Does touching an animal’s private part have the same wudu ruling as touching a human’s?
2026-10-13
T135 · Ibn Taymiyyah
Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah
شيخ الإسلام أحمد بن تيمية
Original Q&A · Full displayed answer
Both the author’s statement of agreement among the imams concerning animals and his mention of two later Shafii positions are preserved. The human case is expressly reported as disputed. The adjacent answer on accidental contact is a separate question.
النص العربي
السؤال الأصلي
هل لمس كل ذكر ينقض الوضوء من الآدميين والحيوان؟ وهل باطن الكف هو ما دون باطن الأصابع؟
الجواب
لمس فرج الحيوان غير الإنسان لا ينقض الوضوء حيا ولا ميتا باتفاق الأئمة، وذكر بعض المتأخرين من أصحاب الشافعي فيه وجهين. وإنما تنازعوا في مس فرج الإنسان خاصة.
وبطن الكف يتناول الباطن كله بطن الراحة والأصابع، ومنهم من يقول: لا ينقض بحال؛ كأبي حنيفة وأحمد في رواية.
English translation
English rendering prepared for SalafAlSalih.com from the cited Arabic answer. Not an official translation.
Original question
Does touching every male private part invalidate wudu, whether human or animal? Does the inner hand exclude the inner surfaces of the fingers?
Answer
Touching the private part of an animal other than a human does not invalidate wudu, whether alive or dead, by the agreement of the imams. Some later followers of al-Shafii mentioned two positions on it. Their disagreement concerned touching the human private part specifically.
The inner hand includes the entire inner surface, both palm and fingers. Some hold that it does not invalidate wudu at all, such as Abu Hanifah and Ahmad in one narration.
Source and editorial notes
Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā 21/231; King Fahd Complex, Madinah, 1425 AH / 2004
مجموع الفتاوى
Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā
Arabic transcribed and compared against the cited scan and adjacent context.