Toilet Manners

Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) mentions that one day he went to the house of his sister Hafsah, the Prophet's wife. He went up on the roof of her house and saw the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) answering the call of nature while facing the direction of the Levant and his back was toward the Qiblah. Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) said this in response to those who said that one should not face the direction of Jerusalem, while answering the call of nature, and that is why the author mentioned the other version which adds: "...facing Bait al-Maqdis." So, if someone faces the Qiblah while praying within a building, there is nothing wrong with that.

صحيح البخاري، محمد بن إسماعيل البخاري الجعفي، تحقيق: محمد زهير الناصر، دار طوق النجاة (مصورة عن السلطانية بإضافة ترقيم: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي)، الطبعة: الأولى 1422هـ. صحيح مسلم، مسلم بن الحجاج القشيري النيسابوري، تحقيق محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي، دار إحياء التراث العربي، بيروت، الطبعة: 1423هـ. تنبيه الأفهام شرح عمدة الأحكام، محمد بن صالح العثيمين، مكتبة الصحابة، الإمارات، الطبعة: الأولى 1426هـ. تيسير العلام شرح عمدة الأحكام، عبد الله بن عبد الرحمن البسام، دار الميمان، الطبعة: الأولى 1426هـ، 2005م. عمدة الأحكام من كلام خير الأنام -صلى الله عليه وسلم- لعبد الغني المقدسي، دراسة وتحقيق: محمود الأرناؤوط، مراجعة وتقديم: عبد القادر الأرناؤوط، دار الثقافة العربية، دمشق، بيروت، مؤسسة قرطبة، الطبعة: الثانية 1408هـ، 1988. مرعاة المفاتيح شرح مشكاة المصابيح، عبيد الله بن محمد عبد السلام المباركفوري، إدارة البحوث العلمية والدعوة والإفتاء، الجامعة السلفية، بنارس الهند، الطبعة: الثالثة 1404هـ. تأسيس الأحكام، أحمد بن يحيى النجمي، دار علماء السلف، الطبعة: الثانية 1414هـ.

Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that he and a servant of similar age would follow the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) when he went to relieve himself. They would carry a stick with a pointed end like a spearhead, which he would insert in the ground to hang a covering as a screen for his privacy or as a Sutrah (barrier) for his prayer, and would carry as well a small leather vessel filled with water. When the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) finished relieving himself, one of them would hand him the water vessel, and he would cleanse himself with it.

1. A Muslim arranges his cleaning supplies beforehand when relieving himself, to avoid having to move and get dirty afterward.
2. Concealing one's ‘Awrah (private parts) while relieving oneself, so that no one may see it, because looking at ‘Awrah is forbidden. Thus, he (the Prophet) would fix the stick in the ground and drape a covering garment over it as a screen.
3. Teaching Islamic manners to children and raising them upon these values, so they may inherit them.

صحيح البخاري (1/ 42) (152). صحيح مسلم (1/ 227) (271). تيسير العلام شرح عمدة الأحكام، لعبد الله البسام (ص40). تنبيه الأفهام شرح عمدة الأحكام، لابن عثيمين (1/ 43). الإفهام في شرح عمدة الأحكام، لابن باز (ص84).

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) clarified some of the Tahārah (ritual purity) rulings including the following: First: Whoever performs ablution must sniff water into the nose by inhaling and then blow it out by exhaling. Second: Whoever wants to clean his private parts from impurities with something other than water, like stones and the like, should do so with an odd number of stones; the least of which is three, and the most of which is what is necessary to fully cleanse the impurities off his body. Third: Whoever wakes up from night sleep should not put his hand in the water vessel to perform ablution until he washes it three times outside the vessel, for he does not know where his hand was during his sleep. It might have been affected by some impurity or the devil might have been meddling with it carrying to it what could either be harmful to man or what could make the water impure.

1. In Wudū’ (ablution), one must make Istinshāq, which is sniffing water into the nose by inhaling, and one must also make Istinthār, which is blowing water out from the nose by exhaling.
2. It is recommended to make Istijmār (clean the private parts from impurities using stones or so) with an odd number of stones.
3. It is prescribed to wash the hands three times after waking up from night sleep.

صحيح البخاري (1/ 43) (162). صحيح مسلم (1/ 233) (278). تيسير العلام شرح عمدة الأحكام، للبسام (ص19). الإلمام بشرح عمدة الأحكام، لإسماعيل الأنصاري (1/ 11).

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbade the one who wants to relieve himself by urinating or defecating from facing the Qiblah and the direction of the Ka‘bah and from turning his back to it by making it behind his back. Rather, he should turn away from that direction towards the east or the west in case his Qiblah is like that of the people of Madīnah. Then, Abu Ayyūb (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that when they went to the Levant, they found the lavatories, which were set up for answering the call of nature, built facing the direction of the Ka‘bah. So, they used to divert their bodies from the Qiblah and seek forgiveness from Allah despite that.

1. The rationale behind this is to show veneration and respect for the honorable Ka‘bah.
2. Seeking Allah's forgiveness after coming out of the place of answering the call of nature.
3. The good teaching of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) because when he mentioned what is forbidden, he guided to what is permissible.

صحيح البخاري (1/ 88) (394). صحيح مسلم (1/ 224) (264). تيسير العلام شرح عمدة الأحكام، للبسام (ص37). تنبيه الأفهام شرح عمدة الأحكام، لابن عثيمين (1/ 39).

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) clarified here some manners as he forbade men from holding their penis with their right hand while urinating and forbade the act of removing impurity from the private parts, front or back, with the right hand because the right hand is meant to be used for noble matters. He also forbade breathing into the vessel from which one is drinking.

1. Demonstrating how Islam is in the lead when it comes to manners and cleanliness.
2. Avoiding filth, but if one has to touch it, then let him do so with his left hand.
3. Highlighting the nobility of the right hand and its superiority over the left one.
4. Perfection of the Islamic Shariah and comprehensiveness of its teachings.

صحيح البخاري (1/ 42) (154). صحيح مسلم (1/ 225) (267). تيسير العلام شرح عمدة الأحكام، للبسام (ص41). تنبيه الأفهام شرح عمدة الأحكام، لابن عثيمين (1/ 45).

Whenever the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) wanted to enter the place where he would relieve himself, either urinating or defecating, he would seek refuge with Allah and resort to Him to protect him from the evil of the male and female devils. The "Khubuth" and "Khabā’ith" were also said to mean evil and impurities.

1. It is recommended to say this supplication upon entering the bathroom.
2. All creatures need their Lord in all of their affairs to ward off whatever could hurt or harm them.

صحيح البخاري (1/ 40) (142). صحيح مسلم (1/ 283) (375). الإلمام بشرح عمدة الأحكام، لإسماعيل الأنصاري (1/ 23). تيسير العلام شرح عمدة الأحكام، للبسام (ص36).

‘Abdullāh ibn Ja‘far (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that one day the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) made him ride behind him on a camel. He confided in him something that he,(may Allah be pleased with him) desired not to disclose, because it was a secret of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). Then, he mentioned that whenever the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) wanted to answer the call of nature, he would either hide behind something high, or in a date-palm orchard where nobody could see him. The orchard usually has tall trees, however, it is not fit for sitting in it. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) entered an orchard that belonged to a man from the Ansār. He found a camel there. Once the camel saw the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) it started crying. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) patted on its hump and behind its ears. Then, he asked about its owner. An Ansāri young man came and told him the camel belonged to him. Thereupon, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: Do you not fear Allah who made you the owner of this camel? It is complaining to me that you keep it hungry and tired.

سنن أبي داود، تحقيق/ محمد محيي الدين عبد الحميد، المكتبة العصرية، صيدا- بيروت. صحيح مسلم، تحقيق/ محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي، دار إحياء التراث العربي- بيروت. مسند الإمام أحمد بن حنبل، تحقيق: شعيب الأرنؤوط - عادل مرشد، وآخرون، نشر: مؤسسة الرسالة، الطبعة: الأولى، 1421هـ - 2001م. نزهة المتقين، لمصطفى البُغا ومجموعة، مؤسسة الرسالة. بهجة الناظرين، لسليم الهلالي، دار ابن الجوزي. دليل الفالحين، لمحمد بن علان الصديقي، الجمعية الأزهرية. كنوز رياض الصالحين، لحمد بن ناصر العمار، دار كنوز إشبيليا. شرح رياض الصالحين، لمحمد بن صالح العثيمين، مدار الوطن- الرياض. معجم اللغة العربية المعاصرة، لأحمد مختار عمر بمساعدة فريق عمل، عالم الكتب.

In this Hadīth, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) draws our attention to one of the most common causes of punishment in the grave. It is the habit of not keeping away or purifying oneself from urine.

1. We should beware of urine and distance ourselves from it, lest it may touch our bodies or clothes.
2. It is better to wash off urine and purify ourselves of it if it touches us, so as to avoid impurity. But it is obligatory to remove it prior to prayer.
3. Urine is impure. So, if it touches a part of the body, clothing, or a spot, it makes it impure, rendering prayer invalid in this state. One of the requirements of the prayer is the removal of impurity.
4. Failure to guard against urine is one of the major sins.
5. It establishes the existence of the torment in the grave, which is proved by the Qur’an, the Sunnah, and the consensus.
6. It establishes the existence of the recompense in the Hereafter, as the stages of the Hereafter begin with the grave, which is either a garden of Paradise or a pit of Hellfire.

سنن الدارقطني،أبو الحسن علي بن عمر الدارقطني، تحقيق: شعيب الارنؤوط وآخرون، نشر: مؤسسة الرسالة، بيروت، لبنان، الطبعة: الأولى، 1424هـ، 2004م. إرواء الغليل في تخريج أحاديث منار السبيل، محمد ناصر الدين الألباني، إشراف: زهير الشاويش، المكتب الإسلامي، بيروت، الطبعة: الثانية 1405هـ، 1985م. توضيح الأحكام مِن بلوغ المرام، عبد الله بن عبد الرحمن البسام، مكتبة الأسدي، مكة المكرّمة، الطبعة: الخامِسَة 1423هـ، 2003م. منحة العلام في شرح بلوغ المرام، عبد الله صالح الفوزان، دار ابن الجوزي، الطبعة: الأولى 1428هـ، 1432هـ. تسهيل الإلمام بفقه الأحاديث من بلوغ المرام، صالح بن فوزان بن عبد الله الفوزان، اعتنى بإخراجه عبدالسلام بن عبد الله السليمان، الرسالة، بيروت، الطبعة: الأولى 1427هـ، 2006م. فتح ذي الجلال والإكرام بشرح بلوغ المرام للشيخ ابن عثيمين- المكتبة الإسلامية القاهرة- تحقيق صبحي رمضان وأم إسراء بيومي- الطبعة الأولى 1427ه.