There is nothing in the sources of Sharia requiring a person who is in a state of major impurity after having sexual intercourse with one’s spouse to clean anything he or she might have touched in such a state. The same applies to menstruating women or women having post-natal bleeding. A Muslim should be careful not to attribute to the Islamic Sharia anything that is not related to it.

It is on this that Sheikh Ahmad Kutty said:

“This is indeed a wrong idea or belief held by some people; there is no basis for it in the sources or authentic fiqh. All that is required after sexual intercourse, is to wipe oneself clean, wash the spot where semen has fallen and take a complete bath with the intention of ridding oneself of the ritual impurity.

Simply touching something while in a state of impurity would not render it impure. How can we say so, when we learn from the Prophet’s beloved wife `A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) who said, “Once the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered me to get him something from the mosque, and when I excused myself saying that I was menstruating, he said, “Your menses is not in your hands!” In other words, the ritual impurity of a menstruating woman or a person in a state of janabah (major ritual impurity) is not passed on to the people or objects they come in contact with. So, there is definitely no need for a woman to wash the linen or clothes she has touched while in a state of major ritual impurity following intercourse or menses.