Is it necessary to wash solid foods like apples and cucumbers three times to clean them from impurities?

Dear Brother / Sister,

Visible impurity is the impurity like feces and blood, that is seen by the eye and that exists. They are cleaned even once when the impurity is removed.

Invisible impurity is the impurity like urine whose existence is not seen after it dries. It is cleaned when the person washes until he feels that it has become clean. The number of washing is three times for a person who is meticulous. According to Zahirur-Riwayah, it is necessary to wring it each time. For, what removes the impurity is wringing.

Ways of Cleaning: There are various ways of cleaning unclean things based on their properties.

1. To wash with water: Water is the essential cleaner in terms of both cleaning the impurity and being used in wudu and ghusl. Allah states the following:

"He caused rain to descend on you from heaven, to clean you therewith." (al-Anfal; 8/11);

"We send down pure water from the sky." (al-Furqan, 25/48).

The water to be used for cleaning can be water from rain, snow, river, lake, sea, well, spring and places where flood waters accumulate. The Prophet (pbuh) states the following:

"Water is clean. Nothing from outside dirties it unless its taste, color or smell changes." (Bukhari, Wudu', 67)

The Messenger of Allah said to Asma bint Abi Bakr about how to clean the menstrual blood on her clothes, "rub it and pour water over it." (Bukhari, Wudu', 63; Muslim, Taharah 110; Ahmad b. Hanbal, VI/134, 346)

According to the preferred view of Hanafis, real impurities can also be cleaned by liquids other than water like rose water, vinegar, fruit juice and plant juice. Hanafis increase the number of the cleaning liquids other than water up to twenty-one. Other madhhabs have different views on some of them from Hanafis.

However, ghusl and wudu are not made with the liquids other than water. There is unanimity about it. (Ibn Abidin, ibid, I/ 284 ff; az-Zaylai, Tabyinul-Haqaiq, I/60 ff; al-Maydani, al-Lubab, I/24 ff)

The way of cleaning with water:

1. If the impurity is invisible like urine and dog saliva, it is cleaned until one feels that it has become clean. It is three times. The evidence is the following hadiths:

"If a dog drinks from the utensil of anyone of you it is essential to wash it three times." In some other narrations, the phrase "wash it seven times" exists. (Bukhari, Wudu', 33; Muslim, Taharah, 89, 91, 92, 93; Ahmad b. Hanbal, II/314, 427)

"When one of you wakes up, he should wash his hands three times before putting his hands into a receptacle." (Bukhari, Wudu', 26; Malik, Muwatta', Taharah, 9; Ahmad b. Hanbal, II/465)

The order to wash something for seven times when a dog touches it with its mouth in the first years of Islam served to limit keeping dogs at home unless it was necessary.

2. If the impurity is visible like blood and feces, it is cleaned when it is removed. However, if some traces like color and smell that are difficult to remove remain though it is washed, it does not harm prayer. According to the preferred view, it is washed until the water becomes pure.  

As a matter of fact, Hawla bint Yasar said,

"O Messenger of Allah! I have only one dress and I wear it when I menstruate." Hz. Prophet (pbuh) said, "When it ends, wash the place dirtied with blood and perform prayers with it." Hawla said, "O Messenger of Allah! What if some traces remain?" He said, "Water is enough for you; the trace of blood does not harm prayer." (Ahmad b. Hanbal, II/364, 380; ash-Shawkani, Naylul-Awtar, I, 40)

Accordingly, it is necessary to wash the fruits and vegetables that are smeared with impurity until it is removed. They are washed once or three times based on the impurity.

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