Translation: Hafiz Zubair Ali Zai (may Allah have mercy on him) This belief contradicts the hadith of Sayyidina Hudhayfah bin al-Yaman radiyallahu ta’ala anhu, in which it is reported that:
The Prophet ﷺ (due to some necessity) went to a people’s rubbish heap, and there he urinated standing. I brought water for his wudu. I wanted to go away, but he called me until I stood behind him. He performed wudu and wiped over his leather socks.
And (in my view) people have been mistaken regarding this authentic hadith:
From Umm al-Mu’minin Aisha radiyallahu ta’ala anha it is reported that:
من حدثكم أن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم كان يبول قائما فلا تصدقوه، ماكان يبول إلا قاعدا
“Whoever tells you that the Prophet ﷺ (always) urinated standing, do not believe him. He (generally) urinated only while sitting.”
This is merely the ijtihad of Aisha Siddiqah radiyallahu ta’ala anha. (This is not ijtihad, rather it is the observation and testimony of the Mother of the Believers. It should be remembered that there is no contradiction between the hadith of the Mother of the Believers and the hadith of Hudhayfah. The Prophet ﷺ generally urinated while sitting; only on one occasion (due to some excuse) did he urinate standing. Therefore urinating while sitting is the Sunnah, yet urinating standing due to some excuse or necessity, with concealment and the necessary conditions, is permissible.)
She stated what she knew of the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ, and (in case of a clear contradiction) the affirmative takes precedence over the negative. Thus it is necessary to hold to the hadith of Hudhayfah radiyallahu ta’ala anhu (as evidence of permissibility), because its basis is seeing, which relates to the sense of sight, whereas the hadith of Umm al-Mu’minin Aisha radiyallahu ta’ala anha relates to knowledge. (It is obvious that at times) some things remain hidden from knowledge.
This ijtihad of the Mother of the Believers is like her research in which she denied that the Prophet ﷺ saw his Lord in this world. Whereas Abdullah bin Abbas radiyallahu ta’ala anhuma affirmed it. The Mother of the Believers radiyallahu ta’ala anha said: Whoever claims that Muhammad ﷺ saw his Lord (in worldly life) has made a great slander.
Whereas Abdullah bin Abbas radiyallahu ta’ala anhuma says: The Prophet ﷺ saw his Lord with his heart (the eyes of the heart) (twice).
That is, he saw Him in a dream or in the world of images spiritually. The hadith of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) negates worldly seeing, and the hadith of Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) affirms spiritual seeing, so there is no contradiction between the two hadiths.
There are other examples of this kind, mentioning which could prolong this discussion; for this reason Imam al-Tirmidhi (may Allah have mercy on him) said in his book al-Sunan (1/18):
“The prohibition of urinating standing relates to etiquette (and manners), not to prohibition.”
I say: The marfu’ hadith prohibiting urinating standing has been narrated from Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him): The Prophet ﷺ saw me while I was urinating standing. He ﷺ said:
يا عمر لاتبل قائما
“O Umar! Do not urinate standing.” After this I never urinated standing again.
Its chain is severely weak due to Abd al-Karim bin Abi Umayyah. However, it is established from Sayyidina Amir al-Mu’minin Umar radiyallahu ta’ala anhu as a mawquf report that he used to urinate sitting.
In one narration it is reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: Urinating standing (without any excuse) is bad manners and oppression. (Its chain is hasan; the author’s criticism of it is not correct.)
The hadith rests on Abd al-Karim ibn Abi al-Makhariq, who was extremely weak. Al-Nasa’i and al-Daraqutni called him matruk (abandoned). Al-Sa’di (al-Jawzajani) and al-Nasa’i said in another place that he was not trustworthy (laysa thiqah). Scholars of the science of narrators (asma al-rijal) regard him as da’if (weak) and feeble, and the recommended practice is that a person urinates while sitting. In it there is also human dignity and protection of the private parts. A person is also protected from splashes of urine. If, due to some excuse or necessity, he urinates standing, it is permissible, but in that case it is necessary that he seeks soft ground (that absorbs water) for urinating, so that splashes do not fall on him, and that he protects his private parts from people. He should observe the etiquette of relieving oneself and of going to the toilet.
Here it is also necessary to give a warning that people urinate facing each other in common urinals and in toilets that are placed opposite and adjacent to one another. In such a situation there is (at all times) the danger of exposure of the private parts and of other people’s eyes falling on them. In such toilets, at times there is not even water, which makes purification difficult (and impossible).
In brief, it is stated that urinating standing (in a state of excuse or necessity) is proven from the Prophet ﷺ, so calling it disliked (absolutely) is incorrect. Yes, if the conditions mentioned just now are present, such as exposure of the private parts and non-purification, then it is disliked (i.e., forbidden). From a group of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), urinating standing (due to some necessity) is proven, and with this the absolute view of prohibition also falls, and the fatwa remains on permissibility.
The mujtahid Imam Ibn al-Mundhir al-Nisaburi said: “It is proven from the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ, such as Umar ibn al-Khattab, Zayd ibn Thabit, Ibn Umar and Sahl ibn Sa’d (may Allah be pleased with them), that they urinated standing, and the same act is narrated from Ali, Anas and Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with them). Muhammad ibn Sirin and Urwah ibn al-Zubayr (from the Tabi’in) also urinated standing.”
The belief that cleaning with earth alone is not sufficient.
Among the innovations is also that (common) people do not consider it sufficient to clean oneself after urination and defecation only with earth. (Likewise, some people, especially members of the Tabligh Jama’at, do not consider cleaning only with water sufficient either. They keep clods of earth in their bathroom etc., first clean with the clods of earth and then with water, and as evidence they present a weak narration from the Sunan. Yet by their act (mosque) toilets get blocked, which is a cause of trouble for others. / Hafiz Nadeem Zaheer)
However, this view is incorrect, and the hadith of Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) also indicates its incorrectness. He said: Once the Prophet ﷺ intended to relieve himself and ordered me to bring three clods of earth. I found two but could not find the third. So I picked up a dung (of an animal) and came to him. He took the clods but threw away the dung. He said: “ھذا رکس” — this is impure.
Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: I followed the Prophet ﷺ. He was going to relieve himself. He did not look right or left. When I came close to him, he said: “Bring me stones with which I may clean myself,” or words to that effect, “and do not bring bone or dung.” I brought three stones in the corner of my garment, placed them beside him and went away. When he finished relieving himself, I walked with him.
These hadiths indicate that cleaning with clods alone is also permissible. After using clods, the use of water is not obligatory. However, the use of water is better than clods. (If one uses water after clods, that too is better, but know that) cleaning correctly with clods of earth alone is also sufficient. And Allah knows best.
Imam al-Tirmidhi said: “The view of the majority of the Companions and of later scholars is that cleaning with clods alone is permissible, even if one does not then use water, provided the effect of urine and feces is thoroughly removed. This is also the view of Sufyan al-Thawri, Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak, al-Shafi’i, Ahmad ibn Hanbal and Ishaq ibn Rahawayh.”
Imam al-Tirmidhi also said: “Although cleaning with clods is permissible, according to these (scholars) cleaning with water is recommended and better.” (Ibid., p. 31)
In this regard, there are several other innovations of people afflicted with waswasa, such as al-salt, al-natr, al-khanhah, al-mashy, al-tafz, al-habl, al-tafaqqud, al-wujur, al-hashw, al-isabah and al-darajah. Al-salt means pressing the penis from its root towards its head and pulling it so that the urine that is stuck inside comes out. Al-natr and al-khanhah refer to straining with great force to expel feces. Al-mashy refers to walking (for quite a while) after urinating so that the drops of urine come out from the penis. Al-qafz is the name for jumping from the ground so that drops of urine fall. Al-habl refers to a rope.
Obsessive patients sometimes hang from a rope and drop themselves onto the ground. Al-Tafqid means opening the tip of the male organ and draining urine out of it. If, having done this, something is poured into it in that same state, it is called al-Wajur. Al-Hashw refers to placing cotton or similar material, and al-Asabah refers to tying a strip of cloth. Al-Darajah means climbing a staircase slowly and then descending quickly.
All of these states are innovations of obsessive and doubtful patients, for which there is no evidence in the Shariah. (I have seen many Deobandi Tabligh Jamaat people and others, on open roads and in front of people, performing strange movements after urinating. In their view they want to squeeze out the drops of urine. All of these movements are a distinctive sign of obsessive patients.)
Except for “al-Salt,” in which a munkar hadith is narrated, reported by Isa bin Yazdad from his father, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
إذا بال أحدكم فلينترذكره ثلاث مرات
“When one of you urinates, he should shake his male organ three times.”
Its narrator Zam’ah is weak, and Isa bin Yazdad is of unknown status. Imam al-Bukhari, Imam Abu Hatim al-Razi (and others) have declared this hadith not sahih.
This (weak) narration contradicts the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ.
Imam Ibn al-Qayyim in “Zad al-Ma’ad” says: The obsessive and doubtful people’s shaking of the male organ, al-Khanhah, jumping, holding a rope, climbing stairs, placing cotton in the male organ and getting water inside it, repeatedly looking at it closely (to see whether a drop has appeared), and the other innovations of this kind that continue to be practised — none of them has been proven from the Prophet ﷺ. (vol. 1, p. 173)
I, Amr Abd al-Mun’im, say that from the righteous predecessors (salaf), what is established is completely contrary to these obsessive people.
For example, Ibrahim al-Nakha’i said:
Whoever tries to search for moisture around his male organ (after istinja’) will see something that will distress him.
It is Iblis who teaches his friends such tricks, which turn them away from the upright religion, the straight path and the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ, and put them into trial. He touches the human’s male organ or tries to make it wet, so that the person begins to think that his wudu has broken!
A man complained to Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) that when he is in prayer he thinks there is urine moisture on his male organ. Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: May Allah destroy Satan. Satan touches a person’s male organ during prayer so that he thinks his wudu has broken. So when you perform wudu, sprinkle water on your private part. If you feel moisture, know that it is sprinkled water. The man acted upon this, and his obsessive illness ended.
Its chain is da’if due to the tadlis of Sufyan al-Thawri and al-A’mash.
A similar statement is also established from Mansur bin al-Mu’tamir, that Satan tries to make the male organ wet.
Its chain is sahih.
The treatment and cure for this lies in this: after wudu, one should sprinkle water on the private part, inside and outside the izar. Then if he feels moisture, he should understand that it is from the water he sprinkled. This was the practice of the righteous predecessors, and by this means they protected themselves from these innovations and whisperings.
From Nafi’, the freed slave of Ibn Umar, it is narrated that Sayyidina Abdullah bin Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, when he performed wudu, would sprinkle water on his private part.
Its chain is sahih.
From Muhammad bin Sirin, may Allah have mercy on him, it is narrated that when he finished wudu he would take water in his palm and pour it over his izar.
Its chain is sahih.
Dawud bin Qays says: I asked Muhammad bin Ka’b al-Qurazi: I perform wudu and (after wudu) feel moisture, so he said: When you perform wudu, sprinkle water on your private part. Then if you feel such (moisture), understand that it is from the water I sprinkled, because Satan will not leave you (to pray in peace) until he afflicts you with distress (and drives you out of the masjid).
Its chain is sahih.
O servants of Allah! For the sake of Allah, save yourselves from these innovations. The accursed Iblis misleads people into them under the pretext of so-called “caution.” If Satan gains control over the heart and mind, he certainly ruins them. And we seek refuge in Allah!
