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Q&A · Purification

What kinds of water can be used for purification — is sea water pure?

Purification is valid with any water that remains in its natural created state — rain, wells, rivers, springs, melted snow or hail, and sea water — and water is presumed pure and purifying unless its color, taste, or smell is genuinely changed by an impurity. When a man asked the Prophet about performing wudu with sea water, fearing to run out of fresh water at sea, he answered: "Its water is purifying and its dead (creatures) are lawful." So sea water is not merely tolerated but is explicitly declared a means of purification, and Allah described the rain He sends down as pure water to purify us.

Evidence — the daleel
Sunan Abi Dawud 83Jami' al-Tirmidhi 69Quran 25:48
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Informational, not a personal fatwa. Consult a qualified scholar for rulings on your situation.

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