Short answer
In the Hanafi school, yes: semen is impure and must be washed off the body and clothes, though dried, thick semen on clothes can be rubbed off. The Shafi'i and Hanbali schools hold that semen is pure and washing it is only recommended. The Maliki school agrees with the Hanafis that it is impure.
Semen (mani) is a heavy impurity, whether a man's or a woman's. Wet semen must be washed. Dried semen on clothing can be purified by scraping and rubbing it off, based on Aisha's practice, but washing is better and is the safer choice, since it is often mixed with madhy.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- Semen is pure, from both men and women; washing it off is recommended.
- Hanbali
- Semen is pure; washing wet semen and rubbing off dry semen is recommended.
- Maliki
- Semen is impure and must be washed; rubbing it off is not enough.
Explanation
Aisha reported both that she washed semen from the Prophet's ﷺ clothes before he went out to pray, and that she rubbed it off when it was dry and he prayed in the garment. The schools read these reports differently. The Hanafi and Maliki schools say semen is impure, and that rubbing was a light way of cleaning dried semen. The Shafi'i and Hanbali schools say it is pure, since an impure thing would have to be washed.
For a Hanafi:
- Wet semen on the body or clothes is washed like other heavy impurity.
- Dried semen on clothes can be rubbed or scraped off until no trace is left. Hanafi scholars add conditions, such as the semen being thick, so washing is the safer choice.
- On the body: wash it off; it is easy to do during ghusl.
- Bedsheets: wash the stained part before praying on them, or pray on a clean part.
Semen, madhy (pre-seminal fluid) and wadi (thick fluid after urination) are all impure in the Hanafi school, but they differ in what they require. Semen that comes out with desire requires ghusl. Madhy and wadi only break wudu (see precum and ghusl and when ghusl is required).
A normal machine wash with a full rinse cleans stained clothes (see cleaning najis from clothes).
The evidence
Sahih Muslim 288
Sahih... كنت أفركه من ثوب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ...
"I used to rub it off the garment of the Messenger of Allah."
Dried semen was rubbed off; the schools differ on whether this shows it is pure.
Sahih al-Bukhari 229
Sahih... كنت أغسل الجنابة من ثوب النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم فيخرج إلى الصلاة ...
"I used to wash the traces of janabah from the Prophet's garment, and he would go out to the prayer."
Semen was washed off clothes before prayer.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Taharat, chapter on impurities and their purification. Semen is impure; dried semen is purified by rubbing.
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Taharah, chapter on impurities. The conditions for purifying semen by rubbing.
- al-Majmu' (Nawawi), Kitab al-Taharah, chapter on impurities. The Shafi'i view that semen is pure.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.