Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (1/291)

Al-Sharḥ al-MumtiʿIbn al-'Uthaymin

and major purification, in both their original forms and their substitutes. This is shown by Allah’s saying:

“O you who believe, when you rise for prayer, wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows, wipe your heads, and wash your feet up to the ankles.” [al-Ma’idah 5:6]

This is the original minor purification with water.

Then He says:

“And if you are in a state of major ritual impurity, purify yourselves.”

This is the original major purification with water.

Then He says:

“But if you are ill or on a journey, or one of you comes from relieving himself, or you have had sexual relations with women, and you cannot find water, then perform dry ablution.”

His saying, “then perform dry ablution,” refers to the substitute; His saying, “or one of you comes from relieving himself,” explains the cause of minor purification; and His saying, “or you have had sexual relations with women,” explains the cause of major purification.

If we were to understand it as touching with the hand, then in this noble verse Allah would have mentioned two causes requiring minor purification, while saying nothing about the cause requiring major purification, despite His saying, “And if you are in a state of major ritual impurity, purify yourselves.” This is contrary to Qur’anic eloquence .....

Accordingly, the verse indicates that what is meant by His saying, “or you have had sexual relations with women,” is: “or you have had intercourse with them.” Thus Allah, Exalted is He, has mentioned the two causes that necessitate purification: the greater cause and the lesser cause; the two forms of purification: the minor purification involving the four limbs, and the major purification involving the entire body; and the substitute, namely the purification of dry ablution, which involves only two limbs, because major and minor purification are alike in this respect.

The stronger view, then, is that touching a woman does not invalidate ablution at all, unless something is discharged from him; in that case, the ablution is invalidated by that discharge.

والكُبرى في حالتي الأصل والبدل، وبيان ذلك أن الله تعالى قال: ﴿يَاأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا قُمْتُمْ إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ فَاغْسِلُوا وُجُوهَكُمْ وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ إِلَى الْمَرَافِقِ وَامْسَحُوا بِرُؤُوسِكُمْ وَأَرْجُلَكُمْ إِلَى الْكَعْبَيْنِ﴾ [المائدة: ٦]، فهذه طهارة بالماء أصليَّة صُغرى. ثم قال: ﴿وَإِنْ كُنْتُمْ جُنُبًا فَاطَّهَّرُوا﴾، وهذه طهارة بالماء أصليَّة كُبرى. ثم قال: ﴿وَإِنْ كُنْتُمْ مَرْضَى أَوْ عَلَى سَفَرٍ أَوْ جَاءَ أَحَدٌ مِنْكُمْ مِنَ الْغَائِطِ أَوْ لَامَسْتُمُ النِّسَاءَ فَلَمْ تَجِدُوا مَاءً فَتَيَمَّمُوا﴾، فقوله: «فتيمَّمُوا» هذا البدل، وقوله: ﴿أَوْ جَاءَ أَحَدٌ مِنْكُمْ مِنَ الْغَائِطِ﴾ هذا بيانُ سبب الصُّغرى، وقوله: ﴿أَوْ لَامَسْتُمُ النِّسَاءَ﴾ هذا بيان سبب الكُبرى. ولو حملناه على المسِّ الذي هو الجسُّ باليد، لكانت الآية الكريمة ذكر الله فيها سببين للطهارة الصُّغرى، وسكت الله عن سبب الطَّهارة الكُبرى مع أنَّه قال: ﴿وَإِنْ كُنْتُمْ جُنُبًا فَاطَّهَّرُوا﴾، وهذا خلاف البلاغة القرآنية ..... وعليه؛ فتكون الآية دالة على أن المُراد بقوله: ﴿أَوْ لَامَسْتُمُ النِّسَاءَ﴾ أي: «جامعتم»، ليكون الله تعالى ذكر السَّببين الموجبين للطَّهارة، السَّببَ الأكبر، والسَّبب الأصغَر، والطَّهارتين الصُّغرى في الأعضاء الأربعة، والكُبرى في جميع البدن، والبدُل الذي هو طهارةُ التيمُّم في عضوين فقط؛ لأنَّه يتساوى فيها الطَّهارة الكُبرى والصغرى. فالرَّاجح: أن مسَّ المرأة، لا ينقضُ الوُضُوءَ مطلقاً إِلا إِذا خرج منه شيءٌ فيكون النَّقضُ بذلك الخارج.