washing the grain. Had this rendered it impure or been considered filthy, they would likely have been forbidden to do so, and would have recoiled from it as they recoil from human urine. To describe this as a consensus established through practice would be correct. Likewise, livestock droppings have always fallen into milking vessels, and scarcely anyone takes precautions against this. For this reason, even some who regard such droppings as impure have treated this as excusable. Moreover, it has not proved possible to formulate a universal criterion for purity and impurity that holds true in both directions. Nor are we obliged to do so once we know which kinds are pure and which are impure.

This is a brief indication of the lines of reasoning on this issue, and the full extent of what has come to mind for me to write in this sitting.

“Allah speaks the truth, and He guides to the right path.”

Chapter Two:
Human Semen

There are three views on this:

The first is that it is impure, like urine, and must therefore be washed off the body and clothing, whether wet or dry. This is the view of Mālik, al-Awzā‘ī, al-Thawrī, and a group of scholars.

The second is that it is impure, but rubbing it off when dry is sufficient. This is the view of Abū Hanīfa