 The Cleansing Quality of Water

The Quantity of Water that Always Remains Clean

The Case of a Small Quantity of Water, the Water with a Dead Body in it and its use by a Man to Wash His Dirty Hand in it

The Case of a Well and Things that May Fall in It (Fatwa best explains Ahadith 2-12 as well as the following chapter.)

A Well near a Cesspool

Taking Wudu’ With Water from Which Animals, Beasts and Birds Have Drunk

Taking Wudu’ with the Water from Which a Woman during Her Hayd (menses), People After Having Carnal Relations, a Jew, a Christian or a Person Hostile toward ’A’immah Has Drunk (Fatwa best explains Ahadith 4-6 of this chapter.)

A Man Places His Hand in the Water before Washing, the Limit of Washing Hands Because of Carnal Relations, Urination, Feces and Sleeping

Mixing of Rain Water with Urine, with Water Used for Taking Ghusl (bath) Because of Carnal Relations, Touching of One’s Cloth with Water Used for Washing Because of Urine

Water of Bath Houses and Water Heated by the Sun’s Rays

Places Not Desirable to Use as a Lavatory

Expressions to Say When Entering a Lavatory and When Coming Out

Draining Urine, Washing and If One Does Not Find Water

The Quantity of Water Required for Wudu’, Showers and One Who Is Excessive in the Use of Water for Wudu’

Brushing One’s Teeth

Rinsing One’s Mouth and Nostrils

Description of Wudu’

The Area of the Face and Hands to be Washed for Wudu’

Wiping of Head and Feet

Wiping Over the Shoes

Bandages and Wounds

Facing Doubts about Wudu’ Forgetting or Mixing Proper Order

Matters that Invalidate or Do not Invalidate Wudu’

One’s Stepping over Feces or Other Such Things

Certain Fluid, Which Is Other than Urine and Semen

Kinds of Ghusl (bath)

Matters Covered by Ghusl (bath)

Necessity of Ghusl (bath) on Friday

Description of Ghusl (bath), Wudu’ Before or Thereafter and a Man’s Ghusl (bath) in an Improper Place, Expressions to Say During Taking Ghusl (bath) and Moving a Ring During Ghusl (bath)

Reason Necessitating Ghusl (bath) for Men and Women

Wet Dreams of Men and Women

Finding Fluid Coming Out after Ghusl (bath)

One after Carnal Relations Eats, Drinks, Reads, Enters a Masjid, Dyes Hair, Uses Fragrance and So On

One after Carnal Relation Sweats in His Clothes, Clothes Touch His Wet Body

Semen or Al-Madhiy Comes in Contact with One’s Clothes or Body

Urine Comes in Contact with One’s Clothes or Body

Urine of Animals and Their Dung

Clothes Come in Contact with Blood and Pus

Dogs Touching Clothes, Body and So On

Description of Tayammum

When Tayammum Is Necessary and Finding Water Thereafter

One’s having Little Water on a Journey but Is Afraid of Facing Thirst

One’s Experiencing Carnal Relations and Having Only Ice

Taking Tayammum with Clay

Bandages, Injuries, One’s Suffering from Smallpox and or Experiencing Carnal Relations

Rare Ahadith about Wudu’

Chapters on Hayd (menses)

Minimum and Maximum Duration of Hayd

Women’s Experiencing Hayd After or Before Their Date of Hayd

Women Observe Yellowish Blood Before or After Hayd (menses)

First Time Hayd (menses)

Examining if Hayd (menses) has Ended or Not

Taking Ghusl (bath) Because of Hayd and the Kind of Water Needed

Women Find Blood after Sexual Relation

Comprehensive Instructions About Hayd (menses) and Istihadah (irregular menses)

Signs for Differentiating Between Blood of Hayd and Istihadah

Differentiating Among Blood of Hayd, Virginity or a Wound

Pregnant Woman Finds Blood

Blood Because of Childbirth

Blood Discharge after a Woman’s Experiencing Discharge-Free Period after Childbirth and Blood Discharge before Birth or after Childbirth

Matters Necessary for Women during Hayd at the Times of Salah (prayer)

Women Find Hayd Blood after the Coming of the Time for a Salah (Prayer) Before Performing It Or Become Clean Before the Coming of the Time for a Salah (Prayer) But Are Too Lazy for Ghusl (bath)

Women Feel Hayd during Salah (Prayer)

Women Must Make-up-for Fasting Because of Hayd but Not Salah (Prayer) 

Women’s Reading the Holy Quran During Hayd or Child-birth 

Women during Hayd Can Pick up Things from a Masjid but Must Not Leave Anything Therein

Women’s Hayd (menses) Stops, Comes Again and the Time of Menopause

Women’s Using Medicine to Have Hayd (menses) after It Stops 

Using Dye during Hayd (menses) 

Washing Clothes of Women during Hayd 

Women During Hayd Pick up Prayer Rug or Water 

Causes of Death and that Believing People May Die by any Manner of Dying 

The Reward for a Person Suffering from Illness 

Another Section on the Same Subject 

The Limits of Complaints 

A Patient’s Giving Permission to His Visitors 

How Often a Patient Should Be Visited, How Long the Duration of Visitation Should Be and Complete Visit 

The Limit of a Sudden Death 

The Virtue (Reward) of Visiting a Patient 

Dictations to a Dying Person

Difficulty in Dying (If Dying Becomes Difficult and the Agony of Death Intense) 

Facing the Dying Person Toward Qiblah

A Believing Person Is Not Caused to Die Against His Will

Things that Believers and Unbelievers See in Dying Conditions

Taking out of the Souls of Believing and Unbelievers

Burial Should Take Place Immediately

Rare Ahadith

Women during Hayd Nurse a Patient (The following chapters are about rules of washing a dead body for burial, shrouding and other matters of burial, and are best explained in the form of fatwa. Consult current fatwa about them.)

Washing a Dead Body

Hunut (Rubbing Camphor) on a Dead Body and Shrouding

Shrouding a Deceased Women

Undesirability of Perfuming the Shroud or Warming Water for Washing Dead Bodies

The Desirable Pieces of Shroud and the Undesirable Ones

The Amount of Water Needed for Ghusl (bath) of a Deceased Person

The Two Fresh Al-Jaridah (Twigs of Palm Tree)

Persons Dead Without Shower Due to Carnal Relations Hayd or Child Birth Reasons

Chapter 26- Dead Woman with a Baby Moving Inside Her

Cutting of Nails and Hairs of Dead Person Undesirable

Things Coming Out of a Dead Body after Ghusl (bath)

Washing of Persons of opposite Gender

1ـ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ وَالْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ سَعِيدٍ عَنِ الْقَاسِمِ بْنِ عُرْوَةَ عَنْ أَبِي الْعَبَّاسِ الْفَضْلِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ قَالَ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ الْسَّلام) لاَ تَسْجُدْ إِلاَّ عَلَى الأرْضِ أَوْ مَا أَنْبَتَتِ الأرْضُ إِلاَّ الْقُطْنَ وَالْكَتَّانَ.

1. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Muhammad ibn Khalid and al-Husayn ibn Sa‘id from al-Qasim ibn ‘Urwah from abu al-‘Abbas al-Fadl ibn “Abd al-Malik who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘You must not perform Sujud (prostration) on anything except earth or on what grows from earth except cotton and linen.’” 

2ـ عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ عَنِ الْفَضْلِ بْنِ شَاذَانَ جَمِيعاً عَنْ حَمَّادِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ زُرَارَةَ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ (عَلَيْهِ الْسَّلام) قَالَ قُلْتُ لَهُ أَسْجُدُ عَلَى الزِّفْتِ يَعْنِي الْقِيرَ فَقَالَ لاَ وَلاَ عَلَى الثَّوْبِ الْكُرْسُفِ وَلاَ عَلَى الصُّوفِ وَلاَ عَلَى شَيْ‏ءٍ مِنَ الْحَيَوَانِ وَلاَ عَلَى طَعَامٍ وَلاَ عَلَى شَيْ‏ءٍ مِنْ ثِمَارِ الأرْضِ وَلاَ عَلَى شَيْ‏ءٍ مِنَ الرِّيَاشِ.

2. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from and Muhammad ibn ’Isma‘il from al-Fadl ibn Shadhan all from Hammad ibn ‘Isa from Zurarah who has said the following: “I once asked abu Ja‘far (a.s.), ‘Can I perform Sajdah (prostration) on asphalt? He (the Imam) said, ‘No, also not on cotton, wool, anything from animals, food, fruits of earth and not on anything of clothing.’” 

3ـ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ قَالَ سَأَلْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ (عَلَيْهِ الْسَّلام) عَنِ الْجِصِّ يُوقَدُ عَلَيْهِ بِالْعَذِرَةِ وَعِظَامِ الْمَوْتَى ثُمَّ يُجَصَّصُ بِهِ الْمَسْجِدُ أَ يُسْجَدُ عَلَيْهِ فَكَتَبَ (عَلَيْهِ الْسَّلام) إِلَيَّ بِخَطِّهِ إِنَّ الْمَاءَ وَالنَّارَ قَدْ طَهَّرَاهُ.

3. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from al-Hassan ibn Mahbub who has said the following: “I once asked abu al-Hassan (a.s.), about lime which is fired with feces (dung) and bones of dead animals, then is used in the construction of Masjid. Is performing Sajdah (prostration) permissible on it?’ He (the Imam) wrote with his own hand writing, ‘Water and fire have cleansed it.’” 

4ـ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ سِنَانٍ عَنِ ابْنِ مُسْكَانَ عَنِ الْحَلَبِيِّ قَالَ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ الْسَّلام) دَعَا أَبِي بِالْخُمْرَةِ فَأُبْطِأَتْ عَلَيْهِ فَأَخَذَ كَفّاً مِنْ حَصًى فَجَعَلَهُ عَلَى الْبِسَاطِ ثُمَّ سَجَدَ.

4. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Muhammad ibn Sinan from ibn Muskan from al-Halabiy who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘Once my father asked for a prayer mat but I was not fast enough, so he took a handful of pebbles, placed them on the furnishing and performed Sajdah (prostration) on them.’” 

5ـ عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ أُذَيْنَةَ عَنِ الْفُضَيْلِ بْنِ يَسَارٍ وَبُرَيْدِ بْنِ مُعَاوِيَةَ عَنْ أَحَدِهِمَا (عَلَيْهِما الْسَّلام) قَالَ لاَ بَأْسَ بِالْقِيَامِ عَلَى الْمُصَلَّى مِنَ الشَّعْرِ وَالصُّوفِ إِذَا كَانَ يَسْجُدُ عَلَى الأرْضِ فَإِنْ كَانَ مِنْ نَبَاتِ الأرْضِ فَلاَ بَأْسَ بِالْقِيَامِ عَلَيْهِ وَالسُّجُودِ عَلَيْهِ.

5. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from ‘Umar ibn ’Udhaynah from Fudayl ibn Yasar and Burayd ibn Mu‘awiyah who has said the following: “One of the two Imam, ‘Alayhim al-Salam, has said, ‘It is not harmful to stand on a prayer mat made of hairs and wool if one performs Sajdah (prostration) on earth, but if it is of the plants of earth, it is not harmful to stand on it and perform Sajdah (prostration) on it.’” 

6ـ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ إِدْرِيسَ وَغَيْرُهُ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَمْرِو بْنِ سَعِيدٍ عَنْ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ الرِّضَا (صلّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) قَالَ لاَ تَسْجُدْ عَلَى الْقِيرِ وَلاَ عَلَى الصَّارُوجِ.

6. Ahmad ibn Idris and others have narrated Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Ali ibn ’Isma‘il from Muhammad ibn ‘Umar ibn Sa‘id who has said the following: “Abu al-Hassan (a.s.), has said, ‘You must not perform Sajdah (prostration) on graves and on a mix of lime and construction compound.’” 

7ـ عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ وَغَيْرُهُ عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الرَّيَّانِ قَالَ كَتَبَ بَعْضُ أَصْحَابِنَا إِلَيْهِ بِيَدِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ عُقْبَةَ يَسْأَلُهُ يَعْنِي أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ (عَلَيْهِ الْسَّلام) عَنِ الصَّلاَةِ عَلَى الْخُمْرَةِ الْمَدَنِيَّةِ فَكَتَبَ صَلِّ فِيهَا مَا كَانَ مَعْمُولاً بِخُيُوطَةٍ وَلاَ تُصَلِّ عَلَى مَا كَانَ مَعْمُولاً بِسُيُورَةٍ قَالَ فَتَوَقَّفَ أَصْحَابُنَا فَأَنْشَدْتُهُمْ بَيْتَ شِعْرٍ لِتَأَبَّطَ شَرّاً الْعَدْوَانِيِّ. كَأَنَّهَا خُيُوطَةُ مَارِيٍّ تُغَارُ وَتُفْتَلُ‏. وَمَارِيٌّ كَانَ رَجُلاً حَبَّالاً كَانَ يَعْمَلُ الْخُيُوطَ.

7. Ali ibn Muhammad and others have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from Ali ibn Rayyan who has said the following: “Certain ones of our people once wrote to him (the Imam) through Ibrahim ibn ‘Uqbah, asking abu Ja‘far (a.s.), about performing Salah (prayer) on prayer mats made in al-Madinah. He (the Imam) wrote in answer, ‘You can perform Salah (prayer) on what is made with threads but not on that which is made with leather stripes.’ Our people were not clear about the meaning of ‘thread’ and ‘stripe’, so I presented a line of poem by Taabbata Sharran (name of a person) that said, ‘As if they are threads of Mariy which are twisted and attached.’ Mariy was a weaving man who worked with ropes and twines. 

8ـ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى بِإِسْنَادِهِ قَالَ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ الْسَّلام) السُّجُودُ عَلَى الأرْضِ فَرِيضَةٌ وَعَلَى الْخُمْرَةِ سُنَّةٌ.

8. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated through the chain of narrators has said the following: “Abu ’Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ’Performing Sujud (prostration) on earth is obligatory and on a prayer mat is a tradition.” 

9ـ عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْوَلِيدِ عَنْ يُونُسَ بْنِ يَعْقُوبَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ الْسَّلام) قَالَ لاَ تَسْجُدْ عَلَى الذَّهَبِ وَلاَ عَلَى الْفِضَّةِ.

9. Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Sahl ibn Ziyad from Muhammad ibn al-Walid from Yunus from Ya’qub who has said the following: “Abu ’Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘You must not perform Sajdah (prostration) on gold or on silver.’” 

10ـ عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ يَحْيَى عَنْ غِيَاثِ بْنِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ جَعْفَرٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ عَلِيٍّ (عَلَيْهِ الْسَّلام) قَالَ لاَ يَسْجُدُ الرَّجُلُ عَلَى شَيْ‏ءٍ لَيْسَ عَلَيْهِ سَائِرُ جَسَدِهِ.

10. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Muhammad ibn Yahya from Ghiyath ibn Ibrahim who has said the following: “Ja’far (a.s.), has narrated from his father from Ali (a.s.), who have said, ‘One must not perform Sajdah (prostration) on an item on which none of the parts of his body rests.’” (According to Arabic footnote this Hadith is because of Taqiyah) 

11ـ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ سَعِيدٍ عَنْ فَضَالَةَ عَنْ أَبَانٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله عَنْ حُمْرَانَ عَنْ أَحَدِهِمَا (عَلَيْهِما الْسَّلام) قَالَ كَانَ أَبِي (عَلَيْهِ الْسَّلام) يُصَلِّي عَلَى الْخُمْرَةِ يَجْعَلُهَا عَلَى الطِّنْفِسَةِ وَيَسْجُدُ عَلَيْهَا فَإِذَا لَمْ تَكُنْ خُمْرَةٌ جُعِلَ حَصًى عَلَى الطِّنْفِسَةِ حَيْثُ يَسْجُدُ.

11. Ahmad ibn Muhammad has narrated from al-Husayn ibn Sa’id from Fadalah from Aban from ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn abu ‘Abd Allah from Humran from who has said the following: “One of the two Imam, (abu Ja’far or abu ‘Abd Allah), ‘Alayhim al-Salam, has said, ’My father would perform Sajdah (prostration) on a prayer mat. He would place it on Tanfash (carpet) and perform Sajdah (prostration) on it. If there was no prayer mat, he placed pebbles on Tanfash and performed Sajdah (prostration) on it.’” 

12ـ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ سَعِيدٍ عَنْ فَضَالَةَ عَنْ جَمِيلِ بْنِ دَرَّاجٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ الْسَّلام) أَنَّهُ كَرِهَ أَنْ يُسْجَدَ عَلَى قِرْطَاسٍ عَلَيْهِ كِتَابَةٌ.

12. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from al-Husayn ibn Sa‘id from Fadalah from Jamil ibn Darraj who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), disliked performing Sajdah (prostration) on a piece of paper with writing on it.’” 

13ـ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنِ الْعَمْرَكِيِّ النَّيْسَابُورِيِّ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ جَعْفَرٍ عَنْ أَخِيهِ مُوسَى بْنِ جَعْفَرٍ (عَلَيْهِ الْسَّلام) قَالَ سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الرَّجُلِ يُصَلِّي عَلَى الرَّطْبَةِ النَّابِتَةِ قَالَ فَقَالَ إِذَا أَلْصَقَ جَبْهَتَهُ بِالأرْضِ فَلاَ بَأْسَ وَعَنِ الْحَشِيشِ النَّابِتِ الثَّيِّلِ وَهُوَ يُصِيبُ أَرْضاً جَدَداً قَالَ لاَ بَأْسَ.

13. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from al-‘Amrakiy al-Naysaburiy from Ali ibn Ja’far from his brother Musa ibn Ja‘far, ‘Alayhim al-Salam, has said the following: “I once asked him (the Imam) (a.s.), about a man who performs Sajdah (prostration) on wet growing items. He (the Imam) said, ‘If your forehead touches the ground it is not harmful.’ I asked about stationary grass on the ground and dry leaves while he touches the ground. He (the Imam) said, ‘It is not harmful.’” 

14ـ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ أَنَّ بَعْضَ أَصْحَابِنَا كَتَبَ إِلَى أَبِي الْحَسَنِ الْمَاضِي (عَلَيْهِ الْسَّلام) يَسْأَلُهُ عَنِ الصَّلاَةِ عَلَى الزُّجَاجِ قَالَ فَلَمَّا نَفَذَ كِتَابِي إِلَيْهِ تَفَكَّرْتُ وَقُلْتُ هُوَ مِمَّا أَنْبَتَتِ الأرْضُ وَمَا كَانَ لِي أَنْ أَسْأَلَهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ فَكَتَبَ إِلَيَّ لاَ تُصَلِّ عَلَى الزُّجَاجِ وَإِنْ حَدَّثَتْكَ نَفْسُكَ أَنَّهُ مِمَّا أَنْبَتَتِ الأرْضُ وَلَكِنَّهُ مِنَ الْمِلْحِ وَالرَّمْلِ وَهُمَا مَمْسُوخَانِ. 

14. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Muhammad ibn al-Husayn who has said the following: “Certain ones of our people wrote to abu al-Hassan, the previous one (a.s.), asking about Salah (prayer) on glass. He has said that when my letter finished I thought and said to myself that it is something that grows from earth, so I do not need to write and ask him (the Imam). He (the Imam) wrote to me, ‘You must not perform Salah (prayer) on glass even though your soul has spoken to you that it is of what earth grows. However, it is from salt and sand and they both are metamorphosed.’” 

Al-Kāfi - Volume 3

Book 4, Chapter 27