{"_id":"69fa1eec8a72dbcbaf23ce36","title":"{\"ops\":[{\"insert\":\"How should someone deal with OCD about impurity in places like the masjid?\\n\"}]}","question":"{\"ops\":[{\"insert\":\"I struggle with OCD related to tahara. In the masjid, when I remove my shoes, I worry that the ground is contaminated from people’s shoes and that impurity transfers to me, preventing my prayer from being valid. Even when my feet are dry, I still feel like I am picking up filth. This feels consistent with fiqh I’ve learned, so it’s hard to ignore. Is this correct, and how can I deal with it?\\n\"}]}","answer":"{\"ops\":[{\"insert\":\"What you are describing could not be further from the fiqh. A foundational principle in Islamic law is that everything is pure by default, and certainty of purity is not overridden by doubt. In other words, you do not need to establish that something is pure; purity is assumed, and it can only be overridden by certain knowledge of impurity. You may have encountered fiqh discussions about najāsah and misread them as being about establishing purity, when in fact they are about maintaining an assumed purity until it is conclusively overridden.\\n\\nOne of the examples commonly cited in Shāfiʿī fiqh books is that if you see a pack of dogs hovering over a bucket of water from a distance but do not actually witness them licking the water, that water cannot be ruled impure. Applying this to your situation: even if people have been walking through the masjid with shoes that may have had impurities on them, the ground remains pure unless you directly and unmistakably witness a specific impurity on it.\\n\\nConsider also the time of the Prophet ﷺ when streets were unpaved, animals roamed freely, and yet there is not a single narration of the Companions being instructed to tiptoe around or obsessively check for impurities before praying. The Shariah is here to facilitate worship, not paralyze us.\\n\\nWhat you are experiencing is a manifestation of OCD in the context of ritual purity. The fiqh is not your enemy here, it is actually on your side. I would strongly encourage you to seek therapy from a professional who understands both the psychological and religious dimensions of this struggle. May Allah grant you relief.\\n\"}]}","tags":[{"_id":"668da0000b76658b4c232b6b","tag":"Tahara: Other","count":25}],"createdOn":"2026-05-05T16:46:36.243Z"}