Does Possible Najasa in Public Washrooms Affect Wudu or Clothing?
Question
As-salamu alaykum.
If I enter a public washroom without shoes or sandals and perform wudu, knowing there is a possibility that urine may be on the floor, would my wudu still be valid?
Also, as a healthcare worker, if I help a non-Muslim patient bathe, and only water touches me, not urine, feces, or any other najasa, does this affect my clothes or my wudu?
Answer
Alhamdulillah, wassalatu wassalamu ala rasulillah, wa ala alihi wa sahbihi ajmain.
Simply put, possibility and doubt do not affect purity.
If you do wudu in a public washroom and there is only a possibility that urine may be on the floor, but you did not see it and did not step on something wet that you know to be najasa, then your wudu is valid and your feet remain pure.
Islam does not require certainty of impurity to be assumed. Purity remains the default unless impurity is clearly known.
As for assisting a non-Muslim patient with bathing, water used for bathing is pure as long as it has not visibly changed due to najasa. The body of a non-Muslim is not impure in itself, and the water used to wash them does not become najis simply because it touched their body.
If no urine, feces, blood, or other najasa came into contact with you or your clothes, then:
- Your clothes remain pure
- Your wudu remains valid
- No washing is required
Even if the water splashes on you, it does not affect your purity unless you are certain najasa was present.
There is no need to overthink or constantly suspect impurity. Islam is a religion of ease and clarity, not anxiety.
Usul Principle
اليقين لا يزول بالشك
Certainty is not removed by doubt.
Purity is established with certainty and is not undone by mere possibility or suspicion.
Final Ruling
Your wudu is valid if you did not clearly see or step on known najasa.
Helping a patient bathe does not affect your wudu or clothes unless najasa actually touches you.
Mere doubt or possibility does not change the ruling.
And Allah knows best.