Chapter: Cleansing with Stones

According to Mālik and his companions, removing impurity from the body and garments is a highly confirmed sunnah, while other scholars—among them Abū al-Faraj—consider it obligatory. These impurities may not be removed with anything other than water except at the two exits for defecation and urination, for those two orifices alone are granted the dispensation of cleansing with stones. Using stones for istinjāʾ (ritual cleansing of the private parts) is therefore a concession; water remains purer, cleaner, and more pleasing.

When relieving oneself of feces or urine, one performs istinjāʾ with three stones, none of which may have been used previously; they must be clean. In Mālik’s view, any stones that achieve full cleanliness suffice. It is recommended to use an odd number, and there is no harm in relying on a single stone if it removes the filth. Most scholars of Medina, however, maintain that fewer than three stones are inadequate, and this is also the preference of Abū al-Faraj. If none are available,