Ruling on Using Clean Tissue Paper for Istinja (Purification After Relieving Oneself) Source:
This article is derived from the book 500 Questions & Answers for Women, a compilation of Fatawa by the Scholars of the Haramain. Translated by Hafiz Abdullah Saleem.
❖ Question:
Is it sufficient to use tissue paper for istinja (cleaning oneself after relieving oneself)?
❖ Answer:
Yes, using tissue paper for istinja is sufficient and permissible, and there is no harm in doing so.
The purpose of istinja is to remove traces of impurity, and that objective can be fulfilled using tissue paper, pieces of cloth, earth, or stones—any of these are acceptable.
However, it is not permissible to perform istinja with materials that the Sharī‘ah has prohibited, such as bones or dung.
❖ Why Bones and Dung Are Prohibited:
Bones are food for the jinn, provided they are from animals that were slaughtered in the name of Allah.If the bones are from animals not slaughtered Islamically, then those bones are impure, and impure things cannot purify.
As for dung:- If it comes from impure animals, it is najis (impure) and cannot be used for purification.
- If it comes from pure animals, then it serves as fodder for the animals of the jinn.
This is based on a hadith in which the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said regarding the jinn who had visited him and embraced Islam:
"لكم كل عظم ذكر اسم الله عليه ، تجدونه أوفرما يكون لحما"
[Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Ḥadīth No. 450]
“For you (as hospitality) is every bone over which the name of Allah was mentioned; you will find it full of meat.”
These are unseen matters that we cannot observe, but we are required to believe in them.❖ Human Superiority Over the Jinn:
This hadith also establishes the superiority of humans over the jinn.
This is further affirmed because humans are the offspring of Ādam عليه السلام, while the jinn descend from Iblīs, who was commanded to prostrate to Ādam and refused:
"إِلَّا إِبْلِيسَ كَانَ مِنَ الْجِنِّ فَفَسَقَ عَنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّهِ"
[Al-Kahf: 50]
“Except Iblīs, he was from the jinn and he rebelled against the command of his Lord.”
(Fatwa by: Shaykh Muḥammad ibn Ṣāliḥ al-‘Uthaymīn رحمه الله)❖ Summary:
✔ It is permissible and sufficient to use clean tissue paper for istinja.
✔ One must avoid using prohibited items such as bones and dung.
✔ Unseen matters related to jinn are to be believed in, even if they cannot be observed.
✔ This also highlights the virtue of humanity over the jinn as taught in Islamic sources.
