Volume - II / CHAPTER - 2 / LESSON NO: 16
OF WELL
Q 1: Which things render the well impure?
A. The well will become impure if any filth or impurity falls into it or man or any animal whose blood flows, falls into and dies therein.
Q 2: Will the well remain pure or become impure in case an animal falls into it but is taken out alive?
A. There are different injunctions for different cases. For example, an animal (except pig) falls into a well and nobody is certain whether any filth was sticking to its body or not, in such situation the water of the well will be considered pure. However, twenty cans full of water will be drawn out and thrown away and if it was sure that the animal carried filth when fell, the well will be considered impure and all water will have to be drained out. In case its mouth touched the water, the injunction about its spittle and used or left-over water/food will be applicable to this case.
Q 3: What injunction is there for the carrion or the dead animal which falls or thrown into well?
A. The same injunction as to the animal which falls and dies in well applies to the carrion or dead animal.
Q 4: How to purify/cleanse a well if polluted?
A. There are three ways to purify/cleanse a well if polluted:
1. If a man or goat, dog or any animal (whose blood flows) falls into well and dies therein or a hen, cock, cat, rat, lizard (having flowing blood) and the like dies in a well and gets decomposed or an amputated tail of lizard or of
rat falls into it or filth or any similar filthy and impure thing falls or is thrown in it, the well will become impure and all the water will have to be drained out to purify/cleanse it.
2. If a rat or mole, sparrow or the like falls into a well and dies therein, then twenty (preferably thirty) cans full of water will have to be drawn out and thrown away to purify/cleanse it.
3. In case of falling of a pigeon, hen, cat and the like into a well, forty to sixty cans full of water will have to be drawn out and thrown away for its purification.
Q 5: What about a shoe or ball if falls into a well?
A. If it was sure that the shoe or ball which fell or thrown into a well carried filth then all water will have to be drained out to purify it and in case it was not certain whether the said object carried filth or not then only twenty cans full of water will be drawn out and thrown away for its purification.
Q 6: What about an aquatic animal that dies in a well?
A. The water of a well will not become impure if any aquatic animal dies therein. However the water will become impure if an amphibian dies in a well like duck.
Q 7: When will the water of a polluted well be considered pure?
A. After having been drained out or drawn out the
requisite quantity of water from well, the well will
become pure. There is no need even to wash the walls of the well or the can and rope thereof through which the water is drawn from the well.
Q8: Will a polluted well become pure if the water is drained out bit by bit (not in one go)?
A. The requisite quantity of water has to be drawn out from the polluted well, whether in one go or bit by bit to purify the well. Doing the job at the same time is no precondition.
Q 9: What should be the size of can to draw out the water from a well?
A. The same can which is placed on well and used for drawing the water will be used for purifying it. No matter of which size it is.
Q10: If a carrion or dead animal is taken out from well and nobody knows when it fell or died, what injunction is there to this effect?
A. If nobody knows as to when the carrion or animal fell and died in the well, then the water of the well will be considered impure from the time it was seen/found. In case people knew about it and even then used the water for Wudu and Ghusl and offered Salaat, their worship so performed will be void.
Q11: How to purify/cleanse a well whose water does not cease but keeps oozing out?
A. The quantity of water of such well should be
estimated and then draw out the estimated quantity
regardless of the water that oozes out during the process.