- Sunnah of Going to the Bathroom (Toilet)

Everyone needs to go to answer the call of nature. All creatures also need to relieve themselves; however, the Muslims have been given the best etiquettes for relieving oneself. In Paradise we will not have to relieve ourselves. Instead we will perspire and even the perspiration will be beautifully scented like musk.

Subhanallah! However, in this temporary world we all need to relieve ourselves. Many people suffer from illnesses and find it very difficult to control themselves and when going to relieve one's self it is very difficult. May Allah (The Exalted) free them from their illnesses, Ameen. Islam being a complete way of life has given us etiquettes and manners of even going to the toilet, we find that Islam has not left any stone unturned. We should follow Islam as much as possible and gain benefits and rewards. Let us learn some Sunnahs regarding the manners of going to the toilet.

Privacy
Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) states that, 'When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) would go to relieve himself he would go so far that no-one could see him.'
We should make sure that there is complete privacy whilst relieving one's self; this is modesty that every Muslim should have.

Covering The Head
Habib bin Saleh (may Allah be pleased with him) has related that when the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) entered the toilet, he would put on his shoes and cover his head.'

Which Foot'
The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) would enter the toilet with his left foot, and exit with the right foot. 

Removing The Clothing
Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) states that, 'When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) would go to relieve himself, he would not remove the clothing from his body until he was close to the ground.' 

Jinns and Devils Stay in The Toilets
Zaid bin Arqam (may Allah be pleased with him) has reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, 'These toilets are peopled by Jinn and devils, so when one of you goes there say, 'I seek protection in you from the male and female devil.'' Meaning pray the supplication before entering the toilet.

The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, 'When one of you intends to go to the toilet then recite 'Bismillah' a veil will be placed between the jinn and the parts of your body.' This should be recited before entering the toilet.

The Prophet Teaches This'
Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that it was said to him, 'Your Apostle (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) teaches you about everything, even about excrement'' He replied, 'Yes, he has forbidden us to face the Qibla at the time of defecation or urination, or cleansing with the right hand or with less than three pebbles, or with dung or bone.' 

Facing the Qibla
Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) said that, 'When any one amongst you squats for answering the call of nature, he should neither turn his face towards the Qibla nor turn his back towards it.'

Facing or keeping the back towards the Qibla whilst going to the toilet is forbidden. We should take care of this at all times. If the toilet is facing the Qibla in your home then try and sacrifice some money and have it changed as you will be sinning every time you use the toilet. Even if children are taken to the toilet then it is the adult's responsibility to make sure the child does not face or have the back towards the Qibla or the sin will lie on the adult. 

Punished For Splashes And Backbiting
Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) states that, 'Once the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) while passing through a graveyard heard the voices of two persons who were being punished in their graves. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, 'These two persons are being punished not for something major (it is not difficult to be save from it).' The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) then added, 'Yes! (They are being tortured for a major sin) Indeed, one of them never saved himself from being soiled with his urine while the other would go about with backbiting (to make enmity between friends).' The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) then asked for a branch of a date-palm tree, broke it into two pieces, and put one on each grave. On being asked why he had done so, he replied, 'I hope that their torture might be lessened, until these get dried.'

'Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) says that, 'Whosoever says that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) would stand up and urinate do not believe them, he would urinate but sitting down .'

Respected brother/sister! One of the reasons of the punishment in the grave is because of urinating standing up, Islam has given us a method to follow not only will you relieve yourself but you will be rewarded too. Don't forget, in this time when corruption is everywhere and by following one Sunnah, the reward of one hundred martyrs is awaiting for you! Another reason for the punishment in the grave is talking bad about other people, in today's society many do not want to here good things about others. We should always speak well otherwise remain silent. There are major punishments of speaking ill of others be it true. For more details read my booklet on evils of backbiting. May Allah (The Exalted) save us from these major sins, Ameen!

Using The Left Hand
Abu Qatada (may Allah be pleased with him) reported it from his father that, 'The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said that, 'None of you should hold the private parts with the right hand while urinating, or wipe with the right hand in the privy.'

Do not use the right hand for cleansing (Istinja) as it goes against the Sunnah unless you have a problem with your right hand. We use the right hand for eating, drinking, shaking hands, reading the Qur'an etc. we should use the other hand for cleaning, holding shoes, cleaning the nose etc. 

Cleansing With Water
'Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that, 'The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) went to answer the call of nature, 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) bought some water. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, 'What is this'' He replied, 'Water for cleansing (Istinja).' The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, 'It has not been made necessary (Wajib) upon me after urinating to cleanse myself with water.'' 

Many are ignorant of the fact that if you cleanse yourself with tissue paper when you don't have access to water then you are unclean (napaak) and in need of a bath , this is incorrect and an excuse from Shaytan to miss Salaah. Some people when traveling miss their Salaah which is obligatory (Fardh) due to their ignorance. We go out of our way to make preparations and make sure we are financially secure; however, when we have to go on a journey, many do not prepare their journey for Salaah, i.e. a prayer mat, a container for cleansing (Istinja) etc. We should make sure we make preparations for Salaah before making any other preparations.

If impurity gets on your clothes or body and is more in size than a Dirham , then to clean it is compulsory, without cleaning it your Salaah will not count. If the impurity on your clothes or body is the same size as a Dirham, then to clean it is necessary (Wajib) and therefore if Salaah is prayed, you must repeat it as the Salaah is Makrooh-e-Tehrimi and to pray it again is Wajib. If the impurity is less in size than a Dirham, then to clean it is Sunnah and if Salaah is prayed, it will count but is against the Sunnah and to repeat it is better.
No-one should make excuses that I did not clean (Istinja) with water so I need a bath or that I am unclean. Take appropriate cleaning material to the toilet. If you feel uncomfortable if at a service station or at work then at least wet some tissue and cleanse yourself with that other wise by cleansings without water and making sure the impurity is cleaned there is no problem, do not be ashamed of your religion as this is complete and perfect. Most importantly the Salaah should not be missed.

Relieve Yourself First
'Abd Allah bin Arqam (may Allah be pleased with him) has related that he heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) say 'When the time for prayer comes and one of you needs to relieve himself, he should do that first.'

In the books of Hanafi Fiqh (Jurisprudence) it states it is Makrooh-e-Tehrimi to hold urine/wind or the need to go to the toilet. One should relieve themselves first as the Salaah will have to be repeated. It is said that holding urine is harmful for the body, just as everything around a stream is destroyed if it is held up.

Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that, 'The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) saw a bedouin urinating in the mosque and told the people not to disturb him. When he finished, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) asked for some water and poured it over (the urine).' 

Look at the teaching of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) some companions got up to stop him, however, he would have ran and made other parts of the Mosque impure. So the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, let him finish, as he was a new Muslim, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) called him and explained that this is the house of Allah (The Exalted) and should be kept clean from impurities. This companion said, 'I have never seen a teacher like the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).'

No More Stomach Ache
A woman accidentally drank some of the Messenger of Allah's (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) urine. Then the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) told her, 'You will never complain of a stomach ache.'

Ibn Jurayj (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that, the name of this woman was Baraka, but they disagree about her lineage. Some say it was Umme Ayman, who would serve the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). She said, 'The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) has a wooden cup which he placed under his bed, in which he would urinate during the night. One night he urinated in it and when he examined it in the morning, there was nothing in it.' He asked Baraka about that. She said, 'I got up and felt thirsty and drank it without knowing.' 

Muhammad ibn Sa'd, al-Waqidi's scribe, related that 'A'isha (may Allah be pleased with her) said to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) 'When you come from relieving yourself, we do not see anything noxious from you.' He said, ''A'isha (may Allah be pleased with her) don't you know that the earth swallows up what comes out of the prophets (upon them all be peace) so that none of it is seen''

The urine or blood of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was clean as Allah (The Exalted) made him unique. How can some people say that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is like us' We believe that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) a human, however, not like us. For instance, there are different types of stones of which all come from the earth. A diamond is also from the earth and if placed with an ordinary stone, no one would say that these two are the same, so those who say the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is like us, need to understand who the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is and what his virtues are.

Supplication Before Entering
When going to the toilet the messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) would wear footwear. He would cover his blessed head and before stepping into the room, he would read:

'Bismillah' 'Allah-Hum-ma Inni A'oodhu-bika Minal Khu-buthi Wal-kha-baith'

'O Allah I seek your protection from the male and female devils.'

We should try and learn these short supplications and practise them too. If we do not seek Allah's (The Exalted) protection from the devils, then there is a chance we can be affected with mental illnesses from the devils. We can not see the devils and when you can not see your enemy they are more dangerous. May Allah (The Exalted) protect and give us the ability to follow the Sunnah, Ameen.

Manners of Going to The Toilet

 1. Cover your head.
2. Enter with the left foot.
3. Any item (e.g. ring, locket etc.) that has the names of Allah (The Exalted) or His beloved Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) or any verse of the Qur'an, should be removed before entering the toilet. An Amulet (Ta'weez) can be worn as long as it is covered.
4. It is forbidden (Haram) to face or have the back facing towards the Qibla whilst relieving oneself.
5. It is best to lower oneself as much as possible before uncovering the body.
6. Put slight pressure on the left leg it makes it relieving easier.
7. One should be very careful about the splashing of urine (as this is a grave sin). One should sit to urinate.
8. One should not talk in the toilet without absolute necessity but if a person outside is calling and does not know then cough thrice to make them aware. This includes the use of a mobile phone be it for texting as this is not the place to do such things.
9. When two people talk when the body is uncovered Allah (The Exalted) is displeased.
10. Hold the container in the right hand whilst cleansing with the left.
11. The right hand should not be used to cleanse oneself. Unless there is a problem with the left hand then one can use the right hand.
12. Use the left hand middle three fingers for cleanings.
13. The sister should cleanse themselves with the lower palm of the left hand and do not separate the legs to wide.
14. Wash in odd numbers i.e. 1, 3, 5 or 7 times.
15. When cleansing yourself, males should hold their penis from the top with the left hand index finger and the thumb. Gently work your way down (as if milking an animal) so if drops are left they will come out.
16. After performing urination, if you feel that another drop of urine will come, then it is wajib for you to perform 'Istibrao' meaning after urination to perform some act that would force the urine left inside, to come out .
17. First wash the front then the back.
18. After cleansing with water you can dry yourself with some tissue.
19. After you have relieved yourself, wash your hands up to the wrists thrice.
20. Without necessity do not look at your private parts as there is a chance of the memory becoming weak.
21. Do not sit on the toilet for a long time as there is a chance of getting piles.
22. Do not play with your clothing or body, nor look here or there, nor look above, and do not touch your body without necessity.
23. Do not spit or clean your nose in the toilet.
24. Soon as you have cleansed yourself cover yourself as soon as possible.
25. When leaving the toilet one should step out with the right foot.

Supplication on Leaving
Once outside the toilet read this supplication :

'Ghuf-raa-naka Al-ham-du-Lil-la-hil-ladhi Adh-haba 'An-nil Adhaa Wa-'Aa-faani'

'O Allah I seek Your pardon. All praises are due to Allah who has taken away from me discomfort and granted me relief.' 

This supplication was to teach the Ummah to seek refuge in Allah (The Exalted) from Shaytan. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was free from the influence of the Shaytan. 'Abd-Allah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, 'Everyone of you is given a companion from the Jinn and a companions from the angels.' The companions asked, 'You as well, Messenger of Allah'' He said, 'Me as well, but Allah (The Exalted) has helped me against him and he has given up.' Subhanallah!

Respected brother/sister of Islam, try to learn these short supplications and follow the blessed Sunnah in your day-to-day activities. By learning these supplications Allah (The Exalted) will be pleased. Remember, once you learn them do not forget them. There are so many benefits in following the Sunnah. The Sunnah only benefits, hence, it has been discussed in volume two.