From: Indonesia
Assalamu’alaikum Dear Shafi’i Fiqh Team,
I red the al-Umm of Imam Syafi’i in the bab of water that flows and the water that not flows (kitab ath-thaharah). Imam Syafi’i said: when the portion of the water mix with the najis, such as blood etc, the not flows part will not najis if the quantity is five ‘qirab’. My question is, what kind of unit this ‘qirab’? In our modern unit (metric and imperial) how much is it in litre or in cubic feet?
Jazakumullahu khairan katsiran for your answer.
Wassalamu’alaikum.
Wa`alaikum Assalam Warahmatullahi wa Barakatuh
In his very beneficial book (Al-Makayeel Wal Mawazeen Ash-Shar’iyah) Islamic Measurements, our teacher Shaykh `Ali Gomaa Ash-Shafi`ie, the Grand Mufti of Egypt (May Allah preserve him and benefit us with his knowledge in both worlds) mentions:
القربة ظرف من الجلد يخرز من جانب واحد, وتستعمل لحفظ الماء واللبن ونحوهما.
مقدار القربة: مائة رطل بغدادي
فهي عند الحنفية: 40.625 كيلو جرام
وعند الجمهور: 38.250 كيلو جرام
Qirbah: Is a container made of leather which is stitched from one side. It is used for the preservation of water, milk and similar things.
The measurement of Qirbah is: 100 Ratl (rotl)
In the hanafi madhhab it is equal to: 40.625 Kg
According to the majority (the rest) it is equal to: 38.250 KG
It is worth noting that five qirab is equal to Qullatayn (2 Qullahs) as well. In the Shafi`ie madhhab, when water reaches the level of two qullahs, it is not contaminated by najasah (impurity) anymore.
One qullah is around: 95 kg according to the majority of schools. Therefore, we can say, that if we have 190 kg of water, that will be an amount that is not affected by najis.
Wallahu A`lam
Answered by: Shaykh Ahmed Sa’ad Al-Azhari