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If blood is wiped from the face or hand with a tissue, and no trace remains, does the spot become ritually impure (najis) and the impurity transfer, necessitating washing? Or does it become impure but the impurity does not transfer due to the presence of oils on the skin? And if a trace of blood remains on clothes after washing them in a washing machine, do they remain ritually impure, necessitating handwashing and scrubbing? And if a person touches their oily face and then eats something, is it impermissible?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

"Removing blood by wiping does not lift the ruling of impurity; rather, it must be washed with pure water. The Hanafis hold that wiping away impurity is not a purificatory act except in the case of the khuff (leather socks) and sandals. Prayer is not valid before washing the blood from the face or hand, except for an amount equal to or less than the size of a dirham, which is excused. As for clothing, if a trace of blood remains, it must be removed by rubbing or other means, along with washing as much as possible. The substance of the impurity and its trace are removed before washing, or by pouring water over it until the trace disappears and the water separating from it is unchanged. If removing the residual color is difficult, it does not affect the ruling. The purification of clothes from visible impurity is achieved by the removal of its substance, even with a single wash. If it is not visible, then by washing three times and squeezing each time. If washed in running water or abundant water, squeezing is not required."

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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