Impurity being transferred onto the body

Question:-

My cat had pus coming out of a wound. It touched my hand. I cleaned it with a cloth. Later, I went to the washroom for natural reasons but I didn’t remember to wash my hands. By answering the call of nature and purifying myself, is the impurity transferred to body? Do I have to repeat salah?

Answer:- 

The pus, blood, urine and feces of a cat are impure. Wiping off impurities with a cloth does not suffice in cleansing the hand. The hand will have to be washed with water or a pure liquid, for the impurity to be removed. Now, if the impure hand was dried with a cloth, then the impurity will not transfer from the hand onto the body.

وَيَجُوزُ تَطْهِيرُ النَّجَاسَةِ بِالْمَاءِ وَبِكُلِّ مَائِعٍ طَاهِرٍ (الجوهرة النيرة ص36 ج1)

However, we assume that you renewed your Wudhu before performing Salaah, as you had used the washroom. At the time of Wudhu the hand would be washed. Hence, if the hand was washed before performing Salaah, there is no need to repeat the Salaah, as the impurity was removed. We hope that the above clarifies the matter.

ALLAH TA’ALA KNOWS BEST!

ANSWERED BY:

Mufti Mohammed Desai

Date: 24 Rajab 1444 / 15 February 2023