Does the water that touches an impure part of a garment in the washing machine become used and ritually impure (ghair tahoor), thereby defiling the rest of the clothes, the washing machine, and even the hands upon touching it, even if its color or smell has not changed?
Scholars have differed on water becoming impure merely by contact with an impurity. One can adopt the view of Malik and Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, which is that water does not become impure except by changing [in color, smell, or taste], whether it [the water] comes into contact with the impurity or the impurity comes into contact with it [the water]. If the water separates from the clothes without changing after repeated washing, then the clothes are judged to be pure.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/140556