10 Evidences for the Permissibility of Urinating While Standing — In Light of Authentic Ḥadīth and Athār
📚 Source: Fatāwā ad-Dīn al-Khāliṣ, Volume 1, Page 304
❖ Question:
Is it permissible to urinate while standing? Some people regard it as an act of the disbelievers — is this claim valid?
✅ Ruling:
Yes — it is permissible to urinate while standing, as long as one is protected from urine splashes. Authentic ḥadīths and actions of the Prophet ﷺ and the Companions confirm this. Declaring it as the practice of non-believers is incorrect and baseless.
◈ Evidences from Sunnah and Athār
➊ Ḥadīth of Ḥudhayfah (رضي الله عنه)
“I was with the Prophet ﷺ. He came to a garbage dump of a certain people and urinated while standing. I moved away, but he ﷺ said:
‘Come closer.’ I then stood by his feet until he finished. He performed wuḍū’ and wiped over his socks.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 1/36, Muslim 1/132, Abū Dāwūd 1/4, Aḥmad 4/246, 5/283, 394)
✔ Clear proof that the Prophet ﷺ himself urinated while standing.
➋ Practice of Ibn ʿUmar (رضي الله عنه)
Imām Mālik narrates from ʿAbdullāh ibn Dīnār:
“I saw ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar urinate while standing.”
(Muwaṭṭaʾ Mālik 1/50)
This is also found in al-Bukhārī and Muslim. (Mishkāt 1/52)
➌ Incident of a Bedouin Urinating in the Masjid
An Arab came and urinated while standing in the Masjid in the presence of the Prophet ﷺ and his Companions.
No one stopped him.
✔ Had it been forbidden, the Sahābah would have intervened immediately.
➍ Consensus Among Companions Practicing It
Names reported to urinate while standing:
- ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb
- Zayd ibn Thābit
- Ibn ʿUmar
- Sahl ibn Saʿd
- Also reported from Anas, ʿAlī, Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنهم)
✔ Demonstrates widespread acceptance among major Companions.
➎ Position of the Scholars
- Imām al-Nawawī: “Scholars have differed on this issue.” (Sharḥ Muslim 1/133)
- Imām Mālik: “No harm if there is no splashing.”
- Ibn al-Mundhir: “Sitting is preferred, but standing is permissible. Both are proven from the Prophet ﷺ.”
➏ Commentary of Shaykh al-Albānī
In Irwāʾ al-Ghalīl (1/95, ḥadīth no. 57), he wrote:
“There is no dislike in urinating while standing, based on the ḥadīth of Ḥudhayfah. This is the correct position, as no sound ḥadīth prohibits it.”
➐ Clarification on Ḥadīth of ʿĀʾishah (رضي الله عنها)
She said: “Whoever tells you the Prophet ﷺ urinated standing is not to be believed, for he always did so sitting.”
(Sunan al-Nasāʾī, Tirmidhī, Ibn Mājah, Aḥmad, Ṣaḥīḥah 345/1, ḥadīth no. 20)
✔ Scholars explain:
- Her statement reflects what she saw.
- Ḥadīth of Ḥudhayfah affirms, hers negates — and affirmation takes precedence over negation.
➑ Weakness of the Ḥadīth Prohibiting Standing
“The Prophet ﷺ saw ʿUmar urinating while standing and said:
‘O ʿUmar, do not urinate standing.’”
→ Found in Ibn Mājah, Tirmidhī, Mishkāt
🟥 Status: Weak ḥadīth
- Contains ʿAbd al-Karīm ibn Abī al-Mukhāriq, a known weak narrator.
- Rejected by major muḥaddithīn.
➒ Saying of Ibn Masʿūd (موقوف حديث)
“Standing while urinating is a vulgar habit (jafā’).”
(Bayhaqī 2/285, Ibn Abī Shaybah 1/124, Ṭabarānī al-Awsaṭ)
✔ This is his personal opinion, not a ḥujjah against the authenticated Sunnah.
➓ Warning Against Ignorant Criticism
As stated in al-Sunan wal-Mubtadaʿāt (p. 20, 91):
“People ignorant of Sunnah criticize one who urinates standing — calling him like a Jew or like a dog. In reality, he follows the Sunnah, while they indulge in baseless innovation.”
🟪 Etiquettes to Follow While Urinating (Whether Standing or Sitting):
❀ Ensure ʿawrah is covered
❀ Choose a soft ground to avoid splashes
❀ Avoid facing the Qiblah
❀ Do not face the wind direction
❀ Take precautions to prevent impurity
✅ Conclusion:
① Urinating while standing is permissible
② No clear prohibition exists in authentic texts
③ The condition is: one must avoid splashes
④ Mocking a person for doing this is ignorance
⑤ Both sitting and standing are proven Sunnah
ھٰذا ما عندي، واللہ أعلم بالصواب
