2 – A woman experiences ejaculation just as a man does, and from that common discharge a child may resemble either parent, as the remainder of the ḥadīth indicates.

3 – The narration affirms the divine attribute of modesty in a manner befitting the Majesty of Allah, while making clear that His modesty never prevents Him from declaring the truth. Ibn al-Qayyim states in Badāʾiʿ: purely negative descriptions are not counted among Allah’s attributes unless they imply a positive perfection; the same applies to negations such as His words, “Neither drowsiness nor sleep overtakes Him” (Q 2:255), for they imply the perfection of His life and self-subsistence. End quote.

4 – Modesty should not keep a person from seeking knowledge, even about matters people naturally feel shy to discuss.

5 – Good manners dictate that when a topic is delicate, one should precede it with an appropriate introduction to lessen its impact and to avoid appearing harsh.

Clarifying the ruling on semen

ʿĀʾishah said, “I used to wash semen from the garment of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and he would then go out to the prayer while the patches of water were still visible on his clothes.” Muslim adds: “I would sometimes scrape it off his garment when it had dried, and he would pray in it.”

Overall meaning

ʿĀʾishah, may Allah be pleased with her, reports that semen from a state of major impurity would occasionally touch the Prophet’s clothes. If it was still moist, she would wash the spot with water, and he would proceed to the prayer even though the fabric was not yet dry. If it had already dried, she would simply rub or scrape it off, and he would pray in the same garment.

Scholarly disagreement

The jurists differed over whether semen is impure. The Ḥanafīs and Mālikīs considered it impure, citing the reports that it was washed from the Prophet’s garment, including this very ḥadīth, as evidence.