LessonsWell Purification: Cases Requiring Complete DrainageQuiz

• The commentary defines the small stagnant well discussed here as one whose dimensions are less than 10 × 10 common cubits (Dhirā' al-'Āmmah).
• The complete-drainage rulings in this lesson concern this small well.
• A larger body of water is not automatically given the same ruling merely because something falls into it.

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Well Purification: Cases Requiring Complete Drainage

Read the bilingual lesson for Well Purification: Cases Requiring Complete Drainage and test your understanding with a focused quiz.

Lesson

1. The Small Well in This Chapter

• The commentary defines the small stagnant well discussed here as one whose dimensions are less than 10 × 10 common cubits (Dhirā' al-'Āmmah).
• The complete-drainage rulings in this lesson concern this small well.
• A larger body of water is not automatically given the same ruling merely because something falls into it.

2. Case 1: A Small Amount of Physical Impurity

Source text
تَنْزَحُ الْبِئْرُ الصَّغِيرَةُ بِوُقُوعِ نَجَاسَةٍ وَإِنْ قَلَّتْ مِنْ غَيْرِ الْأَرْوَاثِ كَقَطْرَةِ دَمٍ أَوْ خَمْرٍ

• If physical impurity such as a drop of blood or wine falls into the small well, the water is drained.
• The later discussion gives a separate concession for a small amount of certain animal droppings, so those are excluded from this example.

3. Case 2: A Pig Falls into the Well

Source text
وَبِوُقُوعِ خِنْزِيرٍ وَلَوْ خَرَجَ حَيًّا وَلَمْ يُصِبْ فَمُهُ الْمَاءَ

• If a pig falls into the small well, complete drainage is required even if it comes out alive and its mouth did not touch the water.
• The text treats this as a special case because of the pig's legal impurity.

4. Case 3: A Dog, Sheep, or Human Dies in the Well

Source text
وَبِمَوْتِ كَلْبٍ أَوْ شَاةٍ أَوْ آدَمِيٍّ فِيهَا

• If a dog, sheep, or human dies in the small well, complete drainage is required under the rule stated here.
• A useful distinction from the commentary: if a dog falls in alive, comes out alive, and its mouth does not reach the water, the water is not made impure merely by the dog's body.

5. Case 4: A Carcass Swells or Decomposes

Source text
وَبِانْتِفَاخِ حَيَوَانٍ وَلَوْ صَغِيرًا

• If an animal dies in the well and its carcass swells, decomposes, or begins to come apart, complete drainage is required even if the animal is small.
• The important point here is the decomposed or swollen state of the carcass.

6. If Complete Drainage Is Not Possible

Source text
وَمِائَتَا دَلْوٍ لَوْ لَمْ يُمْكِنْ نَزْحُهَا

• The matn gives 200 customary medium buckets when complete drainage of the small well is impossible because water continually replenishes.
• The commentary records this as the estimate of Imam Muhammad and also mentions another method in which knowledgeable persons estimate the amount of water in the well.
• Therefore, 200 buckets should be understood as the specific rule stated in the matn, not as a universal modern volume for every well.

7. Complete-Drainage Triggers: Recap

For the small well discussed here, remember these main triggers:
1. A physical impurity such as blood or wine falls into it.
2. A pig falls into it, even if it comes out alive.
3. A dog, sheep, or human dies in it.
4. Any carcass swells or decomposes in it, even a small one.

Practice questions

Question 1

How does the commentary define the small well discussed in this section?

  • Less than 10 × 10 common cubits.
  • Any well deeper than 10 metres.
  • Any well containing fewer than 100 buckets.
  • Only a well connected to a river.

Question 2

If even a drop of wine or blood falls into the small well discussed here, complete drainage is required.

Question 3

What is the ruling if a pig falls into a small well and is extracted alive without its mouth touching the water?

  • The well remains completely pure because the pig exited alive.
  • The well must be completely drained because the pig is inherently impure (Najis al-'Ayn).
  • Draining only 20 buckets is sufficient.
  • Only the edge of the well must be wiped.

Question 4

If a human or a sheep dies in a small well, the well must be completely drained, even if the carcass has not swollen or disintegrated.

Question 5

If a small animal (such as a mouse) dies in a small well and swells or decays, what is the required purification?

  • Draining only 20 buckets.
  • Complete drainage of the well.
  • Washing the carcass and returning it to the well.
  • No purification is required because the animal is small.

Question 6

If a well is connected to an active spring making complete drainage physically impossible, the requirement for purification is dropped entirely and the water is ruled pure.

Question 7

Which case does NOT require complete drainage under the rules taught in this level?

  • A pig falls in and comes out alive.
  • A sheep dies in the well.
  • A small animal dies and its carcass swells.
  • A dog falls in alive, comes out alive, and its mouth does not reach the water.

Question 8

When complete drainage is impossible, how is the size of the bucket determined to count the 200 buckets?

  • The custom bucket of that specific well, or a standard medium bucket if none exists.
  • The largest bucket available in the city.
  • Exactly 1 liter per bucket.
  • Any cup or household vessel.

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