(Q & A) Is Vomit Classified as Najis?

Question : Is vomit najis (impure), Ustadz?

Answer : The majority of scholars from the Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, Hanbali, and Zahiri schools (5 madzhabs) have established that vomit is najis. This is based on the mafhum (implied meaning) of the Prophet's saying:

الْعَائِدُ فِي هِبَتِهِ كَالْعَائِدِ فِي قَيْئِهِ

“The one who takes back his gift is like the one who eats back his vomit.” (HR. Al-Bukhari: 2621 and Muslim: 1622 from Abdullah bin Abbas).

The Tabi’in Qatadah bin Di’amah, a Tabi’in (successor), said:

وَلَا نَعْلَمُ الْقَيْءَ إِلَّا حَرَامًا

“We do not know of (eating) vomit except that it is haram (forbidden).” (Sunan Abu Dawud, 3/291).

Imam Al-Kasai Al-Hanafi said when explaining about najis:

قَالَ أَصْحَابُنَا الثَّلَاثَةُ: هُوَ خُرُوجُ النَّجَسِ مِنْ الْآدَمِيِّ الْحَيِّ، سَوَاءٌ كَانَ مِنْ السَّبِيلَيْنِ الدُّبُرِ وَالذَّكَرِ أَوْ فَرْجِ الْمَرْأَةِ أَوْ مِنْ غَيْرِ السَّبِيلَيْنِ الْجُرْحِ وَالْقُرْحِ وَالْأَنْفِ مِنْ الدَّمِ وَالْقَيْحِ وَالرُّعَافِ وَالْقَيْءِ

“The three pioneers of our school (Abu Hanifah, Abu Yusuf, and Muhammad bin Hasan) said, ‘It is the exit of impurity from a living human, whether it comes from the two passages—the anus and the male organ or the female private part—or that which comes from other than the two passages such as blood, blood from a wound, blood from the nose, pus from a sore, pus, vomit...’” (Al-Badai’ As-Shanai’, 1/24).

Imam Ibn ‘Askar Al-Maliki said:

وَفِي الآدَمِيِّ لا خِلافَ فِي نَجَاسَةِ الْبَوْلِ وَالْعَذْرَةِ وَالدَّمِ وَشِبْهِهِ وَالْقَيْءِ الْمُتَغَيِّرِ عَنْ حَالِ الطَّعَامِ

“And regarding (impurity from) the human (body), there is no dispute regarding the impurity of urine, feces, blood and what resembles it, as well as vomit that has changed from its original form when it was eaten...” (Ibnu Askar Irsyad As-Salik, 1/5).

Imam An-Nawawi Ash-Shafi’i said in the Chapter on Najis:

هِيَ كُلُّ مُسْكِرٍ مَائِعٍ وَكْلبٌ وَخِنْزِيرٌ وَفَرْعِهِمَا وَمَيْتَةُ غَيْرُ الْآدَمِيِّ وَالسَّمَكِ وَالْجَرَادِ وَدَمٌ وَقيْحٌ وَقَيْءٌ وَرَوْثٌ وَبَوْلٌ

“It is whatever includes liquid intoxicants (khamr), dogs, pigs, and the offspring of both, dead animals other than humans, fish and locusts, (and also impure are) blood, pus, vomit, dung, and urine...” (Minhaj At-Thalibin, 1/15).

Imam Al-Mardawi Al-Hanbali said:

لَوْ شَرِبَ مَاءً وَقَذَفَهُ فِي الْحَالِ نَجُسَ وَنُقِضَ كَالْقَيْءِ عَلَى الصَّحِيحِ مِنْ الْمَذْهَبِ

“If he swallows water and then vomits it back immediately, then that water is najis and invalidates wudhu according to the sahih (correct view) of the madzhab (Hanbali)...” (Al-Inshaf, 1/199).

Imam Ibn Hazm Adh-Dhahiri said:

وَالْقَيْءُ مِنْ كُلِّ مُسْلِمٍ أَوْ كَافِرٍ حَرَامٌ يَجِبُ اجْتِنَابُهُ

“And the vomit of every Muslim or disbeliever is haram and must be avoided...” (Al-Muhalla bi Al-Atsar, 1/188).

The mafhum (implication) is that the Messenger of Allah did not liken the censure of a person who takes back his gift to a vomit-eater except because vomit is forbidden to eat, and its prohibition indicates its impurity. Also [based on] the evidence of qiyas (analogy) and istihalah (transformation/mixture) with the place of impurity, namely the contents of the stomach. It is analogized with everything that comes out of the qubul (front passage) and dubur (back passage), because everything that comes out of both surely originates from the stomach, and the scholars agree on the impurity of the generality of substances coming out of the qubul and dubur.

However, the Malikis consider vomit pure as long as what is vomited is still intact as it was originally and has not changed its form (1). The Hanafis stipulate that vomit becomes najis if the amount fills the mouth. The Shafi'is excuse the impurity of vomit for a person who is tested with vomiting—due to illness or pregnancy, for example.

Some scholars view vomit as pure absolutely, and this is the view of Ash-Shawkani and chosen by some contemporary scholars such as Ibn 'Uthaymin and Al-Albani. Imam Ash-Shawkani said when explaining the book Hadaiq Al-Azhar:

قَوْلُهُ: "وَقِيءٌ مِنَ الْمَعِدَةِ مَلَأُ الْفَمِ دَفْعَةً" أَقُولُ: قَدْ عَرَّفْنَاكَ فِي أَوَّلِ كِتَابِ الطَّهَارَةِ أَنَّ الْأَصْلَ فِي جَمِيعِ الْأَشْيَاءِ هُوَ الطَّهَارَةُ وَأَنَّهُ لاَ يَنْقُلُ عَنْ ذَلِكَ إِلاَّ نَاقِلٌ صَحِيحٌ صَالِحٌ لِلْاِحْتِجَاجِ بِهِ

“His statement (the author of the book), ‘and vomit from the stomach that fills the mouth at once.’ I (Ash-Shawkani) say, ‘We have already explained to you at the beginning of the Book of Purification that the default status of all things is purity and nothing transfers it from that status except a correct (sahih) text suitable for argumentation.’” (As-Sail Al-Jarar, 1/29-30).

Al-Albani was mistaken in attributing the opinion of the purity of vomit to Ibn Hazm, whereas Ibn Hazm actually stated the opposite. The evidence of these scholars is the principle of Al-Istishhab or Al-Bara-ah Al-Ashliyah, in the form of the rule “The origin of all things is pure (not najis) unless there is sahih evidence indicating its impurity.” Meanwhile—according to them—there is no sahih evidence that clearly states the impurity of vomit.

What is closer to the truth is to consider vomit as najis as per the mafhum of the hadith evidence used by the majority of scholars, and what is most cautious is to consider all vomit as najis without exception, in order to exit the dispute of the scholars, and this is the sahih opinion in the Hanbali school. Thus, it is haram to eat or swallow vomit, and vomit can invalidate prayer if it touches clothes or skin if one is aware of it. Wallahu a’lam (And Allah knows best).