Last edition, we started a discussion on the nature of blood and the shariah rule regarding it. We open this edition with the conclusion of the evidences indicating that human blood is pure.
Narrated Aisha (RA): On the day of Al-Khandaq (battle of the Trench) the medial arm vein of Sa'dbin Mu'ad was injured and the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) pitched a tent in the Mosque to look after him. There was another tent for Banu Ghaffar in the mosque and the blood started flowing from Sa'd's tent to the tent of Bani Ghaffar. They shouted, "O occupants of the tent! What is coming from you to us?"They found that Sa'd's wound was bleeding profusely and Sa'd died in his tent. (Bukhari)
We do not have a report that the Prophet commanded that water be poured on the blood as he ordered on the urine of the Arab who urinated in the mosque.
Another piece of evidence that they advance is the permissibility of the husband having intercourse with his wife who suffers from incessant vaginal bleeding (istihaadhah). If that
blood was impure, sexual relations would be unlawful just like it is when a woman is menstruating, for Allah says:
"They ask you concerning women's courses. Say: They are a hurt and a pollution: So keep away from women in their courses, and do not approach them until they are clean." (Q2[Baqarah]: 222)
This means that incessant vaginal bleeding is not "a hurt and a pollution", and this is why sexual intercourse is allowed for a woman suffering from it and it is not prohibited for it to stain her clothes. From all these, the blood of human is pure and one can pray even if he is soiled by human blood. Its consumption is what is forbidden.
The Blood Of Animals Whose Meat Is Lawful For Food
Just like the human blood, there is no proof to establish the impurity of the blood of animals whose flesh is permissible. Consequently, the matter is returned to its origin which is purity. Nevertheless, there are other evidences indicating that the blood of animals like cow, goat etc is not impure. The first of them is the hadeeth of ibn Mas'ud who said: "While Allaah's Messenger was praying beside the Ka'ba, there were some Quraish people sitting in a gathering. One of them said, 'Don't you see this (who does deeds just to show off)? Who amongst you can go and bring the dung, blood and the abdominal contents (intestines, etc) of the slaughtered camels of the family of so and so and then wait till he prostrates and put that in between his shoulders?'
The most unfortunate amongst them ('Uqba bin Abi Mu'ait) went (and brought them) and when Allaah's Messenger prostrated, he put them between his shoulders.... When Allaah's Messenger completed his prayer, he said,
'O Allaah! Take revenge on Quraish.' He said so thrice and added, O Allaah! Take revenge on 'Amr bin Hisham, 'Utba bin Rabia, Shaiba bin Rabi'a, AI-Walid bin 'Utba, Umaiya bin Khalaf, 'Uqba bin Abi Mu'ait and 'Umar a bin Al-Walid." (Bukhari)
If the blood of such edible animals was impure, the Prophet (salallau alayhi wa sallam) would have either removed his cloth or stopped the prayer altogether.
This article was culled from the publications of Deen Communication Limited