Najaasaat (Najis Things)

1. Ten things are Najisul ‘Ayn (essentially najis): urine, feces, semen, dead body, blood, dog, pig, kafir, alcoholic liquors, and the sweat of an animal that persistently eats najaasat.

2. Urine and Feces - Only the urine and feces of the following beings are najis, and that of other living things is tahir:

a. Human beings

b. Animals who are haram to eat, and whose blood gushes out with force when its large vein is cut. And if its blood does not gush out, then its urine and feces is najir by obligatory precaution.

Also, the urine and feces of an animal is najis when that animal lives by eating najis things.

3. Semen - The semen of human beings, and of every animal whose blood gushes when its large vein (jugular) is cut, is najis.

4. Dead Body - The dead body of a human and of any animal whose blood gushes forth with force is najis. Even if the animal is halal to eat but it is not killed in the Islamic way, then its dead body is najis. The dead body of other animals is not najis. irrespective of whether it dies a natural death, or is killed in a manner other than that prescribed by Islam. As the blood o f a fish does not gush forth, its dead body is Pak, even if it dies in water.

5. The parts of a dead body which do not contain life like, wool, hair, teeth, nails, bones and horns are tahir.

If a part that has life is cut from the body then it is najis. Pieces of skin from the lips or other parts of the body are tahir.

7. Blood – Only the blood of a human and animals whose blood gushes when its large vein is cut, is najis.

8. Dogs and Pigs – They are najis, and even their hair, bones, paws and nails, and every liquid substance of their body, is najis.

9. Kafir - An infidel, meaning a person who does not believe in Allah and His Oneness, is najis. Anyone who believes that the 12 Imams are God, or anyone who is an enemy to the Imams, is najis. Also, those who deny Prophethood or any of the necessary laws of Islam, like prayer and fasting, are najis.

It is possible that the Jews and Christians are not najis, but it is better to avoid them.

The entire body of a Kafir, including his hair and nails, and all liquid substances of his body, are najis.

10. Alcoholic Liquor - All alcoholic liquors and drinks that intoxicate a person are najis.

All kinds of industrial alcohol used for painting doors, windows, tables, chairs etc. are tahir.

11. Sweat of an Animal Who Persistently Eats Najasat - The sweat of every animal that has a habit of eating najasat is najis.

12. Ways of Proving Najasat - There are three ways of proving the najasat of anything:

a. One should be certain or satisfied that something is najis.

b. If a reliable person who possesses, controls or manages a thing says that it is najis.

c. If two just persons testify that a certain thing is najis, provided that their testimony deals with the reason for najasat.

13. A thing which was originally najis, and one doubts whether it has become tahir, will be considered as najis. And if a thing was originally tahir, and if one doubts whether it has become najis, it will be considered Pak. And one does not have to investigate.

14. How a Pak Thing Becomes Najis - If a tahir thing touches a najis thing and if either or both of them are so wet that the wetness of one reaches the other, the tahir thing will become najis. And this new najis thing can also make something else najis. But if one doubts whether either or both of them were wet, the tahir thing does not become najis.

15. If an insect sits on wet, najis thing, and later sits on a wet, tahir thing, the tahir thing will become najis, as long as one is sure that the insect was carrying najasat with it, and if one is not sure then it remains tahir.

16. Rules Regarding Najasaat

a To make the Qur'an najis is haram, and if it becomes najis, it should immediately be made tahir with water.

b. If giving the Qur'an to a kafir involves its desecration, it is haram to give it to him, and it is obligatory to take it back.

c. If a page from the Qur'an, or a paper with the names of Allah, the Prophet or the Imams falls in a lavatory, it is obligatory to take it out and make it tahir with water, no matter how much it costs. And if this is not possible, the lavatory should be closed until one is certain that the page has dissolved. It is the same for Turbatul Husayn.

d. It is haram to eat or drink or make others eat or drink something which has become najis.

e. If someone wants to sell or lend a najis thing, then he must tell the buyer about it in the following two situations:

- If he is not told he might break the law of Shariah.

- If the buyer or the borrower will follow the advice. If telling him will have no effect, then one does not have to tell him.

f. If part of a man's house is najis, and the wet body or dress of his visitor will touch it then he should tell the visitor, as long as the two situations in part “e” hold true.

g. If the host learns that the food is najis he should inform the guests about it.

h. If a borrowed object becomes najis, the borrower must inform the owner, provided the situations mentioned in part “e” are observed.

i. If a child says that a thing is najis, or that he has washed and made it tahir, his word should not be accepted. But, if he is about to attain the age of puberty and assures that he has washed and made it tahir, his word should be accepted if the thing is normally in his charge, and if he is reliable.