The Distinguished Jurists Primer by Ibn Rushd

The objects from which impurities are to be removed are three, and there is dispute about them. First is the body, then clothes, and finally the mosques and the places of prayer. The jurists agreed about these three objects as they are expressly mentioned in the Book and the sunna.

Clothes are mentioned in the words of the Exalted, “Thy raiment purify , according to those who interpreted this literally, and in the commands of the Prophet (God’s peace and blessings be upon him) about washing away the blood of menstruation from clothes and about pouring water over the parts affected by the urine of the child who urinated in his lap. The mosques are covered by the command of the Prophet (God’s peace and blessings be upon him) to pour a pitcher of water over the urine of the bedouin, who had urinated in a corner of the mosque. Similarly, it is established from the Prophet (God’s peace and blessings be upon him) that “he ordered the washing of madhy from the affected parts of the body and the washing away of impurities from the two outlets”.

The jurists differed aboutwhether the entire penis is to be washed because of madhy (prostatic secretion prior to cohabitation). This is based on the widely known tradition of cAIi from the Prophet (God’s peace and blessings be upon him) when he was asked about prostatic fluid. He said, “He should wash his penis and perform ablution”. .The reason for the disagreement is whether the obligation relates to the entire affected object or to the actually affected parts of it. Those who maintained that it applies to the whole, that is, to the entire object to which the term is applied, said that the entire penis is to be washed, while those who maintained that it applies to the essential minimum part of the object said that only the affected part is to be washed on the analogy of urination.