Tabdeel-e-maahiyat

Rules and laws are also changed on the basis of tabdeel-e-maahiyat . For example, grape juice is pure. However, once it forms into another substance, i.e. alcohol, it becomes impure. When this alcohol forms into another substance, i.e. vinegar, it becomes pure once again. Tabdeel-e-maahiyat refers to the changing of a particular substance to another substance, the ruling regarding which is the complete opposite of the first substance. For example, an impure substance transforms itself into another substance which is regarded as pure. This impure substance (which transformed itself) will therefore be pure, e.g. manure is impure. However, when it turns into soil, (and we know that soil is pure), it will therefore be pure. Another example: an egg is pure. However, this egg turned into blood. Since blood is impure, this egg will now be considered to be impure. When a clot of this blood forms into meat, it will be considered to be pure because we know that meat is pure. If the change takes place in a thing in such a way that the ruling with regard to it is the same as that when it was prior to the change, then the same rule will apply to that thing (even though a change has taken place). If it was pure, it will be regarded as such. And if it was impure, it will be regarded as such. For example, a bone was burnt and it turned to ash. A bone is pure and ash is also pure. Therefore, despite a change taking place, it will still be pure. If sperm turns into blood, then although a change has taken place, it will still be impure because both sperm and blood are impure. And if a clot of blood turns into a piece of meat, it will become pure because a piece of meat is pure. If the change is not complete, i.e. the second substance was not formed from the first and just a partial change took place, then the rules will not change. For example, bread was made from impure wheat. Although the impure wheat changed its form and turned into bread, this is not regarded as the formation of a new substance.

Masa'il

1. If insects are sealed in a container and turned into oil through a heating process, it will not be permissible to consume this oil. This ruse is similar to that of removing the starch from impure wheat or removing the essence of impure water.

2. The smoke of all substances is pure. Smoke is actually the minute and extremely light particles of burnt items which rises on account of extreme heat. Alternatively, it could be minute pieces of coal. It is obvious that coal only forms after burning and burning is actually a form of tabdeel-e-maahiyat . As for steam or vapour, it is najis if it is emitted from something that is najis . This is because the quality of burning is not found in steam or vapour. It is that very water (or whatever liquid that is being burnt) which rises on account of it being heated. It is as if someone is throwing the water. If steam and smoke mix with each other, this mixture will be najis because something that is not najis has mixed with something that is najis . The method of identifying a mixture of steam and smoke is that if this mixture forms or collects on anything and begins dripping, it will be regarded as steam. If black steam rises from a moist object, this steam will be considered to be a mixture of steam and smoke.

3. If juice has been extracted from flesh (i.e. if soup is made from meat) and some blood or any other impure substance falls into it, then this extract will be najis and haraam . And if earthworms or other pure but not consumed substances are added to this soup, it will be haraam to drink it. In both cases tabdeel-e-maahiyat has not taken place.

4. The dry dung of a rabbit was added into a smoking pipe. It will be permissible to smoke this pipe if it is smoked in order to prevent the excessive passing of wind. This is because the smoke is pure even though it may have passed through water and because it was pure before it could pass through the water. If moist dung was filled into the pipe or dry dung was mixed in a syrup and then filled into the pipe, it will be najis on account of it being adulterated with steam. The entire pipe including its mouth will now be najis . Smoking such a pipe will now be haraam .

5. If any najis substance is added to water and thereafter put to boil in order to apply the steam to one's body or clothing, this will be similar to plastering or anointing the body with something that is pure. This means that the act in itself is permissible but the body or clothing will become impure. It will become impure on the condition that the steam collects at a certain place (of the body or clothing) and begins to drip. The mere steaming of the body or clothing (without any dripping of the steam) does not make it impure.

6. Sal-ammoniac was mixed with the urine of a donkey (or any other najis substance) and poured into a container. Another utensil was kept on top of this in such a manner that it sealed the bottom container (in order to prevent the steam from escaping). Thereafter, this was heated in such a way that the essence of the bottom container began accumulating on the top utensil. This substance that accumulated on the top utensil is not pure because it is actually the steam of that najis sal-ammoniac and we know that tabdeel-e-maahiyat does not take place in steam.

7. The ash of everything is pure because tabdeel-e-maahiyat has taken place. Based on this, the ash of man's bones and those of a pig is pure and halaal and could be used internally and externally. However, it should be borne in mind that it is not permissible for a Muslim to burn the bones of a human. If there is a need for such ash, it could be purchased from a mortuary.

8. If insects are added into oil, burnt thereafter, and then formed into coal, it will be permissible to consume that oil and coal and to apply it as well. This is because the quality of istikhbaath is no more found on account of tabdeel-e-maahiyat . If cow-dung or any other najis substance is added to oil and burnt, the dung or najis substance will become pure and halaal on account of tabdeel-e-maahiyat . However the oil will have to be cleaned thoroughly prior to using it. The oil will be najis because a najis substance has been added to it and it has not been purified through any other means. It could be used externally but not internally. When offering salaat , it should be washed off.

9. A fish that is in impure water is pure and halaal . The reason for this is that whatever water it may have consumed has become a part of it and tabdeel-e-maahiyat has taken place. Obviously, the water that is on its body will have to be washed off. If the offensive odour of the impure water is found in the fish, it will be makruh to consume it. Instead, this fish should be kept in pure water (while it is still alive) for three days and thereafter consumed. However, even in this case it will still be makruh to consume it. But it should be borne in mind that the karaahat (detestability) in eating this fish is less than the karaahat in eating a jallaalah . (For an explanation of a jallaalah , refer to the next mas'ala ).

10. A fowl was given sand lizards, earthworms, the fat of a lion or any other najis substance in order to fatten it. It will be permissible to eat such a fowl. However, if the smell of that substance appears in the fowl itself, it will be preferable to encage it and feed it with pure substances for at least three days. Thereafter, one may slaughter and consume it. Such an animal is known as a jallaalah in Islamic jurisprudence. Eating a jallaalah animal is makruh-e-tahrimi . But this refers to that animal which only eats najaasah and which thereby results in the odour of that najaasah being found in its meat. If it does not confine itself to najaasah only (but eats other pure substances as well) then it will not be makruh-e-tahrimi to consume such an animal. However, it is preferable to encage such an animal as well for three days, feed it with pure substances only and thereafter consume it.

One of the methods of feeding a najis substance to an animal is that you should not feed it directly with your hands. Instead, go and keep that substance at a certain place (not in the presence of the animal) and drive the animal towards it. It will then eat on its own accord. Similarly, if you wish to make vinegar from alcohol, take the vinegar to the alcohol and add it into it. Do not take the alcohol to the vinegar.

11. If the steam of impure water gets onto the body, we will only say that the body has become impure if the steam accumulates on the body and begins to drip. The mere heat of the steam getting onto the body will not render it impure. Just as we will not give a ruling of impurity by the mere entry of an impure odour to the brain, in the same way, if the evil odour of smoke or steam from a najis substance gets into one's clothing or body, then we will not say that the clothing or body is now najis .

12. A certain substance was filled in a clay pot. Thereafter this pot was buried in horse-dung or any other najis substance. Two months later, this pot was removed. If the pot became wet on account of the najis substance, or if one perceives the foul odour of that najis substance emanating from the original substance or from the pot itself, then the original substance will be impure. If not, it will be pure. It would be preferable to smear the top of the pot with coal tar, resin or any other similar substance whereby the impurity will not be able to penetrate the pot. The reason is that burying the pot in horse-dung was not done in order for the dung to penetrate the pot. The purpose of burying it in the horse-dung was to obtain the special heat of the dung. Even if a steel pot is buried in sand, the required heat could be obtained.

13. The bones that occasionally come out from the excreta of sheep are pure. The impurity that surrounds them should be washed three times and thereafter dried. However, it will not be permissible to consume these bones because we do not know whether they belong to halaal or haraam animals.

14. The milk that curdles in the stomach of the young of an animal is pure and halaal . This is irrespective of whether it is from that of a camel or any other animal whose meat is consumed. The method of obtaining this milk is that a suckling animal is made to drink milk and slaughtered immediately thereafter. The milk (which it had drank a short while ago) is removed from its stomach. This milk is now slightly coagulated. The effect of this milk is that it can now thicken liquids and also soften things that are in a solid form. It also has other characteristics. It is from this that cheese is manufactured. Contrary to the normal ruling, this milk is regarded as halaal . It should be remembered that the normal rule is that whatever is in the stomach has the same rule as that of the excreta of that animal. However, the purity and permissibility of cheese is something that is established and agreed upon. It is for this reason that this milk is also considered to be pure and halaal . However, one cannot draw an analogy with this in order to make cud permissible. (Cud is haraam ).

15. Question : Can a Muslim doctor prescribe najis medicines to non-Muslim patients? If he can, does this include maytah and alcohol as well? Answer : This is permissible on the condition that the non-Muslim patient does not consider such medication to be najis or prohibited from his religious point of view. If he is informed later (regarding the permissibility or prohibition of such medication in his religion) but still chooses to consume such medication, it will be permissible for the Muslim doctor to prescribe such medication irrespective of whether the non-Muslim patient considers it to be permissible or not. Alcohol is also included in this permissibility on the condition that the Muslim doctor merely writes out a prescription or asks the patient verbally to obtain it. It will not be permissible for the doctor to keep such alcohol or any other najisul 'ayn medication and personally give it to his patients. It is not permissible for a Muslim to take any money for anything that is najis . For example, some traders sell alcohol and foreign meat. It is not permissible for them to take any money for such products even from non-Muslims. In this context, alcohol refers to the four types of alcohol that were mentioned in the beginning.

16. Question : Is it permissible to consume phosphorus? Answer : It is permissible because phosphorus is actually obtained from the ash of bones. And the ash of all bones is pure on the basis of tabdeel-e-maahiyat .