The Ruling on a Soiled Finger Becoming Pure by Licking

Question

There is an issue that Hazrat Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi ﵀ stated in his book “Bihishti Zewar” (“Heavenly Ornaments”), in the section on issues: if some impurity gets on a finger, it becomes pure by licking it three times — but licking is forbidden. On this issue a certain Raza Khani gentleman (a follower of Ahmad Raza Khan)

Answer

Since “Bihishti Zewar” states in clear words “but doing so is forbidden”, the objector’s saying that “a method for eating stool and the like has been taught” is his perversity of mind and error (ghawaya), in that he calls even a prohibition the teaching of a method. Such a mind does not actually err in understanding the issue; rather, by explaining to them (people)

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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