Urine and Excrement of Edible Animals: Pure?

The urine and excrement of the animals whose meat is lawful to eat are pure, according to the majority of scholars. Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, states: ”Muslim jurists have different opinions regarding the purity of the urine and excrement of the animals whose meat is lawful to eat such as camels, cows, sheep, chicken, ducks, geese, pigeons, etc. According to the Malikis, the urine and excrement of such animals are pure. In Ash-Sharh As-Saghir, Ad-Dardir states that the urine and excrement of the edible animals … and all edible birds are pure unless such animals have been fed on an impure stuff; if so, their excrements will be also regarded as impure.
Muhammad ibn Al-Hassan, the Hanafi scholar, agreed with Imam Malik with regard to considering the urine of the edible animals pure. He cited as evidence for this the hadith in which Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) prescribed for the people of `Uraynah to drink the urine and milk of camels as a treatment. Had the urine of camels been impure, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would not have prescribed it for them as a treatment, for Allah would not make unlawful things be treatments for Muslims.

Abu Hanifah and Abu Yusuf, however, regarded the urine of the edible animals impure because of its stench. But they said that its impurity is minor, because of the conflicting proofs in that regard, and because it cannot be avoided by people. This includes the urine of the horses, donkeys, and the excrement of the birds whose meat is not to be eaten. If one’s garment or body has been contaminated with filth of minor impurity, one may opt to not remove it so long as it does not exceed a quarter of the garment or body.
The Hanafi scholars said that the excrement of edible birds such as pigeons and sparrows is pure, for it is unanimously agreed upon that pigeons are to move freely in mosques, especially the precinct of the Sacred Mosque. Had their excrement been impure, the Muslims would not have left them in the Sacred Mosque. Of the edible birds, the excrement of chickens and ducks, however, is regarded by the founders of the four schools of Fiqh to be of major impurity.
As for the urine and excrement of the animals whose meat is not to be eaten, Abu Hanifah regarded them to be of major impurity, for there is a clear-cut hadith in that regard: “The excrement of unlawful animals is (no doubt) impure.”

But Abu Yusuf and Muhammad (the disciples of Abu hanifah) are of the opinion that the excrement of such animals is of minor impurity, for people may not avoid being affected with it; besides, it is a controversial point among scholars.

The Shafi`i scholars believe that all animals’ urine and excrement are impure, whether the meat of such animals is lawful to eat or not.

The Hanbali scholars reported different opinions to have been said by Imam Ahmad in that regard, but Ibn Taymiyyah asserted, giving more than ten reasons, that Imam Ahmad believed that the urine and excrement of all animals whose meat is lawful to eat are pure.

Ibn Taymiyyah gave in detail the evidence for regarding the excrement of the edible animals pure. Among this evidence is the hadith reported by Anas ibn Malik to the effect that some people from `Akal or `Uraynah came to Madinah but their health was affected by its weather. Upon knowing that, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered that some camels be brought and that they drink from their urine and milk. According to Ibn Taymiyyah, on drinking the urine of camels, those people’s mouths, hands, clothes, and vessels were to be contaminated with the urine. Had such urine been impure, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would have clarified that to them and ordered them to purify their hands, mouths and clothes upon performing Prayer, and to clean their vessels of the filth. But the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not do so. This shows that the urine is not impure. In addition to that, he (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned the urine with the milk, and this indicates that they are equal, or at least casts doubts regarding the urine’s being impure. Besides, he (peace and blessings be upon him) prescribed the camels’ urine and milk as treatment. Had their urine been impure, he (peace and blessings be upon him) would not have prescribed it, for he would never prescribe something unlawful.
From the above evidence, it is concluded that the urine and excrement of the animals whose meat is lawful to eat — according to the majority of scholars — is pure and Muslims are not to doubt about that.”