Examples of Excess and Negligence in Purification

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Shaikh Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

Allah, The Most High, said:

وَكَذَٲلِكَ جَعَلۡنَـٰكُمۡ أُمَّةً۬ وَسَطً۬ا لِّتَڪُونُواْ شُہَدَآءَ عَلَى ٱلنَّاسِ وَيَكُونَ ٱلرَّسُولُ عَلَيۡكُمۡ شَهِيدً۬ا‌ۗ

Thus We have made you [true Muslims real believers of Islamic Monotheism, true followers of –Prophet Muhammad and his Sunnah (legal ways)], a Wasat [just and the best] nation, that you be witnesses over mankind and the Messenger (Muhammad) be a witness over you]. [Al-Baqarah. 143]

وَرَحۡمَتِى وَسِعَتۡ كُلَّ شَىۡءٍ۬‌ۚ فَسَأَكۡتُبُہَا لِلَّذِينَ يَتَّقُونَ وَيُؤۡتُونَ ٱلزَّڪَوٰةَ وَٱلَّذِينَ هُم بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَا يُؤۡمِنُونَ

ٱلَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ ٱلرَّسُولَ ٱلنَّبِىَّ ٱلۡأُمِّىَّ ٱلَّذِى يَجِدُونَهُ ۥ مَكۡتُوبًا عِندَهُمۡ فِى ٱلتَّوۡرَٮٰةِ وَٱلۡإِنجِيلِ يَأۡمُرُهُم بِٱلۡمَعۡرُوفِ وَيَنۡہَٮٰهُمۡ عَنِ ٱلۡمُنڪَرِ وَيُحِلُّ لَهُمُ ٱلطَّيِّبَـٰتِ وَيُحَرِّمُ عَلَيۡهِمُ ٱلۡخَبَـٰٓٮِٕثَ وَيَضَعُ عَنۡهُمۡ إِصۡرَهُمۡ وَٱلۡأَغۡلَـٰلَ ٱلَّتِى كَانَتۡ عَلَيۡهِمۡ‌ۚ فَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ بِهِۦ وَعَزَّرُوهُ وَنَصَرُوهُ وَٱتَّبَعُواْ ٱلنُّورَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أُنزِلَ مَعَهُ ۥۤ‌ۙ أُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ هُمُ ٱلۡمُفۡلِحُونَ

My Mercy embraces all things. That (Mercy) I shall ordain for those who are the pious, and give Zakat; and those who believe in Our Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs and revelations, etc.); those who follow the Messenger, the Prophet who can neither read nor write (i.e.Muhammad) whom they find written with them in the Taurat (Torah) (Deut, xviii, 15) and the Injeel (Gospel) (John xiv, 16) , he – commands them for Al-Ma’ruf (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam has ordained); and forbids them from Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief, polytheism of all kinds, and all that Islam has forbidden); he allows them as lawful At-Taiyibat [(i.e. all good and lawful) as regards things, deeds, beliefs, persons, foods, etc.], and prohibits them as unlawful Al-Khaba’ith (i.e. all evil and unlawful as regards things, deeds, beliefs, persons, foods, etc.), he releases them from their heavy burdens (of Allah’s Covenant), and from the fetters (bindings) that were upon them. So those who believe in him (Muhammad), honour him, help him, and follow the light (the Qur’an) which has been sent down with him, it is they who will be successful. [Al-A’raaf. 156-157]

This is why those amongst the Muslims who deviate towards the doubts of the Jews and Christians are commanded to abandon such deviation and follow the straight path – the path which Allah bestowed on the Prophets, the truthful ones, the martyrs and righteous, and not the path of those who have earned Allah’s Anger, such as those Jews who disbelieved in the Messiah after having knowledge, and those who went astray such as those Christians who deviated from the path of the Messiah, exaggerated his status by worshipping him and worshipped Allah based on ignorance.

And similar to them is the one who goes beyond bounds in avoiding impure things, thus declares impure that which has not been declared impure by Allah and His Messenger; makes unlawful that which Allah and His Messenger have not made unlawful, captured by the whispers of shaytan and forbids the good things which Allah made lawful for the Muslims, such as the one who holds the opinion that if impurity is removed and there is nothing remaining of it, the place it was found is still impure if the impurity was not removed by that which has been prescribed as a condition for its removal such as water or other than it; or he holds that good water and other good liquids that have not been affected by something filthy is unlawful merely due to the reason that they have come into contact with some filth.

And even worst is the affair of those who excommunicate Muslims who oppose them, as is the view of many of ahlul bidah amongst the Rafida (Shiites), the Khawarij and other than them, so if others eat from their utensils, they declare it impure.

As for that which many people do, such as one who commands a menstruating woman that she must change or wash the first clothing she wore whilst she was on her menses, or forbids a person who is in a state of Janabah from eating or drinking until he takes a shower (or bath), these opinions are often that of those who resemble those Jews who went astray; rather they resemble the Samaritans.

As for those who resemble the Christians [i.e. those Christians who strayed after abandoning the path of the Messiah and disbelieved in Muhammad], it is for example the affair of the one who has a good suspicion regarding that which is impure, such as those who are in toilets- places of the devils and impurity – and defiled with urine.

He neither performs wudhu nor does he take a bath, nor shower after being in a state of Janabah, neither perform the Salah nor prays in a state of ablution, whilst knowing that it is known by necessity in the religion that the five daily prayers are obligated to every person and that one has to make Wudhu if he is a state of Hadath and should take a bath when in a state of Janabah, and cannot perform Tayammum when he is able to make wudhu.

An Excerpt From Al-Jawab As-Sahih Liman Baddala Deen Al-Masih. 1/204-207