Will you give detailed information about najasah (impurity) that prevents prayer?

- Do the urine drops that accumulate prevent prayer?
- I do housework in the house wearing the same clothes as I wear when I perform prayers. Some liquid splashes from the meals I cook. It causes delusions in me. I do not feel all right and change my clothes. Is it appropriate?

Dear Brother / Sister,

It is best to wear clean clothes in terms of taqwa while performing prayers. However, the liquid splashing from meals or something that is not najis (dirty) touching the clothes does not prevent prayer. It is permissible to perform prayers with those clothes. There is no need for delusion.

If najasah smears clothes and if the amount is very little, it is also permissible to perform prayers wearing those clothes.

It is seen in fiqh books that the things that are not regarded as clean but regarded as najis (dirty) by the shari’ah are examined in two parts:

1. Gross impurity (najasat al-ghaliza),
2. Weak impurity (najasat al-khafifa)

This differentiation does not depend on whether the dirt is little or much but whether it invalidates the prayer or not.

Whether the dirt is little or much does not matter; they both pollute things. For instance, if a small amount of najasah, whether ghalizah or khafifah, falls into the water, it makes the water dirty. From then on, making wudu with that water will not be valid.

What is the amount najasah khafifah that is regarded to prevent prayer?

The criterion for najasah khafifah is covering one-fourth of the garment or the organ. If the amount of dirt is less than one-fourth, it does not invalidate prayer. If it is more than one-fourth, it invalidates prayer; it becomes fard to wash it.

However, even if it is less than the amount that invalidates prayer, it is better for taqwa to clean all kinds of najasah whether ghalizah or khafifah.

The Prophet (pbuh) said,

“Cleanliness is of belief.” (Muslim, Taharah 1; Darimi, Wudu 2; Musnad, V/342, 344; Ajluni, Kashful-Khafa, 291)

Thus, he indicated that those who give importance to cleanliness have a strong belief.

Therefore, we should try to clean the dirty places as much as possible whether the najasah is ghalizah or khafifah; the amount does not invalidate the prayer but we still want to worship with a clean body and clean clothes. Besides, it is written in some fiqh books that it is wajib to clean the najasah although its amount is not so much as to invalidate the prayer.

What is the amount of najasah that invalidates prayer?

The amount of najasah that invalidates prayer depends on whether the najasah is something wet or dry as follows:

If the najasah ghalizah is dry, it should be lighter than one dirham, that is, three grams. If it is more than three grams, it invalidates the prayer.

If it is wet, it must not cover an area greater than the palm of a hand. The najasah that has wetted an area greater than the palm of a hand invalidates the prayer. It is fard to clean that najasah in order to be able to perform a prayer.

Najasah ghalizah less than the amount mentioned above does not invalidate the prayer. However, it is sunnah to clean that najasah – if possible.

(see Mehmed DİKMEN, İslam İlmihali, Cihan Publications, Istanbul, 1991, p. 162-163)

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