Answered by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Question: Assalamu alaykum
Is the water that splashes on thigh/leg/feet area during istinja (while washing of private parts) impure?
I feel like im spending so much time in washroom because of this, constantly washing my leg and even sandles.
Answer: Wa ‘alaykum as-salam wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh.
I pray you are well.
Difficult-to-avoid impurities are excused
No, the splashes on the legs and feet are not impure. Impurity is a ruling given by the Sharīʿa to something. In general, when there is great difficulty avoiding impurity – such as splashes when relieving oneself – it is excused. An explicit example of this is small splashes of urine coming into contact with one’s body of clothes.
The Sharīʿa deems them to be pure in this situation, even if they come into contact with one clothes or other objects.
This is usually an issue with eastern toilets where one is required to squat. When finished you can simply pour a small amount of water over your feet and move on. The default assumption is that the floor, the sandals, and your person are all now pure. (Ibn ʿAbidin, Radd al-Muhtar).
The attitude of the Companions towards impurity
The Companions and the early Muslims did not have access to a large amount of water, toilet paper, etc. When there was a clearly visible impurity they removed it and moved on. They did not worry about remote possibilities. (Birgivi, al-Tariqa al-Muhammadiyya)
A simple solution is to learn the basic rules of purity and prayer and apply them without worrying about minute details. A great place to start is is the Absolute Essentials course we offer for free. If you are still having doubts then find a practicing Muslim who does not have these doubts and ask them to show you how they go about cleaning the house, etc, and do it the same way without any extra attention to detail.
May Allah grant you the best of both worlds.
Wassalam,
[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim Reasat