Abu Dawud

Defense of the Hadith of the Noble Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam

Abu Sa’id al-Hasan bin Ahmad bin Yazid al-Istakhri rahimahullah (d. 328 AH) was approached by a man who asked: “Is it permissible to perform istinja (ritual cleansing after relieving oneself) with a bone?”

He replied: “No.”

The man asked: “Why?”

He replied: “Because the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: ‘This is the food of your brothers among the jinn.’”

The man asked: “Are humans superior or the jinn?”

He replied: “Humans.”

He said: “Then why is it permissible to perform istinja with water, when it is the food of humans?”

The narrator (Abu’l-Husayn al-Tabasi) says that Abu Sa’id al-Istakhri attacked the man, seized him by the neck, and while strangling him, said: “Zindiq (heretic, deviant)! You are rejecting the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.”

(The narrator says:) If I had not intervened to free the man, he would have killed him.

(Dhamm al-Kalam wa Ahlihi: 1258, edited by Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Uthman al-Ansari, and its chain is hasan)

……………… Original Article ………………

For the original article, see Tahqiqi wa Ilmi Maqalat (Volume 2, pages 567 and 568) by Shaykh Hafiz Zubair Ali Zai rahimahullah

41. Commentary:

➊ This man was a polytheist, and he uttered this statement in a tone of contempt and mockery; however, Salman al-Farisi radi Allahu anhu presented it with utmost wisdom and seriousness. May Allah reward him with the best of rewards.

➋ From the aforementioned ahadith, not only is the ruling established that cleaning oneself with dung and manure is prohibited, and that using the right hand for this purpose is also forbidden, but it is also established that performing istinja (ritual cleansing after relieving oneself) with at least three stones or clods is necessary. Performing istinja with fewer than three stones is prohibited, even though at times cleanliness may be achieved with one or two stones. Certainly, there is some wisdom in this prescribed number; the wisdom of increased cleanliness is apparent, and when cleanliness is not achieved with three, then using more than three clods as needed is required. However, an odd number should be observed, as is explicitly stated in the hadith: «ومن استجمر فلیوتر» “Whoever uses stones should use an odd number.” [صحیح البخاري ، الوضوء ، حدیث : 161]

Commentary:
(1)
Islam is the religion of nature (din al-fitrah), and therefore it has not neglected any aspect of human life.
Even those issues which are generally not preferred to be discussed openly, necessary guidance and detail are present regarding them as well.
Moreover, in Islamic teachings, there is neither the undue severity of Judaism nor the unrestrained permissiveness of Christianity.
Rather, there is a beautiful balance.

(2)
It has always been the habit of non-Muslim nations to present even the virtues of Islam as faults.
Some Muslims, who are mentally influenced by them, adopt an apologetic attitude in response and try to prove Islam in accordance with their un-Islamic concepts through interpretation or denial.
The correct method is to clarify the virtues of Islamic rulings and the flaws of un-Islamic ideas, because Islam alone is the path of guidance, and the misguidance of the disbelievers is not in need of any proof.
Salman radi Allahu anhu also, instead of adopting an apologetic attitude, gave them a decisive answer, that is, the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam taught us even the etiquettes of relieving oneself, and this is not something to be ashamed of.
What is truly shameful is that people like you do not even know the proper way to relieve yourselves.

(3)
The four etiquettes of relieving oneself mentioned by Salman radi Allahu anhu clearly demonstrate the superiority of Islamic civilization over other civilizations.
Respect for one’s own qiblah is acknowledged in every religion.
However, the kind of guidance Islam has given for this respect is not found in other religions.
The direction one faces during worship is the same direction one is to avoid facing during the act of relieving oneself, and this avoidance is a clear manifestation of that respect.
Among the Jews and Christians, there is no such example of respect for their qiblah.
Designating the right and left hands for different tasks is also a prominent feature of Islamic civilization.
The right hand is specified for eating and drinking, and the left hand for matters related to cleanliness.
Among non-Muslims, there is no such distinction.
Especially among Christians, even the importance of cleaning the body after relieving oneself is not as emphasized as required by sound nature (fitrah).
To eat food without washing the hands afterwards is so far from civilization that it needs no explanation.
The command to use three stones also highlights the importance of cleanliness.
That is, after relieving oneself, the body should be cleaned to such an extent that there remains no possibility of impurity. Similarly, it is prohibited to use dung or bones for istinja (purification after relieving oneself),
because these are the food of Muslim jinn and their animals, and to use food items for istinja is a detestable act which no person of sound mind can approve of.
The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said to the Muslim jinn:
“For you, every bone upon which Allah’s name has been mentioned, when it comes into your hand, it will become full of meat, and every dung will be fodder for your animals.”
And he said to the noble Companions radi Allahu anhum:
“Do not use these two things for istinja, for they are the food of your brothers.” (Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Salat, Chapter: Reciting Aloud in Fajr and Recitation to the Jinn, Hadith: 450)