The Concept of Samak and Sertu: A Comparison According to Islamic Perspective

Samak and sertu are terms related to the purification process in Islam. In the Islamic society in Malaysia, there is a misconception about the terms samak and sertu and the use of both terms in the purification of impurity. This misconception arises from a lack of understanding of the terms samak and sertu. Therefore, this article aims to explain the difference between the terms samak and sertu and the use of both terms. To achieve the aforementioned objectives, this study is based on an analysis of the content of fiqh books, scholarly articles, and fatwa on international and national rankings. For the analysis of Arabic books, the search of the terms al-dhabghu and ghasala is used. Meanwhile, the terms samak and sertu in the Malaysian Islamic Progress Office (JAKIM) guide. This data is then analyzed based on the views of the four madhhabs that are muktabar in fiqh. The results show that samak is the process of cleaning an animal's skin of impurities for a specific purpose with a sharp tool. While sertu is the process of cleaning the affected part of mughallazah faeces (dogs, pigs and their offspring) with the help of water and soil. The cleaning method of samak and sertu is different from the other two. The meaning of samak and sertu should be understood, as they were agreed upon for cleaning and hygiene.