Purification from physical impurity applies to one’s clothing, the place of prayer, and the body—these are three things.

The evidence that purification from impurity in one’s clothing is a condition is as follows:

First: It is related in the hadiths concerning menstruation that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was asked about menstrual blood that gets on a garment. He instructed that it should be “scraped off, then rubbed with water, then sprinkled with water; then she may pray in it.” (1) This proves that impurity must be removed.

Second: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was brought a young boy who had not yet eaten solid food, and he urinated in his lap. So he called for water and poured it over the urine. (2) This is an action, and an action on its own is not as conclusive as a verbal statement in establishing obligation; however, it is supported by what occurred in the previous hadith.

Third: One day, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ prayed wearing his sandals, then removed them. The Companions likewise removed their sandals. When he had finished the prayer, he asked them why they had removed their sandals. They replied, “We saw you remove your sandals, so we removed ours.” He said: “Gabriel came to me and informed me that there was something harmful—or filth—on them.” (3) This indicates that one must remove impurity from one’s clothing while praying.