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Urine/feces of animals halal to us considered najaasa/najis?

Answered as per Hanafi Fiqh by Qibla.com

Answered by Shaykh Ilyas Patel

I have heard that the urine and feces of animals halal to us are not deemed filth or najaasa, and thus do not invalidate wudoo. Is this true? I imagine it is recommended to still wipe/wash off the excretory matter. My second question: Are guinea pigs considered halal? I know that they are considered rodents (NOT related to pigs), and consume an entirely vegetarian diet. The reason I ask is that I know they are raised as food in some areas of the world, especially in South America.

Answer:
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

In the name of Allah Most Compassionate Merciful

I hope you are fine and in the best of health and iman.

a) Urine of halal animals is a light filth (najasa khafifa) The faeces of halal animals is a major impurity (najasa ghalidha).

Heavy filth differs from light filth in the amount of it that is excused. One’s prayer is valid even if one is soiled with heavy filth so long as the amount of filth does not exceed the size of a dirham (about the size of a circle with a 6cm diameter) if the filth is liquid in nature or the weight of a dirham (about 5grams) if the filth is solid in nature.

Light filth on the other hand is excused up to the size of a limb e.g. finger, elbow,arm,etc.

However it is recommended to remove filth on one’s person no matter how small the quantity.

b)

Two things need to be looked at in animals to be considered halal to consume: whether it is predatory or filth eating. Guinea pigs mostly eat grass and other vegetables but they supplement their diet by eating their own faeces. Hence, they will be considered haram to consume.

Below is an extract from Wikipedia:

Grass is the guinea pig’s natural diet. Their molars are particularly suited for grinding plant matter, and grow continuously throughout the animal’s life. Most grass-eating mammals are quite large and have a long digestive tract; while guinea pigs have much longer colons than most rodents, they must also supplement their diet by practicing coprophagy, the eating of their own feces.[71] However, they do not consume their feces indiscriminately. They produce special soft pellets, called cecotropes, which recycle B vitamins, fiber, and bacteria required for proper digestion.[72] The cecotropes (or caecal pellets) are eaten directly from the anus, unless the guinea pig is pregnant or obese.[45] They share this behaviour with rabbits.

And Allah alone knows best

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