for mouse in the context of carrion, if we say that hair is impure. But the correct example that applies even to the madhhab is that a hair from a dog falls into this large jar, and it does not change and is not affected. One hair, like an eyelash. This large amount of oil becomes impure. Is it permissible to sell it or not? According to the madhhab, it is not permissible to sell it, as we have passed through: impure oil is not permissible to sell. It is not permissible except for use as lamp oil, in things other than water. And the correct view is that all ... as long as it has not changed by impurity, it is pure. If it changes, it becomes impure.
The questioner : Even for liquids other than water.