his ability. This applies whether the major ritual impurity arose from something lawful or unlawful. However, someone who commits an unlawful act bears both major ritual impurity and the defilement of sin. If he repents and purifies himself with water, Allah loves him, for “Allah loves those who repent and loves those who purify themselves.”

If he purifies himself but does not repent, he has purified himself of major ritual impurity, but not of the defilement of sin, which only repentance can remove.

If he has nothing with which to pay the bathhouse keeper, he may undoubtedly perform dry ablution and pray. If he is not someone whom the bathhouse keeper allows time to pay, finds nothing to leave with him as security, and the keeper does not accept what he offers, must he enter on a deferred-payment basis? There are two views on this, both held within Ahmad’s school.

The more evident view is that, where this accords with the bathhouse keeper’s customary indication, he may bathe in the bathhouse as usual. If the bathhouse keeper prevents him from entering out of personal dislike or the like, although the keeper would suffer no harm and would receive his due, he may enter without the keeper’s consent and pay him his fee.

But if he does not have the fee, and the keeper refuses him entry because he has not paid what is due immediately and is not someone the keeper knows well enough to allow him time to pay, he may not enter without the keeper’s consent.

If the bathhouse keeper willingly allows him to take water in a vessel but does not willingly allow him to purify himself in the bathhouse entrance passages, he may do what the keeper willingly permits. He may not do what the keeper does not willingly permit unless he pays fair compensation.

He is only required to buy cold and hot water and pay the bathhouse keeper