Introduction:
The Little Green Book is a collection of fatawah handed down by the most prominent and arguably one of the most influential Muslim clerics in modern history; the Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Ruhollah Mosavi Khomeini, commonly known as the Ayatollah Khomeini. Fatawah (the plural of fatwah) are Islamic religious decrees sent down by Muslim religious leaders. Since Islam demands that Muslims abide by Sharia – Islamic law as individuals and as a society, these fatawah are not simply religious insights or advice.
They are legal pronouncements, and define the law of the land in an Islamic country. In his unrivaled role as Iran’s Supreme Leader and the highest-ranking cleric for Shi’a Muslims, the Ayatollah Khomeini’s fatawah guided the lives of more Shi’a Muslims than did any other Islamic leader throughout history.
It would have been damning to Islam if these inane, absurd, and depraved rantings had come from any Muslim, since they would serve as an example of how Islam corrupts a person’s mind. Beyond that however, anyone who takes the time to analyze Islam’s scriptures and what is recorded in Islam about Muhammad, the man whose life sets the standard to which Muslims are to strive, will see that the Ayatollah Khomeini was not off-base in his Islamic jurisprudence.
This version of The Little Green Book, is a translation done by Harold Salemson, whose source was a French translation of the Ayatollah’s fatawah compiled by a Persian named Jean-Marie Xaviere. The book is broken up into two volumes.
The first volume deals with governing issues, and is so chock full of amazing quotes, we had to give up on trying to highlight the best ones.
The second volume focuses on lifestyle guidelines, and tends to be a bit mundane. However, some of the more astoundingly reprehensible whoppers are in this section. Additionally, the emphasis placed on defining even the most miniscule details for a Muslim to follow serve as a tremendous example of how Islam thrives on replacing every last iota of independent thought with mindless servitude.
Of course, this should not come as a surprise to anyone, since the religion’s name literally means “Submission” (Islam), and its followers refer to themselves as “those who submit” (Muslims).
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Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Ayatollah As-Sayyid Ruhollah Mostafavi Musavi Khomeini (24th September 1902 – 3 June 1989) was an Iranian religious leader and politician, and leader of the 1979 Iranian Revolution which saw the overthrow of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran. Following the revolution and a national referendum, Khomeini became the country’s Supreme Leader—a position created in the constitution as the highest ranking political and religious authority of the nation—until his death.
Khomeini was a marja (“source of emulation”, also known as a Grand Ayatollah) in Twelver Shi’a Islam, but is most famous for his political role. In his writings and preachings he expanded the Shi’a Usuli theory of velayat-e faqih, the “guardianship of the jurisconsult (clerical authority)” to include theocratic political rule by the Islamic jurists.
General
Shaving one’s face, whether bladed razors or electric apparatuses intended for the same purpose, is highly unacceptable.
Beating of drums during athletic contests is not allowed; nor is the playing of military music during military ceremonies, if such music can in any way be assimilated to licentious music.
Gambling is forbidden, even if indulged in not for gain but merely as an amusement.
No Muslim is permitted to work in a Jewish concern, if he knows, or has the slightest suspicion, that this concern gives support to Israel.
Money thus earned is impure.
It is not strictly forbidden for Muslims to work for a concern managed by a Muslim which also employs Jews, provided the worker does not serve Israel in any manner whatsoever. However, it is shameful to do one’s work under the orders of a Jewish foreman.
It is absolutely forbidden to dissect the corpse of a Muslim, but the dissection of non-Muslim corpses is acceptable.
The flesh of any animal slaughtered by the methods in various countries, where recently available machines are employed, is impure, and it is forbidden to either sell or to buy it.
In such a transaction, the seller owes the buyer the money he paid for it, even if the animal was slaughtered while facing in the direction of Mecca, and even if the name of Allah was invoked at the time.
The zakat [obligatory alms – tax] for camels is to be computed on the basis of twelve brackets:
1) one sheep for five camels;
2) two sheep for ten camels;
3) three sheep for fifteen camels;
4) four sheep for twenty camels;
5) five sheep for twenty-five camels;
6) one second-year camel for twenty-six camels;
7) one third-year camel for thirty-six camels;
one fourth-year camel for forty-six camels;
9) one fifth-year camel for sixty-one camels;
10) two third-year camels for seventy-six camels;
11) two fourth-year camels for ninety-nine camels;
12) for 120 camels or more, one must figure one three-year-old camel for every forty camels, or one four-year-old camel for every fifty camels, or calculate by brackets for fifty and forty, being very careful not to overlook any, and, if there are any left over, that the remainder be no more than nine.
For example, if one owns 140 camels, he must give two four-year-old camels, for the first hundred and one three-year-old camel for the remaining forty. All camels given in payment of the zakat must be females.
On the Mortuary Ritual
If a part of the body becomes detached, whether after or before death, and one touches such a part when the cleansing of the corpse has not yet been completed, one must undergo a purifying ablution; but this is not necessary if the part of the body involved is boneless.
If one touches a bone or a tooth removed from a corpse, ablution is necessary; but it is not required if the bone or tooth was removed from a live body, unless there is a muscle attached to it.
One must avoid leaving a dying person alone, placing a heavy object on his belly, leaving him in the care of a man who has ejaculated or a woman who is having her period, speaking too much in his presence, weeping, or leaving him in the sole care of women.
Ablution of a dead man by a woman, or visa versa, is forbidden. But the woman may perform this ritual if the man is her husband, and the man in the case of his own wife. However, it is preferable that they do not do it.
It is forbidden to look upon the sexual organs of a dead man or woman. The person performing the ablution ritual commits a cardinal sin if he violates this ban, but the ablution does not thereby lose its validity.
During the ritual, the genitals of the corpse must remain covered, even if only by a piece of wood or a brick.
If a person dies in a well and it is impossible to get the body out, the well must be shut off and become his tomb.
If a child dies within the mother’s womb and it is a danger to her life to leave it there, it must be extracted in the easiest way possible; it can, if need be, be cut into pieces; this should be done either by the woman’s husband or by a woman of this profession.
One has no right to exhume the body of a Muslim, not even that of a child or of a madman, unless it has turned to dust.
One may exhume a body if it is done in order to remove a still living child from its mother’s womb, or if there is danger that a wild animal may devour it, or that a flood may carry it away, or that it may fall into the hands of the enemy. One may also reopen a sepulcher in order to deposit in it a part of the departed one’s body which has been found or recovered after burial.
On Divorce
A man who repudiates his wife must be of sound mind and past the age of puberty. He must do so of his own free will and without any constraint; thereof, if the formula for divorce is spoken in jest the marriage is not annulled.
The woman must not be having her period at the time of the divorce, and the husband must not have had sexual relations with her since her last period.
In three cases, a man may repudiate his wife while she is having her period:
If he has had no sexual relations with her since their marriage.
If she is pregnant while the husband believes she is having her period, and it is learned only later that she was pregnant at the time of the repudiation.
If he is not certain, because of the distance that separated them, whether his wife is them having her period.
A man who has had sexual relations with his wife after her last menstrual period must wait for her to have her next one before he may divorce her. But he may divorce his wife if she has not yet reached her ninth birthday, or is pregnant, or is menopausal.
If a husband who has had sexual relations with his wife between menstrual periods, divorces her during this time and learns later that she was pregnant when the divorce took place, the latter remains valid.
A women temporarily married, say, for a month or a year, has her marriage automatically annulled at the end of that time, or at any other time when the husband releases her from the balance of her marriage.
On Marriage, Adultery, and Conjugal Relations
A woman may legally belong to a man in one of two ways; by continuing marriage or temporary marriage. In the former, the duration of the marriage need not be specified; in the latter, it must be stipulated, for example, that it is for a period of an hour, a day, a month, a year, or more.
Marriage, whether continuing or temporary, must be sealed by a religious formula spoken either by the woman or by the man, or by one of their representatives.
As long as the woman and man have not contracted a religious marriage, they are not entitled to look upon one another. To allow that, it is not enough to assume that the marriage formula has been spoken, but if the person representing them states that it has been spoken, then that is enough to validate the marriage.
If a woman authorizes someone to marry her to a man for a period of ten days, for example, without specifying the exact date, the man may contract the marriage at his pleasure, but if the woman has specified a precise day and hour, the formula must be spoken at the specified time.
The legal marriage formula must be read in Arabic, but if one cannot speak that language correctly, it may be spoken in a different language.
A father or a paternal grandfather has the right to marry off a child who is insane or who has not reached puberty by acting as its representative. The child may not annul such a marriage after reaching puberty or regaining his sanity, unless the marriage is to his manifest disadvantage.
Any girl who is of age, that is, capable of understanding what is in her own best interest, if she wishes to get married and is a virgin, must procure authorization of her father or paternal grandfather. The permission of her mother or brother is not required.
If a father or paternal grandfather marries off prepubescent son or grandson, the latter will be responsible once he has reached puberty, for taking care of his wife’s material needs.
A marriage is annulled if a man finds that his wife is afflicted with one of the seven following debilities: madness, leprosy, eczema, blindness, paralysis with aftereffects, malformation of the urinary and genital tracts or of the genital tract and rectum through conjoining thereof, or vaginal malformation making coitus impossible.
If a wife finds out after marriage that her husband is suffering from mental illness, that he is a castrate, impotent, or has had his testicles excised, she may apply for annulment of her marriage.
If a wife has her marriage annulled because her husband is unable to have sexual relations with her either vaginally or anally, he must pay her as damages one-half of the dowry specified in the marriage contract.
If the husband or wife annuls the marriage for any of the above-mentioned reasons, the man owes nothing to the woman if they have had sexual relations together; if they have not, he must pay her the full amount of the dowry.
It is forbidden to marry one’s mother, sister, or stepmother.
It is forbidden to marry one’s mother-in-law, or one’s wife’s maternal or paternal grandmother or any of her great-grandmothers, even though one’s marriage to her may never have been consummated.
A man who marries a woman and has sexual relations with her may not marry her daughter or granddaughter, even if these be by a different marriage.
A man may not marry his wife’s daughter, even if their marriage has not been consummated.
Aunts of the bride’s father and the aunts of her grandparents need not wear the veil in the presence of the groom; the father, grandfather, and great-grandfather of the groom, as well as his sons, grandsons, and all his male descendants, may freely look upon the bride.
A man may not marry the nieces of his wife without the latter’s consent; if he should nevertheless do so without getting consent, but his wife raises no objection, then there is no problem.
A man who has committed adultery with his aunt must not marry her daughters, that is to say, his first cousins.
If a man who has married his first cousin commits adultery with her mother, the marriage is not thereby annulled.
If a man commits adultery with a woman other than his aunt, it is highly recommended that he not marry the daughter of that woman.
If he marries a woman, consummates the marriage, and then commits adultery with her mother, the marriage is not thereby annulled. Nor is it automatically annulled in the case of his having committed such adultery before the marriage was consummated, but in that case it is better if the husband voluntarily annuls the marriage.
A Muslim woman may not marry a non-Muslim man; nor may a Muslim man marry a non-Muslim woman in continuing marriage, but he may take a Jewish or Christian woman in temporary marriage.
A man who marries an already married woman must break off his marriage with her and refrain from ever marrying her again.
A married woman remains legally married after having committed adultery; however, should she not repent and should she continue to be unfaithful to her husband, it is preferable for the latter to repudiate her, but with full payment to her of her dowry.
The mother, sister, or daughter of a man who has been sodomized by another man may not marry the latter, even if both men or one of them had not yet reached puberty at the time; but if one who was the victim of the act cannot prove it, his mother, sister, or daughter is allowed to marry the other man.
If a man who has married a girl who has not reached puberty possesses her sexually before her ninth birthday, inflicting traumatisms upon her, he has no right to repeat such an act with her.
If a man sodomizes the son, brother, or father of his wife after their marriage, the marriage remains valid.
A woman who has contracted a continuing marriage does not have the right to go out of the house without her husband’s permission; she must remain at his disposal for the fulfillment of any one of his desires, and may not refuse herself to him except for a religiously valid reason.
If she is totally submissive to him, the husband must provide her with her food, clothing, and lodging, whether or not he has the means to do so.
A woman who refuses herself to her husband is guilty, and may not demand from him food, clothing, lodging, or any later sexual relations; however, she retains the right to be paid damages if she is repudiated.
A husband is not obligated to pay any travel expenses incurred by his wife which exceed what her expenses would have been at home; but if travel was undertaken at his own suggestion, then he must take care of the expenses.
A wife who scrupulously obeys her husband has the right to be paid the daily household expenses for any of the husband’s assets, in the case the latter refuses voluntarily to pay for them. But if she is forced to meet such expenses out of her on pocket, she is not obligated to obey her husband.
A man who has contracted a continuing marriage may not leave his wife for so long a time as to allow her to question the validity if the marriage; however, he is not obligated to spend one night out of every four with her.
A husband must have sexual relations with his wife at least once in every four months. If, at the time of contracting the marriage, no specific time was indicated at which the husband was to pay the dowry to his wife, the wife may refuse herself to her husband for so long as that amount of money has not been paid her. But once she has agreed to have sexual relations with her husband, she can no longer later refuse to, except for religiously valid reasons.
A temporary marriage, even though only one of convenience, is nevertheless legal.
A man must not abstain from having sexual relations with his temporary wife for more than four months.
If the temporary marriage contract includes a clause specifying that the husband is not entitled to have normal sexual relations with his wife, such a clause must be respected. He must then be satisfied with giving her pleasures in other ways. But as soon as the wife consents to it, he may perform the natural sex act with her.
A woman ho has been temporarily married in exchange for a previously established dowry has no right to demand that her daily expenses be paid by her husband, even when she becomes pregnant.
A temporarily married wife may not inherit from her husband; nor may he inherit from her.
A temporarily married woman is entitled to go out of the house without asking her husband’s permission, unless the fact of her so going out harms him in one way or another.
If a father (or paternal grandfather) marries off his daughter (or granddaughter) in her absence without knowing for a certainty that she is alive, the marriage becomes null and void as soon as it is established that she was dead at the time of the marriage.
It is forbidden for a man to look upon the body of a woman who is not his wife, under any pretext whatsoever. It is equally forbidden for a woman to look upon the body of a man who is not her husband.
To look upon the face and hair of a girl who has not reached puberty, if it is done without intention of enjoyment thereof, and if one is not afraid of succumbing to temptation, may be tolerated. It is however recommended that one not look upon her belly or thighs, which must remain covered.
To look upon the faces ad hands of Jewish or Christian women, if this is not done with intention of enjoyment thereof, and if one does not fear temptation, is tolerated.
A woman must hide her body and her hair from the eyes of men. It is highly recommended that she also hide them from those of prepubescent boys, if she suspects that they may look upon her with lust.
It is forbidden to look upon the genitals of another person, even from behind a glass, or in a mirror, or in standing water. It is even expressly recommended to abstain from looking at the genitals of a child who knows the difference between good and evil. But it is permitted for husband and wife to look upon each other in all parts of their bodies.
A man must not look upon the body of another man with lustful intent. Likewise, a woman may not look upon another woman with such intent.
It is not forbidden for a man to photograph a woman other than his wife, but if in order to do so he must touch her, then he must not photograph her.
If a woman is called upon to give an enema to a woman or to a man other than her husband, or to wash their genitals, then she must cover her hand so as not to come into direct contact with the genital organs; the same precautions must be taken by a man where another man or a woman other than his wife are concerned.
If a man is called upon, for medical reasons, to look upon a woman other than his wife and to touch her body, he is permitted to do so, but if he can give such care by only looking at the body he must not touch it, and if he can give it by only touching, he must not look at it. If a man or woman be forced, in order to administer medical care, to look upon the genitals of another person, he or she must do so indirectly, in a mirror, except in case of absolute necessity.
If the husband has included in the marriage contract a clause guaranteeing his wife’s virginity, he may annul the marriage if it turns out that she was not a virgin.
If a woman abjures her faith before her marriage is consummated, the marriage is annulled; the like is true after conclusion of the marriage, if she is menopausal. But if she is not menopausal and returns to her Muslim beliefs within a hundred days after the breaking off of marriage, it again becomes valid.
A man whose father or mother as a Muslim at the time of his conception, and who himself embraced the Muslim faith after reaching puberty, will have his marriage automatically abolished if he becomes an apostate.
The marriage of a man born of non-Muslim parents but who himself became a convert to Islam is automatically annulled if he renounces his faith before consummating the marriage. If he renounces his faith after having sexual relations with his wife, she must wait one hundred days after the annulment of the marriage before marrying again, if she is of age to have menstrual periods. Thus, the marriage remains valid if during those one hundred days the husband returns to the Muslim fold; otherwise, the annulment is irreversible.
If the woman inserts into the marriage contract a cause binding her husband not to mover her away from the city, and the husband accepts such a clause, then he must abide by it.
The husband of a woman who has had a daughter by a previous marriage may marry that daughter to a son of his by a previous marriage. He himself has the right to marry the mother of a girl married to his son.
A woman who becomes pregnant as a result of adultery must not have an abortion.
If a man commits adultery with an unmarried woman, and subsequently marries her, the child born of that marriage will be a bastard unless the parents can be sure it was conceived after they were married.
One need not believe a woman who claims to have entered menopause. On the one hand, she must be believed if she asserts that she is not married.
It is highly recommended that a girl be married off as soon as she reaches the age of puberty. One of the blessings of man is to have his daughter experience her first period not in her father’s house, but in that of her husband.
A child born of an adulterous father is legitimate.
It is a sin to have sexual relations with one’s wife during the fast of Ramadan or while she is having her menses, but the child born of such relations is legitimate.
If a man marries a woman and possesses her sexually, he may no longer marry any girl whom this woman has breast-fed.
A man may not marry a wet nurse who has breast-fed his wife.
A man may not marry a girl who was ever breast-fed by his mother or his grandmother.
The best person to breast-feed a newborn baby is its own mother. It is preferable that she not ask to be paid for such services, but that her husband pay her for it of his own free will. If the sum the mother asks for is greater than that charged by a wet nurse, the husband is free to take the child from its mother and turn it over to the wet nurse.
It is recommended that the wet nurse be a faithful Shi’ite, intelligent, modest, and pretty. On the other hand, it is most inadvisable that she be feebleminded, a nonbeliever in the Twelve Imams, ugly, or a bastard, or of bad character. It is equally inadvisable to select as wet nurse a woman who has an illegitimate child.
It is recommended that every child be breast-fed for two whole years.
On Woman and Her Periods (explicit content warning)
Woman is pseudo-menstrual hen blood is discharged from her vagina outside he time of her regular periods. The blood may be yellowish, cold, and fluid, and be discharged without any burning sensation; it may also be blackish or yellow, hot, thick, and cause a burning sensation as it passes.
Pseudo-menses are of three kinds: weak, medium, and abundant. If the blood does not fully soak a piece of cotton introduced into the vagina, the pseudo-menses are weak; if it soaks the cotton without going through to the fabric placed over the vulva, the pseudo-menses are medium; if, on the other hand , the blood soaks through both cotton and fabric, these are abundant pseudo-menses.
In the case of weak pseudo-menses, the woman must wash according to religious ritual before praying, change the cotton or ash it, and also wash her vulva if it has been soiled by the blood.
The menstrual period proper is the period of those few days during the month when blood is discharged from women’s vaginas. This blood is most often thick, hot, blackish red or bright red, and gushes forth with a burning sensation.
Women of the lineage of the Prophet of Islam are menopausal at the age of sixty; others, once they are over fifty.
Blood that is discharged from the vagina of a girl under the age of nine and a woman over the age of sixty can therefore not be considered menstrual blood.
The pregnant woman and the nursing woman may have regular menstrual periods.
It is indispensable that during the first three days of the menses, the blood not be stopped from flowing; therefore, if the flow ceases after two days to resume a day later, it is not menstrual blood.
It is not indispensable that the blood flow out of the vagina for all of the three days; it is sufficient that there be some inside the vagina.
If a woman sees blood flowing from her vagina for more than three days and less than ten days, and is not sure whether this is menstrual blood or blood from an abscess, she must attempt to introduce a piece of cotton into her vagina and then withdraw it. If the blood runs out on the left side, it is menstrual blood; if on the right side, it is from the abscess.
If a woman sees blood flowing from her vagina and wonders whether it is menstrual blood or the blood of her hymen, she must introduce a piece of cotton into her vagina and leave it there for a while before withdrawing it. If the blood has spotted only the edges of the cotton, it is the blood of the hymen; if the whole piece of cotton is soaked with blood, it is menstrual.
If a woman sees blood flow from her vagina for less than three days, then stop and resume for a period of three days, then stop and resume for a period of three days, then stop and resume for a period of three days, it is this second flow which must be considered to be that of the menses, even if the first one coincided more exactly with her menstrual cycle.
During the time a woman is menstruating, it is preferable for a man to avoid coitus, even if it does not involve full penetration – that is, as far as the circumcision ring – and even if it does not involve ejaculation. It is also highly inadvisable for him to sodomize her during this time.
If the number of days of the woman’s menstrual period is divided by three, a husband who has intercourse with her during the first two days must pay the equivalent of 18 nokhods [about 3 grams or 0.1 ounces] of gold to the poor; if he has it on the third or fourth days, the equivalent of 9 nokhods; and if he has it during the last two days, the equivalent of 4.5 nokhods.
Sodomizing a menstruating woman does not require such payment.
If a man has intercourse with his wife during all three of these periods, he must pay the equivalent in gold of 3.5 nokhods. If the price of gold has changed between the coitus and the time of payment, the rate in effect on the date of payment will prevail.
If during an act of intercourse a man notices that the woman has begun menstruating, he must withdraw; if he fails to, he must give alms to the poor. If such a man cannot afford to give alms to the poor, he must at least give something to a beggar. If he cannot afford that either, he must ask forgiveness of Allah.
After a wife’s menstrual period, her husband may repudiate her, even if she has not yet made her ablutions. He may also indulge in relations with her, but it is preferable that he wait until she has made her ablutions. In the interim, the woman is not authorized to do anything which is forbidden to her during menstruation, such as going into a mosque or touching the writing of the Qur’an, until she has completed her ablutions.
On Pure and Impure Things
There are eleven things which are impure: urine, excrement, sperm, bones, blood, dogs, pigs, non-Muslim men and women, wine, beer, and the sweat of the excrement-eating camel.
The urine and feces of man and any animal whose blood spurts when a vein or artery of its body is opened are impure.
Flyspecks or the droppings of mosquitoes or other such small insects whose blood does not gush are pure.
The urine and feces of any excrement-eating animal are impure. This is equally true of the urine and feces of any animal which has been sexually possessed by a human; and of the urine and feces of sheep which have been fed on sow’s milk.
The sperm of any animal whose blood spurts when its throat is cut is impure.
The bones of an animal found dead or an animal slaughtered otherwise than according to Muslim rites are impure; fish, on the other hand, is never impure, even if found dead in the water, for its blood does not spurt.
The hairs, bones, and teeth of dead animals are pure, unless they come from animals such as the dog which are impure themselves.
The egg taken from the entrails of a chicken is not impure, provided its shell is sufficiently hard. However, it must be washed before being eaten.
The meat, fat, and skins on sale in a Muslim bazaar on being handled by a Muslim are pure, unless such products come from animals which were not slaughtered according to the Muslim rites.
The blood of man and any animal whose blood spurts when the throat is cut is impure; on the other hand, the blood of the fish, mosquito, or any other animal whose blood does not spurt remains pure.
The blood that may flow out between one’s teeth is pure if diluted with saliva; it is permitted to swallow that saliva.
Blood coagulated and accumulated under the nails or in any other part of the human body is pure if its appearance has been so modified that one can no longer call it blood; if that is not the case, every effort must be made to rid oneself of it before performing one’s ablutions.
The pus of a healing wound is pure, provided one can be sure it is not mixed with blood.
Dog and pig, unless they live in water, are impure, as are their hairs, their bones, their claws, and their excrements; on the other hand, sea dogs and pigs are pure.
Every part of the body of a non-Muslim individual is impure, even the hair on his hand and his body hair, his nails, and all the secretions of the body.
Any man or woman who denies the existence of Allah, or believes in His partners [the Christian Trinity], or else does not believe in His Prophet Muhammad, is impure (in the same way as are excrement, urine, dog, and wine). He is so even if he doubts any one of these principles.
A child who has not reached puberty is impure if his parents and grandparents are not Muslims, but if he has one Muslim in his ancestry he is pure.
A Muslim who insults one of the Twelve Imams or declares himself their enemy is impure.
Wine and all other intoxicating beverages are impure, but opium and hashish are not.
Beer is impure, but brewer’s yeast is not.
The sweat of an excrement-eating animal is impure; the sweat of other animals, which do not eat the same detritus, is not.
The sweat of a man who has just ejaculated is not impure; yet it is preferable for him not to pray so long as his body or his clothing retain traces of that sweat.
If a man has had sexual relations with his wife during periods of prescribed abstinence, such as the fast of Ramadan, he must avoid saying his prayers so long as he still has upon him the traces of post-coital sweat.
If a part of the body that is sweating comes into contact with something impure and the sweat runs onto other parts of the body, all such parts become impure, although the rest of the body remains pure.
Bloodstained nasal secretions or expectorations are impure, whereas those which have not been soiled by blood are pure; if the nasal secretions or the expectoration touch the nose or mouth even lightly the part of the skin which has been so touch must be purified; but the untouched part remains pure.
An object which enters a human body and comes into contact with something impure (stool or blood) remains pure when withdrawn from that body if it has no traces of the impure matter left upon it; thus, the instrument introduced into the rectum for an enema or the surgeon’s scalpel are not impure if they bear no trace of these impurities.
The same applies to saliva or nasal secretions which mix with blood inside the mouth or nose, but show no trace of it when they are expectorated.
It is forbidden to touch a page of the Qur’an with anything impure; if such a thing should happen, the page must immediately be washed.
It is forbidden to place upon the Qur’an such impure matter as blood or human or animal bones if the matter is dried; should the matter already have been placed on it, it must absolutely be removed.
It is forbidden to write out verses of the Qur’an with impure ink, even though one write but one letter thereof. In case it has already been done, it must be washed away or erased with a knife or some other sharp instrument.
One must avoid giving the Qur’an to an infidel; it is even recommended that it be forcibly taken away from him if he already has it in his hands.
If a page of the Qur’an, or a piece of paper with the name of Allah or the Prophet or one of the Imams on it should fall into a toilet, it is absolutely indispensable to withdraw it from there, even if this should prove costly. In case this is impossible, such a toilet must never be used until it has been ascertained that the paper has rotted away.
It is forbidden to eat or drink anything that is impure; it is also forbidden to give anything impure to children to eat, whether or not it ay be harmful to them; but it is not forbidden to feed children food which has been only indirectly touched by something impure.
It is not required that one point out to a person that he is eating impure food or that he is praying while wearing impure clothing.
If the head of a household notices during the course of a meal that one or more of the dishes being served are impure, he must impart this information to his guests; but if it is one of the guest who notices it, he is not obliged to do the same.
Eating
Among the organs of fowl, game, domestic animals, fish, and so on whose flesh of you are permitted to eat.
There are fifteen which are proscribed: blood; excrement; the penis; the vagina; the uterus; the glands; the testicles; the central part of the brain; the little chick-peas-haped ball at the back side of the brain; the nerves located on either side of the spinal column; the gallbladder; the liver; the bladder; the eye; matter accumulated under the claws.
It is forbidden to consume the excrement of animals or their nasal secretions. But if such are mixed in minute proportions into other foods their consumption is not forbidden.
The meat of horses, mules, or donkeys is not recommended.
It is strictly forbidden if the animal was sodomized while alive by a man.
In that case, the animal must be taken outside the city and sold.
If one commits an act of sodomy with a cow, a ewe, or a camel, their urine and their excrements become impure, and even their milk may no longer be consumed. The animal must then be killed as quickly as possible and burned, and the price of it paid to its owner by him who sodomized it.
Drinking wine or alcoholic beverages is a mortal sin, and is strictly forbidden. Whoever consumes an alcoholic beverage retains only a part of his soul, that part of it which is deformed and nasty; he is damned by Allah, His archangels, His prophets, and His believers.
Such a man’s daily prayers are rejected by Allah for forty days. On the day of the resurrection of the dead, his face will turn black, his tongue will hang out of his mouth, his saliva will run down his chest, and he will remain forever thirsty.
On Urinating and Defecating
It is required that everyone, when urinating or defecating, hide his sexual parts from all pubescent persons, even his sister or his mother, as well as from any feebleminded person or children too young to understand. But husband and wife are not required to hide from each other.
It is not indispensable to hide one’s genitals with anything in particular; one’s hand is enough.
When defecating or urinating, one must squat in such a way as neither to face Mecca nor turn one’s back upon it.
It is not sufficient to turn one’s sex organ away, while oneself facing or turning one’s back on Mecca; and one’s privates must never be exposed either facing Mecca or facing directly away from Mecca.
Urinating and defecating are forbidden in four places:
Blind alleys, except with the permission of those living along them
The property of a person who has not given permission to do so.
Places of worship such as a certain medersas [Arabic schools].
Graves of believers, unless one does so as an insult to them.
In three cases, it is absolutely necessary to purify one’s anus with water:
When the excrement has been expelled with other impurities, such as blood, for example.
When some impure thing has grazed the anus.
When the anal opening has been soiled more than usual.
Apart from these three cases, one may either was one’s anus with water or wipe it with some fabric or a stone.
The urinary orifice can be cleaned off only with water, and it is enough to wash it just one time after urinating. But those in whom the urine comes out through some other orifice would do better to wash that orifice at least twice. This must be observed by women as well.
It is not necessary to wipe one’s anus with three stones or with three pieces of fabric: a single stone or single piece of fabric is enough. But if one wipes with a bone, or any sacred object, such as, for example, a paper having the name of Allah on it, one may not say his prayers while in this state.
It is preferable, for urinating or defecating, to squat down in an isolated place; it is also preferable to go into this place with the left foot first, and come out of it with the right foot first; it is recommended that one keep his head covered while evacuating, and have the weight of his body carried by the left foot.
During evacuation, one must not squat facing the sun or the moon, unless one’s genitals are covered.
While defecating, one must also avoid squatting exposed to the wind, or in public places, or at the door one’s house, or under a fruit tree.
At the time of the evacuation, one must also avoid eating, dallying, or washing one’s anus with the right hand.
Finally, one must avoid talking, unless one is absolutely forced to or is addressing a prayer to Allah.
It is better to avoid urinating standing up or urinating into hard ground, or into an animal hole, or into ware, especially stagnant water.
It is recommended not to hold back the need to urinate or defecate, especially if it hurts.
It is recommended to urinate before prayers, before going to bed, before having sexual intercourse, and after ejaculating.
After urination, one must first wash the anus if it has been soiled by urine; then one must press three times with the middle finger of his left hand on the part between the anus and the base of the penis; then one must put his thumb on top of the penis and his index finger on the bottom and pull the skin forward three times as far as the circumcision ring; and after that three times squeeze the tip of the penis.
A woman has no special instructions to follow after urinating; if she afterward notes some moisture at the vaginal orifice which she cannot judge as pure or impure, the said moisture remains pure and in no way stands in the way of her performing ablutions or praying.
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