Rules of Water:
❀ Purity is a condition for prayer; without it, prayer is not accepted. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
لا تقبل صلاة بغير طهور
“Prayer will not be accepted without purity.”
❀ Purity can only be attained by two things:
➊ Pure water.
➋ In the absence of water, pure soil (see the explanation of Tayammum for details).
❀ Water (whether ice or hail, standing or flowing, little or much) in all its forms is pure, and it is permissible to purify oneself with it.
❀ Water is impure in the following cases, and purification with it will not be valid:
➊ If impurity falls into a small amount of water.
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
إذا كان الماء قلتين فإنه لا ينجس
“When the amount of water is equal to two large water skins, it does not become impure.”
Meaning if the amount is less than the mentioned quantity, it will become impure if impurity falls into it. According to the current calculation, two Qullatain contained five (5) Mann and twenty-seven (27) Seer of water.
If the water is more than the mentioned quantity, it becomes impure only when the impurity changes any characteristic of its color, smell, or taste. There is consensus among scholars on this issue.
➋ If a dog drinks water from a vessel, it becomes impure. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
إذا ولغ الكلب فى إناء أحدكم فليرقه ثم ليغسله سبع مرات
“When a dog licks your utensil, wash it and pour water out, then wash it seven times.”
➌ If there is doubt about whether water is pure or impure. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
دع ما يريبك إلىٰ ما لا يريبك
“Leave that which causes doubt and choose that which does not cause doubt.”
➍ It is better not to perform ablution or bath with water left over from the ghusl of a janabah man or woman, as the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
“A woman should not bathe with water left over from a man’s ghusl, and a man should not bathe with water left over from a woman’s ghusl.”
Etiquettes of Relieving Oneself:
❀ If there is an urgent need to urinate or defecate, one should not pray, but first relieve oneself. The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
لا صلاة بحضرة الطعام ولا وهو يدافعه الأخبثان
“When food is present and the urge to urinate or defecate is pressing, it is not permissible to pray at that time.”
Etiquettes of Sitting While Relieving Oneself:
❀ The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, used to go far away to relieve himself and sit in a concealed place so that no one could see him.
❀ Sit in a place where the splashes of urine do not fall on the body. The Noble Prophet, peace be upon him, passed by two graves and said:
إنهما ليعذبان وما يعذبان فى كبير، أما أحدهما فكان لا يستتر من البول، وأما الآخر فكان يمشي بالنميمة
“Those two people in the graves are being punished, and this punishment is not due to a major sin that is difficult to avoid, but one is being punished for not avoiding the splashes of urine, and the other for backbiting.”
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, when going to relieve himself in the desert, used to carry a spear to soften the ground so that the splashes of urine would not fall on his body.
Sitting facing the Qibla:
❀ Do not sit facing towards or away from the Qibla. The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
إذا أتيتم الغائط فلا تستقبلوا القبلة ولا تستدبروها
“When you go to urinate or defecate, do not face towards or away from the Qibla.”
❀ The prohibition of facing towards or away from the Qibla applies in open spaces; if there is a room or some cover, it is permissible. As narrated by Sayyiduna Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, that one day when I climbed onto the roof of Sayyida Hafsa’s house, may Allah be pleased with her, I saw the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, relieving himself facing the direction of Sham and with his back towards the Kaaba.
Urinate standing or sitting?
If it is not possible to sit, then it is permissible to urinate while standing. Sayyiduna Hudhaifa رضي الله عنه says:
أتى النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم سباطة قوم فبال قائما
“The Prophet Muhammad صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم came to a place with trash and urinated while standing.”
Note:
In Sahih Bukhari, there are narrations about urinating both standing and sitting, while in the Musnad of Imam Azam, there is only narration about urinating standing.
The usual method of the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم was to urinate sitting, and it is permissible to follow this method if needed today.
Sitting close to each other during relieving oneself:
❀ At the time of relieving oneself, one should sit apart from each other. The Prophet Muhammad صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said:
“When two people sit to relieve themselves, they should sit apart from each other and not talk to each other, because Allah becomes displeased with that.”
Talking while relieving oneself:
❀ From the above hadith, it is understood that talking while relieving oneself causes the displeasure of Allah Almighty. Additionally, there is another hadith in which Sayyiduna Ibn Umar رضي الله عنهما narrates that once the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم was urinating when a man passed by and greeted him, but the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم did not respond.
Supplications for the toilet:
❀ When entering the toilet, recite this supplication:
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْخُبُثِ وَالْخَبَائِثِ
“In the name of Allah, O Allah! I seek refuge in You from the male and female evil jinn.”
Supplication to recite after leaving the toilet:
غُفْرَانَكَ
“O Allah! I seek Your forgiveness.”
At which places is urinating prohibited?
❀ The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) forbade urinating in the following places:
➊ On people’s paths and under shady trees.
➋ In the bathroom.
➌ In standing water.
Issues of Istinja:
❀ If water is available, perform istinja (cleaning) with water. Sayyidina Anas bin Malik رضي الله عنه says:
كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يستنجي بالماء
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to perform istinja with water.”
❀ If water is not available, perform istinja with stones or clumps of soil.
Some people think that even if water is available, one must first use dry materials and then water; this condition is unnecessary. However, if one urinates in the fields or outside and uses dry materials first, then performs istinja with water when it becomes available, that is good.
❀ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
لا يستنجي أحدكم بدون ثلاثة أحجار
“None of you should perform istinja with fewer than three stones.”
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade performing istinja with dung or bones, and also forbade using the right hand for istinja.
❀ After istinja, it is recommended to touch the ground with the hand. Sayyidina Abu Huraira رضي الله عنه says that once the Prophet ﷺ finished relieving himself, he performed istinja with water from a vessel, then touched his hand to the ground.
❀ Separate vessels should be used for istinja and wudu. Sayyidina Abu Huraira رضي الله عنه says:
“When the Prophet ﷺ went to urinate, I would bring a vessel of water; he would perform istinja with it, then I would bring another vessel with which he would perform wudu.”
❀ There is no mention in any authentic hadith about performing istinja after passing wind; the hadith only mentions performing wudu after that.
The Interrelation Between Istinja and Wudu
Some people consider istinja (cleaning oneself after urination or defecation) and wudu (ablution) to be inseparable and it is commonly believed among them that one must perform wudu after urination or defecation. This is incorrect. Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates: “The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was urinating when Umar Farooq (may Allah be pleased with him) stood behind him holding water in a vessel. After he finished, the Prophet (peace be upon him) asked: ‘O Umar! What is this?’ He replied: ‘This is water, perform wudu.’ The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: ‘I have not been commanded to perform wudu every time I urinate.'”
❀ Similarly, some people believe that it is necessary to perform istinja before wudu. This is also incorrect because there is no evidence for it; rather, there are evidences to the contrary. For example, in Sahih Bukhari
, there is an incident narrated by Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with both of them) about spending the night at the house of his aunt Sayyida Maimuna (may Allah be pleased with her), where the Prophet (peace be upon him) performed only wudu upon waking up.
