Etiquette & Sunnahs of Using the Toilet in the Quran & Sunnah

1. Take care of physical and outward cleanliness.

Allah says:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ التَّوَّابِينَ وَيُحِبُّ الْمُتَطَهِّرِينَ

Indeed, Allah loves those who are constantly repentant and loves those who purify themselves. (Surah al-Baqarah 2:222)

Lesson: The verse shows Allah’s love for those who keep themselves pure. Cleanliness of the body and clothes, freedom from impurity, and purification for worship are an important part of the teachings of Islam.

2. Attaining purity for prayer.

While explaining the rulings of wudu, ghusl and tayammum, Allah says:

وَلَٰكِنْ يُرِيدُ لِيُطَهِّرَكُمْ

But He intends to purify you. (Surah al-Ma’idah 5:6)

Lesson: This verse is a general evidence for purification. After relieving oneself, cleaning the body and clothes of impurity and attaining Sharia purity before prayer are required; the specific etiquettes of the toilet are detailed in the hadiths.

1. Recite the masnoon dua before entering the toilet.

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ went to relieve himself, he would say:

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْخُبُثِ وَالْخَبَائِثِ

O Allah, I seek refuge in You from the male and female unclean things (and the devils).

Lesson: This dua is established from the practice of the Prophet ﷺ before going to relieve himself. As an outside place is more fitting for dhikr, it is recited at the door, before entering.

2. Go to a place where privacy is maintained.

Al-Mughirah ibn Shu’bah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ went to relieve himself, he would go far away.

In another narration, Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) said that he ﷺ would go to a place where no one could see him.

Lesson: These narrations show that when relieving himself in the open, the Prophet ﷺ chose a suitable place hidden from people’s sight and guarded his private parts.

3. Guard the private parts while relieving oneself.

The narrations mentioned above establish that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would go to a place where no one could see him. This shows the etiquette of privacy and covering the private parts.

Lesson: The etiquette indicates not relieving oneself where others can see the private parts, and keeping the door of a toilet or bathroom closed to protect one’s private state.

4. Do not face the qibla or turn your back to it in the open.

Abu Ayyub al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

«إِذَا أَتَى أَحَدُكُمُ الْغَائِطَ فَلَا يَسْتَقْبِلِ الْقِبْلَةَ وَلَا يُوَلِّهَا ظَهْرَهُ»

When any of you goes to relieve himself, he should not face the qibla nor turn his back to it.

In another narration, Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ relieving himself with his back to the qibla in a built toilet at home.

Juristic note: Because of this, scholars give detail regarding open ground and built toilets. In building a new toilet, avoiding facing or turning one’s back to the qibla is a suitable precaution, while for an already built toilet the ruling is according to the position of one’s reliable school of fiqh.

Lesson: The hadith teaches respect for the qibla while relieving oneself.

5. Do not relieve yourself on people’s paths or in their places of shade.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

«اتَّقُوا اللَّعَّانَيْنِ»

Beware of the two things that cause cursing.

The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) asked what they were. He ﷺ said: relieving oneself on people’s paths or in their places of shade.

Lesson: The hadith shows that relieving oneself on public paths or in places where people rest and sit harms people and is a cause of their cursing.

6. Do not pollute sources of water or places where water is used.

Mu’adh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ warned against relieving oneself in three places: places where water is drawn, roads, and places of shade.

Lesson: The hadith shows the importance of protecting wells, springs, ponds and other water sources from filth. Clean water is needed by people and animals alike.

7. Do not clean yourself with the right hand.

Abu Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said that when one goes to relieve himself, he should not touch his private part with his right hand nor clean himself with his right hand.

Lesson: According to this etiquette, the left hand is used for istinja and cleaning impurity, while the right hand is kept for clean tasks.

8. Do not hold the private part with the right hand while urinating.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said that none of you should hold his private part with his right hand while urinating.

Lesson: The hadith teaches avoiding holding the private part with the right hand during urination and cleaning. This etiquette is established from a sound hadith.

9. Perform istinja with water.

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ went to relieve himself, he and another boy would carry a vessel of water with him so that he could perform istinja with it.

Lesson: This is a clear evidence for istinja with water. Cleaning impurity thoroughly with water is a recommended and clear way of purification.

10. Do not clean with bones or animal dung.

Salman al-Farisi (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade performing istinja with a bone or with animal dung.

The same narration also mentions the prohibition of cleaning with the right hand and of cleaning with fewer than three stones.

Lesson: The hadith teaches avoiding things for which cleaning is forbidden, especially bones and animal dung.

11. Do not clean with fewer than three stones.

In the narration of Salman al-Farisi (may Allah be pleased with him), the Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade performing istinja with fewer than three stones.

Lesson: The hadith specifically mentions stones. For modern materials such as tissue paper, the juristic details are separate; so the wording of this narration should not be presented as a fixed requirement of three separate pieces in every modern method of cleaning.

12. Use an odd number when cleaning with stones.

Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said that whoever cleans himself with stones should use an odd number.

Lesson: This instruction relates to the use of stones. It is not established from this hadith that a person cleaning with water must use an odd quantity of water in every case.

13. Protect the body and clothes from impurity.

Abdullah ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ passed by two graves and said that one of the two persons did not protect himself from urine, while the other used to spread slander.

Lesson: The narration shows the seriousness of carelessness in protecting oneself from urine. It is understood as taking ordinary care to keep the body and clothes clean; it does not mean being gripped by constant doubts about one’s body. Usual precaution and cleanliness suffice, and baseless suspicions are to be avoided.

14. Do not urinate in still water.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said that none of you should urinate in still water and then bathe in it.

Lesson: The hadith forbids urinating in standing water that does not flow, such as a pond or well. This protects the water from pollution and others from harm.

15. Take care of purity when relieving oneself.

The Quran teaches purity, and a sound hadith contains a warning of punishment in the grave because of negligence regarding urine.

Surah al-Baqarah 2:222.

Lesson: After urinating, care is taken to avoid impurity and keep the body and clothes clean. This is an important matter relating to the soundness of prayer and purity.

16. The sound report about urinating standing or sitting.

Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ came to the rubbish dump of a people and urinated while standing.

Lesson: This sound hadith shows that urinating while standing is not forbidden absolutely. Scholars note that in ordinary circumstances it is better to adopt a manner in which the private parts stay covered, no splashes fall, and others are not harmed. Sitting generally makes this easier, but declaring standing to be forbidden in every case is not correct.

17. Protect yourself from splashes of urine.

In the narration of Abdullah ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them), there is a warning of punishment in the grave for not protecting oneself from urine.

Lesson: Haste is avoided while urinating, and a place or manner is chosen so that splashes do not fall on the body and clothes. If impurity does touch them, it is to be purified.

18. Relieve a pressing need before prayer.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “When the supper is brought and the prayer begins, one should first take food.” What distracts the heart is settled before standing before Allah.

Lesson: If the need to relieve oneself is severe, it is met first, and then wudu and prayer are performed, so that attention in prayer is maintained. This does not mean delaying prayer without reason; the aim is to avoid disturbance and distraction in prayer due to a pressing bodily need.

19. Ask for forgiveness after finishing.

Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ came out from relieving himself, he would say:

غُفْرَانَكَ

I seek Your forgiveness.

Lesson: Saying “Ghufranak” on leaving the toilet is an established dua.

20. Perform wudu after istinja.

The Quran commands wudu before prayer (Surah al-Ma’idah 5:6). The report of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) establishes istinja with water.

Lesson: After relieving oneself and cleaning the impurity, wudu is performed for the purity of prayer. Istinja and wudu are two separate matters: istinja is for cleaning impurity, while wudu is for attaining Sharia purity for prayer and similar acts.

21. Complete the cleaning without falling into doubts.

A sound hadith stresses protection from impurity in matters of urine, and istinja with water is also established.

Lesson: Cleaning is completed in the usual manner, and any real traces of impurity on the body or clothes are purified. Repeated washing out of baseless doubt is not regarded as necessary. This is an explanation of the general principles of purification, not the wording of a particular hadith.