Answered by Shaykh Sohail Hanif, SunniPath Academy Teacher
What is the ruling on curry falling on ones clothing? the curry I am referring to is chicken, cow i.e. all meat, I am always worried about eating curry as I am worried it might fall on clothing and make me napaak.
Assalamu alaykum
Curry is not considered impure unless some of its ingredients are impure such as the meat used not having been slaughtered properly.
As for what one should do if curry does fall onto one’s clothing, there appears to be a difference of opinion regarding this depending on which strata of the society one belongs to. People concerned with appearing respectable would consider such clothing very filthy indeed and would not accept to wear it unless washed or dry cleaned, the important consideration being removal of all traces of the curry. Others consider it acceptable to go along their daily chores in such clothing as long as the curry stain does not exceed the size of a gulab jaman (Pakistani sweet). People totally unconcerned with what people think consider all amounts of curry excusable and make no haste to wash it off as it reminds them of the blessing of Allah.
May Allah remind us always of his blessings.
The Oxford English Dictionary defined curry:
(“kVrI) Forms: (6 carriel, 7 carree), 8 carrye, curree, kerry, 8 currie, curry. [a. Tamil kari sauce, relish for rice, Canarese karil, whence Pg. caril, and earlier Eng. and Fr. forms; mod.F. is cari.]
1. a. A preparation of meat, fish, fruit, or vegetables, cooked with a quantity of bruised spices and turmeric, and used as a relish or flavouring, esp. for dishes composed of or served with rice. Hence, a curry = a dish or stew (of rice, meat, etc.) flavoured with this preparation (or with curry-powder).
1598 W. Phillips Linschoten 88 (Y.) Most of their fish is eaten with rice, which they seeth in broth, which they put upon the rice, and is somewhat soure+but it tasteth well, and is called Carriel. 1681 R. Knox Hist. Ceylon 12 They+boyl them [fruits] to make Carrees, to use the Portuguez word, that is somewhat to eat with and relish their Rice. 1747 Art of Cookery 52 To make a Currey the Indian way. 1766 Grose Voy. E. Indies (1772) I. 150 (Y.) The currees are infinitely various, being a sort of fricacees to eat with rice, made of any animals or vegetables. 1848 Thackeray Lett., If you can come to dinner, there’s a curry. 1891 Sharman Fam. Cookery 16 Pour the curry on the dish with the rice.