Aisha narrated that she used to wash semen from the garment of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and she said: Then I would see a spot or spots on it; and it is an authentic hadith (1). Salih said: My father said: Washing semen from the garment is more cautious and more firmly established in the narration. Rubbing it off has also been reported from Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said regarding semen that gets on a garment: "If it is moist, wash it; and if it is dry, rub it off" (2). This is a command that implies obligation. Furthermore, because it is a substance that habitually exits from the passage, it is similar to urine. As for our position, it is what Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, narrated: "I used to rub semen off the garment of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and he would pray in it." This is mutually agreed upon (3). Ibn Abbas said: "Wipe it off yourself with an idhkhir plant or a rag, and do not wash it; it is merely like saliva and mucus." This was recorded by al-Daraqutni (4) as a marfu' (elevated) narration to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. Also, because it is not obligatory to wash it when it has dried, it is not impure, like mucus; and because it is the beginning of a human being's creation, it is pure, like clay. It differs from urine in that it is the beginning of a human being's creation.
Section: If the location of the semen is hidden, the entire garment is to be rubbed if we hold the view that it is impure. If we hold the view that it is pure, rubbing it is recommended. If one prays in it without rubbing, it is valid. This is the school of al-Shafi'i
(1) Recorded by al-Bukhari in: Chapter on If One Washes Janabah or Other Than It and Its Trace Does Not Go Away, from the Book of Wudu'. Sahih al-Bukhari 1/67. And Abu Dawud in: Chapter on Semen Getting on a Garment, from the Book of Purification. Sunan Abi Dawud 1/89. See: Musnad al-Imam Ahmad 6/47, 142, 162. (2) Recorded by al-Daraqutni in: Chapter on What Has Been Reported Regarding the Purity of Semen and Its Ruling Whether Moist or Dry, from the Book of Purification. Sunan al-Daraqutni 1/125. And Abu 'Awana in: Chapter on Purifying a Garment. Musnad Abi 'Awana 1/204. Both are mawquf (attributed) to Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her. Al-Zayla'i mentioned it in Nasb al-Rayah 1/209 and said: It is gharib (singular). See: Talkhis al-Habir in: Statement on Impurities 1/33. (3) Recorded by al-Bukhari in: Chapter on Washing Semen, Rubbing It Off, and Washing What Gets on from the Woman, from the Book of Wudu' 1/67. And Muslim in: Chapter on the Ruling of Semen, from the Book of Purification. Sahih Muslim 1/238. Ibn Hajar said: It is mutually agreed upon from her hadith, and the wording is that of Muslim, and al-Bukhari did not record the object of the chapter. Talkhis al-Habir 1/32. It was also recorded by Abu Dawud in: Chapter on Semen Getting on a Garment, from the Book of Purification. Sunan Abi Dawud 1/89. And Imam Ahmad in: Al-Musnad 6/125, 132, 213, 239, 263. (4) In: Chapter on What Has Been Reported Regarding the Purity of Semen and Its Ruling Whether Moist or Dry, from the Book of Purification. Sunan al-Daraqutni 1/124.