The Hanafi Madhhab

The Hanafis classify water in two ways:

1. General classification:
   • Ṭāhir muṭahhir (pure and purifying): water that remains in its original created state.
   • Ṭāhir ghayr muṭahhir (pure but not purifying): water used to lift ḥadath or for devotional actions.
   • Najis (impure): small amounts of water in which najāsah has fallen and changed one of its attributes (smell, colour, taste), whether the water is still or flowing.

2. Detailed classification (ḥukm-based):

• • Ṭāhir muṭahhir ghayr makrūh: water that lifts both ḥadath and khabath, and is not disliked.
  • Ṭāhir muṭahhir makrūh: pure and purifying but disliked to use when other water is available. This includes the sūr (leftover) of animals like cats or chickens that may have contacted filth. If such animals are confined and their mouths are clean, their water is not makrūh. The same applies to birds of prey.

• • • Ṭāhir ghayr muṭahhir: pure in itself but cannot lift ḥadath. This includes:
      • Māʾ mustaʿmal (used water): water used for removing ritual impurity, such as that which separates from the body during wuḍūʾ. Though clean, it is makrūh to reuse it for purification. It may be used to remove khabath if no other water is available.
      • Water from trees or fruits.
      • Water that loses its thinness after cooking with pure solids (e.g., lentils or chickpeas).
      • Water that takes a new name when mixed with something pure, such as liquorice water.
    • Māʾ najis: divided into two types:

• • • Flowing water: not najis unless a change in its attributes occurs.
    • Still water:
    • If small: becomes najis as soon as impurity falls in, even without visible change.
    • If large: not najis unless an attribute is changed. A large amount is where one end does not ripple when the other is disturbed.
  • Māʾ mashkūk fī ṭahāratihi (water with doubtful purifying ability): such as the sūr of animals like the domesticated donkey, whose permissibility is disputed.

The Maliki Madhhab

According to the Mālikis, all water is ṭāhir muṭahhir by default, no matter the source or natural characteristic, as long as it remains liquid and has not mixed with something external. This includes rain, sea, well, salty, or fresh water.

They divide water into:

• Māʾ muṭlaq (absolute water): purification is valid with it. It may have slight changes due to natural elements like mud, moss, or land-based saltiness, and still be considered muṭlaq.
• Māʾ mudāf (added water): water whose attributes are changed due to mixing with a substance that is not naturally part of it.This is of two kinds:
  • Mudāf najis: if najāsah changes the taste, smell, or colour. The ruling applies equally to small and large amounts, still or flowing. If the impurity is solid and does not change the water, it remains muṭahhir, though it is makrūh to use if other water is available. Such water cannot be used for worship or consumption unless there is ḍarūrah (necessity), such as in the desert.
  • Mudāf ṭāhir: changed by pure substances like milk, vinegar, camphor, or perfume. It is ṭāhir but cannot lift ḥadath.

The Mālikis also list muṭahhir water that is makrūh to use in some cases:

• Water heated by the sun in copper vessels (disliked for health reasons).
• Extremely hot or cold water that causes pain and distracts from khushūʿ.
• Still water, even in large amounts, if an animal with flowing blood dies in it but no change occurs.
• Small amounts of water touched by najāsah without change.
• Water drunk by dogs or wild animals.
• Water drunk or touched by habitual drinkers of alcohol.

The Shafi‘i Madhhab

The Shāfiʿis classify water into four categories:

1. Ṭāhir muṭahhir ghayr makrūh: pure and purifying, not disliked. This is māʾ muṭlaq (absolute water).
2. Ṭāhir muṭahhir makrūh: includes water that is too hot or cold, or water from cursed nations (like the people of Thamūd, the well affected by siḥr, or the water of the people of Lūṭ). Used only if no other water is found and prayer time is ending.
3. Ṭāhir ghayr muṭahhir: includes water:
   • That has been used to lift ḥadath akbar or aṣghar (major or minor impurity), like the first wash.
   • That has been changed in attribute by something pure and inseparable, like musk or saffron, removing the name “water.”
4. Najis: includes water:
   • Contaminated by visible najāsah in small amounts.
   • Large amounts only become najis if an attribute changes.
   • If the impurity is subtle (like urine whose smell is gone), it is still najis.

The Hanbali Madhhab

The Ḥanābilah divide water into three types:

1. Ṭāhir muṭahhir: water that remains as created. Some forms are makrūh (e.g., changed by natural but non-mixing things), and some are ḥarām to use, like usurped water or water from the cursed well of Thamūd.
2. Ṭāhir ghayr muṭahhir: includes water changed by pure substances or small amounts of used water.
3. Najis: always forbidden to use. Includes water changed by najāsah or touched by impurity while still being a small amount. This applies to both flowing and still water.

Summary of the Four Madhhabs on Water

All four madhhabs agree that water is either muṭahhir (can be used for purification) or najis (cannot). The key difference lies in whether the water’s attributes—taste, colour, or smell—have changed due to najāsah.

Important Definitions Regarding Impurity

• Ḥaqīqī najāsah (physical impurity): perceivable impurity, either inherently impure (like urine or menstrual blood) or made impure by contact. It must be removed by washing until no trace (taste, colour, or smell) remains.
• Ḥukmī najāsah (legal impurity): such as ḥadath, which includes minor impurity (breaking wuḍūʾ) and major impurity (requiring ghusl). It also includes impurity where the exact location is unknown, like dried urine without smell. In this case, a general washing suffices. (Sources: Badāʾiʿ aṣ-Ṣanāʾiʿ, Tuḥfat al-Fuqahāʾ, Mawāhib al-Jalīl, Bidāyat al-Mujtahid, al-Iqnāʿ, al-Insāf)

End of Summary

Full Article

The Hanafi Madhhab

When looking into the books of the Hanafis, we find that they have two classifications for water. The first is a general classification which summarises that water is divided into three types: pure and purifying, which is the water that remains upon the attributes of its original creation; pure but not purifying, which is any water that was used to remove a state of ritual impurity or was used for an act of worship; and impure water, which is a small amount of water in which impurity has fallen and has changed one of its characteristics, whether it is flowing or still.

The second classification is a detailed one, and they call it the classification of water in terms of its legal attributes. It includes several types:

1. Pure and purifying water that is not disliked to use. This is the water that removes ritual impurity and removes physical impurity.
2. Pure and purifying water that is disliked to use out of caution, when other water is available. This includes water drunk by an animal such as a cat or a domestic chicken that roams in filth, and it is not known whether its beak is free of impurity, so its leftover water is disliked due to doubt. But if that is not the case, then it is not disliked, such as when it is confined and its beak does not reach filth. The same applies to water drunk by birds of prey.
3. Water that is pure in itself but not purifying for others. This has four categories:

• Used water. This may be drunk and used if it is clean, though it is mildly disliked to use it for removing ritual impurity. However, it can be used to remove physical impurity if no other water is available. They define it as water used to remove a state of ritual impurity, such as the leftover water of wudu, the water that separates from the body of one performing purification, or water used on the body with the intention of devotion, like repeating wudu or washing the hands before eating. Water becomes used in their view once it separates from the body, even if it has not yet settled.
• Water that comes from trees or fruits.
• Water whose thinness has been removed by cooking, such as water from chickpeas or lentils, or water mixed with solid pure substances that remove its flow.
• Water that has taken on a different name due to being mixed with pure solids, even if its flow remains, such as liquorice, the well-known drink.

4. Impure water. This is of two types:

• Flowing water. This is what people consider to be flowing water. This water is not considered impure unless one of its attributes is changed, such as its colour, taste, or smell.
• Still water. This is either a small amount or a large amount. The small amount becomes impure by the mere falling of impurity into it, even if no change is seen. As for the large amount, it is that in which its parts do not mix, meaning one end does not move when the other end is moved. The ruling on large amounts of water is that it does not become impure unless one of its attributes is changed. If the impurity is visible and apparent, then one should not perform wudu from that area.

5. Water that is pure but its purifying ability is in doubt. This is the leftover water of every animal whose permissibility of consumption is disputed, such as the domestic donkey (Badāʾiʿ as-Sanāʾiʿ 1/15, Radd al-Muḥtār 1/179, Tuḥfat al-Mulūk 1/20).

The Maliki Madhhab

According to this madhhab, the default ruling regarding all water is that it is pure and purifies, regardless of its characteristics or sources, whether it is from the sky, the earth, the sea, a river, a spring, a well, whether it is salty or fresh, still or flowing, as long as it remains in its original liquid form or has melted after freezing. The exception is water whose attributes have changed, namely its colour, taste, or smell, or any one of these. They sometimes divide water into two types:

1. Absolute water. This is water by which purification can be achieved. It is the water whose characteristics have not changed by something that usually separates from it and is not a part of it or naturally produced by it. Thus, water that changes due to mud is still considered absolute, because mud is part of its place of rest. Similarly, water that changes due to remaining still for a long time, or due to moss, or when it changes from fresh to salty due to the nature of its land or long duration, is all considered absolute.
2. Added water. This is the opposite of absolute water. It is water whose attributes have changed due to mixing with something that usually separates from it. This is of two types:

• Added impure water. Water becomes impure whether it is a small or large amount if impurity falls into it and changes one of its three attributes: taste, smell, or colour. If it does not change any attribute, such as if the impurity is solid, then it remains purifying. There is no difference between flowing and still water in this. However, it is disliked to use such water if other water is available.
• This kind of water is not allowed to be used for acts of worship or daily use. It is forbidden to use it in cooking, drinking, or any other purpose unless in extreme necessity, such as if someone is lost in the desert and his survival depends on drinking impure water. In that case, it is allowed for him to drink it.
• Added pure water. This depends on what is mixed with it. Water that has changed due to camphor or other perfume, or milk, vinegar, or other liquids or solids, is considered added pure water. It is pure but not purifying.

They also mention another type of water: pure and purifying water that is disliked to use. This includes water heated by the sun, whether small or large, in a container such as copper or similar materials. Its dislike is due to medical reasons, not religious ones.

It also includes water that is extremely hot or extremely cold to the point that it does not harm the body, but distracts the one performing purification from khushu, due to pain from the heat or cold, or prevents complete purification.

It also includes still water even if in large amounts, water in which a land animal with flowing blood has died but the water has not changed, a small amount of water in which impurity has fallen but has not changed it, water in which a dog has drunk, and the leftover of any animal that does not avoid impurity, if it is difficult to avoid it, such as birds and predators.

Also included is water in which a person who is known to habitually drink alcohol has drunk, or if he has washed a limb of his body in it (at-Talqīn 1/54, ath-Thamar ad-Dānī 1/36, at-Tāj wa al-Ikhlīl 1/43).

The Shafi‘i Madhhab

Water is divided into four types according to the Shafi‘is:

1. Water that is pure in itself and purifying for others, and it is not disliked to use. This is absolute water.
2. Water that is pure, and one must use it if no other water is found and the prayer time is about to end. This also includes water that is extremely hot or cold, which is mildly disliked due to it preventing complete purification. It also includes the water of the homes of Thamud, and all water of nations that were under divine anger, the water of the people of Lut, and the water of the well in which the sihr was placed for the Messenger of Allah. Allah transformed that water until it became like the liquid of soaked henna.
3. Water that is pure in itself but not purifying for others. This is a small amount of water that has been used in the obligatory act of purification from ritual impurity, such as the first wash. Also included is water whose taste, colour, or smell has changed by something pure that cannot be separated from it, such as musk, saffron, water from trees, semen, or salt, in a way that removes the name “water” from it, whether the water was small or large.
4. Impure water, or contaminated water. This is water into which impurity has fallen or has come into contact with visible impurity and is small in quantity. Large amounts of water do not become impure unless they are changed by the impurity. Even if the change is small or estimated, it is impure, such as if liquid impurity falls into it and shares its qualities, like urine whose smell has faded. Even if it differs in its strongest attributes, such as the colour of ink, the taste of vinegar, or the smell of musk, it is still impure (al-Iqnāʿ fī Ḥall Alfāẓ Abī Shujāʿ 1/19–21, at-Tanbīh 1/13).

The Hanbali Madhhab

As for the Hanbalis, they divide water into three types:

1. Purifying water. This is water that remains as it was created. Some of it is disliked to use, such as water that has changed due to non-mixing substances, and some of it is forbidden to use for removing impurity or ritual washing, such as water that is usurped or any water other than the well of the she-camel of Thamud.
2. Pure water that does not remove ritual impurity or physical impurity. This is water that has changed due to being mixed with a pure substance. This also includes small amounts of water that were used to remove ritual impurity.
3. Impure water. It is forbidden to use this in all cases. It is water that has changed due to impurity outside the place of purification or has come into contact with impurity while being a small amount. Flowing water and still water are the same in this regard (al-Mughnī 1/36, Kashshāf al-Qināʿ 1/35–40, Maṭālib Uli an-Nuhā 1/34–35).

A Summary of the Four Madhhabs Regarding the Types of Water

The conclusion of the views of the four madhhabs concerning the types of water is that water is generally divided into two types: purifying and impure. The main point of distinction between the two is the change of colour, taste, or smell due to impurity.

Among the important introductions that must be kept in mind when discussing water is that impurity, as classified by the jurists, is of two types: physical impurity and legal impurity. The details are as follows:

1. As for physical impurity, it is anything that is perceptible through the senses by its colour, taste, or smell. It is of two kinds: what is impure in itself, and what becomes impure through contact. That which is impure in itself, in general, cannot be purified in any way, such as urine, faeces, and menstrual blood.
2. As for that which becomes impure by contact, it must be purified by removing the impurity from it, including its attributes of colour, taste, or smell, or whichever of those is present, if possible (Badāʾiʿ as-Sanāʾiʿ 1/68, Tuḥfat al-Fuqahāʾ 1/59, Mawāhib al-Jalīl 1/159, Bidāyat al-Mujtahid 1/61, al-Iqnāʿ of ash-Shirbīnī 1/31, al-Insāf 1/29).
3. As for legal impurity, it includes anything that is considered an event, whether minor or major, and also includes physical impurity that is known to be present but its exact location is unknown, such as dried urine where no smell or trace remains. This is purified by washing the area generally, just as in the washing of limbs in ritual purification. The area of impurity is the private part from which impurity exits, yet it is required to wash other limbs too, and for this type, it is sufficient to run water over the area once (same references as above).