The Book of Purification

Etiquettes of Using the Lavatory

قَضَاءِ الْحَاجَةِ

The Book of Purification Etiquettes of Using the Lavatory

Glossary

Etiquettes of Using the Lavatory

[What to Say and Do When Entering the Lavatory]

It is recommended for the one who enters the lavatory to say, “In the name of Allah. ⁵⁴ I seek refuge with Allah from malice and all that is malicious (or the male and female demons), ⁵⁵ --- and from the cursed, filthy Satan.” ⁵⁶

يُسْتَحَبُّ لِمَنْ أَرَادَ دُخُوْلَ الْخَلاَءِ أَنْ يَقُوْلَ: "بسم الله، أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الْخُبُثِ وَالْخَبَائِثِ، ومِن الرِّجْسِ النَّجِسِ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ."

When he exits, he should say, “I seek your forgiveness. All praise be to Allah, Who has rid me of harm and given me health.” ⁵⁷

وَإِذَا خَرَجَ قَالَ: " غُفْرَانَك، الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي أَذْهَبَ عَنِّي الْأَذَى وَعَافَانِي."

He should enter with the left foot and exit with the right foot.

وَيُقَدِّمُ رِجْلَهُ اْليُسْرَى فِيْ الدُّخُوْلِ وَالْيُمْنَى فِي الْخُرُوْجِ.

He should not enter with anything bearing the mention of Allah ⁵⁸ unless there is a need. , ⁵⁹^,60

وَلاَ يَدْخُلُهُ بِشَيْءٍ فِيْهِ اسْمُ اللهِ تَعَالَى إِلاَّ مِنْ حَاجَةٍ.

54. (Ma. al-Albâni:S)

55.(Ag)

56. (Ma. Nawawi in al-Khulâṣah:W) A similar hadith with different wording was deemed reliable by Ibn Ḥajar in Natâ’ij al-Afkâr.

57. (Ma. al-Albâni:W). What is sound is, “Ghufrânak (O Allah, I seek your forgiveness).” (B)

58. Entering the Lavatory with Inscriptions of Allah’s Names

(A/SM: makrooh; as for the muṣ-ḥaf [copy of the Arabic text of the Qur’an that is neither accompanied by commentary nor translated], some said it was haram.)
Although there is no specific authentic evidence, this falls under the general meaning of:

{…And whosoever honors the sacraments of Allah (rituals of His religion), then it is truly from the piety of the hearts.} (al-Ḥajj 22: 32)

وَمَن يُعَظِّمْ شَعَائِرَ اللَّهِ فَإِنَّهَا مِن تَقْوَى الْقُلُوبِ

59. Such as when one is out using a public lavatory; then a muṣ-ḥaf or anything sacred may be protected by keeping it inside one’s bag or clothes.

60. Speaking in the Lavatory and Mentioning the Name of Allah
(A/SM; all speech is makrooh, and so is dhikr, except what is mentioned upon entering/removing the clothes; some considered the recitation of the Quran haram.) It was reported that the Messenger of Allah (SA) said:

“Two men should not go out to relieve themselves, showing their nakedness, and speaking to one another, for Allah hates that.” (D – from Abu Sa‘eed al-Khudri with controversial chain. Ibn al-Mulaqqin and al-Albâni:Auth)

لا يخرُجِ الرَّجلانِ يضربانِ الغائطَ كاشفَينِ عن عورتِهما يتحدَّثانِ فإنَّ اللَّهَ يمقتُ على ذلِك.

If the hadith is authentic, its implication may not be totally clear because of the mention of uncovering the nakedness, which may be the cause of Allah’s wrath.
Ibn ‘Umar (raḍiya Allâhu ‘anhumâ – may Allah be pleased with both of them) said, “A man passed by the Prophet (SA) and greeted him while he was urinating. The Prophet (SA) did not return his greeting.” (M) and al-Muhâjir ibn Qunfudh (RA) said that he went to the Prophet (SA) while he was urinating and greeted him with salâm. The Prophet (SA) did not return the greeting until he had performed ablution; then he said:

“I did not like to mention the name of Allah except in a state of purity.” (D, N, Ma. Ma:S)

كَرِهْتُ أن أذكُرَ الله إلا على طَهَارَة.

However, ‘Â’ishah said:

“The Prophet (SA) used to mention Allah at all times.” (M – from ‘Â’ishah)

كان النبي يَذْكُرُ اللَّهَ على كل أَحْيَانِهِ

[Etiquette of Defecation and Urination]

When one squats, he should put more of his weight on his left leg. ⁶¹

وَيَعْتَمِدُ فِيْ جُلُوْسِهِ عَلَى رِجْلِهِ الْيُسْرَى.

If he is outdoors, he must go far and screen himself. ⁶²

وَإِنْ كَانَ فِي الْفَضَاءِ، أَبْعَدَ وَاسْتَتَرَ.

He must seek a soft spot to urinate on ⁶³ [so that the urine does not spatter back on him].

وَيَرتادُ لِبَولِهِ مَوْضِعًا رَخْوًا.

According to the majority, the hadith of ‘Â’ishah (RAH) means to remember Allah (ST) in one’s heart while in such a state where mentioning His name out loud would be disliked; this is sanctioned by consensus, for the heart should never forget Him.

It is permissible, however, to speak if there is a need, such as alerting a blind man to prevent him from tripping or warning someone of danger

(A/SM) – comforting a child who is looking for his or her parent, etc.

61. There is no evidence to support this practice, except a weak hadith reported in (Ṭab.K). The medical benefits mentioned by the scholars (may Allah bestow mercy on them) may or may not be accurate, since they depended on the information available to them. If this position is medically proven to be superior, then it is recommended, since the Sharia is about attainment of benefits and avoidance of harm.

62. Al-Mugheerah ibn Shu‘bah (RA) said, “I was with the Messenger of Allah (SA), and when he wanted to use the latrine, he went far away and screened himself from me.” (M)

63. Ḥudhayfah ibn al-Yamân said, “The Prophet (SA) walked to the garbage dump of a people and urinated while standing.” (Ag) The garbage dump will be soft enough to not cause the urine to spatter back. The other benefit in this report is the permissibility of urinating while standing, if one does not fear spattering or exposure of his nakedness. (A/SM)

He must not urinate in a hole, groove, --- path, beneficial shade or under a fruit-bearing tree. ⁶⁴

وَلاَ يَبُوْلُ فِيْ ثُقْبٍ وَلاَ شَقٍّ، وَلاَ طَرِيْقٍ وَلاَ ظِلٍّ نَافِعٍ، وَلاَ تَحْتَ شَجَرَةٍ مُثْمِرَةٍ.

He must not face the sun or moon, ⁶⁵ and he must not face or turn his back towards the qibla (the direction of the Kaaba) because the Messenger of Allah (SA) said, “Do not face the qibla while defecating or urinating, and do not turn your backs to it.” ⁶⁶ That would be permissible indoors. ⁶⁷

ولا يستقبل شمساً ولا قمراً، ولا يستقبل القبلة، ولا يستدبرها لقول رسول الله :” لَا تَسْتَقْبِلُوا الْقِبْلَةَ بِغَائِطٍ وَلَا بَوْلٍ وَلَا تَسْتَدْبِرُوهَا." ويجوز ذلك في البنيان.

In our times, it is preferable to urinate sitting, in most circumstances, to avoid soiling the place. ‘Â’ishah reported that she had never seen the Prophet (SA) urinate while standing. (T; al-Albâni:S) One may still urinate standing in public lavatories when warranted.

64. The Messenger of Allah (SA) said:

“Avoid the three causes of curse: defecating in water sources, on the paths and in the shade.” (D – from Mu‘âdh. al-Albâni:R)

اتَّقُوا الْمَلَاعِنَ الثلاث الْبَرَازَ في الْمَوَارِدِ وَقَارِعَةِ الطَّرِيقِ وَالظِّلِّ.

The prohibition of urinating in a hole or groove was reported by (D) from Qatâdah, but there is controversy over its authenticity. The scholars also mentioned the possibility of animals or insects being in those holes and grooves.

65. There is no evidence to support this practice except a very weak hadith.

66.(Ag – from Abu Ayyoob)

67. As indicated by ‘Abdullâh ibn ‘Umar (RAHUMA). (D. al-Albâni:R) This is still a controversial matter within the madh-hab and among the madh-habs, so if there is a choice at the time of building, it is preferable to design the lavatories in a way that would not make one either face or turn their back to the qibla.

[Etiquette of Cleaning Oneself]

When the urine stops, he should ‘milk’ his penis from its root to the tip, and then shake it off three times. ⁶⁸

فَإِذَا انْقَطَعَ الْبَوْلُ مَسَحَ مِنْ أَصْلِ ذَكَرِهِ إِلَى رَأْسِهِ، ثُمَّ يَنْتُرُهُ ثَلاَثًا.

He should not touch his penis with the right hand, ⁶⁹ --- or use it [his right hand] to wipe himself. ⁷⁰

وَلاَ يَمَسُّ ذَكَرَهُ بِيَمِيْنِهِ، وَلاَ يَتَمَسَّحُ بِهَا.

He should wipe himself an odd number of times, ⁷¹ and wash himself with water after

ثُمَّ يَسْتَجْمِرُ وِتْرًا، ثُمَّ يَسْتَنْجِيْ بِالْمَاءِ، فَإِنِ

68. There is no proof supporting either practice except a very weak hadith about the shaking of the penis. (t) argued that these are all innovations and may cause the urine to continue to dribble. It may be acceptable for certain people who usually have remains of urine in the urethra, but not for all people. It is still incumbent on those people to avoid obsessiveness.

69. That is because the Messenger of Allah (SA) said:

“Let none of you touch his penis with the right hand while urinating.” (Ag – from Abu Qatâdah)

لَا يُمْسِكَنَّ أحدكم ذَكَرَهُ بِيَمِينِهِ وهو يَبُولُ.

70. (A/SM: While wiping, he should not use his right hand to hold his penis or wipe, unless there is a need, in which case he may hold it with it while wiping with the left hand.)

71. Wiping an odd number of times is recommended but not mandatory, as long as one wipes at least three times and removes the filth. (A/SM) This is because Allah’s Messenger (SA) said:

“When anyone wipes himself with pebbles (after answering the call of nature), he should do it an odd number of times. (M – from Abu Hurayrah) --- Whoever does that has done well, and whoever does not, there is no harm in it.” (A, D)

إذا اسْتَجْمَرَ أحدكم فَلْيُوتِرْ --- مَن فعَلَ فقد أحسنَ، ومَن لا فلا حرجٌ

The latter part, which was not reported by Muslim, is controversial, prompting some scholars to consider the odd number of wipes mandatory.

that.⁷² If he chooses to only wipe, then it would suffice him. ⁷³

اقْتَصَرَ عَلَى الاِسْتِجْمَارِ أَجْزَأَهُ.

Wiping would suffice only if the filth that exited did not go beyond the area that it usually touches. ⁷⁴

وَإِنَّمَا يُجْزِئُ الاِسْتِجْمَارُ إِذَا لَمْ تَتَعَدَّ النَّجَاسَةُ مَوْضِعَ الْحَاجَةِ.

Fewer than three wipes that remove all of the filth will not be sufficient. ⁷⁵

وَلاَ يُجْزِئُ أَقَلُّ مِنْ ثَلاَثِ مَسَحَاتٍ مُنَقِّيَةٍ.

Any pure substance that could remove the filth may be used for wiping, --- except for the excrement of animals, bones and sacred or respected material. ⁷⁶

وَيَجُوْزُ الاِسْتِجْمَارُ بِكُلَّ طَاهِرٍ يُنْقِي الْمَحَلَّ، إِلاَّ الرَّوْثَ وَالْعِظَامَ، وَمَا لَهُ حُرْمَةٌ.

72. The Prophet (SA) used to wash with water. (T,A,N – from ‘Â’ishah. T:S)

73. That is because of the hadith of Salmân (RA) mentioned above.

74. If it did, he or she would need to remove the filth with water

75. Because Allah’s Messenger (SA) said:

“Let none of you purify himself with fewer than three stones.” (M – from Salmân)

لَا يَسْتَنْجِي أحَدُكُم بِدُونِ ثَلَاثَةِ أَحْجَارٍ.

76. Such as food, or papers that mention the name of Allah and/or verses of the Qur’an. & This is because Salmân (RA) reported that it was said to him, “Your Messenger (SA) teaches you about everything, even about excreting?” He replied, “Yes, he has forbidden us to face the qibla at the time of excretion or urination, or to cleanse with the right hand, or with fewer than three pebbles, or with dung or bone.” (M) What matters is the effective removal of the filth with at least three wipes, or more if needed, with a pure substance that is not forbidden to use for this purpose. (A/SM)
Hence, the use of tissues with or without water is acceptable. The use of water after wiping is best, then the use of water alone, and finally wiping alone. (A/SM)

Etiquettes of Using the Lavatory

( Page : no 8)

The Book of Purification

Etiquettes of Using the Lavatory

قَضَاءِ الْحَاجَةِ

The Book of Purification Etiquettes of Using the Lavatory

Introduction

The Book of Purification

The Book of Prayer

The Book of Funerals

The Book of Fasting

The Book of Hajj and 'Umrah

Book of Zakat

The Book of Selling and Commercial Transactions

The Book of Bequests

The Book of Inheritance

The Book of Marriage

The Book of Divorce

The Book of Sadaq

The Book of Dhihar

The Book of Lian

The Book of Foods

The Book of Oaths

Book of Fatal and Non-Fatal Assault

The Book of Indemnities

The Book of Hudood

The Book of Jihad

The Book of the Judiciary

The Book of Testimonies

Appendix

Glossary

[What to Say and Do When Entering the Lavatory]

[Etiquette of Defecation and Urination]

[Etiquette of Cleaning Oneself]

Etiquettes of Using the Lavatory