it is held that it purifies the area, there is nothing further to discuss. If, however, it is held that it merely reduces the impurity and that its remaining traces are excused out of necessity, then those traces are excused both where they remain and wherever avoiding them is difficult. Since it is difficult to prevent semen from coming into contact with them, it is accorded the same ruling as the bodily outlet itself.

He—may Allah have mercy on him—was asked:

“What is the ruling on semen?”

He answered:

The correct view is that semen is pure. This is the position of al-Shāfi‘ī and the well-known position reported from Ahmad. As for ‘Ā’isha sometimes washing it from the clothing of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and sometimes rubbing it off, this does not imply that it is impure. Clothing is also washed to remove mucus, saliva, and dirt. Several Companions, including Sa‘d ibn Abī Waqqās, Ibn ‘Abbās, and others, said:

“It is only like saliva and mucus. Remove it from yourself, even with a stalk of idhkhir (fragrant grass).”

Whether a man has cleansed himself with water or with stones after relieving himself, his semen is pure. Whoever says that the semen of someone who has cleansed himself with stones is impure because it comes into contact with the head of the penis holds a weak view. Most of the Companions used stones to cleanse themselves, and very few used water. Indeed, many of them were unfamiliar with cleansing themselves with water and even objected to it, and theirs was the correct practice. Yet, despite this, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did not instruct