Is the milk which is vomited from a newborn pure or impure?

[ummtaalib]

Q. I am a mother of a new born and I am breastfeeding.

 

My new born vomits milk that falls onto my clothes all the time. Can I perform Salaah with the vomited milk on my clothing?

 

(Question published as received)

 

A. There are two scenarios that apply to the vomit of an adult or a child:

 

1. Vomiting a mouthful -If one has vomited a mouthful, the vomit is regarded to be impure. For purposes of Salaah, if the total amount of vomit fallen onto the clothing is equivalent to a Dirham*, the vomit must be removed from the clothing before performing Salaah. It is not permissible to perform Salaah in that state.

 

However, if the total amount of vomit is less than a Dirham*, one is not required to remove the vomit before performing Salaah, although it is preferable to do so. It is permissible to perform Salaah in that state.

 

* Dirham refers to the Islamic silver coin that was approx. 2.75cm in diameter (Ahsanul Fataawa Vol. 1 pg. 89). It is equivalent to the size of the old 50 cent coin and is 2mm larger than the current R5 coin (South Africa).

 

2. Vomiting less than a mouthful - If one has vomited less than a mouthful, the vomit is not regarded to be impure. It is permissible for one to perform Salaah in that state, although, it is preferable for one to remove it before performing Salaah.

The above ruling is the same whether the vomit is of milk, food or any other substance.

 

In determining the size of a mouthful, the size of the adult’s or child’s mouth will be taken into consideration. A mouthful refers to one not being able to hold back the vomit in one’s mouth. (Maraaqil Falaah 1/155)

 

And Allah Ta’ala Knows Best

 

Mufti Ismaeel Bassa

 

Confirmation:

Mufti Ebrahim Desai

 

(The answer hereby given is specifically based on the question asked and should be read together with the question asked. Islamic rulings on this Q&A newsletter are answered in accordance to the Hanafi Fiqh unless otherwise stated.) 

 

 

Fatwa Department
Jamiatul Ulama (KZN) 
Council of Muslim Theologians