16
Kitab al-Taharah (Book of Purification) (1)
Water is of three kinds:
- Ṭahūr (purifying): it removes ḥadath (ritual impurity) and eliminates incidental najāsah (filth). It is every water that has remained in the state in which it was created, even if only by legal judgment—such as water whose characteristics have altered owing to stagnation, algae (2), fallen leaves, the bed of its course (3) and the like, or by mere proximity to something impure.
From this category it is disliked to use water that is extremely hot or extremely cold; water heated by an impure substance when there is no need for it; or water heated by a non-mixing substance (4) such as oil or pieces of camphor (5), or by mineral salt (6). Water heated by the sun or by something pure is not disliked.
If a legally accountable woman remains alone with a small quantity of this water and uses it for a full act of purification from ḥadath, that water will no longer remove the ḥadath of a man.
- Ṭāhir (ritually pure but non-purifying): this is water whose color, taste, or smell has undergone a significant change because of a pure substance other than those already mentioned; or a small amount of water with which ḥadath has been removed; or water into which a legally accountable Muslim who has risen from sleep at night has immersed his whole hand; or the final rinse (7) by which impurity was removed and which then separated without itself changing.
(1) Tahara (ritual purification): lexically, it signifies cleanliness and freedom from both tangible and intangible defilement; technically, it is the removal of hadath (a state of ritual impurity) and the like, together with the elimination of khabath (physical filth).
(2) Tuhlub (algae): a sticky green substance that forms in water and spreads across its surface.
(3) “Mamarruhu” (“its path”): the water has changed because it flowed over something, such as sulphur, which affected its properties.
(4) I.e., the change occurred through a non-mixing agent—that is, without an actual admixture.
(5) Camphor: a plant-based aromatic substance, translucent with a whitish hue, solid in form and capable of being ground.
(6) Water-salt: salt produced from the water that gathers in saline marshes and similar areas.
(7) In the base manuscript and copy (J) the reading is “ghasl” (washing); the present text follows the version found in copies (A) and (B).
كتاب الطهارة
(١)
المياه ثلاثة:
طَهور:
يَرفَعُ الحَدَثَ، ويُزِيلُ النَّجِسَ الطَّارئ،
وهو:
الباقي على خِلقتِه ولو حُكْماً كَمُتغيِّرٍ بِمُكثه أو طُحلب
(٢)
أو ورق شجرٍ أو مَمَرِّهِ
(٣)
ونحوه، أوْ مُجاورٍ نَجسٍ.
وكُره منه شديد حرٍّ أو بردٍ، ومُسخَّنٍ بنَجسٍ لم يُحتج إليه، أو بغير مُمازجٍ
(٤)
كدُهن وقِطَع كافور
(٥)
، أو بملح مائي
(٦)
، لا مُسخَّن بشمسٍ أو طاهر.
وإن خَلَت مكلفةٌ بيسيرٍ لطهارةٍ كاملةٍ عن حدثٍ:
لم يَرفعْ حدثَ رَجُلٍ.
الثاني:
طاهرٌ،
وهو:
ما تغيَّر كثيرٌ من لونه أو طعمه أو ريحه بطاهر غير ما مرَّ، أو رُفع بقليله حدثٌ، أو غُمس فيه كل يد مسلمٍ مُكلَّف قائم من نوم ليلٍ، أو كان آخر غَسلةٍ
(٧)
زالت به النَّجاسة وانفصل غير مُتغيِّر.
(١) الطهارةُ: لغةً: النَّظَافَةُ وَالنَّزَاهَةُ عَنِ الْأَقْذَارِ الحسية والمعْنَوِيَّة.
واصطلاحاً هي: ارْتِفَاعُ الحَدَث وَمَا فِي مَعْنَاهُ، وزوال الخبث.
(٢) الطحلب: شيء أخضر لزج يُخلق في الماء ويعلوه.
(٣) ممره: أي تغيّر بمحل مروره على شيءٍ وهو يجري، كأن يتغير لمروره على نحو كبريت.
(٤) أي: تغيَّر بغير مُمازج.
(٥) الكافور: نوع من الأطياب النباتية، شفافة مائلة إلى البياض، ويكون صُلْباً ويمكن أن يُدق.
(٦) الملح المائي: هو الملح الذي يتكون من الماء الذي في السِّباخ ونحوها.
(٧) في (الأصل) و (ج): "غسل"، والمثبت من (أ) و (ب).