Sweat and its ruling on purity (araq)

العَرَق

In the lexicon, araq is the water that flows from the roots of the hair through the skin. Jurists use it in two senses: what exudes from the body, and a spirit distilled from wine ¹. Human sweat is pure for all jurists, whether from a Muslim or a non-Muslim, a sober or intoxicated person, or someone in a state of menstruation or major impurity ². For animal sweat the Hanafis divide it into pure, impure, disliked and doubtful: pure is that of edible animals and the horse; impure that of the dog, the pig and predatory beasts; disliked that of the cat, a free hen, predatory birds and house vermin; doubtful that of the donkey and the mule ² ³. The Malikis hold that the sweat of every living animal is pure, whether it lives on land or sea and even if it is a dog or a pig ³. The Shafi'is and Hanbalis make the sweat follow the animal: pure if the animal is pure; the Shafi'is treat all animals as pure except the dog and the pig, and the Hanbalis list the impure animals by name ³ ⁴. The spirit distilled from wine has the ruling of wine: it is impure, and whoever drinks it is liable to the prescribed punishment, which on the preferred view applies even to a single drop ⁴.

Summary

In the lexicon, araq is the water that flows from the roots of the hair through the skin. Jurists use it in two senses: what exudes from the body, and a spirit distilled from wine ¹.

Human sweat

The jurists hold human sweat to be pure, whatever the person's religion, sobriety, or state of menstruation or major impurity ².

Animal sweat

The Hanafis divide animal sweat into pure, impure, disliked and doubtful. Pure is that of edible animals and the horse; impure that of the dog, the pig and predatory beasts; disliked that of the cat, a free hen, predatory birds and house vermin; doubtful that of the donkey and the mule ² ³. The Malikis hold the sweat of every living animal to be pure ³. The Shafi'is and Hanbalis make the sweat follow the animal's ruling, though they differ on which animals are impure ³ ⁴.

Spirit distilled from wine

The spirit distilled from wine has the ruling of wine: it is impure, and drinking it incurs the prescribed punishment, on the preferred view even for a single drop ⁴.

Where to look further

The general rules of purity and impurity are treated under «purity and impurity» ⁴.

Sources

al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.11568

al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.11569

al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.11570

al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.11571

The ruling on one who abandons prayer

Al-Sallabi quotes Ali: whoever does not pray is an unbeliever. He then reports from al-Nawawi the dispute over one who neglects prayer while believing it obligatory: the majority (Malik, al-Shafi'i) hold him a sinner to be asked to repent, others hold him an unbeliever, a view ascribed to Ali; Abu Hanifa and the Kufans hold him not an unbeliever but to be disciplined.