Leftover water and food: pure, disliked, doubtful or impure
Whose leftover water or food (jutha) is pure, which are merely disliked, which are doubtful, and which are impure.
"Leftover" (jutha) means water or food that has already touched someone's or something's mouth. Whether you can still use it depends on whose mouth touched it.
| Whose leftover | Can you use it? |
|---|---|
| A person, anyone at all, as long as they haven't just had something impure like alcohol | Yes, it's pure |
| A horse, a lawful farm animal or bird, a fish or other water animal, or a small creature without flowing blood | Yes, it's pure |
| A cat, rat, lizard, crow, hawk, or a chicken or cow that eats filth | Better not to, but it isn't impure, just disliked |
| A mule (born from a female donkey) or a donkey | Best to avoid it, since it's unclear |
| A pig, a dog, or an elephant | No: it's impure |
Jutha (leftover water or food) takes its ruling from whoever or whatever last touched it with their mouth.
| Category | Whose leftover | Ruling |
|---|---|---|
| Pure | Any human being (Muslim or non-Muslim, male or female, junub or menstruating) provided they have not just consumed something impure such as alcohol or pork; horses; lawful animals, four-legged or birds; aquatic animals; and animals without flowing blood, whether lawful or unlawful to eat | Pure, and may be used |
| Makruh (disliked) | Animals unlawful to eat that live indoors, such as cats, rats and lizards, and birds such as crows, hawks and eagles; also lawful animals that roam freely and eat whatever they find, such as stray chickens and filth-eating cows or buffaloes, as long as their mouths are not currently dirtied by it | Makruh tanzeehi: better avoided, but not impure |
| Doubtful (mashkook) | A mule born of a female donkey and a male horse; a donkey | Best avoided, out of caution |
| Impure | Animals entirely unlawful to eat, such as pigs, dogs and elephants | Impure: cannot be used |
A mule born of a female horse (rather than a female donkey) does not fall under the doubtful category.
Human sweat is pure.
The sweat and saliva of an animal follow the same ruling as its leftover: pure if the leftover is pure, and impure or doubtful if the leftover is impure or doubtful. The saliva from an elephant's trunk is impure.
Suʾr, leftover water or food, takes the ruling of whatever last touched it with its mouth.
| Category | Whose leftover | Ruling |
|---|---|---|
| Ṭāhir (pure) | Any human being, Muslim or non-Muslim, male or female, junub or menstruating, provided they have not just consumed something impure such as alcohol or pork; the horse; lawful animals, quadruped or avian; aquatic creatures; and any creature without sāʾil (flowing) blood, whether lawful or unlawful to eat | Pure, and usable without qualification |
| Makrūh tanzīhī | Unlawful animals kept indoors (cats, rats, lizards) and birds such as crows, hawks and eagles; also lawful free-roaming animals that eat whatever they find, such as stray chickens and jallālah (filth-eating) cattle, provided their mouths are not presently soiled by it | Disliked, though not impure |
| Mashkūk (doubtful) | A mule born of a female donkey and a male horse; the donkey | To be avoided as a matter of caution, though not ruled impure outright |
| Najis (impure) | Animals entirely unlawful to eat: the pig, the dog, the elephant | Impure without qualification |
A mule born of a female horse rather than a female donkey is expressly excluded from the doubtful category.
Where an animal whose leftover is normally pure has just consumed something impure and then puts its mouth to a pure item, that item becomes impure. Once sufficient time has passed for the mouth to be naturally cleansed, contact no longer transmits impurity: the example given is a cat that drinks immediately after eating a rat, which renders the liquid impure.
Human sweat is ṭāhir.
An animal's sweat and saliva carry the same ruling as its suʾr: pure where the suʾr is pure, and impure or doubtful where the suʾr is impure or doubtful. The saliva of an elephant's trunk is specifically ruled impure.
This is the English translation of Nisab Ahle Khidmaat Sharia, exactly as the book has it, for the passages this page was written from. About 459 words. Switch back to Guide for the rewritten version.
Rulings of Leftovers (Jhuta)
- Leftover water or food touched by a person is considered pure as long as they haven’t recently eaten or drunk anything impure (like alcohol or dead animals). Similarly, the leftovers of clean animals such as horses, cows, buffaloes, goats, and chickens are also pure, as long as their mouths are not contaminated with anything impure.
- The leftovers of cats, mice, lizards, and birds that are haram (forbidden to eat), such as crows and kites, are considered disliked (makruh). This also applies to stray chickens and animals that eat impure things, like cows or buffaloes that have eaten something impure, provided their mouths are not currently dirty with impurity.
- The leftovers of animals like mules (if they are born from female donkeys) and donkeys are considered doubtful. It’s best to avoid using them.
- The leftovers of impure animals, such as dogs or any other haram animals, are considered impure. Additionally, if any animal (whose leftover is usually pure) has eaten or drunk something impure and then drinks from or touches a pure thing with its mouth, that thing also becomes impure.
Rulings of Leftovers (Jhoota) 42. Those Whose Leftovers Are Pure
- A human’s leftovers are pure, whether the person is Muslim or non-Muslim, male or female, in a state of ritual impurity (like junub) or menstruating, provided they have not consumed something impure like alcohol or pork.
- The leftovers of horses, lawful animals (whether four-legged or birds), aquatic animals, and animals without flowing blood (whether lawful or unlawful to consume) are all pure. However, leftovers of wandering chickens and filth-eating cows are considered undesirable (makruh).
Rulings of Leftovers (Jhoota) 43. Those Whose Leftovers Are Makruh (Undesirable)
The leftovers of unlawful animals that live indoors, like cats, rats, and lizards, as well as birds like crows, hawks, and eagles, are makruh tanzeehi (mildly disliked). Additionally, lawful animals that freely roam and consume whatever they find, such as chickens and filth-eating cows, have undesirable leftovers. If a cat immediately drinks after eating a rat, the liquid becomes impure.
Rulings of Leftovers (Jhoota) 44. Those Whose Leftovers Are Doubtful (Mashkook)
The leftovers of a mule born from a female donkey and a male horse are doubtful, as well as those of a donkey. (Note: A mule born from a female horse does not fall under this doubtful category.)
Rulings of Leftovers (Jhoota) 45. Those Whose Leftovers Are Impure (Napaak)
- The leftovers of entirely unlawful animals like pigs, dogs, and elephants are impure.
- If an animal whose leftovers are pure consumes something impure and then immediately puts its mouth in something, that item becomes impure. However, if enough time has passed that the animal has cleansed its mouth naturally, it will not render the item impure.
Rulings of Leftovers (Jhoota) 46. Rulings on Sweat and Saliva
- Human sweat is pure.
- The sweat and saliva of animals follow the same ruling as their leftovers: if their leftover is pure, their sweat and saliva are also pure; if impure or doubtful, then the sweat and saliva carry the same status.
- The saliva from an elephant’s trunk is considered impure.
Terms on this page
Related
- Severe and light impurity, what is excused, and what is not impure at all What counts as severe or light impurity, how much of each is excused on the body or clothes, and things that are not impure at all.
- What makes a well impure, and how to purify it What does and does not make well water impure, how many buckets purify it, bucket size, and how long the impurity is assumed to last.
- Lawful (halal) and unlawful (haram) animals Which land animals, birds, and water creatures are lawful (halal) to eat, which are unlawful (haram), and the rules for offspring, milk and eggs.
- Legal and physical impurity, and the ways things are purified The difference between legal impurity (hadath) and physical impurity (najasah), and the twelve recognised ways of purifying something.