❖ 4 Shari’ah Rulings on Urine of Breastfeeding Infants ❖
📚 Taken from: Fatāwā ad-Dīn al-Khāliṣ, Volume 1, Page 324
❀ Question:
Is the difference in ruling between the urine of a breastfeeding boy and girl—i.e., sprinkling in one case and washing in the other—established from ḥadīth? Or are both treated the same?
➊ Clear Distinction Proven from Authentic Hadith
The Prophet ﷺ made a clear distinction between the urine of breastfeeding boys and girls:
Narrated by ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (رضي الله عنه):
“Sprinkle water over the urine of a boy, and wash the urine of a girl.”
(Tirmidhī 1/189, Ḥadīth No. 615)
➋ Clarification by Qatādah (رحمه الله)
Qatādah (رحمه الله) explains:
“This ruling applies as long as the child is not eating food. Once the child begins eating, whether boy or girl, the urine must be washed.”
➌ Strength of the Hadith
This narration is reported in multiple books with authentic chains:
- Ibn Mājah: 1/58, Ḥadīth Nos. 522, 527
- Abū Dāwūd: 1/75
- Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ: 1/52, Ḥadīth No. 105
Thus, the distinction is well-supported by sound prophetic reports.
➍ Clarification Regarding Common Misinterpretations
Those who argue against this distinction, using the general ḥadīth:
“Avoid urine, for most punishment in the grave is due to it”
They fall into two serious errors:
◈ They assume contradiction between the Prophet’s sayings,
◈ And they end up rejecting clear Prophetic instruction.
❌ Misinterpretation of “al-Naḍḥ” (النضح)
Some claim that “al-naḍḥ” (sprinkling) actually means washing.
This interpretation is incorrect.
Evidence from Abū Dāwūd and Nasā’ī—narrated from Abū Asmaḥ—clearly states:
“The girl’s urine is to be washed, and the boy’s urine is to be sprinkled.”
Such narrations clarify and interpret each other, just like verses of the Qur’an do.
✅ The Principle of Ease in Islam
The Prophet ﷺ introduced ease in religion.
Therefore:
◈ We are not permitted to impose unnecessary difficulty upon others or ourselves by altering established prophetic rulings.
✔ Summary of Rulings:
① Sprinkling is sufficient for the urine of a breastfeeding boy
② Washing is obligatory for the urine of a breastfeeding girl
③ When the child begins eating, washing becomes obligatory for both genders
④ Altering the Sunnah through reinterpretation is not allowed
ھٰذا ما عندي، والله أعلم بالصواب
