Does impurity in the Maliki school of thought disappear merely by the removal of its trace through rubbing or scrubbing, or by diminishing over time without the use of water? And does a wet hand become impure by touching an impure cover without the trace of impurity appearing?

The Maliki school of thought holds that something that has become impure (mutanajjis) can only be purified by pure, purifying water (al-ma' al-tahur). So, while the impure substance itself (al-'ayn al-najisah) can be removed by something other than water, the ruling of impurity (hukm al-najasa) is not lifted except by absolute water (al-ma' al-mutlaq). Therefore, according to them, it is not permissible to remove impurity with any liquid other than water, whereas Abu Hanifa permitted it with any liquid. If a wet hand touches a garment from which the effect of impurity has been removed, the hand does not become impure according to the Malikis, because what remains after the removal of the substance is the ruling, and this ruling does not transfer.