Janabat1 Is Spiritual Impurity

Aga Rizvi has narrated that the Late Bedabadi mentioned above came to Shiraz from Bushahar on way to Medina and stayed there for two months. He was a guest of Aga Ali Akbar Maghazai and congregational prayer was held there under his lead. At all three prayer times a crowd of believers was present there to gain from his company.

One night the ritual bath had become obligatory on me, so after the Morning call for prayer, I left my place to go to the public bath. Suddenly I saw Shaykh Muhammad Baqir Shaykh ul-Islam on way to meet Aga Bedabadi. He asked: Are you not coming with me? I felt ashamed to say that I was going to the public bath. So I accompanied him thinking that there was enough time yet and that I would go the public bath after greeting Aga Bedabadi. When we two came to him, first Aga Shaykh ul-Islam shook hands with him. When my turn came, Aga Bedabadi whispered to me in my ear: Going to the public bath was more important.

I was astonished and moved at his insight and started retreating with shame and regret, Shaykh ul-Islam asked: Aga Rizvi, where are you going? The Late Bedabadi said: Let him go, he has something important to do.

It can be concluded from this story that impurity of seminal emission and other impurities are not mere nominal issues, for which the Messenger of Allah (S) has fixed some laws, as some scholars have opined. On the contrary, all kinds of impurities, that is any act, which necessitate ritual bath (Ghusl) and ablution (Wudhu), especially seminal emission; all are factual matters. That is, due to them a type of impurity, filth and darkness is created in the soul, in the presence of which, that person is not having any inclination to Prayers and the Prayer becomes invalid. It is so, because this act is having the capacity of presence in the court of the Almighty and is a whispered supplication to Him.

Due to this internal impurity, it is detestable in that condition (Makruh) to eat, sleep, read more than seven verses of Qur’an and to go in the presence of one having agony of death, because angels are present there and the dying person is in dire need of divine mercy, whereas angels abhor the impurity of Janabat and menstrual period (Haiz).

Moreover, all unlawful or detestable acts in that condition are only deemed as such due to that impurity. Thus, those sincere Shia and followers of Ahl ul-Bayt ('a) who have undertaken spiritual struggles and lawful penances are bestowed with an illuminated conscience by Allah and they can feel matters, which are beyond human perception. It is possible that they are even able to perceive that impurity, as seen in the case of Late Bedabadi.

There are many similar incidents of this type; like in Tankabani's book, Qisas ul-Ulama the following statement of the Late Aga Sayyid Abdul Karim Ibn Sayyid Zayn ul-Abidin Lahji is narrated:

My respected father used to say: 1 was studying in the holy places and it was the last period of Late Aga Baqir Wahid Bahbani and the Aga was not giving lectures due to his old age and weakness. On the contrary, his students were performing this duty, but the Aga held a token lecture, in which he gave superficial talks on Sharh Lumah and some of us students attended it as a token gesture. By chance, one day 1 became needful for ritual bath (Ghusl Janabat) and my prayers had also lapsed, and it was time for Aga 's lecture.

I said to myself that I would attend the lecture first, so that it is not disturbed and after that go directly to the public bath and perform ritual bath. The Aga had not arrived when I reached the lecture room. When he did so, he did most cheerfully and smiling. He glanced at all who were present there. All of a sudden, signs of sorrow and grief became apparent on his face and he said: There would be no lecture today. All of you may go back. People started leaving, but when I wanted to leave, he said: Be seated. I continued sitting. When all had left. he said: There is some money below the carpet where you are sitting, take it and perform the ritual bath and you must never again attend such a gathering in condition of ritual impurity.

A similar incident is mentioned in the book of Mustadrak ul-Wasail, Vol. 3, Pg. 401 in the biography of the great scholar, Sayyid Muhammad Baqir Qazwini. It is narrated that during the year 124 l A.H. a terrible plague spread in Najaf al-Ashraf in which 40000 lives were lost and for whomsoever it was possible, he fled from there except this Sayyid.

A night before the plague, Amir ul-Mu’minin ('a) informed him in dream saying: You would be the last martyr among those who die in plague. It was exactly same; that after the Sayyid's death, the epidemic ended and in that whole period from the morning to night the Sayyid performed prayers of dead in the holy courtyard. He appointed some persons for giving funeral bath and shrouding and some for burying the dead.

Sayyid Murtaza informed me that he was with the Sayyid in those times: One day a good-natured old caretaker of Najaf al-Ashraf started weeping on seeing the Sayyid, as if he wanted something from him, but was unable to reach him. When the Sayyid saw this, he said to me: Ask him what he wants? When I went to him and asked, he said: If I were also to die during this, it is my wish that only the Sayyid (r.a.) should pray my funeral prayers separately. (due to excess of dead, the Sayyid prayed for a number of corpses at a time). I turned around and conveyed his wish to the Sayyid and he accepted it. That old man went away from there.

The following day a youth arrived weeping and said: I am the son of that old man and he has contracted plague today. He sent me to request you to visit him. The Sayyid agreed; and leaving someone as substitute to pray on the dead, himself set out to visit that religious man. A group of believers also accompanied him. On the way, a believer came out from his house. When he saw the Sayyid and his companions, he asked where they were headed. I said: We are going to visit a patient. He said: I will also come with you to earn the same rewards.

When the Sayyid reached that patient, he was extremely elated and expressed his love and sincerity to each of us in turn. Till the person who had joined us on the way came before him and greeted him. At that moment, the patient's condition worsened and he gestured to him with his hands and head in anxiety. He was in fact asking him to go out. He also signaled his sons to take him out. All of us were astounded, because there was no familiarity between that man and the patient. That man went out immediately. After sometime he returned and now the patient smiled at him and expressed approval and pleasure.

When all of us left the house, we asked that person what the matter was. He said I was in a state of ritual impurity and I was going to the public bath when I met you all. I thought that first I would visit this sick person and after that go to the public bath, but when I saw his severe displeasure, I understood that it was due to my ritual impurity. So I went out, performed the ritual bath and returned; and you saw how this time he was so much pleased.

After narrating this strange story, the author of Mustadrak says: This proves why Islamic law discourages persons with ritual impurity and menstrual period not to visit one who is in the agony of death.

• 1. Ritual impurity through sexual act