Just going through the Supreme Leader’s web page for tomorrow’s Iran News Round Up, came across his religious questions-and-answer section, and found this snippet about whether and under what conditions tires are made impure by rolling over a dead cat in the street. The point here isn’t to make fun of Shi’ism, for all religions get down into the nitty-gritty, but rather to illustrate the all-pervasive authority of the Supreme Leader, ruling on everything from Iran’s nuclear weapons program to rules about roadkill.

At any rate, for the curious:

To Crush Cat’s Dead Body with Car Tires

Question: A car’s tires crushed a cat’s dead body in the street:

a) Are car tires made najis [impure] by that? Knowing that the street is not wet.b) If tires become najis with the cat’s blood, do they become pure by going on street asphalt immediately after crushing the body?c) If these tires becomes najis with the cat’s blood and then go on water present on the street:1- Is water here considered a second medium that became najis?2- If this water falls on one’s body or clothes, would they become the third medium that becomes najis?3- If we want to make them pure using water and the used water — after flowing on them — flows on other spots on the body or clothes, does the latter become najis?

Answer:

a) Unless the dead body or the tires are wet, tires do not become najis by crushing it, while if transmitting moisture is there, of course they become najis.b) If tires become najis, they do not become pure just by moving on the street paved with asphalt.c) Water becomes najis by moving the najis tires on it and if this water sprinkles on an object, clothes or one’s body, it becomes najis. Upon purifying it with water, the ruling of the water that flows from it on other parts of the body or clothes will be that of the water used for purifying a thing that becomes najis. Then, if qalīl water was used for purification, the thing touched with the used water will be ruled as that contacting the used qalīl water but if it was purified with running/kurr water or the like, then the place moistened with the used water will not be ruled as najis.