If running water reaches every part of the previously soiled area after removing the impurity, your washing machine has done what Islamic law requires — so use extra rinses and check the spot.
Questions about whether clothing is ritually impure and whether machine washing removes that impurity affect many people’s daily lives—especially observant households. This article explains the conditions for a washing machine to perform a shari‘ah-compliant rinse.
Iranians — following their cultural and religious background — pay special attention to ritual rinsing in washing machines to ensure the garments come out pure.
From the Islamic viewpoint, if, after removing the physical impurity itself (the ‘ayn of najasah), the water inside the washing machine reaches all parts of the garment including the contaminated area, the clothing becomes ritually clean.
All washing machines that are connected to mains (tap) water perform rinsing in a way that meets the ritual requirement.
It is still preferable to wash heavily soiled garments by hand, since hand-washing gives you more control over the contaminated spot.
Tap water is classed as stagnant/“kar” water in the article’s taxonomy, and according to the relevant rulings garments washed with this water are considered pure.
Before describing machine rinsing specifically, it helps to recall how Islamic washing is classified so we can judge the machine’s performance.
According to Islamic law water exists in two general forms:
Impure/added water (māʾ maḍūf) that is not among the pure waters and so cannot remove najasah in the juristic sense.
Pure/absolute water (māʾ muṭlaq) that removes impurity. Pure water includes rain, stagnant waters (which include kar and qālīl sub-types), and flowing water.
Washing clothing with the water types listed above makes them ritually pure. Mains (tap) water also counts as kar or stagnant water. If, after removing the physical impurity, the garment is placed under the tap so the water (the same running kar water) reaches the contaminated part, the clothing becomes fully clean.
Note that the water must contact all parts of the garment, especially the areas that were in contact with the impurity.
From the Islamic perspective, once the physical impurity is removed and the machine’s water reaches every part of the garment (including the contaminated area), the clothes are ritually pure. So after the machine rinse you need not worry about the garment’s ritual status.
Yes. Although hand-washing a soiled item is preferable for greater precision, machine rinsing is possible and widely used. The washing cycles in modern machines are arranged so that they can meet the ritual conditions for purification.
The washing machine’s cycle works as follows: once you start the machine and water flows in, the drum fills and drains in turn; this creates conditions where the ruling for running water applies. According to juristic opinions cited, after the physical impurity is removed, immersing the soiled garment in flowing or kar water and ensuring water touches every part of the garment is sufficient to render it pure.
Consequently, the garment becomes pure at this stage, and subsequent cycles for disinfection and cleaning with detergent simply follow.
Some washing machines include a specific programme labelled for Islamic washing. Setting your machine to this programme can reassure users who worry whether machine washing meets ritual standards. These modes were introduced precisely to address such doubts.
They are often called “Islamic washing” or “prayer mode.” Such programmes typically lengthen wash time and add extra rinse cycles. Brands such as SNOWA, Hitachi, Mitsubishi and others have begun offering this option.
On the other hand, many people believe a special programme is not strictly necessary — machines set to three rinse cycles (the so-called “Islamic wash”) achieve the same effect.
Look for buttons labeled extra rinse or rinse+ to add extra rinse cycles; the machine will perform additional water flushes in those modes. Increasing the wash time via time or Wash Time controls is another way to increase rinsing.
As a practical rule of thumb, using a cotton programme with a run time of about 1 hour 20 minutes is recommended as a suitable setting for shari‘ah-compliant machine washing.
Tip |
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Ensure you remove the actual impurity first, then run the garment under flowing water or in a machine so water reaches all affected parts. |
If a garment is heavily soiled, prefer hand-washing so you can target the contaminated area directly. |
Use extra rinse cycles (look for “extra rinse” or “rinse+”) or select a machine’s “Islamic wash/prayer mode” to add water and rinses. |
Tap (mains) water is treated as acceptable (kar/stagnant category) in the discussed rulings — so mains-connected machines are normally fine. |
If in doubt, increase wash time (Wash Time) or choose a long cotton cycle (≈1h 20m) to maximise rinsing. |
Make sure water contacts all parts of the garment, especially where the impurity was in contact. |
