Last updated on August 27, 2020
Question:
Please help me as this worry has bugged me for months and I can’t forget about the possible sin I might have committed. Many thanks!
During a stay in a hotel, I masturbated and ejaculated in my underpants. I left my underwear in the sink under running hot water for about three minutes. (The running water was directed at my underwear in general and most probably not at the semen spot on my underwear, so I don’t think the semen was completely rinsed off). I then soaked my underwear for about eight hours overnight in hot water initially, which as time passed, turned into cold water. At that time, I made myself a cup of instant noodles and accidentally spilled some of the soup which contained MSG (monosodium glutamate) and salt into the sink of water. There was a yellowish stain on my underwear and on the sink as a result of this.
The next morning, to my horror, the cleaning woman removed my underwear from the sink and drained the water.
My concern is:
- If she touched the spot on my underwear where the semen was and then touched her vagina, will she get pregnant from the leftover sperm? I am really scared that the lady might shower after that and touched her vagina or insert her finger (with live sperm) into her vagina and get pregnant.
- What if she rubbed my underwear with semen on against her vulva, will there be sperm to impregnate her? (Something like sperm stealing.)
- And do you think all traces of sperm will get rinsed away during that three minutes of rinsing or the sperm cells will stubbornly get woven into the fabric of my underwear and get into the water during soaking? I am really disturbed that someone other than my wife would have been in contact with my sperm, which is something very personal.
- Is it true that semen (sperm) stays alive in moist environments like in a pool of water? Does the spilled MSG and salt help keep the sperm alive?
Sorry if I’m imagining things, but I am really scared of committing a sin by impregnating someone I did not marry. Please reply. Many thanks.
Answer:
Let’s start with some basics.
- Sperm die if the semen dries. You didn’t say when you rinsed your underwear, but if it was the next morning, your sperm was already dead.
- A three-minute rinse would have washed most of the sperm out since cloth is not a barrier to sperm.
- Most water from public supplies contains chlorine to reduce the risk of bacteria being spread. That chlorine would kill any surviving sperm quite quickly. Sperm cannot survive more than a few minutes in plain water.
- Even if a woman touched your semen while fresh, she could not pregnant from it later in the day because it would have dried out and likely she has washed her hands many times since then.
- The MSG would not have helped the sperm survive, besides being too late anyway.
Now, a more general point: You did nothing wrong, unless you skipped over some other detail, such as looking at pornography while you were in your room. What you feared might have happened (and could not have happened) would not have made you a sinner. Suppose you drove to work and left your car locked in the parking lot. Later a thief steals your car and runs over a pedestrian. Did you sin? Just because you are the owner of the car, you took proper responsibility for your possession. The thief would have full responsibility. Your ejaculation was private. You cleaned up after yourself. You acted responsibly in that regard. If, in a far-fetched scenario, someone else acted irresponsibly, you cannot be held responsible for what they choose to do.