My father started the dialogue with a spark of determination in his eyes, saying:

Let me tell you a general principle, that will have a great impact on your life, it is “Everything is Tahir”. Everything: Seas, rain water, rivers, trees, deserts, mountains, streets, buildings, houses, appliances, utensils, clothes, your Muslim brothers, etc.

Everything is Tahir, until it becomes contaminated and made Najis, except...

- Except, what?

Except that which is originally or naturally Najis.

- What are the things that are naturally Najis?

Ten things:

1. Human feces and that of animals that are prohibited to consume, if they have Nafs Saaila (gushing blood).

2. Human urine and urine of animals that are prohibited to consume, if they have Nafs Saaila.

- What if the animal does not have a Nafa Saaila?

If it has meat [then its urine is Najis]. Otherwise, its urine is Tahir.

- What is a Nafs Saaila?

It is a term that you will come across more than once during this dialogue, so, we better shed some light on it.

We describe an animal as having Nafs Saaila, if blood gushes out from it when slaughtered because of the presence of arteries. We consider an animal not to have Nafs Saaila if, due to lack of arteries, the blood of the animal seeps out gently, without pressure, when it is slaughtered.

3. Meeta (carcass) of the animal that has Nafs Saaila even if it was lawful to consume. This includes its live parts after its separation from the animal.

- What is Meeta?

Any animal that has died without being slaughtered in accordance to the Islamic laws of slaughtering.

- Like?

They are like any animal that dies because of disease, or by accident, or was slaughtered in away not in accordance to the Islamic law. The carcasses of such animals are called Meeta.

4. Semen of the human being and of the animal with Nafs Saaila if its meat is prohibited to consume.

5. Blood that comes out from the human body and of the body of the animal with Nafs Saaila.

- What about the blood of that animal that does no have Nafs saaila?

It is Tahir, such as fish blood and the blood of the chigger and the flea.

6. All parts of the dog’s body whether alive or dead.

7. All parts of the pig’s body whether alive or dead.

- What about seals and otters?

They are Tahir.

8. Wine and all intoxicating drinks

9. [People who do not believe in the divine religions]. People of divine religions - the Christians, Jews, and Magians - are considered Tahir.

10. The sweat of the camel that feed on human excrement [and all animals that feed on human excrement].

These ten things are all naturally Najis. The Najasah in them will cause other objects to be Najis when contacted with dampness.

- What, if there is no wetness when contacted?

If there is no wetness, the Najasah does not spread to things that come in contact with it, as it does not transfer between dry surfaces.

- Are urine and dung of animals and birds that are lawful to consume, like cows, sheep, chicken and various kinds of birds, Tahir or Najis?

They are Tahir.

- What about bats' droppings?

They are Tahir.

- What about these parts of the Meeta: feather, fur, wool, nails, horns, bones, teeth, beaks, and claws. Are they Tahir?

All of them are Tahir.

- And the blood we find in the meat we buy from the marketplace?

This blood is Tahir, and the blood that remains in the body of the animal after it has been slaughtered, according to Islamic laws of slaughtering, is Tahir.

-And the droppings of rats and mice?

They are Najis.

If you thought about the points that I mentioned to you earlier, you would have answered this question yourself, since these animals have arteries and blood gush out from them when they are slaughtered.

- The grave spark in my father's eye that I noticed in the beginning of this dialogue has reappeared again. He glanced at me and added:

I started this dialogue with a general rule that has a great impact in your life and I will conclude it with more principles with equal importance.

The First Principle: Everything was Tahir and you doubt whether it is still the case or it becomes Najis, then it is Tahir.

- Can you give me an example?

Your bed-sheet – for instance – was Tahir, then you doubt whether it has come into contact with Najasah and has became Najis or has remained Tahir. You consider it Tahir.

The Second Principle: Anything that was Najis, and you have doubts whether you made it Tahir or it is still Najis, then it is considered Najis.

- For example?

Your hand – for instance – was Najis and you were absolutely sure that it was, but afterwards, you became unsure whether you made it Tahir from its past Najasah or you did not. You say: My hand is Najis.

The Third Principle: Anything about which you have no prior knowledge of its previous state, whether it was Tahir or Najis, it is considered Tahir now.

- Like?

This glass of water – for example – whose previous status is not known, whether it is Najis or Tahir? You would say: it is Tahir.

The Fourth Principle: Anything about which you doubt whether it came in contact with a Najis thing or not, you are not required to investigate to verify that it is really Tahir. Instead, you assume it is so even if the investigation is easy for you.

- For instance?

Your shirt was Tahir – for example – and you were sure of this before. Now, you are in doubt whether it came in contact with urine and became Najis or it remained Tahir? You are not required to conduct any kind of investigation and search for any traces of urine even if this search is simple; instead you assume that your shirt is Tahir.