Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (1/135)

Al-Sharḥ al-MumtiʿIbn al-'Uthaymin

Or food, anything held in reverence, or something attached to an animal, …

His statement, “or food,” means food for human beings and fodder for their livestock. It is therefore not valid to cleanse oneself with either of them. The evidence is that the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, forbade cleansing oneself with bones and dung because they are food for the jinn and their animals. Human beings are superior, so the prohibition of dry cleansing with their food and the fodder of their livestock is all the more warranted.

There is also another concern: it constitutes ingratitude for Allah’s blessing, for Allah Most High created such food to be eaten, not to be subjected to this degrading use.

Thus, it is forbidden to use any food intended for human beings or their livestock for dry cleansing.

The apparent meaning of the author’s words is that this applies even to leftover food, such as a piece of bread.

His statement, “anything held in reverence,” refers to that which possesses sanctity—that is, something accorded veneration in the Sacred Law—such as books of Islamic religious knowledge. The evidence is Allah’s saying:

“That is so. And whoever honors the symbols of Allah—indeed, it is from the piety of hearts.” [al-Hajj]

And His saying:

“That is so. And whoever honors the sacred ordinances of Allah—it is best for him in the sight of his Lord.” [al-Hajj: 30]

God-consciousness is obligatory; for this reason, a person may not perform dry cleansing with anything held in reverence.

The apparent meaning of the author’s words is that this applies even if it is written in a language other than Arabic, so long as its subject matter is worthy of reverence.

His statement, “or something attached to an animal,” means that it is not permissible to perform dry cleansing with something attached to an animal, since an animal possesses inviolability. An example would be using a cow’s tail or a kid’s ear for dry cleansing. If it is forbidden to use its fodder for dry cleansing, then how much more so the animal itself!

وطعامٍ، ومُحْترمٍ، ومتَّصلٍ بحيوانٍ، ........... قوله: «وطعامٍ»، يعني طعام بني آدم، وطعام بهائمهم، فلا يصحُّ الاستنجاء بهما. والدَّليل: أن الرَّسول ﷺ نهى أن يُستنجَى بالعظم، والرَّوث، لأنَّهما طعام الجِنِّ، ودوابهم. والإِنس أفضل، فيكون النهي عن الاستجمار بطعامهم وطعام بهائمهم من باب أوْلى. كما أن فيه محذوراً آخر، وهو الكفر بالنِّعمة؛ لأن الله تعالى خلقها للأكل؛ ولم يخلقها لأجل أن تُمتهن هذا الامتهان. فكُلُّ طعام لبني آدم، أو بهائمهم، فإنَّه حرام أن يُستَجْمَرَ به. وظاهر كلام المؤلِّف: ولو كان فَضْلَةَ طعام ككِسْرَةِ الخُبز. قوله: «ومحترم»، المحترم ما له حُرمة، أي تعظيم في الشَّرع، مثل: كُتب العلم الشَّرعي، والدَّليل قوله تعالى: ﴿ذَلِكَ ومَنْ يُعَظِّمْ شَعَائِرَ اللَّهِ فَإِنَّهَا مِنْ تَقْوَى الْقُلُوبِ *﴾ [الحج]. وقوله: ﴿ذَلِكَ وَمَنْ يُعَظِّمْ حُرُمَاتِ اللَّهِ فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَهُ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِ﴾ [الحج: ٣٠]. والتَّقوى واجبة، فمن أجل ذلك لا يجوز أن يَستجمرَ الإنسان بشيءٍ محترم. وظاهر كلام المؤلِّف: ولو كان مكتوباً بغير العربية ما دام أنَّ موضوعه موضوعٌ محترمٌ. قوله: «ومتَّصلٍ بحيوان»، يعني: المتَّصل بالحيوان لا يجوز الاستجمار به، لأن للحيوان حُرمة؛ مثل: أن يستجمر بذيل بقرة، أو أُذُن سَخْلة، وإِذا كان علفُها يُنهى عن الاستجمار به، فكيف بالاستجمارِ بها نفسها؟!