Question Summary:
about 1 year ago i had just entered puberty. i didnt really know what mani and mazi( pre sperm/clear fluid) were. once when i was riding my bike( i had gone outside) i felt something being released from my private parts….what do i do? i have read from several sources that ” certainty is not lifted by doubt” and “all things are pure until proven impure”…

Question Detail:

about 1 year ago i had just entered puberty. i didnt really know what mani and mazi( pre sperm/clear fluid) were. once when i was riding my bike( i had gone outside) i felt something being released from my private parts. i checked and saw this to be mazi. at that time i didnt know what this fluid was. i had touched it to check what it was.

Following this, obviously my hand had later become dirty due to touching the naapak substance. however, im not sure whether i touched my bike( handle, bars etc) with the same napaak finger( since i had only touched the mazi with one finger to be cautious). Sometimes, i think that i did touch my bike with the napaak finger. however, other times i think that my instincts had gotten to me and i didnt touch the bike whilst the fluid was still wet( my instincts would have said to me that this is a dirty substance and i wouldnt have wanted to make other things dirty as a result).

also, i am in doubt as to whether my napaak fingers would have accidentally and inevitably touched the newspaper whilst the mazi was still wet and this mazi on the newspaper will have only very slightly spread onto the letterbox of the door and then dried up. i was doing a newspaper delivery round at the time this occurred. if it did spread on the letterbox of the door, how am i supposed to know whether on other occasions if the mazi had spread onto my hands,( if i had touched the same part of the letterbox)

I keep changing minds about which one to choose. im in doubt over this situation. As a result, i think i may have made other things napaak as a result of touching this mazi. i had not knew that mazi was napaak at that time.

what do i do? i have read from several sources that " certainty is not lifted by doubt" and "all things are pure until proven impure". sometimes i think i should follow this and assume everything to be pure and get rid of the doubt that i may have touched the bike with my napaak hands.

also, this had happened to me before. i had assumed lots of things to be naapak once due to waswasa( shaitan's whisperings). in the end, i realised nothing was naapaak and Shaitan was only messing with my mind. i sometimes think he is messing my mind with this situation aswell.

i want to follow the quote, however im worried that i may be making a mistake. im 50/50 about everything and had heard that if you are 50/50  doubtful, then you should assume it to be paak( above 50% means you are more than doubtful). i keep getting gut feelings that i may be making a mistake. the reason i am so confused about everything is because this had happened so long ago. what should i do in this situation?

should i follow the quote "certainty is not lifted by doubt"?

jazakallah, wsalaam.

Answer :

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Assalaamu `alaykum waRahmatullahi Wabarakatoh
As you have stated in your query, you have just become baligh a year ago. Generally people are very sensitive at this stage. They hear many different things and tend to be sensitive to the issue. Due to lack of knowledge they sometimes put themselves through unnecessary difficulties. It is very important that you empower yourself with correct Islaamic knowledge. By doing so you will realise how easy Islaam is.
Islaam is an easy and simple way of life. For instance look at the situation which you are asking about. There is no need to worry or panic at all. You mentioned “I had touched to see what it was”. Obviously this was a small amount of impurity which came on your fingers. Small amounts of impurity, equivalent to the hollow portion of the palm which equals to /-5.94cm is overlooked in Islaam. If a person has to perform salaah whilst his body or clothes are soiled with impurity equivalent to the above mentioned amount his salaah would be correct even though he did not wash it. Although it is best to wash this amount of impurity but the fact of the matter is his salaah would be correct with karaahat (detestability). Furthermore, in some instances the sun could also be a means for purification.
Therefore we emphasise that you equip yourself with Islaamic knowledge on this issue. If you are not well equipped with the basic laws of shariah on taharah, the shaitaan will play havoc with you and create doubts in you. You should avoid that happening to you.
 
أما النجاسة القليلة فإنها لا تمنع جواز الصلاة ، سواء كانت خفيفة أو غليظة استحسانا ،
 بدائع الصنائع في ترتيب الشرائع  - (ج 1 / ص 232 دار الكتاب ديوبند)
 احسن الفتاوى (2/89 سعيد)
And Allah knows best
Wassalam
Ml. Ishaq E. Moosa,
Student Darul Iftaa
Checked and Approved by:
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
Darul Iftaa, Madrassah In'aamiyyah