For this reason, one should promptly remove impurity from one’s mosque, clothing, body, and place of prayer, for the following reasons:
- This was the guidance of the Prophet ﷺ.
- It rids one of this filth.
…. - So that one is not overtaken by forgetfulness or ignorance of where the impurity is, and then prays while carrying impurity.
Nor by wind, rubbing, or transformation, …
His statement, “Nor by wind,” means that something rendered impure is not purified by wind—that is, by air. This is the well-known position of the madhhab.
The evidence is what has preceded: nothing purifies except water.
The second view is that something rendered impure may be purified by wind (1). However, mere drying is not purification; rather, a period of time must pass such that the substance of the impurity and its trace disappear. An exception is made when the impure object is sandy ground: if the wind carries away the impurity and whatever has been contaminated by it, so that it and its trace disappear, then it becomes pure.
His statement, “Nor by rubbing,” means that something rendered impure is not purified by rubbing at all, whether it is smooth, such that the substance of the impurity is removed by rubbing—as with a mirror—or not smooth. This is the position of the madhhab.
The second view is that something rendered impure falls into two categories:
The first is that from which impurity can be removed by rubbing, when it is smooth, such as a mirror or a sword. Such an object does not absorb impurity, so the correct view is that it