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Narrated by Abu Dāwūd, At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasā’i, Ibn Mājah, and AhmadAuthentic

If the water is two pitchers, it will bear no impurity

Narrator in the source: Ibn ‘Umar reported: The Messenger of Allah

‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about water that is frequented by animals and beasts of prey, and he (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "If the water is two pitchers, it will bear no impurity."
Grade in the source
Authentic
Reported by
Narrated by Abu Dāwūd, At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasā’i, Ibn Mājah, and Ahmad
Source entry
HadeethEnc · 8357 ↗
Original Arabic wording
عَن عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ رضي الله عنهما قَالَ: سُئِلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَنِ الْمَاءِ وَمَا يَنُوبُهُ مِنَ الدَّوَابِّ وَالسِّبَاعِ، فَقَالَ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «إِذَا كَانَ الْمَاءُ قُلَّتَيْنِ لَمْ يَحْمِلِ الْخَبَثَ».
Understand this hadith

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about the ruling on the purity of the water that is frequented by animals and beasts of prey to drink from it and the like. He (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: If the amount of water can fill two big pitchers, i.e., 210 liters, then it is a big amount of water that does not become impure unless one of its three characteristics, namely its color, taste, and smell, is changed because of some impurity.

Lessons from the hadith
  • Water becomes impure in case there is a change in one of its three characteristics, namely its color, taste, and smell, because of some impurity. The Hadīth here applies to the majority of cases and is not meant to be specific.
  • Scholars have unanimously agreed that if water is changed by impurity, it becomes generally impure, regardless of its amount.
References (original Arabic)

سنن أبي داود (1/ 46) (63). سنن الترمذي (1/ 109) (67). سنن النسائي (1/ 46) (52). سنن ابن ماجه (1/ 324) (517). مسند أحمد (8/ 211) (4605). توضيح الأحكام، للبسام (1/ 121). فتح ذي الجلال والإكرام بشرح بلوغ المرام، لابن عثيمين (1/ 67). منحة العلام، لعبد الله الفوزان (1/ 35).