How to purify blood on skin
| Fatwa #2339 | Category: Tahaarah (Purity) | Country: Zambia | Date: 23rd April 2026 |
| Fatwa #2339 | Date: 23rd April 2026 |
| Category: Tahaarah (Purity) | |
| Country: Zambia | |
Question
Assalāmu ʿalaykum wa raḥmatullāhi wa barakātuh,
I sincerely apologise for the urgency of this message, but I have just realised something that is causing me a great deal of stress and worry.
I follow the Ḥanafī madhhab. Every morning when I wake up, I take insulin injections – one in my stomach and another in my buttocks. Often after the injection, some blood emerges and flows away from the site. What I usually do is stop the bleeding with a dry tissue (this typically takes around 5–10 seconds), and then wipe away any blood from the surrounding skin. After doing this, there is no visible blood left at all.
Has this been sufficient for ṭahārah, or was it obligatory to wash the area with water after wiping away all the blood?
If washing is required, how exactly should I do it? Would wiping with a wet tissue be sufficient, or does the water need to actually flow over the skin? It would be very difficult for me to position my stomach and buttocks under running water each time and ensuring that the water reaches the exact affected areas, especially on a daily basis.
I also want to clarify that my question is not about bleeding while in a state of wuḍū’. I was already not in a state of wuḍū’ before the injections anyway. My concern is specifically whether wiping away the blood from the skin is sufficient for purification, or if using water is obligatory.
I am very worried that my prayers may not have been valid, as I have been doing this for most of my life.
I would be more than happy to explain this over the phone if that would be helpful.
Jazākum Allāhu khayran for your time and guidance.
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
Your worry and concern over this matter is a sure sign of your Taqwa.
There is no need to worry, your purity was valid so your subsequent salah were all valid.
In principle, if an impurity (for example blood) touches a part of the skin, then it needs to be ‘removed’ such that its effects do not remain.[1] If one therefore used tissue or a wet wipe to remove it, that would suffice. If trace amounts of impurity still remain, then as long as it is not the size of a dirham (the inside scoop of one’s palm), there is no problem. An injection only causes a little bit of bleeding to begin with. Once wiped away (even with dry tissue), it is definite that even if some traces are left behind, they do not equate one dirham in size. Therefore, you do not need to worry. Your previous salah are all valid.
Going forward, it is better to wash or wipe with moisture the area where the blood is. An ideal solution would be to use wet wipes or wet tissue.
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Mufti Bilal Pandor
Concurred by
Mufti Muhammad Patel
Darul Iftaa Mahmudiyyah
Lusaka, Zambia
[1]حاشية الطحطاوي على مراقي الفلاح شرح نور الإيضاح (ص: 155)
وما ينقض الوضوء بخروجه من بدن الإنسان” كالدم السائل والمني والمذي والودي والاستحاضة والحيض والنفاس والقيء ملء الفم ونجاستها غليظة بالاتفاق لعدم معارض دليل نجاستها عنده ولعدم مساغ الاجتهاد في طهارتها عندهما
حاشية الطحطاوي على مراقي الفلاح شرح نور الإيضاح (ص: 156)
بين القدر المعفو عنه فقال: “وعفي قدر الدرهم” وزنا في المتجسدة وهو عشرون قيراطا ومساحة في المائعة وهو قدر مقعر الكف داخل مفاصل الأصابع كما وفقه الهندواني وهو الصحيح فذلك عفو “من” النجاسة “المغلظة” فلا يعفى عنها إذا زادت على الدرهم مع القدرة على الإزالة
حاشية الطحطاوي على مراقي الفلاح شرح نور الإيضاح (ص: 159)
ومسح محل الحجامة بثلاث خرق رطبات نظاف مجزئ عن الغسل لأنه يعمل عمله
اليابس يجتذب الرطوبة أكثر من الرطب وقد يقال إن الرطب يلين بعض ما تجمد من الدم ويحرر قوله: “رطبات” لعله قيد اتفاقي فإن.